To be absolutely honest, I had never been to a real life farm auction... that is before last Saturday. It was a misty/rainy yet relatively warmish day when I headed out with Mr. Reiche and Matthew Bryson to a farm auction down the street. Josiah would have been in his element there, but unfortunately he was sick and Faith was busy, so I was the sole Sauve representative.
As we walked from the field where we had parked, the sound of the auctioneer reached us way before we saw him. Rattling away words and numbers in a dizzying way. As we came closer he became easier to understand, and then we rounded the corner and encountered a large crowd of people (90% of which were older men/farmers), all grouped around a wagon which was piled with the most miscellaneous gathering of items that I had seen anywhere in my life.
Mr. Reiche explained to me this was what was called the Jewel wagon. All the little odds and ends that could be gathered up around the farm were piled on the wagon for sale, and when I say everything, I mean everything. There were books, saws, traps, tin pails with rusted out bottoms, bushels baskets, wrapping paper, lunch pails full of bolts and screws, and many more items which I do not recall.
Slowly the auctioning left the Jewel wagon, and as the rain came down in fitful bursts, moved on to groups of larger items leaning on the ground.
Lawn Tractors, snow blowers, weed whippers, and even a bike were snatched up quickly, but I believe the item for which the bidding was the highest was a golf cart, which was sold for 1,000 dollars!
When the small equipment was exhausted everyone's attention was turned to the big boy toys=) Tractors.
I believe this was the my favorite part of the auction, watching this farmer who had probably been working some of these machines for most of his life, rev them up for one last time before they were passed on into other hands.
~Chs
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