I am always getting comments about what wonderful deals I get at estate auctions, and the people that leave these comments are right, I do feel like I get great deals. I have a couple of secrets to my successes in these great finds to share with you.
1. The mid-century style bug hasn't caught on in my area yet. Most people want new things, not what they view to be old "junk" from the mid-century era. This works in my favor, although many people think I am crazy for wanting some of this stuff.
2. There are several auction services in my area. I tend to follow auctioneers that have a smaller following. Usually things at these sales go cheaper because there are fewer people attending the sale. I would estimate that there were no more than 40 people at the auction that I went to on Saturday where I got the great finds.
3 I tend to buy things because I like them, not because they were made by a big-name company. This gets me some great finds for low prices, because when there are mid-century buyers present, they want the big-name items, such as McCoy pottery.
One auctioneer that I like to follow will sometimes have mid-century buyers, but that is the only auctioneer that has any kind of mid-century following. They did the sale where I got the brass and marble lamp with the velvet shade that I shared recently. I still was able to get great deals there. This auctioneer recently conducted an auction that was more crowded than I have ever seen, and they sold the most amazing pair of 1950s table lamps. They were around 3 foot tall and had amazing 3 tier fiberglass shades with a design printed on the inside so that it would show through the shade when the lamp was turned on - the pair sold for $125. Needless to say, I didn't stay at this sale long, as a mid-century buyer from out of town came to it. Oh well, you win some, you lose some!
You hinted earlier at something else you could add to your list of secrets: The auctioneers are beginning to remember your face and know you are That Guy who will take a lot for a buck just to get things moving again. That's a huge asset! You'll get some beauties dropped in your lap just to say thanks for being That Guy.
ReplyDeleteI used to be That Lady around here till I ran out of money.