The Excellent Adventure: Day 7

DW shot glass from the box lot
that was my first auction sale.

Guess what?  WE GOT ON THE AUCTIONEER'S STAND LAST NIGHT!!  Read on!

Maybe some of you early morning readers will catch it first today.  If this is new to you, go HERE for a complete list of the series.

I had to get up a extra early this morning to get my writing in. We went to an auction last night and got in pretty late.  On top of that it was 35 degrees and raining when I got back to camp.  That made getting to the showers and back a challenge.  Simply put I was tired, cold, wet and I didn't really want to do anything but go to bed last night, but I was pumped!  Couldn't hardly sleep!

We spent the morning learning about escrow accounts. All auctions are required by law to deposit and disperse money from an escrow account.  Again, another good practice. I remarked about how many auctioneers are heavily regulated in Georgia. Initially I thought it would be a hassle, but the more I get into it the more I find that the rules are actually helpful. That's a unique quality in government these days.  The afternoon was devoted to ethics.  That was actually a pretty simple lesson.  Work for the interest of the consignor and be fair and honest to the buyer. Erk Russell would have simply said, "Do Right."

Our class got together and went to dinner as a group at "The Steakhouse" in Rockmart, GA.  We had a great time and got some awesome food.  Large cuts of beef.  Very large.  Folks from different backgrounds make for a very enjoyable dinner conversation.  If they will agree, I would like to share their backgrounds so you can appreciate the diversity.  After that is was down to Ceadertown for a public auction.  This one ran a little different than most I've been to.  They opened with prayer.  Good start!  Sellers bid for a top 3 selling spot before we even started.  I later learned that the seller would pay that amount bid or the auctioneers commission on their sales, whichever was the lower number.  Interesting format.  The auction opened with a choice bid for a variety of items on a table.  Then it got really interesting.

We didn't know it at the time, but each of us were going to be up on the auction stand. Each of us auctioned off several items/lots. It was an amazing experience. We had no idea that it was coming. No time to be nervous. No time to think about it.  All we could do was get up on the block and sell sell sell.  I sold a box lot and choice on a ton of different notebooks and sketch pads.  God bless the ladies and gentlemen at Brooke's Auctions in Ceadertown, GA.  Thank you to his consignors too!  They gave each of us an opportunity to get real life experience last night.  We fumbled.  We wasted their time.  We made plenty of mistakes. But they all smiled and helped us through it. One day I hope to be able to return the favor.

I'm off to class.  I'll be back to my regular schedule tonight. Hope everyone has a great day!

Y'all take it easy,

Alex