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!"