Ray Carman – Auctioneer

Well, here is another funny moment from a Saturday Auction.

I was around 20 at the time and we had an auction in Jackson County. An agent who worked for us had booked the sale and it was a house and lot along with a house full of personal property, which included many tools. I remember the day well, because it had rained a-lot the evening before, so the ground was quite soggy.

During the course of an auction which has power tools, we try and run a drop cord (extension cord) out so we can show that the item works and is in proper running condition. This day was no different, as we were moving along. The booking Agent, Eddie, had come out with a skil saw to sell. Now let me catch you up real quick on Eddie. Eddie was the kind of guy who you could “goose” or scare real easy. He was, you might say, “jumpy.”

So Eddie brings out the skil saw and plugs her up. What he did not see was that when he dropped the cord back down he had landed it in a small puddle of water and the cord for the saw had a small short in it. So when he stepped up to show it off and pulled the trigger, well, poor ole Eddie got quite the shock. The saw went a sailing, and well, we all went to laughing. Thankfully it was nothing serious, but ole Eddie had just cut a trail and jigged a jag getting away from that saw.

Come back next Monday for some more Auction Memories.

Ray Carman

This poem was a favorite at all our auctions when I was a teen.

Ray Carman

Just a little story about an Auction and the day I was born.

There is no doubt, that here in the south, the sound of the Auctioneers chant grows louder as the Spring Sun begins to shine brighter. In all my years of being around auctions, the spring has always been the trade mark for auction lovers to set as a favorite time of the year. Why? Because more and more auctions begin to hit the weekends and that means more and more opportunities for the Treasure hunt.

This year, many auctioneers tried to fill the books with winter auctions. I was asked several times why we (Gene Carman Real Estate and Auction) did not have them lined up during the winter months. I think the weather this year answered many of those questions. If you book an auction for an early January or Feb date, you never know how it is going to turn out. Rain is ALWAYS a potential, and that we can deal with. But having a snow that keeps potential buyers at home and forcing an auction to cancel or reschedule can only be a headache and more money needed for additional advertising.

True, spring is not perfect, but in the eyes of those accustom to auctions, it is the ideal time to book a sale and draw the largest crowds. That is why there is such a parallel between the Sun in Spring and the rhythmic sound of the Auctioneers Cry!

We have a great line up of Spring Auctions and I invite you to check out all our upcoming auctions at www.GeneCarmanAuction.com

Ray Carman

Names have been left out to protect the guilty in this story! This was a funny day in our auction History!

I grew up listening to this song over and over. I was pleased to attend the same school that Leroy did to be an Auctioneer. I hope you enjoy this oldie, but goody!

Ever have one of those MOMENTS that just sticks with you? I have one of those moments regarding my auction career! The first time I “auctioned” something off.

I was 6 years old and my Grandfather, Gene Carman, always enjoyed showing his grandsons off, as well as teasing them. Part of the “trip to manhood” included a little jiving at an auction. He would always ask if we were interested in selling something at the auction, in front of the crowd of course. If we seemed a little shy, he would egg it on by saying “your brother or cousin did it!” So, in a sense you were stuck.

I was sure I could handle it, but was not very bold about standing in front of a crowd. So, Pa handed me the microphone and told me what to sell. I turned and instantly was frozen by the faces of the crowd, so I jumped behind the biggest thing I could find at the moment, and that was Tom Garrett, Pa’s faithful handy man / hardest worker I have ever known, for the past 30 years. I stood as still as I could behind Tom and began selling the item.

Needless to say, I was nervous as a cat, and it did not help any when my uncles started calling bids out faster than any 6 yr old could count. By the time I was done, I was sure I would never make it in this business. But, it was all fun and looking back, I imagined everyone had a good laugh that day, and so did I!

And just to let you know, I have passed this on to my oldest daughter, who at the age of six sold her first item ever at auction. However, she does not suffer too much from stage fright, and if she wants, has a GREAT career ahead of her as an auctioneer!

See you next week!

Ray Carman