It’s not unusual to see Christmas decorations piled atop table after table at auctions. Many of them are similar to the ones I’ve bought in the past for a few bucks.
But the decorations in boxes on and under the tables at auction on this particular day were different. Even from a distance I could tell that these were neither inexpensive nor commonplace.
That box of silver glitter moose with white faux fur collars and the pointed caps with the brown faux fur bands weren’t likely to adorn the fireplaces or tabletops of most people at this auction. My auction buddy Janet had seen a similar moose figure for sale elsewhere for a hefty price, and would have loved one or two of those at auction. Later, I found a similar small glittery moose selling on frontgate.com for $70.
I had my eye on some red open roses made of thin flexible wood, but like the moose, they were being sold by the box (with about 25 in each of three or four boxes).
Who needs 100 red roses? Apparently, the owner of the suburban mansion that they came from. According to the auctioneer, the owner had always elaborately decorated her home for the holidays, and hosted large Christmas parties for dignitaries and others like them. She decorated each room of her house with Christmas trees, he said.
With all of the stuff laid out on the tables, she must have had decorators and a lot of helpers. The items had been handled very gently, because they were in very good condition.
As usual at auctions, the boxes sold for much less than the woman surely paid for the decorations. Here’s a sampling of them:
