Enjoy yourself. Go to an auction. During the many years of my life, I’ve spent many hours at different auction galleries in this area, Franklin County, as well as in southern Vermont and southern New Hampshire.
One that I often went to was Ken Miller and Son in Northfield. Both father and son were excellent auctioneers and their helper, Paul Gorzocoski, now has his own auction business located on Main Street in Northfield. The Miller family also hosted a huge flea market Sundays on their land, attracting hundreds of people each week. Both of the Miller family’s business no longer exist today.
North of Northfield in Swanzey, N.H. was the Knotty Pine Auction Gallery, situated in a very long building that also featured dealers selling their merchandise in booths. That building was lost in a massive fire, but I believe that auctions are now held somewhere else in Keene, N.H. Their auctions always had beautiful items to bid on.
Over in Vermont, I went often to Paul Layton and Son. That auction business is no longer there.
In Townsend, Vt., there still is an auction house which used to run large ads in the Greenfield Recorder. I loved going to this one — I always brought home items that I had won.
When you go to an auction and sign in, most of them will give you a plate with your number one it. You will use it to raise in the air when you want something.
Keeping it raised up means you still want in until the bidding is over and the item or items are sold to the highest bidder.
In South Deerfield on Routes 5 and 10 is the very large Douglass Gallery. What a wonderful place to go for an auction. There are two very large rooms and an auctioneer in each room. Many a time, two auctions are taking place at the same time. This auction gallery has been in business for many years.
Dealers and the general public find this gallery as their destination on buying merchandise of all kinds from estates and consignment. Many hours I have spent there, sometimes waiting almost until the end of the auction to bid on something I wanted.
It is one of the best in this area of Franklin County.
In North Amherst was Bill Hubbard’s Auction Building. His auctions always had top grade items up for sale.
He would only auction off items that were well made and in beautiful condition in order to bring in higher prices. Upper-middle class people that had the money were always in attendance at his auction. That business is no longer there either.
Today, most auction galleries charge a buyer’s premium in addition to tax and the cost of the items bought.
Ten percent up to 70 percent are now added on to the buyer unless you have a Massachusetts tax number to avoid the tax.
I guess this helps to keep the galleries open for future auctions to take place.
Auctions can be exciting and worth the time to go to even if if you are not fortunate enough to find something to bring home.
I sincerely hope that you consider going to ones put on by the United Arc and the United Way, churches and other organizations to help them raise funds to do their work in the communities where they are located. It is worthwhile to go to one.
Robert Bitzer, 92, of Erving is a lifelong resident of Franklin County, having been born in Greenfield. His columns are inspired by extensive photo albums and thorough collections of correspondence he has compiled over the years.