auction!

The weekend before last we attended our very first rural auction. Who knew these things were such huge social and buying events? Need lunch? Coffee? All there too. For a price of course. There was a massive shed full of tools (I walked quickly through that),  paddocks full of very old cars and machinery and a yard full of old rustic furniture. I spent quite a bit of time there.

Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera. A baby sling, coffee in hand and a hot day would have made it near impossible. So we registered, got our number and waited. In fact, most of the auction was spent waiting. Fortunately there were plenty of old rustic chairs to sit on.

For an inexperienced bidder, Daniel picked it up very quickly. Most bidding involved merely nodding. Daniel did so well that he won most of the items he bid on. Sometimes paying a little more than he'd originally planned. That competitive streak came out just a little.

Our biggest buy of the day was an old table.  There was some pretty tough competition on this one. You may have known from previous posts about my lack of love for our current getting-too-small, bought secondhand about four years ago table. This one looks to have had some vinyl (this was usually a 50's addition) stuck to the top at some stage, so it needs a very good sanding to the top. I am thinking beeswax over this? Oh, but I do love this table!

Next was an old swivel office chair. Also quite popular with the bidders. Our old office chair had literally fallen apart so we had our eye out for some time to replace it. This chair is just so comfy.

An old chair for my sewing table was also picked up. The leather seat is rather ruined so I've popped a sheepskin over it. The middle spindle needs to be re-attached with glue. Daniel doesn't particularly like the chair. I think he thinks it falls into the "too far gone" category. But I quite like it's old rustic appeal and chipped paint. They certainly don't make 'em like that anymore.

And lastly, a set of Salter scales. For a long time I've admired these type of old scales. I gave Daniel a lowish set price on these, and walked out of the crowd. The bidding went way over that amount and Daniel told me later that he was not about to let "that old lady" outbid him. So here they are. Pride of place in the kitchen. Sometimes these men surprise you!

It was certainly an experience and there are definitely bargains to be had (or not!). But we are a little more confident now, and know more about how the whole process works.

Do you go to auctions? Do you get carried away or do you set your price and stick to it?