Estate/Farm Auctions

[ctwatkins]

I was curious if anyone has had much success, or gotten any great deals, purchasing artifacts at estate or farm auctions. There is one coming up in my area in the next few weeks being advertisted with "indian relics". I'm not sure if I want to waste a precious Saturday, as well as drive an hour each way, to check it out. Anyone out there with stories to either get me fired up to go or make me lose interest?

[jackcrafty]

My very first artifact came from a yard sale. My Mother bought it without knowing what it was and the people selling it didn't know either. She bought it for me because she knew I liked arrowheads. Turned out to be a long knife blade that was broken during construction. Very interesting study piece. Probably a Friday knife.

Point is, sometimes people just don't know what they have. I think my Mom spent $1 on the artifact.

[Steve Valentine]

I have went to a few estate auctions and have gotten some great deals. I went to an auction in Marion county a few years back and get 102 pieces for $205 including 4 Grooved Axes, 2 Grooved Mauls, a Banner preform, a couple Celts and a bunch of nice Points. I don't have any pictures here but I will post some later.

[ctwatkins]

Thanks for your replies Jack and Steve. I think I'll probably make time to go. With the current state of the economy, there seems to be some pretty good deals to be found out there right now. I'll be looking for your pictures Steve - you always have some great pieces!

[joshuaream]

I enjoy farm auctions for three reasons.

1. If few other collectors show up, you can get a decent deal on relics. In your area there are a lot of dealers within a 2-3 hour drive, and if there is nothing else happening that weekend you might see some serious competition. I've also been to auctions where the relics were going to be late in the sale and no one decided to stick around.

2. If other local collectors show up, you can connect with some people not on the forums that often don't go to shows. It's pretty easy to spot them, they are oogling the relics just like you are. If they buy something, walk up and say nice frame, etc. It doesn't take much to start a conversation. I'll occasionally bring a personal find from home and keep the conversation going. Relic collectors love talking about relics.

3. If they are selling the land, the auction company can give you permission to walk it... Occasionally they'll ask you to sign a waiver, occasionally they'll also schedule a walk through on the house, but most of the time they'll say it's ok.
(This last one doesn't sit 100% perfectly with my conscience because they are letting you walk it because they think you are checking out the farm with the intention of buying it, but I've done it a couple of times.)

[Hippy]

I've attended many farm and esate sales, usually more than artifact sales. I usually ask for pictures from the auctioneer first to see if there is anything I can't live without. Usually you get good deals but every now and then the family will get involved in bidding. That tends to get ugly especially if there are sentimental things involved. I was at a farm sale and watched a cast of a snyders sell for $200 because the family was involved.

For the most part I get good deals.

Hippy

[wily]

My wife and I love auctions. She is into antique furniture and I enjoy primitive technology. Ussually find good deals on manos and odd points, scapers and shapers.
But jit is a crap shoot on points, it only takes two people wanting the same point to run up the bid.

[uniface]

All other things being equal (and they never are), dealers (if present, and interested) will drop out at the point where they don't figure they'll be able to re-sell what they're bidding on at a significant profit.

Assuming they're there, and know what they're doing, you can learn from watching them.

[NorthTxHunter]

I was at a Antique Mall with my wife a few weeks ago and she pointed out a large frame of nice arrowheads for me to check out. There were G10 Clovis, Andice, Thebes etc... The sign on the frame read "Authentic Indian Arrowheads found on my grandfathers farm. Price $1500"

I got the dealer to reluctantly open the frame so that I could inspect them. They were all plastic cast reproductions!!!!!!

I just laughed as I walked away.

[questor]

A buddy of mine got the most awesome Holland point I have ever seen even pictured anywhere at a farm auction. It was one of those things where it was buried in a box of other 'junk'. Thankfully it was in another small box protected and unmarked. He had spotted it, but no one else had. So he got it for a dream price. He said a ton of people were there too. Only one other guy even bid on it the box. But was unaware!