It's 5:30 on a Thursday night and the Concord Auction Center is buzzing with excitement. Dozens of bargain-hungry shoppers and antiques aficionados are circling the hall like sharks, eyeing the goodies laid out on the rows of tables before them. The older folks in the crowd have already grabbed their dinners – chili, egg salad sandwiches and Greek salads are on the menu this week – and bide their time waiting for the real action to begin.
A novice auction-goer like me stands out like a sore thumb in this place. I grab my bidding card, camera in hand, and try to act normal. The experts surrounding me pick up the items, inspecting them for quality and clues about their authenticity. I mill about the soon-to-be-bid-on items and write down numbers of the things I like – an old drying rack, a few paintings and a tray of jewelry. For me, there's no rhyme or reason for choosing the items – I just want something pretty.
At 6 p.m. sharp, auctioneer Jim Saturley announces it's time for business. With the help of about five staffers, he displays the hundreds of items we just looked at. Some of them went for surprising sums – a painting of a horse head for $80; an old book about Worcester, Mass., for $110; $550 for an old Boy's Life magazine painting – while others sold for less then they're worth. I attended the auction with my friend, Jay, who walked away with a woodblock print by Austrian artist Engelbert Lap that he paid $30 for. Turns out the painting is worth about $2,000.
We sat next to a nice young fellow named Grant Goulet, a state worker by day and auctioneer by night. Grant, who's 32, said he sticks out like a sore thumb at most auctions because of his age, so he was glad to see a few other young faces. He mostly collects sports memorabilia and equipment, which he either sells on eBay or at the auctions he holds several times a year. Becoming an auction pro, he said, requires a healthy amount of research.
“You always want to come to the previews to see what's there. And talk to people – you can learn a lot about the items just from asking,” he said. “It's so addictive, especially when you realize you paid almost nothing for something extremely valuable.”
(The Concord Auction Hall, located at 126 Hall St., holds two auctions per week: Monday's feature mostly furniture, Thursday's antiques and collectibles. The auctions start at 6 p.m., with previews available from 3 p.m. For more information or to check out the weekly goods, visit concordauctioncenter.com.
