The large tent housed furniture and tables with collectibles.
Review & Onsite Photos by Madelia Hickman Ring
LITCHFIELD, CONN. — Any auctioneer will tell you they live for the phone to ring — or, more likely these days, an emailed query — to come look at collections full of desirable, salable things, whether rare antiques, artwork by blue-chip artists or the hottest collectible. These are the things that stock an auction after being carefully appraised, catalogued, photographed and exhibited. The things we write about follow a successful journey across the auction block.
What may not be immediately obvious to readers is there is often a lot of additional “stuff” that, out of necessity, comes along with the more valuable objects — the things the seller needs to get rid of; the bad, if you will, that comes along with the good. By “stuff,” I mean household furnishings, boxes of National Geographic back issues and yellowing paperbacks, kitchen implements, boxes of movies on VHS or DVDs that can’t be watched because the technology to do so has become outdated, weathered garden tools, old clothes discovered in trunks squirreled away in attics, toys rusting in a basement. The sort of things you’re likely to find spread out on a folding table at the end of a driveway in most neighborhood tag sales.
Auctioneers have creative ways to deal with this “stuff,” from sending salvageable and still-useful goods to charities and churches to partnering with companies that specialize in such modestly priced objects. In the case of Litchfield Auctions, they pitched a giant tent on their front lawn, priced things to sell, spread the word and held a multi-day tag sale open to anyone within driving distance.
The rush was on!
Officially known as Litchfield County Auctions, the house has been a fixture in the county seat since the 1990s, when founder Weston Thorn, an appraiser, auctioneer and director of Sotheby’s PB-84, saw an opportunity for a regional auction house. From holding auctions at the American Legion Hall and the Litchfield Fire House to the firm’s current home in a 10,000-square-foot facility less than two miles from Litchfield’s historic town center, the auction house now conducts monthly or semi-monthly auctions, offering hundreds of lots to clients around the world, not just those in their back yard.
The house is best known around the world for the sales it holds throughout the year, from single-owner collections and estates to auctions chock-full of objects consigned by dozens, if not hundreds, of sellers. Nearly every possible collecting category is represented, with five- and six-figure results achieved in each over the years.
The company has been holding tag sales for years. Initially five-day events, they were conducted simultaneously with semiannual auction previews where things were gradually discounted on the third, fourth and fifth day of the tag sales. As auctions became more frequent, tag sales became stand-alone events, until about five years ago when the tag sale became an annual event. Not only is it a “must-attend” for the local community, but it draws buyers — collectors, dealers and decorators — from hundreds of miles away. While most of the cars in the parking lot during the most recent tag sale — Friday and Saturday, August 23-24 — were from Connecticut, there was evidence of travel from New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Pennsylvania and at least one car from Florida.
Sue LaCourse, seated at the far end of the table, is vice president and director of operations for Litchfield Auctions. Her daughter, Elise, next to her, and son, Joe, are both part of the regular staff. All were busy helping ring up sales for the long line of buyers waiting to check out.
“It’s grown into a really social event and has become very well received,” Susan “Sue” LaCourse said, when Antiques and The Arts Weekly spoke with her by phone after the event. “We start getting calls beginning as early as May or June from people wanting to know when we’re planning to have it. I overheard someone who came last weekend saying they scheduled their vacation around it.”
The bulk of the tag sale was sourced from two significant and luxurious properties: one in Southampton, N.Y., the other in Washington, Conn. Auction-worthy objects from both have been scattered through Litchfield’s auctions in previous months but the rest of the “stuff” — all of the highest quality and boasting name-brand cachet — didn’t warrant the time and effort of selling at auction.
“We had a few hundred people over the two days, and many people came back on the second day,” said LaCourse. “I’m not only extremely pleased with the results but very happy with the number of things that people bought and took away. We will donate the residual things to some local charities, but it was, by far, the best tag sale we’ve had since we started doing it as an annual event.”
As with most small auction houses, it was a team effort by all involved, from the top down. LaCourse, the vice president and director of operations, works daily alongside her daughter, Elise, who doubles as an office manager, and son, Joe, who wears every hat possible, from cataloging to making deliveries and unpacking incoming consignments. The three manned the tag sale check-out table on the first day, writing receipts for the long line that formed within minutes of the door opening. By the end of the weekend, LaCourse estimated they’d written more than 400 receipts.
There was an area of the tag sale where you could store your finds before paying for them while you looked for other things. Ben Russo was busy helping hold things for shoppers.
On a normal workday, Ben Russo is another jack-of-all-trades, providing hands-on support and muscle for whatever tasks the auction house needs; for the tag sale, he staffed the all-important “hold” table, where shoppers could leave purchases while they checked out or while they went back onto the saleroom floor to look for more treasures.
Specialists Jay Pickering and Michelle Marcisz are usually out and about, fielding appointments and house calls and cataloging auction-worthy property. Pickering established himself as the resident expert and overseer of the tent, where larger pieces were set out. Marcisz kept the linen area neat, constantly refolding and straightening towels, sheets and other boxed offerings.
Staff photographers Scott Nelson and Gary Osborne spent the first morning helping direct traffic in, around and out of the parking lot, which soon overflowed with shoppers. Once the initial rush died down, they could be seen helping buyers load heavier things into vehicles and providing customer service as needed.
Both Weston and his son, Nick, were on hand the first day. Since Weston’s retirement a few years, ago, Nick has stepped into the role of president, a job he juggles with his duties as co-partner of Capsule, Litchfield’s sister auction house in New York City. For the tag sale, Nick brought both his daughter, Esme, and niece, Audrey, to help provide extra pairs of eyes and hands to make sure the tag sale went smoothly.
Litchfield Auctions owner and president Nick Thorn.
The scope of things in the sale ranged broadly but nearly everything was priced to sell. Kitchen, bedroom and bathroom linens — including some by Frette, Schweitzer, Ralph Lauren and Sferra — were sold at a fraction of what they would have retailed for. Silver, ceramics and glass lined tables, bookcases and glass cabinets while bins of unframed artwork were placed next to pegboard walls hung with framed pieces. Though most things could be had for less than $100, a few things had higher price tags, including a pair of cast cement garden goddesses from the Washington property. “We didn’t really have a place to store them during the tag sale, so we priced them high and they’ll be in an upcoming auction,” LaCourse said.
Litchfield Auctions’ next auction will be September 25. The date of their next annual tag sale has yet to be announced, but you can be sure it will be both big and well-attended.
Litchfield Auctions is at 425 Bantam Road. For information, 860-567-4661 or www.litchfieldcountyauctions.com.
