The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-01-01
"GOlNG, GOING, N
Something About the Wiles of the
EnnIish Auction Swindlar

English Auction Swindler.
Answers: If anybody wants to
know what sporting the cans is in
practice he need only drop into a sea-
side auction room m buy an "unre-
deemed pledge. OF part Of a "bank-
rupt stock. The thing is done then.
sporting the cans is part of the
peculiar slang of the seaside auction
eer, to whom. in addition, a ring is a
groin, and a watch is a yak, and
whose wares mostly consist of 'swag''
bogus jewelry. They are made spe-
cially for sale in such establishments
as his.
Thousands of the suites of studs
and cuff links Sacrificed" for from
I'd to Is a cost Is 1Obd per dozen;
ladies' watch guards which realize
trom &c to 3s6d each, can be bought
watches knocked down for los, EOS and
even sos each are invoiced to the phil
~anthropic auctioneer at 5s Cd or 6s
| each.
1t Is just the same with other arti-
cles. are really cast iron;
marble" clocks are made Of slate and
cement; the Ivory" handles on the
cuetlery are composition, and as for
the electro-plate-well, silver IAN be
made to go so a that with a single
s1x-penny bit a coating Of it could be
put on the dome of St Paul's.
Delusive again, Is the warranty
given with every article II it is filed
up at a1l-and in many cases it is not
"a wrong number Is entered, or the
name on 1t is that Of the auctioneer,
and not the sellers; sometimes even
the warranty Is signed by the floor
man.
The present" gam Is a. rank
swindle. Six people on a visit to a
northern resort put down a SOVEREIGN
c to cover as many watches, which.
the ~auctioneer stated he would give
away, and at the same time return the
money placed against them. Five out
or the lumber were duly presented"
WIN the watch, another watch, two
alberts, a long guard and a sovereign
purse, but they did not get their
money back. And the wholesale value
Of this assortment was in each case
precisely 13s And.
Equally gross swindles are the
many variations on the old, hy-blown
purse trick. One which has had a
great vogue is worked thus: Placing
a watch and some trinkets inside a
pox. the auctioneer throws a sovereign
on top Of the articles and asks e2
for the lot. If it "goes'-and il usual
y NS~ "NS ~ Y IldhoS uD a
number Of apparently similar lots. but
the coin does not actually enter the
noX. which, when sold, really contains
the watch and trinkets only. The
missing sovereign represents addi-
tlonal profit to the a~uctioneer. who
makes about los even out of the fret
lot.
Another fraud is more ingenious,
Six people each cover a trumperv ar
tlcle, said TO be worth As, with half a
sovereign. Presently after the a11c-
t~ioneer has given other persons the
opportunity Of acquiring bargains, he
returns to those lots, adds another ar
ticle. nominally worth, say IS. to each.
and then, with an air Of noble gener-
osity. offers those who have had "con-
fidence in him" the two articles and
half a sovereign for rs. And, as a
rule. 1t Is not until those trusting in
ments for an hour or two that they
conclude that their bargain" was NOT
such a great one, after all.
The greatest "duds'' sold at seaside
auctions are watches. Very frequent
ly q purchaser brings one back. com
planning that it will not go. In these
circumstances the regular procedure
Is to get a further IS out Of the cus.
toner and foist on him a superior
watch. If the man will not part with
In more money the auctioneer asks
"When are you going back?"
by the $3.50 tomorrow morning" il
the reply.
"All right. call at 9 and wen havs
it seen to by then"
The man does call, to find that hi,
watch is going with the utmost regu,
larity. But nothing had been done 4
1t. Tt was only started lust before i'll
owner Was u AT the shop.