mass auctioneer

2010-12-30T01:25:00.001-05:00

Massachusetts Auctions,Appraisals & Events Speaker

2010-12-02T09:13:00.004-05:00

I'm Walt Kolenda, from Auctionwally.com a 25+ year antiques picker & auctioneer. (MA au lic#2621) I also appraise, speak at and help coordinate appraisal day events, liquidate, consult to online auction sites, Web-publish, promote events, build press releases, socially network online and talk to anyone within 3 feet of me about antiques, appraising or auctions.

My online reach has helped me get noticed by Reader’s Digest, the Wall St. Journal, Fox News, and many other sources.

References upon request.

If I can’t help you, I'll let you know who can.

Call 978-613-9045
email to wkolenda @ gmail.com

excited to now be able to upload from my cell. saw this art gallery in rockport today.

2010-08-07T21:48:00.001-04:00

mobile ability from ma auctioneer

Getting prepared to liquidate an estate by auction

2010-04-06T22:51:00.004-04:00

Spring is a natural time to hold an auction. The new season emanates a fresh start, dealers and re-sellers are looking for fresh merchandises, antique shows are being scheduled.

All things equal, it's the best time to hold estate auction. If you're in need of the services of an auctioneer, you probably have a lot of questions.

Here are some things to do before you meet with the auctioneer that will help the negotiation process.

Are you sure you can legally have an auction? Many estates need to go through probate before an auctioneer can be hired.
Go to Ask an Auctioneer, online to get help with your auction questions.
Find and research auctioneers online at Auctionzip.com
DON'T go with a new auctioneer. There are many great ways for a rookie to get their feet wet, but an estate auction is NOT one of them. Look for someone with a minimum 25 auctions under their belt.
Decide what the family is going to keep if anything and make this clear to the auctioneer BEFORE you negotiate terms.
Don't forget that an auction is the best way to get FAST cash for your items, but you won't get the highest prices. Make sure you're ready for this.
Ask as many questions as you have, and make sure you understand the terms of the contract if you should sign one. For example, things to consider are: commission fees, where the auction will take place, whether or not there will be reserves placed on any items, will there be a clean-out of the property by the auction company, and much more.
It's OK to get several quotes, but make sure you're comparing apples with apples. Different auction houses may provide services that others do not.
Once you've decided the auction will take place and the contents of the estate are advertised, you may want to contact the local police chief if the estate is empty. Let them know what the auctioneer's vehicles look like, and the expected hours they'll be there. That way any suspicious vehicles will be noticed.

Good luck, and if you're in need of any help, you can always Ask an Auctioneer.

Contents for next 3 auctions just purchased

2010-02-04T06:28:00.002-05:00

Since I've not posted anything on this site in a little while, it may appear to some that there's not much going on with this auctioneer. Exactly the opposite is true. In fact the reason that there's not been a lot of activity on this blog, is because I and my partner for the Barre auctions have been out straight with work.

Recently, we acquired a complete woodworking shop which will go to auction this evening, (Feb. 04, 2010) and even more recent, we purchase the entire collection of a retired antiques dealer! This acquisition will fill our next 3 auctions!

There are thousands of pieces in the shop including, paintings, prints and other art, antique books, stamps, pottery, glass and jewelry.

Details will be posted here and on Auctionzip as we catalog these sales. If you're in the Central MA area, keep your next few Thursday nights open!

Price report Governor Winthrop more/ Thurs 1-21-10 Barre Auction

2010-01-24T22:06:00.006-05:00

Last Thursday evening saw the best crowd for us at the Barre MA auction. We can expand seating a bit, but had almost all the seats there full. It's a fine line walking a weekly auction and filling it with enough quality merchandise.

From the beginning we knew that a bi-monthly plan may have to go into effect, and we are looking at that.

As of right now, we have auctions scheduled for each Thursday night but it's quite possible we'll begin holding auctions on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month. I'll keep you posted via this blog and my email list.

Here are a few prices for lots sold which do not reflect the 10% buyers premium.

A Maddox Governor Winthrop Mahogany desk w/ ball&claw feet at 4 corners - $105

A pair of signed Hitchcock rockers - $100

Silver US dollars avg. of $30 each.

See my extensive prices realized gallery.

How to lose money at a live auction

2010-01-09T09:55:00.002-05:00

Do you want to make sure you lose money at a live auction? The safest bet for doing this, is to get there late, and not inspect the lots.

Auctioneers have about 30 seconds to sell an item, he/she is not going to give it an accurate description. If you don't know what you're looking at, you will get stuck.

Here's a perfect example:

Joe attends an auction and sees that antique vase he knows is worth more than $500 is going for $50, knowing that this can happen at an auction, he bids it up to $100 and is ecstatic, until he finds out it has a big chip on the rim.

This is probably the most common mistake that buyers at auction make.

There's are good reasons that auctions have inspection time, they are:

So you can see the condition of the items
Verify authenticity or determine it's a fake
Find out exactly how lots will be sold
And if your smart, you'll size up the competition and see what they're interested in

Resist the temptation to bid on items you haven't inspected, you'll save a lot of money that way!

Tips for adding late additions to a live auction

2010-01-07T09:55:00.006-05:00

One challenge auctioneers can face, is adding late additions to an auction. On one hand you don't want to turn anything away in this "feast or famine" business. On the other hand, if you take late additions and they're not well promoted, they can suffer a low price.

Here are some things to consider with late additions:

If the item in question is very niche and valuable, if at all possible, hold on to it for a future auction.
If the item is one for which you have regular customers that buy in this genre, make some phone calls.
If it's a consignment, let the seller know that a late add to the sale is a dicey proposition.
Make an announcement to the crowd at the beginning of the sale about the late additions.
In general, I don't believe in reserves, but this may be a circumstance when one is called for. You can always announce that the item has come in the door late and that it has not been advertised, therefore, you feel it prudent to place a reasonable reserve. If it doesn't make the reserve, announce that it will be at the next sale without reserve.

Nearly every auction attracts people who want to sell or consign at the last minute, it's the nature of the auction business. Being prepared for this quandary will put more money in your pocket.

Taking pictures of your auction item, you should be busy, they should not

2010-01-04T07:50:00.010-05:00

Get focused! You should be busy but your pics shouldn't.

There are many good tips when it comes to taking pictures of your auction items. This one applies whether the picture is for a website, eBay, your live auction, even for a hard copy photo.

Make sure the background of the item you have is not too busy. See the examples below. The same item was shot against these two backgrounds. Clearly it's much easier to identify this Fostoria Heather water goblet against the bottom photo.

This is a bit of an exaggerated example, but I've seen worse. Any clutter or things going on in the background of your picture takes the focus off of the item you're selling.

I've seen beautiful antiques starving for attention against noisy, highly detailed Asian changing screens.
It's not only high end antiques you need to be concerned about with this issue. Don't you think a poor little $15 item needs all the help it can get? Of course it does.

Whatever you're selling, this is your item's chance to shine, first impressions count, make your item stand out.

Predictions for antiques in 2010

2010-01-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

Here are my predictions in slides for the antiques marketplace in 2010.

Predictions with photos

Here are some more predictions on antiques & collectibles genres I expect to do well in 2010

View Slideshow »

10 ways to get more money for your eBay auction items

2010-01-01T17:26:00.005-05:00

Sell more. No, I'm not being cute, I mean the more you sell, the more attention your auctions get exponentially. List a Buddy Holly record by itself and it may get $10. List it at the same time you list 15 other items and you're apt to get more money for that record. There's no mystery here, it's simply because more people are clicking on that magic, "see seller's other items" link.
Place your own, "see seller's other items link" or even a more specific link, such as "see my Buddy Holly autographed photo" , in your listings. Some templates such as those found on Auctiva. will even let you place an image in the text editor. Now you can make attractive buttons instead of links.
Consider some kind of exposure for your listings besides eBay. You could use blogs, widgets, classifieds etc.
Go for perpetuity: When you keep listing items on a regular basis, you build a following. Ask any auctioneer how important his "regulars" are.
Answer questions promptly, and think twice about which ones you want to appear in your listings.
Start it low and let it go. Generally speaking, things with reserves do not get much attention. The better your item is, the less it will need a reserve as a crutch. Content is king on eBay, as it is everywhere else. If you've marketed your item properly, wrote a good description, and took a few good clear photos, buyers will find it.
Take good pics and spend time cleaning them up.
Be honest to a fault. Place clear pics of any damage or wear an item has. You're list of regulars will grow, you're items will get more hits, and you'll have less headaches dealing with unhappy customers.
Ask for permission to add buyers emails to your house list. You DO have a newsletter list, don't you?
Upsell when appropriate. If you're selling Nintendo WII systems, it's fine to ask if they'd like an additional remote at a discount. Don't over-use this tactic however. Abuse of it comes off spammy and greedy.

Sell it by the set on eBay, or the piece? The Lenox Rutledge p 303 fine china problem

2009-12-30T15:35:00.006-05:00

There is often the problem of whether or not to sell a set of fine china or glassware by the set, or by the piece. BE (Before eBay) that problem was pretty much a no-brainer because proportionally speaking, sets were always worth more.

But eBay has been a game changer here. The reason is because eBay has such a volume of people buying and selling that it can be very lucrative to sell "by the piece." There may be so many people looking to complete a set of a popular pattern, that someone will pay top price or even better for that rare butter dish, or one dinner plate they need to round off a service for six.

Replacements.com a china matching service, has built a business around this theory. Now if you go to replacements.com to price a 16" oval platter for the Rutledge p-303 1952 vintage Lenox china, you'll find that the platter is about $400!

At the time of this post, I am selling this ENTIRE SET with a starting bid of $399.

See my eBay auctions.

You're probably thinking, "wait a minute, can't you do basic math?" By this logic, the set would retail for well over $2,000. So why would I want to group the set and start the bidding at $399?

I do this for the same reasons that, I as an auctioneer would lot up anything that can be sold individually, these reasons are:

To save time and labor
To generate return wholesale customers
To generate buzz about the other items I have up for auction
To make cash flow more liquid
To free up floor space

I don't want to get the last buck, I'm after the fast buck. All of those reasons and more, are why it pays to do business with an auctioneer. By the sheer volume of merchandise they handle, they have to sell fast, so they are a great perpetual resource of merchandise at prices you can afford to buy and re-sell.

Why would you want an auctioneer to sell anything for you if this is true?

Because if you're item(s) is rare, the best way to get top dollar (fast) is through competitive bidding. Notice I indicated fast. If you want to wait to get retail for your items, then an auction is NOT the way to go. But good luck with that, you can have an item for months or even years, and never find a retail buyer.
Auctioneers will sell it all. If you have an estate that's good enough, an auctioneer will have his crew clean out the property, taking all the low end items and dispose of the garbage. In short, they'll make all your problems go away. The key here, is that the good items in the collection, have to be strong enough to carry the expense of the junk. But few are more efficient at maximizing profit on these situations than auctioneers.
You'll get paid fast. Again, if you use a consignment shop or other venue to sell your items, you could wait forever to get paid.
You'll make connections. If you want to do further business in the genre of items which you're consigning to the auction house, all the action is at the auction hall.

The best referral tools for auctioneers

2009-12-24T13:57:00.004-05:00

The auction business is one that relies heavily on word of mouth, so it would make sense that getting referrals would be a prime objective of any auctioneer. Surprisingly, most of us fail to use the best the referral tools available to us.

Here are the things I use to keep the fresh supply of merch coming in:

The "Thank You" card. This $1.00 investment will put you heads and shoulders above most of your competition. Send a thank you card to everyone you do business with. Try to enclose a detailed paragraph which includes what you enjoyed specifically about working with the client.

The finder's fee: The finder's fee is a great way to get referrals. Simply let everyone you come in contact with know that you pay a reward for information and introductions that lead you to a purchase.

Pro-bono work and giving: When you help out a Charity or a non-profit group business has a way of finding you. Auctioneers are some of the most generous people I know with their time and energy. We love to bring new people into the business, and most of us love to help out a worthy cause. While it's never a good idea to give with the expectation of getting something back, I can assure you that when you are generous with your time, it comes back to you in many ways.

Ask: Ask and you shall receive" is not just true in a spiritual sense, it's true in a practical sense as well. Upon the completion of a job well done, ask the client for referrals. Don't be vague, be very specific. For example, if you say, "Mrs. Jones, do you know anyone that may have some antiques for sale" you will most likely get a no. But if you ask, "do you have an aunt or a grandmother, friend or relative that may have a barn, garage or attic that needs to be cleaned out", now you get their mind working. In effect, you've gotten out and opened up their mental Rolodex. Since you've done some of the work for them, it's easier for them to think of someone they know in that situation. Almost everyone knows someone that has something. You just have to prompt a bit.

What are your best ways to get referrals? Feel free to post any ideas in the comment's section. If your ideas are any good, you may leave a link back to your website. If they are self-serving spam, I'll delete them.

Ebay as a monetary and promotional supplement

2009-12-21T11:57:00.007-05:00

There are a lot of ways to use eBay, and even for a busy auctioneer it can be a great source of supplemental promotion and income.

I admit, I don't sell anywhere near the volume I used to on eBay. However, when I get the right items for eBay, I post them to bring extra attention to other areas of my auction business.

While the additional income doesn't hurt, I find that listing exceptional antiques and collectibles at auction pays off in much larger ways.

Below is a gallery of items just acquired from an estate.

Report on Barre MA Thursday eve auction, Moto-Cross and music

2009-12-19T17:00:00.004-05:00

If you missed last Thursday's auction in Barre, we had an interesting mix for dirt bikers and musicians. After our 4th "Discovery" auction, Bobby and I really feel the auction house is getting it's legs. The crowd was bigger than the week before, as has been the case with the each consecutive auction.

I think the reason for that is simple. We've been increasing the quality and content of the auction, and working hard to get the work out.

Here's the skinny:

Frank from the Barre local access cable TV channel was here to make us all TV stars, so we expect that the January 7th sale will see a few more new faces. Thanks Frank!

Bobby had found a lot of Moto-Cross gear by Fox etc. There was spirited interest in those lots with items bringing between $20 and $85 per lot.
There were 2 bass guitars, a Fender Squire Strat0caster, 2 flutes and a clarinet, that had no problem getting bids. The Squire did $110,
A Washburn electric bass brought $80
The buy of the night was probably a Kenmore portable washing machine which was only a couple of years old that looked like it was never used. It came with a guarantee and the original instruction booklet... It hammered for $10!

It looks like this is shaping up to be a nice weekly general merchandise auction with special event auctions likely to be added to the mix.

Because the next two weeks are Christmas and New Year's eves, our next auction is on January 7th. Pictures and details for that auction will be posted soon on AuctionZip.com, they'll be added to as the merch comes in.

This Jan. 7th sale will be the highest quality auction we've run so far, with contents from an estate with additions. Room is tight in this auction hall, so get there early for this one!

Already there is much nice furniture including a Mahogany dining room set, a Drexel bedroom set, a full living room set and lots more nice furniture, a big screen TV, a 10kt gold and black onyx men's ring, lots of women's jewelry, collectible glass & china and much more.

Five tips to help auctioneers land estate jobs

2009-12-16T06:50:00.004-05:00

We often get caught up in "knowing our stuff" as auctioneers, especially antiques dealers. In an estate purchase or consignment situation, we want to be able to display knowledge of items and auction facts and figures assuming that this will impress and land us the job. Sometimes, this is true, but here are five simple things, that I know always help and have been told so, many times.

Wipe your feet upon entering the household. I don't care if the place is a shack, wipe your feet, you are instantly on solid ground.

Hand the lead person your business card, and shake hands with everyone in the room. It's common to do so with the executor, but often we overlook the "wife, sister, cousin etc."

Pay condolences to the deceased.

Ask before you open drawers and go poking around.

Handle each and every item with great care.

Too often antiques dealers and auctioneers will go through a house and rifle through the merchandise, because that's what it is to us, it's merchandise. We're in a hurry and time is tight. But to the folks you're with, these items are part of a family legacy.

These 5 simple things show that you're a professional and have respect for the estate. I've landed jobs based on these courtesies alone.

Good luck and happy hunting!

Barre MA Thursday evening: The locals found us

2009-12-11T13:55:00.004-05:00

One of the phenomenons in business, is that you can be in a location for years, and someone in your local neighborhood will pop in and say, "I live 2 blocks away, I never knew you were here."

For some reason, things from afar have more allure, but local support is vital for any business. On our 3rd auction at our West St. location, the locals have found us. They came, they purchased and they had a great time!

Upon leaving they assured that they'd tell friends and would be back. Local support creates buzz, saves money on advertising and generates good will. Whether you're interested in attending our Barre MA auctions, buying organic farm food, or you're across the country and are in need of several cords of firewood, support you're local businesses. You need them, and they need you.

This pub style dining room table and 8 chairs sold for $160 plus the buyer's premium.

Photo gallery of last Thursday night's offerings.

Solving the problem of setting up the auction floor

2009-12-09T09:33:00.004-05:00

Not solving the problem of organizing the auction floor in swift manner can cost an auctioneer a lot of money.

Many times the contents for an auction will come to the auction floor in a huge unorganized clump of merchandise. Because so much of what an auctioneer does has a deadline, we are under pressure to work fast and efficiently.

Here are some tips for going from mess to a completely organized hall in short order.

Put all the breakable things in a safe place
Make sure there are clear paths to the parts of the room you need to access often
If the contents are from multiple consignors, tag things right away
Place the taller things against the walls, and the lower things in front of those
Throw away broken things and junk right away if there are things to be thrown away
Lay out plenty of boxes to sort into
It's best if you can organize your floor the same way every time, your crowd will get used to where to look for certain types of things, and it will be easier for you
Talk all small valuables off the floor for security reasons, only put these out on the day of the sale
Now if there are multiple consignors, you are ready to start allotting space accordingly, be sure to carve out enough room to treat each consignor fairly, relative to the quality of their lots

Top ten mistakes new auctioneers make acquiring big lots

2009-12-07T08:42:00.007-05:00

Upon the acquisition of a lot for this week's Barre, MA auction, and removing the contents of the basement, I reflected on some of big mistakes I made earlier in my career. Here are my top ten biggest mistakes I made as a new auctioneer when acquiring large lots:

over-valuing the contents
under estimating the amount of labor needed to perform the job
under estimating the costs associated: IE dumpster fees, trucking etc
not having the proper packing supplies
not securing the delicate items
not taking the most valuable items out of the location first
not spelling out clearly enough to the consignor or seller, exactly what I expected/they expected to be included in the deal
not taking pictures of the items in their habitat
not logging the process
not putting the deal on paper, and getting it signed before beginning the job

Remove the most valuable items right away.

Are there more mistakes I've made earlier on? Absolutely, and I'll write about them in future blog posts!

Auction Theory- Working with contemporary merchandise

2009-12-05T18:02:00.000-05:00

Many auctioneers deal in general merchandise overall, because it's the easiest to get. However, because this means selling a lot of newer items, real collectible value has not likely had a chance to accrue yet. These are possible to sell in the right vein, but nowhere near as easy to auction as their antique ancestors are.

So, in order to have any kind of success with newer items, the auctioneer should:

Be prepared to sell without reserve
Try to only deal with clean, complete, good condition merchandise.
In general, the less familiar with the lot you're consigning, the higher the commission you'll need to charge to CYA.
By that token, if you're buying outright, you need to purchase for less when you're outside your forte.

Prices realized for Dec 3rd, 09 auction in Barre MA

2009-12-04T08:28:00.000-05:00

The turnout for Thursday night's auction in Barre MA was pretty good on Thursday evening, and I'm happy that most of the seats were full! Most of the lots sold, some for good money and some for short money, that's how an auction usually goes when things go well.

Most of the crowd stayed late, and we had a walk-a-round at the end of the sale with box lots galore selling for short $. The next sale is December 10th. Call us if you have something to sell or consign.

We had a mix of antiques, collectibles and new pass-out items.

This violin by First co. sold for $65

All told it looks like we sold about 200 lots.

Here are a few prices realized:

An 1884 Morgan silver dollar sold for $30
A second antique violin that needed work sold for $25
Buck folding knives sold for $15 and $20 each
A large lot of costume jewelry went for $10
A modern roll-top desk: $35
A large hutch: $35
Tray lot of antique buttons $10
Victorian painting on board $10
Lot of WWII history books $20

Hope to see you next week! If you have items to sell, or any questions, give me a call at 978-636-3101

In comes more: a day around the auction hall - a lot like Pawn Stars

2009-12-02T23:56:00.003-05:00

There's a reason you always hear auctioneers saying things like, "you never know what's going to come through the door." That's either a paraphrase or a direct phrase often used on one of my favorite TV shows, "Pawn Stars."

I'd apologize for lifting the phrase from them if they hadn't swiped it first from the auction industry, or some antiques dealer. The fact is that people selling used, antique estate and personal merchandise DO lead an exciting and unexpected existence in many ways!

One particular incident I remember involved an arts and crafts cabinet I had on the auction floor for about a week with pickers, dealers and my crew looking it over. We all agreed that it had "the look" but couldn't find a mark on it anywhere. Two days before auction, the sun came through the window the just the right way, and hit the very faint red joiner's square imprinted upper left on the back of the cabinet. It was a Gustav Stickley piece and banged out at $5,500 plus the buyers premium!

Today at the auction hall at 1797 Main St. here in Barre as we ready up for the 2nd auction, 3 large lots came in. Some of the boxes have been unpacked, and some yet to be.

What's in them?

Who knows?

But come auction time, (Thursday Evening 6:30pm) akin to pirates scouring for treasure, pickers, dealers, civilians and one always eager auctioneer will have their closer look!

Top ten Twitter tips for auctioneers

2009-12-02T09:51:00.000-05:00

Provide educational information
link to your auctionzip.com postings
don't try to sell something every time you post
retweet valuable info from relevant sources
use twitpic or similar service to post pics in your tweets
be clever
be funny
be useful
@reply those doing good things
don't expect direct conversion from Twitter, rather use it as a way to keep in the loop

December 3rd, Barre MA discovery auction update

2009-12-02T08:08:00.001-05:00

Things are shaping up for our second discovery auction here in Barre. The term "Discovery Auction" meaning whatever we discover prior to the sale!
While this can be an edgy way to run, it's a total treasure hunt for buyers because you never know what will show up!

So far coming to the block for this sale will be:

Contemporary furniture including hutches,

Early painted plank thumb back chair

A 12" tall Dresden romantic figurine w/ maiden, suitor and cherub (illus)

a round oak pedestal antique table

Victorian signed Oil on board painting

10kt gold and black onyx Mom ring

Working Sony hand held game system PSP 2

Lot of Sony PSP 2 games

an 1884 Morgan Silver Dollar

collection folding knives including Buck,Victorionix, Frost County and more

2 O/B contemporary paintings, Reindeer & winter scene

vintage wooden blocks

Sterling silver and more jewelry lots,

an excellent crystal decanter

pieces of Candlewick glassware

Several wall mottos including a 1926 Buzza motto

2 early wooden antique hat molds

lot of lacy doilies, crocheted items

antique doll bed

old doll trunk

flat top steamer trunk

lot of costume jewelry included compact, rhinestones, beads etc

selection of nude engravings and prints from Victorian publications

paper and ephemeral lots

mahogany sewing cabinet mfg by "Perfect Sewing Cabinets"

antique child size "Just Married" doll porcelain china set

gold and black painted Victorian wall shelf

Bundy Clarinet in case

pair of marble & crystal budoir lamps

2 antique violins (Antoine Stradivarius copy) with cases

Early cast iron spittoon

Newer sports and non-sports cards

Blue Willow-Ware china

1 door medicine cabinet

Christmas decorations

tray of antique buttons

many box lots and tray lots

Brand new overstock price and identification guides including: Hull pottery, antique firearms book, Roseville, North American Indian artifacts, Matchbox toys, plastic jewelry, world coins, diecast vehicles and Coca Cola collectibles.

Photos and details at AuctionZip.com