Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-02


The government frequently patronizes
the auctioneer. In war time captured
prizes are sold at auction. In the piping
times of peace imports on which Gus
toms duties are not paid are sold at
auction, as are also obsolete naval YES
sells and old furniture and other junk
that accumulates in the capitol and de-
partment buildings. Not long ago a
number of demijohns were disposed of
at a war department sale. Nobody
explained how they happened to be
among the effects of the government,
despite the anti-canteen law.
The annual dead-letter auction is a
feature of Washington life, and
though catalogues give a hint of the
contents of letter and package, a lot
of useless stuff is generally bought for
the fun of the thing. The "old hoss''
sales of express companies in many
cities dispose Of the unclaimed pack
ages, and as it is buying a pig in a
poke game, there is much fun at
tached to such auctions. Where one
man may bid in a package for song
and find that it contains valuable Jew
elry, another may pay much for large
box to find it holds rusty plowshares.
Auctioneers, like the members of
every other profession, are specialize
ing. There are many real estate auc-
tioneers, especially in the large cities;
Unique among these is Massachusetts,
er" plan. which is said to have been
invented by his father. Under this
system a piece of land is divided into
several parcels. Bids are solicited al
ternately upon the plot as a whole and
upon each parcel, and it is sold all to-
gether or in parts, whichever way will
bring the most money.
In the west livestock auctioneering is
a popular and lucrative branch of the
business Some auctioneers deal par
ticularly in furniture, antiques, curios
and art objects. New York and WASH
ington are fertile fields for these spe-
cialists. In the latter city there is
constant stream of government off,
cials and others coming and going, who
furnish houses when they arrive and
sell out at auction when they depart.
Articles belonging to former President
Roosevelt and to the Persian minister
were recently sold there. There are
well known auctions periodically in
New York of books, stamps, coins, rugs,
etc One London firm has been con-
Quoting book auctions for over CEN
fury.
In New York several auctioneers con-
duct clearing houses of insolvency and
do a business aggregating over $l,OOO
900 a year in unredeemed pledges of
pawn shops. In Australia and New
Zealand wool is auctioned regularly In
that way. In London there are auctions
from time to time of hides, skins,
leather, horns, bones, tallow, lumber
and other products. At a Dutch auction
SO called the auctioneer begins by nam
ing a high price and gradually reducing
it until he reaches a figure which some
body is willing to give.
Auctioneers are subject to licenses
and other governmental regulations al
most everywhere. They are paid on a
commission basis. The prices obtained
for various articles vary greatly with
the personality of the auctioneer his
method of advertising, the locality and
season of the sale, the temper of his
audience, and other conditions. Some
| times a thing brings more at auction
| than it would at private sale. Then
again something valuable goes Tor
| mere song. In England there is an
Auctioneers' institute with member
ship of 9O0 There is also quarterly
magazine published quoting auction
prices obtained for all sorts of things
in New York, London, Paris and Ber-
lin.
tioneer like a poet, is born, not made.
but that does not seem to be borne out
by the facts. Some years ago John i.
| Graham of Des Moines, Iowa, started
| the first school of auctioneering, from
which knights of the hammer were
turned out after a four weeks course.
| During that time they were taught the
| ethics of the profession, voice culture,
| how to act and what to say under al
most every conceivable circumstance.
and other useful knowledge, which was
| epitomized under the heading OF fifty
/ eight suggestions. While education
does much, natural talent counts for
great deal also, as do experience and
heredity. There have been many
| families of auctioneers. Representative
| Greene of Massachusetts belongs to one
of them. His father started business at
Natchez, Miss, in 1888. The congress-
man succeeded his sire, as young Mr..
| Greene will succeed the present head of
the firm.
During the Democratic filibuster in
| the house of representatives several
years ago, when there were roll calls
| on every possible proposition, the
voices of the reading clerks were worn
out and a capitol policeman, who was
an ex-auctioneer, was called to the
rescue. For days his tireless fog-horn
voice was heard from one end of the
/ capitol to the other
The qualifications of a good auc-
tioneer are many. An Ottawa author
ity. summarized them as follows: He
must be strictly temperate, moderately
honest and up to date" In addition TO
these qualifications he should have good
health, the "gift of CAB" pleasant
voice, a fine presence and knowledge
of languages; be an excellent judge of
human nature, well informed about the
things he sells, good tempered and
quick witted; altogether 1.-THE smartest
man in the world" as one admirer of
the profession says. He must have q
sort of hypnotic power If he would
emulate the man who induced q street
sweeper to buy a bass viol, which the
4 disgusted laborer later broke into
llindling wood. The ideal knight of the
hammer plays upon the feelings of his
customers as a successful advocate
sways a jury, or musician coaxes and
woos his instrument
i Copyright, 1909, by Frederic J. Haskin)
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