The last Friday night of each month a tiny town near us has a consignment auction. Very tiny town. I think it only has one street.
A one horse type of town.
The community water pump is smack dab in the middle of the one street. When we moved into the area in the 1980s it still had a cup hanging from it.
I wish I'd had the goompa to take photos of the clientele at the auction. It is worth attending just for the people-watching. Mennonites who bring yummy pies, jams, eggs and fresh produce to sell. Cowboy-looking farmers and the seedcap with overalls variety. Locals at the auction come to socialize, usually they get yelled at once or twice for being too loud or not paying attention. And there are those with extreme tattoos -- like on the face. Wow, some real extremes.
And extremes in what is sold at the auction. I already mentioned baked goods and produce. First they sell "junk" outside for about an hour. This is usually all that I stay for -- the auctioneers move fast and it is the best chance to snag a bargain.
Friday night I got a couple boxes of old books, picture frames, deer antlers, owl wall décor and Christmas blow molds. Other varieties of things that sold included: Pepsi machine, trim from an old house, tons of newer restaurant ironstone, mums. Things that ended up going home with someone else but I thought were cool: old fans (of course), old suitcases, large box of loose Christmas ornaments, bowling pins.
They mentioned that the next morning they were having another auction. I made the trip again, and it was a mistake. They were just selling things that were left behind from last night, or that they had not been able to sell by the midnight deadline. It was all said and done in about 1.5 hours. I did get a couple of things:
Bought for $1, sold for $13.
an old typewriter that I LOVE, a prophylactic tin, a couple more frames, a jar of peach
zucchini jam (I kid you not) and several flats of tomatoes (I'm thinking long simmering spaghetti "gravy"). Oh, and a hideous yellow shelf for a dollar. This was really bottom of the junking barrel, but one must consider entertainment value and culinary inspiration.
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