Global Auction Blog

• Auction Sale of the Day Farm Equipment Auction Saturday February 6, 2010
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By scavenging, memories can be collected
It was a good deal when Grandpa found odds and ends at auction sales; now, it’s my turn

BryAnn Becker • Argus Leader • January 23, 2010

Saturdays in the summer meant one thing for my grandpa Ray - auction sales. Even the sweltering heat of a North Dakota August couldn’t keep him away.

He would be there, dressed in washed-out blue jeans, a button-down shirt, boots and, most likely, a hat with a local farm implement logo.

Maybe he just knew by instinct or word of mouth, but somehow my grandpa always found the right auction sale.

Raymond Becker had a knack for finding exactly what he needed. The skill came in handy. He farmed and ranched for more than 50 years in rural Napoleon, 50 miles southeast of Bismarck, N.D.

More frequently, he found what he thought was essential - tools, antiques, glass ringed-necked pheasants. The pheasant collection still covers the nooks and crannies in my grandparents’ house.

Grandpa loved a good deal. He was the ultimate scavenger.

How exactly does one become a scavenger? I’m talking about people who clip coupons, know where to find the good deals, rummage at sales and pick through piles at thrift stores.

“Scavenging is a human instinct or a gene of sorts,” said Anneli Rufus of Berkeley, Calif., co-author of “The Scavengers’ Manifesto.”

Rufus says that the hunter and gatherer instinct is alive within everyone. A capitalist society has changed our inherent nature over time.

The green movement and the economy have brought scavenging back. More people are recycling, shopping at thrift stores and using Web-based groups such as Freecycle and Sharing is Giving.

Some people clearly have the scavenging gene.

My dad will exclaim virtuously just how much he saved after buying a tractor. (My mom’s response: “Another one?”) My brother, Brandt, like my grandpa, practically can smell a deal.

I’m still discovering my scavenging gene.

I don’t think I inherited the ease of knowing where to go. Scavenging seems to take more effort. For lack of time, patience and motivation, I don’t scavenge.

But as scavenging becomes more in vogue, I can see the rewards. Of course reusing helps the environment.

On a personal level, items from thrift stores and flea markets have more sentimental value: the copy of Jane Eyre I found at the Guildhall Market in Bath, England, a butterfly pin from a thrift store, a black-and-white cat figurine my grandpa bought at an auction sale.

I haven’t been to a thrift store, garage sale or auction sale in a long time. But now I’m nostalgic. I’m ready to start scavenging again. In some small way, I think that in going to auction or garage sales, I’m remembering my grandpa. Maybe I even can start a collection of my own. I’m thinking tea sets.

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CAMBRIDGE, ON. – There will be some fast-talking during the weekend of February 18-21 when members of the Auctioneers Association of Ontario gather in Cambridge for the 26^th Annual Convention.  Most of the events will take place at the Cambridge Holiday Inn, but the feature event of the weekend, the Ontario Auctioneers Championship Competition, will be conducted at Grand Valley Auctions Inc.

Len Metcalfe, President of the Auctioneers Association of Ontario, and his wife Barbara, are hosts of the convention.  The owners of Grand Valley Auctions Inc., Roger Gourlay and Tim Bowman, are hosting the Auctioneers Competition at their auction facility, 154 King St. E. in Cambridge.

The theme of the convention, “Achieving Success” was chosen to provide a variety of educational and professional development seminars, a trade fair and exhibition, a provincial auctioneer championship competition, and valuable social and networking opportunities.  Nearly 100 auctioneers and their spouses are expected to attend the weekend program.

Guest speakers and AAO members will present seminars on various aspects of the auction industry.  A Panel of AAO Auctioneers, including Manson Slik, Krista Richard & Teresa Taylor will discuss On-Line Auction sources via the internet.  This type of technology connects buyers, who are unable to attend the live auction, to participate in the bidding.  Ted Wigdor, V.P. of government and corporate affairs with the Certified Accountants of Ontario will provide information about the new HST tax.  A provincially appointed Bailiff, Kevin Richards, will speak about tenant default remedies and commercial distress under the Commercial Tenancies Act. A Ringman fact-filled Seminar will also be presented by AAO Auctioneers Frank Stapleton and David Moore.  And an Enforcement Specialist with the Ministry of Natural Resources, David Critchlow, will present a MNR Seminar on various aspects pertaining to the possession, buying, selling and transport of wildlife, birds and fish.         

The high point of the weekend for many will be the Ontario Auctioneers Championship Competition that will take place on Saturday February 20^th at Grand Valley Auctions, commencing at 11:00 am.  Gourlay and Bowman want to make sure that the 20 or more auctioneers competing for the Experienced or Novice Titles are competing in a “real” auction of consigned items.  Bowman says “We will be having a household consignment auction that day and the competitors will be able to demonstrate their skills by selling actual consignment items to actual buyers.  It will be a level playing field for the auctioneer competitors, and the audience will get to hear a variety of auction chants and selling styles.  The public, including all our regular auction goers, are welcome to attend this auction and competition at Grand Valley Auctions.”

At the banquet on Saturday evening awards and honours will be presented and Len Metcalfe will hand over the President’s Gavel to incoming-President Ken Sheward of Grassie, Ontario.  The auctioneers convention will conclude with a Live Tribute to Elvis Presley presented by Peter Irwin from 8 PM – 10:30 PM.  To obtain tickets to the Elvis Tribute (which is Open to the Public) please get in touch with Ken or Ruth Ann Scott at Bus: 1-877-392-7037, Cell: 519-357-8967

The Auctioneers Association of Ontario was founded in 1984.  It is the voice of all Auction professionals in the Province of Ontario and pursues excellence in the Auction industry through a combination of legislative programs, uniform standards of professional practice, professional development and a Code of Ethics, designed to ensure the highest quality of service to the public. 

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From The Huffington Post

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Whistler ski resort, home to next month’s Olympic downhill, could be auctioned off in the middle of the Games after creditors moved to auction off the assets of Intrawest LLC.

A public notice of foreclosure has been posted in newspapers by the company’s lenders, which include Lehman Brothers and Davidson Kempner Capital Management, saying that an auction to sell the assets will be held Feb. 19, right in the midst of the Olympics.

The Intrawest properties also include the Whistler Sliding Centre which is the site of the bobsleigh and luge.

Intrawest spokesman Ian Galbraith said no company assets have been seized, and it’s business as usual for the Games. Galbraith called the notice of auction in the New York Times and Toronto’s Globe and Mail newspaper a standard practice by lenders during refinancing discussions.

“No foreclosure has happened,” he said. “We’re looking forward to the success of the Games.”

Intrawest said its parent, Fortress Investment Group, continues to own and control Intrawest and all of its properties, but the group of lenders said they hope for a speedy sale of Intrawest in one transaction.

“Each qualified bidder must be a financial institution or other entity that has the financial wherewithal to purchase the membership interests in immediately available funds on the closing date,” the public auction notice said.

Fortress could potentially forestall a sale by coming up with money. Intrawest reportedly missed payments last month that were due on a $1.4 billion loan.
Story continues below

Dan Doyle, the Vancouver organizing committee’s executive vice president of construction, dismissed concerns about whether the Games could still be held on the property.

“It doesn’t make very good business sense for people to put them out of business at the time of the year when they’re making their most earnings,” Doyle said following the local organizing committee board’s final meeting before the Games.

Doyle said bankruptcy doesn’t happen overnight.

“It’s a long process, it’s a process that takes months. Given all of that, we’re very confident that the Games will go on at those two venues in Whistler, and they’ll go on with the co-operation of the people that are running the mountain,” he said, noting that Games organizers have sought legal advice on the situation.

Organizing committee chair Rusty Goepel said the rush to auction makes no sense. He said it makes more sense to hold off and find potential buyers.

Vancouver-based Intrawest is owned by New York private equity firm Fortress Investment Group LLC. Intrawest has been struggling with financial problems since it was bought by Fortress in 2006 for $2.8 billion in cash and debt.

The deal was a leveraged buyout with a $1.7 billion loan which came due in late 2008, around the time when the financial crisis hit.

Intrawest has sold several assets in order to meet the payments, including a resort at Copper Mountain, Colo., and two resorts in France.

It’s not the first time Fortress has caused concern around the Games.

The City Vancouver had to take over financing for the 1,100-unit athletes village after Fortress stopped payment on its construction loan in fall 2008. The city said Fortress backed out due to cost overruns, and a crashing real-estate market that meant contractor Millennium Development might not be able to pay them back.

Vancouver taxpayers are on the hook for for the village. It meant the city became the lender to Millennium.

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Nearly 200 bidders gathered this morning as the Ann Arbor Bennigan’s restaurant -a 20-year fixture on South State Street - was auctioned off, piece-by-piece.

Nearly 200 bidders showed up Thursday morning as the contents of the former Bennigan’s in Ann Arbor were sold at auction.

Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com

The auction started inside with the memorabilia decorating the sports bar. Midway through, the auctioneers split the crowd into two groups: interior restaurant fixtures in part of the building and antiques across the room.

Eventually, the crowd moved to the parking lot, where booths, chairs, metal racks and other larger pieces were assembled.

Roger Yoder, a Bennigan’s employee, called the auction emotional. He’s worked for the owners, Mount Pleasant-based LaBelle Management, for 10 years - the last year of which was spent at the Ann Arbor Bennigan’s.

“It’s sad,” he said. “… Bennigan’s has been in this community for 20 years.”

The larger-than-expected audience included many of the restaurant’s former staff and customers.

“A lot of times, when a workplace closes, customers don’t get a chance to say goodbye,” said David Helmer, part of the Braun & Helmer auctioneering team leading the sale.

That wasn’t the case at Bennigan’s, which welcomed customers to its last day of business on Jan. 16.

Today, many of the people who’d dined there over the years, and admired the collection of memorabilia, got a chance to try to bid on it. Helmer called it a unique opportunity.

“Here, people could … get a piece of the history,” he said.

The auction was scheduled after the restaurant’s owners declined to renew the lease when the property owners raised the rental rate. The next tenant will be Red Robin, which hasn’t released details on the opening.

Yoder was among the employees present as the restaurant closed on Jan. 16. And he joined many of them in helping to prepare its contents for the auction after it closed.

Though Yoder knew the building’s contents would be sold over the hours-long auction, watching buyers take possession of pieces of the restaurant was hard, he said.

But watching the prices - set item-by-item by the bidders - was eye-opening, he said.

“It’s amazing,” Yoder said. “A lot of people want a piece of Bennigan’s.”

The restaurant contained equipment that caught the attention of many area restaurateurs who joined the crowd.

Among them was Mike Kabat, co-owner of Haab’s in Ypsilanti. He said he attends the occasional restaurant auction to watch prices and sometimes buy. Today, he also wanted to check the condition of some of the small wares in the kitchen.

“I like to see what things are going for,” he said.

The deal of the day may have been the bar itself. The four-sided structure - the focal point for the restaurant’s interior - dominated the center of the room.

Bidding climbed to $750. And stopped.

With no response from auctioneer Brian Braun’s last calls, Larry Gilling became its owner.

What will he do with it?

“I don’t know,” said Gilling.

But it likely will end up for sale again after Gilling transports it to his family’s antique store, Roadside Attractions in Metamora, about 30 miles east of Flint.

First he needs to dismantle it - and remove it from the building on Friday.

That, he said, is why the bar sold for that price.

Even Gilling would have paid more - if he’d had to.

“I would have gone up to $1,500,” he said.

Gilling attended the auction with several family members, including son-in-law Mark Lundy. He took a break from the bidding action to take a load of purchases - including two old pinball machines, a copper and brass fire extinguisher and two old planers - to their vehicle.

The group drove about an hour and 20 minutes to get to the auction, knowing the contents of a Bennigan’s would have items that fit their stores, Lundy said.

“I knew Bennigan’s had good old signs and neat memorabilia,” Lundy said. “… They always decorate well.”

That reputation drew more bidders than typically come to a regular antique auction, Helmer said. Some were former customers. Others came from Indiana and Ohio, and absentee bidders were from three additional states.

“It’s a larger turnout that I thought there’d be,” he said.

The restaurant equipment was a draw, he said. But so was the memorabilia, like the old signs. About 25 percent were antique, while the rest were quality reproductions from years ago, he said.

The variety of items crossing the auction block kept the crowd’s attention. Several pairs of antique snowshoes fetched about $25. The fire extinguisher sold for $50. A pair of antlers sold for $75.

And a shirt signed by the 1999 University of Michigan men’s gymnastics team - the year they won the national championship - sold for $400. The buyer: Rich Boyce, director of restaurant operations for LaBelle Management.

The company’s owner told him to make sure he bought it.

“They got $400 for it,” Boyce said. “But it’s something the owner wanted.”

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Reprinted with Permission from Rural Messenger and Lee Pitts

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