THE SAVO AUCTIONEERS

Three-Wheeled Bicycles

John J Savo — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:15:46 +0000

Often my states of mind aren't served up neat. My moods are usually cocktails consisting of curious combos that can be the dangerous and intoxicating intellectual equivalent of Jaeger and Red Bull. Indeed, as I write this very blog post, I find myself feeling both facetious and magnanimous. Hence the following list of heterogeneous statements will seem comically sarcastic to some, while others will view them as small epiphanies. Yes, I offer the following tidbits with the intention of...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Boxlot Post No. 1

John J Savo — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 03:32:57 +0000

So what exactly is a boxlot? Well, every estate has piles of tchotchkes that aren't necessarily garbage, but that aren't good enough to stand on their own. Individually, these bric-a-brac are worth $10 and less. Trying to sell each of these things individually during an auction is boring and inefficient. However, these items still have value, and as auctioneers, we are obligated to produce every dollar we can for our consignors. So we make boxlots: literally cardboard boxes loaded with...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Peculiar Piano Placement

John J Savo — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:49:28 +0000

So I was watching an episode of Band of Brothers on HBO in which the brave soldiers of Easy Company were storming a town in Normandy. While they were scrambling for cover from Nazi machine gun fire, they ran past an upright piano that happened to be sitting in the middle of the street. No one was playing it, no one was lying dead beside it, and it appeared to be undamaged. Had it just been abandoned during a desperate attempt by some French pianist to escape with it from the firefight? ...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Ugly People and Pie

John J Savo — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 02:59:30 +0000

Sometimes in my adventures I am privy to a situation where someone has passed away and the surviving relatives encircle the estate of the deceased like ravenous buzzards. Right away, sister fights sister, brother battles brother, cousin assaults cousin. Each tries to outsmart the others to get the biggest piece of the pie, or indeed, escape with the whole thing, pan and all. Continue reading "Ugly People and Pie"

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Tremendous Squirrels

John J Savo — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:54:34 +0000

It was midsummer, 2001. I, my father, and my youngest brother Joseph (who was working with us at the time) embarked upon an estate pickup to West Side Scranton where we were greeted by three, better-than-middle-aged sisters. Though the youngest of these women is now a fuzzy memory, the middle and the eldest sisters stick out in my mind. Continue reading "Tremendous Squirrels"

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Overt Bidding Techniques

John J Savo — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:50:07 +0000

As discussed previously, certain auction goers feel the need to employ stealthy bidding techniques so as not to be shadowed by rookies or bid against out of spite. Conversely, there are certain auction goers that use overt bidding techniques that are designed to intimidate their competition. Since these aggressive bidders can't actually claim the items that they desire by urinating on them, they bid in ways that are meant to tell others to back off. Continue reading "Overt Bidding Techniques"

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Befuddled by a Dressing Table

John J Savo — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:46:29 +0000

I was alone in the gallery, setting up for an approaching auction, when two women (I'll call them Dense and Denser) walked in to have a look. Dense and Denser perused the inventory, making squealing quips and clucks. I gave them a few minutes to walk around before greeting them and asking if I could be of any assistance. Continue reading "Befuddled by a Dressing Table"

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Baboons with Hammers

John J Savo — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:14:05 +0000

When I look upon the magnificence of the Empire State Building or the majesty of the Nicholson Bridge, I wonder how the generation that created such wonders in the first part of the 20th century could also create some of the dumbest, most asinine, chop-busting houses ever made. I become bewildered at how an American society with such architectural visionaries could allow some of their contemporaries--mere baboons with hammers--to construct familial living quarters with five-foot high...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Stealthy Bidding Techniques

John J Savo — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:25:16 +0000

First time auction attendees will often ask me how to bid. I tell them that when they wish to bid on an item that they should raise their bidding cards high into the air, and then when they wish to advance the bidding that they should continue to raise their cards or nod distinctly when the auctioneer looks to them. However, some veteran auction goers adopt bidding techniques that are designed for discretion. Dealers and collectors that regularly attend auctions sometimes feel that they have...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Deppraisal: Fashionable and Doomed

John J Savo — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:09:40 +0000

Wikipedia defines a fad as "something that becomes very popular with a small group of people for a short period of time. A fad is unpredictable, short lived, and without social, economic, and political significance." However, I have created a more poignant definition for the word fad by using a backronym. "What is a backronym?" you ask. Well, it's just another little invention of my twisted mind that is destined to end up in some future edition of the English Dictionary with another one of...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]