SubscribeAbout Auction Finds
Every two weeks, I go to two auction houses to see what is left of people’s lives. We spend so much time accumulating “things” that we never think what will happen to them when we’re gone.
I see what happens. I see the collection of Wizard of Oz plates that someone lovingly bought for hundreds of dollars that a buyer sitting in hard chairs on a Sunday might pick up for $30 (for eight plates). Or the vintage Argus camera – a little black beauty in a worn tan leather case – that someone stashed in the back of a closet years ago to gather dust.
Each of these things have a story to tell about the person who owned it. Some of the items contain handwritten notes from the giver to the recipient. A birthday card to a child. A Valentine card to a lover. A reminder to self.
I’ll bring those stories to you as I hear them. I’ve found that these whispers from the past arouse my curiosity about the people who owned them, and makes me wonder if I’m accumulating too much stuff that also will wind up on the cheap in someone else’s hands.
I welcome your comments and your stories. Click here to share with me.
I started going to auctions to fuel my love for African American art – but at a bargain. I love the old masters: Lois Mailou Jones, Jacob Lawrence, Hughie Lee-Smith. I wanted to find their works and discover other veteran artists whose works may have been hiding in an attic or basement, and forgotten.
