Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1910-09-21
AUCTION STORIES
Unexpected Prizes That Have
Been Won by Bidders.
A GREAT BARGAIN in EGGS.

'Wo opcctmo,ss OF the Great Alt
SPceies Were Bought For 50 and
eo'a for s2.ooo--An Old Picture Thu,
Had valuable Lining.
VI course 1 have met with n good
many interesting experiences durInc
my career as an auctioueer &" ra,o,o.
Henry Stevens IA a London magazine
but the most striking OF them all no.
CURED. think. In connection WITH n
great auk's egg.
some years ago young fellow roda
over to an obscure furniture sale M
the country village IN the hope of go.
curing a bargain TO help In furnishing
home In view OF his intended mar.
rage And bargain he did Get
though not OF the kind he originate
thought Of
One or the lots put up for sale was
a oasketful OF shells. eggs and otber
ornaments which had attracted the M
,ention OF an old lady who happened tn
be present Just as they were on the
point OF being knocked down to her
the young man was struck by the an
pearance OF two large eggs in the has.
Ret. and. thinking he might as we'll
have them as curiosities. he started 70
bid. With the result that the LOT was
knocked down TO him for 50.
Upon examining the eggs II oc-
CURED to him that he might be nble
TO make profit on their sale. He ac-
cordingly wrapped them up In a hand
kerchief and brought them TO me.
AS soon as they had washed of tho
Crime which covered them discovered
that they were eggs OF no less 4 bird
than the great aux. aud as n result Of
their sale few weeks later 1 handed
the astute young bargain hunter a
check for $1,000.
At another sale which conducted
there was an old picture so covered
With dirt and CRIME that IL was almost
impossible TO see what Il was Ike
This was hung upon the wall In a
prominent position. but did not appar.
emily nnd favor I'm the eyes OF any OF
the dealers who were present. No re-
serve price was placed upon this pic
ture, which had been put into the sale
- - a0NAa 10 WnOIO IL n0U
been pledged and not redeemed
I'm spite OF every effort on the part
OF the aucuoneer. Il was eventually
Knocked down TO a young man who
had looked into the sale quite casually
I'm order 20 waste half an hour during
which he had 10 wait for n train. TAX
Ing great fancy TO the frame. which
was OF oak. backencd with age. no
hazarded bid OF So. at which price
II was knocked down TO him without
any competition.
As he did not want the picture. he
asked the auctioneer whether he would
mind trying 10 get a bid for Il IL he
cut Il out OF the frame. and. being an
swered In the affirmative. be took out
his knife and neatly cut through tho
canvas all round the edge
Imagine the astonishment OF him
self and all present when. hidden be-
hind the canvas. he discovered Eve
bills for Sl0o each. Evidently the pic
ture had been used TO conceal the saw
ings OF some previous owner. who had
died without disclosing the secret and
whose hard won fortune thus came
into the hands Of total stranger
Il should quote as very interesting
sale at Rutland Gate. where there
were only the remains OF the furnl-
ture. firm having been allowed 20
take what they chose 10 their rooms.
IL was accordingly after the nature OF
a rummage sale. but In one cupboard
which had been overlooked were what
the junior clerk described as three
silver cups The auctioneer was sit
ding IN his office when gentleman
drove up In n hanson cab anxious TO
speak about these cups. for which he
offered no less than $500
The auctioneer was 50 much sur
prised that lie thought his visitor must
have some reason for this high bid,
and he wisely determined not 70 take
the first offer he received. oh. l don't
think they VIII take that he said. and
with this answer the gentleman had TO
be content. An expert was called on
TO examine the so called cups. and he
discovered them 10 be in reality six
teenth century chalices. for which he
himself made an offer OF S2.IOO. The
three cups were subsequently sold for
$3.50. but ii was only by the slightest
chance that they had not gone for a
mere song.
II shall never forget an incident
which occurred in connection with the
sale OF some valuable shells. The bid
ding for one large shell In particular
was much more brisk than I had an
ticipated. but the reason for this be-
came apparent when az last it was
Knocked down 10 gentleman in 4
very excited condition. who directly
II was handed TO him flung IL upon the
ground and trampled II to atoms, at
the same time shouting out in loud
voice that now that one was destroyed
he possessed the only specimen in the