The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-16
AUCTION HISTORY.
Queer Traditions of the Craft by an
Old English Salesman.
From the London Telegraph.

Old English Salesman.
From the London Telegraph
The Oldest practicing auctioneer in the
United Kingdom has passed away in the
person of Mr.. Robert Price of Warwick
Court. Grays Inn. whose mortal remains
were conveyed to their last resting place
recently. Deceased was in his S5th year.
and until few days before his death was
engaged In his work as a partner in the
firm of Furber. Price & Furber. of which
he had been respected member since
1872. Sixty years ago he entered the
office of Mr.. Charles Furber. situated
then, as now, in Warwick Court, and
after the fashion of a past generation he
refused TO live elsewhere than lover the
Office" Though Mr. Price was a special
list in chattel valuations and could pre-
pare catalogues In this department in a
fashion which excited the envy of many
a younger man, his personality Is chiefly
interesting to the general public as FORM
ing one OF the last links with period
when sales by the candle inch were in
vogue and auctions, so far from being con-
Quoted with dignity, very frequently de-
generated into a drunken orgie. In those
DAYS 1t was not an uncommon thing for
knights of the hammer TO have the con-
duct of furnishing undertaking, agency.
farming, or other businesses; and they
were thus enabled to earn an income
which the auction department merely
supplemented. In many parts of the
country this combination still exists; and
as regards selling "by the inch of candle''
so hard do old customs die4-an example
of this class of sale was reported from
Devonshire less than week ago. The
origin OF this expression arose from the
employment of candles as the means OF
measuring time and 1t was understood
that one lot of goods should not continue
to be offered to the bidding of the COM
pany for a longer time than would suffice
for the burning of one inch of candle. As
soon as this rude kind of measure had
wasted to the extent in question, the man
who had made the highest bid was declar-
ed TO be the purchaser. Those were plod-
ding, reposeful days, innocent of tele-
phones and kilograms, when as much as
one quarter of an hour was permitted for
the consumption of the measured inch the
interval being agreeably passed In fire.
quent libations at the expense Of the VEN
doris.
Long before the advent of the late Mr.
Price, sales by candle were popular In
this country, and all kinds of surmlses
have been made as to the origin of the
custom. One authority declares that the
method originated In Holland, "the Dutch
being a quiet-loving people, to whom the
distinguishing of a piece of candle would
appeal more than the tap of a hammer"
The writer as If impressed by the feeble
ness OF this argument, hastens TO add:
THE Dutch country Is much renowned
for it's fogs, and as the blowing out Of a
candle would place the auction room in
darkness, and since the auctioneer could
not be seen, the bidding of necessity would
cease" On the whole, the balance of evil
dence favors the statement that the cam
die was used originally for the sole pur-
pose of measuring the time, even as the
sand glass Is employed for auctions In
some parts of Scotland and England at
the present day A number of documents
might be quoted In support of this view,
and Pepys, in his diary, under date Nov.
6, 1860. writes: "In our office, where We
met for the sale Of two ships by an inch
of candle, / observed how they did invite
one another and how at last they all did
cry, and we had much TO do to tell who
did cry last. The ships were the Indian.
sold for f1,300, and the Half Moone, sold
for $780," There are still some sales in
London which would merit this descrip-
ton as TO crying. the wool sales, for in
stance, where the initiated are certainly
more often than not at a loss TO know
whose bid Is successful In times long
gone by 'sales by the candle were pop
ular at Garraway's coffee house in Ex-
change alley, at the marine coffee house
In Birchin Lane, and at the Young British
coffee house, "adjoinig to Ludgate, where
punch Is sold at the lowest prices''-aS the
notice OF sale would invariably state. All
these establishments have now been swept
away to make room for less historic prem
ises, but the advertisements relating to
the quantest of old auctions may still DO
seen. OF the methods of bidding, Mr.. Price
could tell some interesting stories. In his
early days there were other modes than
a nod Of the head to signify intention to
purchase. A wink is accepted by some
auctioneers as equivalent to the cry or
YES" though some buyers prefer TO pinch
the leg of the painstaking gentleman VINO
Is Knocking down theN lots. Mr.. James
F. Field who has evidently made study
Of the idlosyncracies of buyers, says there
Is one class who signify a bid by an open
mouth and signs of apoplexy most alarm
ing to behold; others motion, smile, froWn
or tremble and, indeed the methods or
some are perplexing." The Romans sig
nffjed their bidding by lifting their fingers,
but this did not conduce to the economy
of time, for auctions at the capital, We
are told frequently lasted two months.
In support of the great antiquity OF auc-
| lions. Il is alleged that the purchase of the
| Cave Of Machpelah by Abraham for 400
| shekeIs of silver was probably effected
| through some agent or intermediary cor
responding to the modern auctioneers
| though the evidence on this point is doubt
| full We are more concerned to know
| that the Auctioneer's Institute OF the
! United Kingdom was founded In 1886, and
that IL has a membership OF 900. There
are several gentlemen on its books with
| an experience almost equal to that pos
sessed by the late Mr.. Price, and all these
| agree that within recent years no profess
sion has made greater progress as regards
| public recognition and improved attain-
| ments than the gentlemen of the ham,
mer Mr. Charles Harris, the secretary,
| will inform you candidly that In Mr..
! Prices early days the average auctioneer
was a man OF only small Importance.
| There was no Incorporated society and no
| examination; moreover, the sales took
| place in establishments which would i'll
| compare with Tokenhouse yard. Almost
every auction was held in public house,
and liquor was amply provided. There
Is a tale of a lady auctioneer of the old
days whose custom at a sale was to hand
| a glass Of brandy to every bidder, the re.
ceiver of the last glass being the buyer.
| The drink habit" according to some au-
! thorlties, its still inseparable from the
auction room. but nowadays one never
witnesses the scene of debauchery which
was by no means unusual some sixty years
ago. The profession of the auctioneer
has marched with the times. Several
/ years Of training and an examination