Auctions filled with ‘nice buys’

By Susan M. Wicker Guerrero

PITTSFIELD – Going to an auction is like stepping into a different world.

It’s always fun to try something new in life, to get out of the monotony rut.

Last weekend, when two friends invited me to go to an auction at Fontaine’s Auction Gallery at 1485 W. Housatonic St., I jumped at the chance.

We actually attended what was termed  the “discovery” morning  portion of a two-part auction.

My friends came by early, at 9:45 a.m., so we could look ahead of time at the items set to be auctioned off at both 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Inside the huge room, we all went our separate ways to oogle over a mind-boggling array of items.

An eight-piece porcelain dresser set, in a lovely shade of lavender, seemed reminiscent of Victorian times. After all, few, if any, people today have covered hair receivers or footed trays for their combs and brushes. The set was a beauty, though, and probably left with a new owner by day’s end.

A handsome sculpture of young lovers showed a Bohemian man dressed in sheepskin standing near the figure of a woman. She was dressed in a long, flowing summer dress embellished with clovers. The lovers, frozen forever in a heartwarming moment, made a very stunning piece.

We looked over porcelain plates, stoneware crocks, a breathtaking crystal chandelier, necklaces, mirrors and a pottery head with turquoise hair, to name just a smattering of items.

We finally took our seats in the second row from the front. The auctioneer extraordinaire, John Fontaine, wearing pants and a black shirt, looked dashing on the stage with gray hair, goatee and mustache. He announced auction protocol and then the show began.

The auctioneer’s bidding began in rapid-fire style and at times it sounded like a different language.

Helpers brought each item being auctioned up to the stage. All young people, they sprinted up in front of the audience seated below and lifted up old tables, chairs and dozens of other items so potential buyers could get a good look.

A marble-topped table sold for $150, two green-cushioned French chairs went for $100 a piece, and a unique buggy that turned into a sleigh sold for $375.

A delicate and exquisite old-fashioned looking Gone with the Wind lamp covered with pink blossoms sold for $100.

Mr. Fontaine’s voice boomed out, garnering the audience’s attention. He often added descriptive phrases. For instance, describing a dresser, he said, “Folks, this is mint.” It sold for $175.

“Nice buy,” Mr. Fontaine said to the person who bought two porcelain vases for $100.

One of the helpers held up an attractive cranberry glass hanging lamp.

“You can’t go wrong,” the auctioneer told potential buyers. “It’s a $500 lamp.” Sold for $175!

Some of the chairs had no takers.

“This is not the day for chairs,” the auctioneer said, and the workers carried a few unsold ones off the stage.

Then it was on to the next item. It was an 1876 oak high chair that could be converted to a stroller and a rocker.

“This is a little sweetheart,” Mr. Fontaine told the crowd of at least 50 people.

Someone offered a final bid of $150 for it.

Among the most expensive items that sold Saturday were two huge iron urns. They went for a hefty $1,000.

Someone went home with a horse bicycle for $80. Another person paid the same amount for a carnival wheel.

On and on went the auction, and Mr. Fontaine occasionally took a sip of water before launching into a whole new bid.

When the morning session ended, people got up and started walking around. In almost no time they were back in their seats as Mr. Fontaine began the second half of  the auction.

A gargantuan and ornately-carved chiming grandfather’s clock, complete with a carved cat, rats and a head that looked like George Washington’s looking way down from the top, stood in one corner of the huge auction hall. It came from a luxurious estate in Pennsylvania.

People at Saturday’s auction stood in front of it and looked way up to the top.

“Isn’t that amazing?” one man said. “Where would you put something like that?”

The woman near his side, stretching her neck to see the top of the clock said, “You’d have to have a really big entryway.”

Anyone interested in the towering clock is still in luck. It was not up for bid last weekend. Check the website for information on upcoming auctions at FontainesAuction.com.

Posted by Susan M. Wicker Guerrero on October 25, 2012. Filed under Columns,From the Heart,Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry