Major Snowstorm Complicates Presidents' Day Auctions around
the Northeast
Compiled by David Smith and W.A. Demers
NORTHEAST CORRIDOR
Antiques and The Arts Weekly called around for a sampling
of Presidents' Day auction results and here is what we found:
Bradford Galleries, Ltd of Sheffield, Mass., went ahead with its
antique furniture and accessories auction on Sunday, February 16,
but rescheduled its sale of photography and ornithology books,
bindings, original art, graphics and maps for Saturday, February
22. At the furniture sale, the auction house had "very good
attendance," according to Dorothy Lidstone.
In Cambridge, Mass., Hub-ley's annual Presidents' Day sale turned
out to be great despite the weather, said Bob Cann, the firm's
senior auctioneer.
"We decided to start at 10 am, just about the time it began to
snow," said Cann. "When we reached lot 220 at the end of the
sale, the Cambridge parking ban was just going into effect."
Cann noted that a lot of people sometimes come to events despite
iffy weather because they sense an opportunity. "People were
bidding happily and freely," he added, although they may have
been a bit shocked when they turned around to look out the window
once the sale was over.
Evan from Gabriel's in Walpole, Mass., did not even attempt to
load up the trucks to bring estate auction items to the Holiday
Inn in Dedham, Mass., the morning of February 17.
"We decided to reschedule for the 19th, and it worked out pretty
well," said Evan. "The only problem was that we were due to start
the sale at 6:30 pm on Wednesday and at 6:10 a big power
transformer blew and we lost lights, the computers, everything
for about an hour."
A crew was sent out to Gabriel's warehouse to get power
generators, but before they could return the power was restored
at the auction venue. "You just have to adapt," commented Evan,
who has had to postpone just one other auction due to weather in
his 31 years of business. "The customers were really good about
it all."
Bob Fricker, owner and auctioneer at Cornerstone Auction
Galleries, Providence, R.I., postponed his February 17 auction to
February 19. "Rescheduling really had no affect on attendance. We
did some advertising, in about five newspapers," said Fricker,
who added that only once before in 40 years has he had to
postpone an auction.
Rose Hill Auction Gallery, Ltd, Englewood, N.J., also had one
other previous postponement due to weather, recalls president
Judy Lipton. "We postponed the Monday auction to Wednesday
[February 19]," said Lipton. In spite of the postponement, "we
had a full house," she reported. The auction house got the word
out by calling its buyer lists and putting a message on its
answering machine with details of the new date.
In Point Pleasant, N.J., Point Pleasant Galleries' originally
scheduled sale went off well to a "packed house and 130
registered bidders," according to Greg Hawriluk, owner. Asked
whether some people may have sensed opportunity, Hawriluk
replied, "That could be part of it. I've found that with more
serious buyers, the weather will not really affect them."
Quinn's Auction Galleries, Falls Church, Va., rescheduled its
quarterly catalog sale due to the more than 20 inches of snow
that blanketed the Washington, DC, area. The auction has been
rescheduled for Sunday, March 9, at 1 pm, due to previous
scheduling commitments by the gallery.
"In the interest of our consignors, we feel we had no other
choice," said Paul Quinn, owner of Quinn's Auction Galleries. "In
a sense, you hate to push something like this off, especially
since we did have one person from South Carolina who fought his
way to preview on Saturday."
When Bobby Langston of Wilson, N.C., left his home at 7 am on
Monday, February 17, the icy conditions made him decide to delay
his auction by a couple of hours.
"I was between a rock and a hard place because we had people here
that had come from out of town, one who had traveled here that
morning, so I decided to go ahead with the sale," said Langston.
"It cost me a lot of money." Worse, Langston recalled that of the
three storms he has weathered this season, he has had sales
scheduled for the dates of every one of them.
Michael Smith of Cherry Tree Auctions in Greenwich, N.Y.,
canceled his Monday auction for the first time in 16 years,
something which the auctioneer stated "offended my sense of
adventure, but it was probably the best thing to do." Smith, who
rescheduled for the following Monday, sent emails to more than
1,100 clients and got his cancellation broadcast on local
television and radio stations. The auctioneer reported that he
waited for customers at the gallery during preview hours and had
to turn away only five people.
Ernie Eldridge of Willimantic, Conn., had to cancel both the
auction and his originally projected snow date of Tuesday. The
auction was rescheduled for the following Monday, and Eldridge
said they hope to be able to run their weekly sales every Monday
for the remainder of the winter.
John McInnis was lucky enough to get his auction off as the snow
hit the Portsmouth, N.H., area later in the day and accumulations
were far less than seen in lower New England. McInnis reported a
good crowd and solid prices.
Tim Chapulis had to cancel his first auction in 24 years, which
featured the contents of a small home. Unlike many others, the
Bristol, Conn., auctioneer was able to conduct the auction the
following evening and also reported a good crowd.
Elmer Murray of Litiz, Penn., was scheduled to host an antiques
and collectibles auction although the storm also forced him to
postpone. Murray commented that they were still digging out from
the 27 to 30 inches of snow three days later. The sale, scheduled
for the following Monday, also had snow in the forecast
C&C auctions in Larchmont, N.Y., was also forced to cancel,
making it the first time they have been unable to conduct a sale
in their history. The auction was postponed two days and had a
"surprisingly good crowd -- not as many paddles as usual, but
more than expected."
Scott McCulloch, Hingham, Mass., had an assortment of Americana
and estate merchandise scheduled for Presidents' Day and he also
was forced to postpone. The auctioneer got his sale off the
following Monday.
Greenwich (Conn.) Antiques Center was scheduled to offer an
assortment of estate merchandise, but the highways in the area
were all but shut down, forcing cancellation. The auction was
rescheduled for the following Sunday.
