AMERICAN ANTIQUE CLOCK AUCTION 1994

AMERICAN ANTIQUE CLOCK AUCTION - This auction was the highlight of my auction career. Everything about it was right (except for my exceptionally leery clients!) It was a dream. A clock collector in Worcester became compulsive and obsessive. He was an engineer by education and filled an entire house next to his home with antique clocks. I was directed to the sellers (wife and son) by Dick Fuller... a baseball contact man and friend. The family was the "in-laws" to Dick's son, Jeff. I insured I'd get the job by writing a comprehensive proposal to the sellers. This was in April... the same day I traveled to New Jersey to see son Ben interning at The Meadowlands with the New Jersey Devils.

Everything about this massive clock collection was right. There were over 25 categories listed in my auction catalog. And the bonus came when I discovered an estate of antique furniture and oriental rugs burried in the house... hidden by the clocks. The task of identifying the clocks was formidable. I hired Paul Dumanoski, a clock repairman, to help identify and match up clock movements with clock cases. It was real fun! Forty years earlier I "played" with my grandfathr Poulin's Regulator Clock and almost lost my left thumb in an accudent where the gears exploded. I was 12 at the time. Now I was to auction off a collection. My clients were extremely demanding. I had to obtain mailing labels from the National Association Of Watch and Clock Collectors of all collectors in the six New England Sates, New York, New Jersey and Pennyslvania! I mailed out over 7,000 postcards. The auction was held in Sturbridge Host Hotel. I had to pay $2,000 for the hall rental for 2 days.It was worth it. I hired two auctioneers - Bob Glass, Jr. and Kim Estes to help me manage and sell the goods. It was an antique auctioneer's dream!

I began auctioning the tall clocks first. There were nine grandfather clocks. The first one sold for $1,500; the last one sold for $1,800. The clock men attending the auction knew their product... and so did I! I was confident throughout the entire auction. the oriental rugs 'caught fire" with the bidders: $5,200, $5,600, $1,400, $1,400 and so on and so forth. A chippendale slant-front desk brought $1,800. there was something for everyone as Old Langevin would say.

I had one big snafu with the unsuccessful obtaining credit card marketing. No bank would give me the privilige because I did not have a permanent auction hall! I waited until the last minute to inform my clients. They grumbled. The auction went on! Only one customer "cried" because we didn't have the banking suystem. Everybody else paid by cash or check. The Gross Sale came in at about $135,000! Son Josh gave me a Father's Day card with a note saying I was a "Six Figure Dad!"

My clients didn't want me to keep the Buyers Premium! They thought it was theirs! It was a situation of good old fashioned "Greed." Because I am a superb negotiator I settled with them whereby I may have made "Twenty Grand" plus expenses. Could I have done better? No. Would I love to have another, "Yes!"

MORE EXCITING ESTATE AUCTIONS

1987 was a banner year for me as was 1986. the color of money proved to be green. After attending the Certified Auctioneers Institute in Bloomington, Indiana, I came home to stage another great auction. This one was "'On Site" in Clinton, Mass. (No relation to Bubba!) Christine Beck lived to be in here 90s and never married. She didn't have any siblings. Her grand Victorian was chuck full of antique furniture and furnishings. All 9 rooms were filled to the brim. Trust Officers Ed Lewis and John Arsenault hired me to 'do my thing!" It was wonderful, to say the least. On a sunny April morning, under my green and white striped canvas tent, I let it roll. the bankers had agreed to allow me to auction the house off too. I "imported" my Brother from South Georgia, Col. Maurice Barfield to help me shoulder the load.You see an auctioneer has to have a tremendous amount of "brawn and brains' to deliver the goods. We have both! Everything was in my favor. Sunshine, active bidding and good antique merchandise. The house was loaded with Golden Oak Turn-of-Century furniture. there were tables, chairs, buffets but the thing that lingers in my memory are Miss Beck's' dolls! These porcelain head dolls were from Germany. They were exquisite. All three fetched $300 to $400 each! To me that was a lot of money. It seems the public likes things that are held in a "time-capsule" setting.But the real thrill of the auction came when I auctioned off the house. It was an unspoiled 1893 Victorian home. The successful bidder and buyer, Attorney Joe Shea and his partner Karen Katz paid $178,000 for the house. I earned a 3% commission and I was happy. They buyers said it was a highlight of their lives! I got good "press" from the Worcester Telegram. The auction will always be remembered as a highlight of my career. Another great estate auction came in late December of 1987. This sale was that of a connoisseur of antiquity. Gold and silver abounded as did oriental rugs.A signed Tiffany gold coin bracelet brought $2,100.There was fine New England furniture of the Period.This time I staged the auction in a "Ballroom setting' at the Worcester Marriot Hotel.I gained a lot of insight and experience in 1987. My auction business continued to be a 'family affair" as my sons aged to maturity. These two auctions - The Beck Estate and The Longstreet Estate - provide for priceless memories in a world full of 'made in China!"

ESTATE AUCTIONEER

You have to have a lot of energy and enthusiasm to be a good auctioneer. It takes a lot of hard work in orchestrating auction sales. You are the impresario! You are in charge of about 15 workers and you have to have "eyes in the back of your head!"You've gotta be thinking on your feet! Growth comes gradually.... but in my case I had BEGINNERS LUCK! I started calling church auctions at St. Mary's Church in Scituate in 1974. I volunteered to be the auctioneer. We fetched $800 for merchandise donated from the parishioners. It was a natural calling for me.I looked forward each June for the event. It was in 1977, after doing the auction, I decided I would devote my energies to the antiques world. I grew in my craft, and after graduating from Missouri Auction School I was ready for business. My first auction was held in the Fall of 1981 for Fabiola Brunelle. An impossible lady, I scraped through the sale without any bruises. Bill Geddis wanted to sue me because his bid for a table or trunk was rejected by Mrs. Brunelle. I was later hired to call some rare coin auctions in the Boston area. I earned $400 for each event. In May of 1982 I did a benefit auction for the Worcester Children's' Friend Society. We grossed about $7,000. I earned 10% commission. In September I got the nod from the Trust Department of Shawmut National Bank, Worcester. i had a real "barn burner." I auctioned the house for $90,000. The contents may have fetched $25,000. I was on my way. i had several other auctions that fall. The big one was David Lenti, Inc. in Southbridge. I sold the store fixtures for my friend, Ray Lenti. This was a great auction. I made a great friend in Ray Lenti and he worked with me for years as a clerk, cashier and adviser. After failing at promoting an Antique Show in January of 1983, my next big break came in the Fall of 1984. Shawmut Trust gave me two giant estates in Westminster and Clinton. I was now competing with the pros. The Luke Estate in Westminster flopped as the real estate didn't sell. I got anxious and tried to force the deal on the trust officer, Susan Blake. The second auction of Dorothy Carruth's Estate was a dream! I auctioned off a Cadillac Coloradoans. 72 people registered to buy the car. It sold for $14,000 at the time. The Worcester Telegram's Nancy Lowe Gray gave me some fantastic coverage. I was headlined as "Potvin A New Breed Of Auctioneer!" "Auction Business A Family Affair"... it was like a dream. Great media pictures of myself and my family. A PRICELESS treasure. i was earning my reputation and business started to come my way. My next big auction came in 1985 in Belchertown. I auctioned off 100 acres for about $250,000. Wilfred Lemire was my client and a good guy. But the dream of dreams came in July of 1985 with the Wendemuth Estate Auction. I attracted people from 10 states in the selling of a farmstead of personal property. It was loaded with antiques and collectibles and items of local history. Everything about the auction went great with the exception of the estate's attorney: a real snotty individual who didn't like me or trust me. I won! Another dream auction came when I cataloged a rare coin collection for auction for Connecticut Auctioneer, Bob Glass. I earned $10,000 in this job. I then had a rare coin auction of gold pieces in Thomasville, Georgia. I guided my friend and brother, Maurice Barfield... a man I attended auction school with. In another blog I will cite some of the "not-so-pleasant' experiences s an auctioneer.

ANTIQUE DEALER - AUCTIONEER

"Fortune favors the brave" is a great quote. My entire life is one of a deep seated courage. Courage to do something when the end result is not known. Upon leaving the corporate culture I became a "free man"... free to do as I damned pleased in a world that is trying to tell you how to do it "their way." Not me... It's gonna be MY WAY. You've gotta have a lot of chutzpah to stand up to the World. I did and I did it successfully. I am talented in restoring antique houses. I found a beauty in total disrepair and this gave me two legs up in founding my antique enterprise. The Victorian house was built in 1867. It had classic lines as a Greek Revival with pilasters. It took 8 days of labor scraping off the peeling paint. Then two coats of English Ivory and Brilliant White decorated this Gem like a cake! I created an image of prosperity and people thought I had money! Gradually I brought the "Blair House" back to life. My neighbor, Raymond Bennett said "You've accomplished the Impossible, Bob" in restoring the house. That made me feel good and "Flexible" became my dear friend helping me to move furniture. Less than two years in business I hit the jackpot! Silver coins were speculated by the Hunt Brothers and coin dealers and I rode the bull all the way to the finish line! I earned a year's pay in a month. I was rich and began to travel with my sons, Ben and Josh. We went to Niagara Falls, Ottawa,Toronto and Miami that Summer. It was great to be able to do these things with my children.I was becoming like Johnny Cash singing "I've been everywhere, Man!" And that was just the beginning. The following Summer we took a fantastic trip by our 1977 Oldsmobile to New Orleans to the American Numismatic Convention then up to St. Louis, then west to Kansas City. the trip was about 5,400 miles. I attended Missouri Auction School for two weeks training. I came back a full fledged auctioneer but I couldn't really talk fast. This would come in time. My risk was paying off and I was a happy Camper!" My next blog will cover some of my spectacular Estate Auctions I've staged over the years. Bye Bye!

THE BIG AETNA 1965 - 1977

Going from a lower-middle class family to an independent middle-class insurance executive was easy! I was hired on March 1, 1965 at a salary of $5,600 plus a company car. I thought I was something. I was an insurance adjuster trainee. I did not know a thing about casualty insurance. I did not know a thing about medicine. I did know how to speak intelligently and carry on a conversation. Two weeks into the job a fellow worker , upon hearing me on the phone with a claimant, said "you sound like you've worked here for years!" This was a fine compliment to hear. I learned how to interview claimants and insureds. All the work was manual. I used an Ediphone to transcribe my reports on injury cases and workmen's compensation claims.I found every part of the job interesting and challenging as I had the money. I am a liberal and tried to emphasize with people who were in distress. My six month training in Worcester, Massachusetts was "top shelf."Competent men training a competent man. Ten, one day the boss said Bob, you're going to be transferred!" I asked where I was going and he replied "where do you want to go?" "I responded Chicago, Saint Louis or Denver!" I was transfered to Chicago to the sub-office of Park Forest. I further learned the ways of being an insurance adjuster. The South Side of Chicago is a "Jungle." Working in this environment required stamina... working in near-ghetto conditions. I was good at it. "You live insurance" said my boss, Roland Hentschel. But my Chicago life was short lived. I received my Induction Physical notice in February of 1966. The Vietnam War was occurring and I knew it! I attempted to get into some officer training deal but couldn't pull it off. Instead I got drafted. Luckily enough I got a great M.O.S. as an X-RAY Technician! I was going to be trained to be a" doctor," almost! Training was at Fort Knox, Kentucky,Fort Dix, New Jersey, and Fort Sam Houston, Texas. This medical training dovetailed with my insurance career! One year, nine months and two days and I was back in the insurance game. I returned to Worcester. I grew in knowledge and experience and became an excellent senior adjuster. People would say to me "How can you satnd it?" and I said "I Love It." When you are an adjuster you are dealing in controversy. I love controversy to this day. It keeps me young! After adjusting I was moved to Scituate and the Brockton Claim Office where I met more controversy! Now, I supervised four men ( three incompetent.) It was a bad deal that tried my soul. I was in conflict with the claim manager who was jealous of me. But for the grace of God I got a lateral transfer to the Home Office in Hartford. There I taught entry-level adjusters the rudiments of claim handling. For a while every thing was hunky dory. I even was in charge of the school for a while but I didn't want it. Corporate Politics prevailed and I didn't have any Godfather. Knowing this I bit the bullet and QUIT! My insurance career went down the drain at all costs. It wasn't the end of the world as I had other ideas.... being an antique dealer and an auctioneer. I returned back to Massachusetts with my family and struck out on my own! I was 35 years old.

OFF AND RUNNING!

It's like I am poised to start running! Actually, taking a Greyhound Bus to Saint Louis in September of 1962 was one giant step for this country boy. Leaving North Brookfield, Massachusetts was "big time for this small town boy!" I was 20 years old with a dream: to see the world and get an education. I achieved both. College was a struggle as I didn't have much money. I worked my way through St. Louis Univerity "by hook or by crook." I did a variety of things to make money. I gave hair cuts for 50 cents. I worked in the college bookstore. I worked in a tobacco shop and package store. In the Summer time I worked atop Mount Washington and at Cape Cod National Seashore. I had a ball. I borrowed money to pay for the tuition and room and board. It was difficult as my good folks just didn't have the money to pay for my education. Essentially I paid for it by working.I got to make some good life-long friends like Attorney Bill Gross, from Indianapolis, who lives in the Portland, Oregon, area. Wayne Cook lives in the Houston Area. And Father Robert Bosken, my main Jesuit! My college days were good, exciting, and somewhat sober. For when does a man leave home and not drink, I ask! But that was then. I majored in Geography in college and minored in Political Science and Philosophy. I did not achieve academically, but I did learn the "street" and got a B.S. Degree. My next blog will cover my corporate career of some 12 years with Aetna Life & Casualty.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

My life is one of high adventure1 From the get-go I've delighted in doing my own thing. At a very young age I was very curious about life. I would "pump" my dear mother with question after question.Mother, in turn would keep me busy with small chores like taking in the washing on the hill with my sister. At age 12 I asked for an antique regulator clock. Curious enough, I wound up the brass works.. and BANG .. the gears exploded almost severing my left thumb at the second joint! The good doctor who sutured me up gave me the thrill of my life. Dr. Eugene Roy was a stamp collector. On my last visit he showed me his valuable collection with pride. He had the Columbian Exposition stamps to the four dollar denomination. This began a love of philately for the rest of my life. I have dealt in stamps as a collector and auctioneer.At the same time Hurricane Carol hit New England. I developed a love of studying meteorology. Fifty years ago I purchased my first anemometer. I don't conceptualize higher math so I just "look at the clouds!" Fifty years ago I bought my first automobile for $40.00! It was a 1933 Chevrolet Coupe.. a real beauty. I learned about automobiles at a tender age. I am a Chevy Man to this date. In high school I did not achieve much. I graduated in 1960 and was chosed as a Boys State Delegate. I won the Good Citizenship Award too... so I must have done something right.. I attended Worcester Junior College and graduated in 1962. This is when my adventure really began. More later!