My first Firearm auction

Ok, went to the auction this weekend that Galvatron mentioned in an earlier post. Wanted to give my impressions, but wasn't sure about ressurecting a old topic, so decided to start anew...

My two main concerns going in was length and professionalism. Part of me worried that the auction would keep going well into the night. I mean, they advertized 800+ firearms, and if you spend a minute on each one auctioning it off, thats a long time. But, the autioneer was great, and fast! He started out by saying he wanted to be finished up by 6, (8 hours later) and by golly, thats when he finished! And, as for professionalism, they get a thumbs up in my book. Running a good auction takes some work, running a auction at roughly 100 items an hour that has simultaneous internet and phone bidding with only one hiccup (A UPS for the computer thats running the network bids seems to be a no brainer, but I digress) is rather impressive in my book.

This was the main catchphrase of the event. It seemed like at this auction, there was a mix of collectors, business people like pawn shop owners and the like, and just curious joes like myself. But, there sure were a lot of all of us at the beginning. That changed later.

The way it seemed to be set up for me was that most of the "usual" guns were lined up at the beginning and the end, with a lot of the "collector" pieces in the middle. Some of the prices I saw things going for were good, and some really blew my mind.
One of the early auctions was for a .380 with box go for about $100 over retail. I watched a Mauser .32 cal pistol go for $200, and the next auction was an exact copy Mauser .32, only this one had Nazi proof markings, go for over $1200. (auction lots 1808 and 1809 if you want to go see for yourself) To say there was some serious collectors involved was an understatement.

While it does sound rough, there were some good deals to be had. Again, you just had to do your research. I did walk away with one Milsurp pistol, of a style i'd had my eye on, for a good price. It does need a couple of things done to it, but nothing major, and I knew that going into the bidding. However, even with replacing the broken safety switch, I picked up a handgun for less than half the price they are going for retail, so I consider that to be a good deal.

The only downside to me, again with the gunshow reference, is that they do not allow firearms. I know, sounds like a oxymoron, a firearms auction where firearms arent allowed, but it was just hand lettered signs hanging on the doors. No one was checking, and no detectors. (one Detective however) As I was OC, I decided to do a minor Empty Holster protest, but didn't even get a second look by anyone.

All in all, I had a good time. I feel like it would have been fun, even had I not bought anything. Yet, walking away with new firearms for less that a weeks pay was a delight. And frankly, it seemed to me that the later it got, the lower the prices got. I walked away with a Marlin .22 bolt action rifle that seems to be a tack driver for $60 by waiting til close to the end.

They did mention a auction coming up in Feb thats gonna be based around Military collectibles, but with about 500 to 600 firearms as well. Based on this trip, I think I might go check it out.

 

There was one guy sitting in front of a computer, beside the auctioneer, who's sole job was to handle the online bidding. As each lot came up, it became active on the internet site, allowing for real time bidding. Plus, from what I could tell, the early bids placed online was used as the starting bid by the auctioneer. So, say if lot XXX was up to $150 online when it's turn came up, $150 is what he started at. If no one there or on the phone bid, then the lot was won by the internet bidder. If someone did bid, then whoever was online had the option of bidding a higher increment just like the people sitting in the audience. All in all, it was very interesting to watch.

No, not really. As galvatron said, it's all about knowing what you want, and what you would pay for it. Several people, collectors and business people, were walking around with price guides, namely the Blue Book of Gun Values.

Personally, I had spent some time online looking, and anything I was interested in I did research on. Determined what it was worth, and what I would pay. While I did place some bids that I had not planned on, it was on items I had a general idea of the worth of, and knew if it was a good deal.

It was worth my time to attend, I walked away happy and without regrets, and even managed to pick up some new items. I will be heading back to the next one, thats for sure.

 

No reserve was ever mentioned. Everthing I saw sold, even if the price was low sometimes. Saw a couple of Single shot shotguns go for under $50, so that should tell you something.