Auctioneer

**The Auctioneer** is a character from *Pirates of the Caribbean*.

## History

The auctioneer was a pirate of the Caribbean during the golden age of piracy in the 18th century. He served aboard the pirate ship *The Wicked Wench* under one Captain Hector Barbossa and where he acquired an enforcer in the form of the pirate Redd. The auctioneer would participate in the raiding of the Spanish colony of Puerto Dorado on the island of Isla Tesoro in search of its legendary but cursed treasure. However during the raid, he made his money through auctioning off goods stolen from the townsfolk to his crew-mates aboard the Wench. He presumably retired the Dead Man's Cove with the rest of the pirates where he would be cursed by the treasure leaving him as an undead skeleton or ghost.

## Appearances and allusions

### Pirates of the Caribbean

The auctioneer is seen outside of Puerto Dorado's Cantina and Mercado where he and his henchmen auction off stolen goods from the townsfolk.

## Connections

### Haunted Mansion

In Disneyland Paris, Redd and the Auctioneer are shown selling a portrait of 19th century pirate and privateer Jean Lafitte. In the Haunted Mansion franchise, Lafitte is frequently referenced in non-canon materials such as the comics by SLG where he was an ally to the mansion's founder William Gracey. Also in the 2003 film continuity where he was an affiliate of Captain Ambrose Gracey who built the mansion, or the audio-book Nuptial Doom where the sea-captain who owned the mansion was a compatriot of Lafitte. These are based on how in an unused concept for the mansion, catacombs under the manor entered through Lafitte's tomb would lead to a pirate's lair on Tom Sawyer Island.

In Disneyland and Walt Disney World, this Lafitte portrait is replaced with one of an old woman as she appeared in her prime. Said portrait is very reminiscent of a portrait of Ms. April December, a character from the Haunted Mansion who has been featured in Pirates of the Caribbean shows in New Orleans Square.

### Trader Sam's

In both *Trader Sam's Grog Grotto* and *Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar*, the Wicked Wench appears as a miniature ship in a bottle. When the *Shipwreck on the Rocks* drink is ordered, the ship springs to life and mimics sinking into the ocean as, "skippers" act as pirates abandoning ship. This effect is recycled from the Adventurers Club although in said attraction the ship was not the Wicked Wench.

## Trivia

* The auctioneer's mould is used for one of the duelists in the Haunted Mansion.
* The auctioneer is one of the characters theorized to have possibly become captain of the Wicked Wench after Barbossa.
* The auctioneer was modelled after concept-art made by animator Marc Davis for historic pirate Bartholomew Roberts. Roberts was at one point planned to appear in both Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion as the character of Captain Gore.
* When the Bride Auction scene was still in place, a poster identified the profits of the auction as going to, "P.B.S. of A.". Who or what this is referencing in continuity is unknown though it may be connected to the auctioneer's identity.

## References

1. ↑ https://blogmickey.com/2018/02/video-photos-farewell-iconic-wants-readhead-auction-scene-pirates-caribbean/