Those of you who have been to an auction, know the energy that pervades the room.  This auction was my first, and I was immediately caught up in the excitement.  In fact, at one point I feared that I had purchased a truck! Not because I wanted one, mind you, but because while standing on a flatbed truck taking photos, I waved across the parking lot to a friend.  Phew!

The team from McCrawRealty used their creative bid calling chants to captivate and motivate the crowd.

Just follow the orange flag and the auctioneer’s chant to find the current item up for bid.

I had no idea how physically demanding an auctioneer’s job is!

The two auctioneers took turns between calling the chant and serving as the ringman.  The ringman watches the crowd, encourages the bidding, creates excitement and conveys bids to the auctioneer or brings a bidder to the auctioneer’s attention.  Others on the team (the runner) serve to move the flag, bring items to the podium, or hold items aloft (http://www.auctionsneapolitan.com/glossary).

What did the successful bidders take home that day? I have no idea!

Items sold included big pieces of equipment …

and smaller items, thrown together and sold en masse

It seemed that anything not tied down was up for sale. Seriously!

 While shooting this sign, I attracted the attention of one buyer, and the next thing I knew, the sign was SOLD!

Fascinating!  The next, and final post about the auction will feature photos of other interesting sights seen at the auction.

Check here for the first post about the auction.