At the Auction…

Ping Pong table at auction

It’s thrilling to win in a competition—even when victory is sealed sheerly because one offers to pay more money for an object than the next guy.  That’s precisely the victory I experienced many years ago at an auction house near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  In fact, I don’t even remember what I “won” the right to purchase.  What I do recall is the feeling I got when the auctioneer pointed at me with his gavel and said, “SOLD!  To the sharpest dressed man in the room.”  I felt a popcorn popper rush of energy, a surge of adrenaline like back in my high school sports playing days.

Local auctions didn’t always get my heart pumping.  But the PBS television series Antiques Roadshow put a light on the possibilities of discovering rare and unique items at neighborhood estate and garage sales.  The show’s appraisers became rock stars; when they stood onstage, I listened.

I even visited a Roadshow taping, traveling five hours with some dusty old wares to Hartford, Connecticut. Though my items were essentially worthless—family heirlooms I should continue to treasure, as I was told—I did find my way on camera…accidentally.  My father and I were caught on tape as we wandered around the Roadshow set aimlessly, searching for the collectibles appraiser.  Though not an ideal television debut, as I sat and watched my image on plasma, my heart did begin to race.  You could say I felt an auction house high.