Questions Answered

Attending an auction for the first time can be a little intimidating.  All I knew of auctions when I married my husband was what I had seen on TV: the indecipherable babble of the auctioneer, the even more indecipherable nodding of heads to confirm a bid, the numbers, crowds, and confusion.  What I found when I started attending auctions was very different.  The babble of the auctioneer took on meaning, the nodding of heads had a point, the numbers, crowds, and confusion achieved order and the atmosphere of the event was enjoyable, exciting, and something that I looked forward to at the end of each week.  First-time auction-goers sometimes have questions, I did and I certainly didn't want to ask seasoned veterans, so here are the answers to a few of the questions I had:

Q:  Will I understand the auctioneer?

A:  In a word, yes.  The auction chant is comprised of a series of numbers and filler words.  The auctioneer will start the bid on a specific number, "five" for example, then some filler words that are there to keep the rhythm of the chant (which is what I recognized as the indecipherable babble), then the auctioneer will look for a higher bid by saying and repeating the next number he's looking for, "ten" for example.  When he gets that, he'll go up to fifteen and so on.  

Q:  How do I bid on an item?

A:  When you check in at the auction trailer you'll be asked to give your name, address, and phone number which will be entered into the computer and a number will be assigned to you. You'll be given a bid card with that number on it.  If an item comes up that you wish to bid on you simply raise your card high enough for the auctioneer to see it.  In some instances the crowd is large and the auctioneer can't always have his eyes on all the people.  That is what ringmen are for.  There will often be about two or three people working with the auctioneer to catch bids, these are the ringmen.  They are always scanning the crowd and looking for bids and when they see someone trying to bid they'll get the auctioneer's attention and work with the bidder to make sure that they're getting it in.

Q:  Can I pay for my items any time or do I have to stay until the auction is over?

A:  The clerk is always near the auctioneer entering information into the computer.  The first thing the clerk enters is an item description, then the price for which the item sold, and the bidder number of the person who bought the item.  The computer that the clerk uses is linked via modem to the computer in the auction trailer so that as soon as the clerk enters the information on an item into her computer it is immediately accessible from the computer in the trailer.  So, if you wish to leave before the auction is over you can pay out at the trailer at any time.

Q:  Is it possible to bid on something without meaning to?

A:  Sometimes the auctioneer will take a bid from a person who didn't mean to bid, but usually the auctioneer and ringmen make eye contact and either gesture or nod their heads to make sure that they've got your bid.  If you do end up bidding on an item unintentionally the auctioneer will start the bidding again with the person who had the next highest bid, and it's not a big deal so don't worry.

Q:  Do I need to bring cash?

A:  Spear Auctioneers accepts cash, checks, and credit cards. 

Q:  What if I purchase I large item that won't fit in my car?

A:  Many times an auction site, especially one where there are lots of large items or equipment, will be open long after the auction for people to get their stuff.  Arrangements can usually be made to return the next day with a truck or larger vehicle.  Sellers tend to be very willing to work with you to make sure that you get your purchases.  

Q:  Is there any kind of warranty on the stuff I buy?

A:  Items sold by auction are sold "as is," but when there are vehicles or equipment the crew will usually try to start them up and see if and how they're running so people have a better idea of what they're bidding on.

Q:  If I'm only interested in one item, how do I know when it will come up for bidding?

A:  The auctioneer tries to move through a sale in order.  If he jumps around a lot it becomes more possible that he'll miss something.  High-dollar items such as vehicles and real estate will usually be sold at a scheduled time because most of the buyers for those items are there specifically for them.  Other items like coins, jewelry, guns, and collectibles are often sold at the beginning of a sale.

Q:  Is there anything to eat or drink there?

A:  There is usually a concession stand that sells hot dogs, hamburgers, sodas, chips, and bar-be-que that "smells so good I nearly bit someone," as ringman and auctioneer Don Dougan says.

Q:  Can I bring the kids?

A:  Absolutely!  An auction is a really fun way to spend a Saturday with the family.

If anyone has any questions that have not been answered here, please feel free to email me (my address can be found on my profile) or contact Spear Auctioneers.  Don't be intimidated if you're thinking of attending an auction for the first time.  Auctions are not nearly as confusing as they make them seem on TV.  They're a lot of fun whether you're just checking things out or planning some large purchases.

Customers and Friends

We're always glad when we see them coming, Big Bill in his big overalls and Patty in her smile. If you're standing next to Justin when they arrive, you'll hear her greet him with "hey good lookin', what you got cookin'?"  

Bill and Patty Austin have been doing business with Spear Auctioneers for nearly 20 years, and while they're out of town on business a lot you'll know when they're home because they'll be at every one of Spear Auctioneer's auctions, and recently they were on the selling end.

"Richard made us a lot of money, I'm tickled to death about it," Patty said.  "I'm thrilled to be able to use his resources."

Patty laughed about a yard ornament of a fish that she's "not ashamed to say" she bought at a yard sale for $20 dollars.  She said she thought she'd use it, but never did and ended up putting it in the auction as an afterthought.

"During the auction I heard people saying 'get to the fish, Richard, get to the fish!'  He ended up selling it for $185!  I was thrilled!" she said.

"I've never had anything but good dealings with Richard," Bill added.  "He's the utmost professional."

Bill and Patty are like family at Spear Auctioneers auctions and for good reason.  Patty says they try to hit every one of Richard's auctions and they'll stay all day and spend lots of money.

"That's just what we like to do," she said.

Like many people, the Austins attend auctions to get a good deal on a variety of items. They said that a lot of the things that they buy they resell and make a few bucks.  But getting a good deal is not the only thing that beings them to auctions.

"We like the whole atmosphere, everybody's in an upbeat mood, we've met lots of friends at auctions," Patty said.

Often they'll be the first ones to arrive and the last ones to leave.  They know the whole crew by name and even become part of the crew offering their expertise on items like jewelry and coins and on hot days bringing water to clerks and ringmen.

When they decided to have their own auction Patty said Spear Auctioneers was the obvious choice.

I talked with her on the phone for this piece and she paused for a second, Big Bill was saying something in the background.

Finally she said "here's a quote from Big Bill: '[the auction] was all that I hoped it would be and more than I expected.'"

"We're just thrilled with our experiences with Spear Auctioneers," Patty said.

Patty, Spear Auctioneers is thrilled with you and Big Bill, and all our loyal customers and friends. 

 

 

 

Sold! on the Auction Method

Gary Sullivan isn't an auction-goer as we in the business tend to think of them: those people who plan their weeks around which auctions they'll attend, who come pulling trailers in anticipation of the purchases they'll be making, who stop by the Spear Auctioneers office to check on upcoming dates or sometimes just to chat.  Gary Sullivan is a man who, as a lot of people have been, was put in charge of a relative's estate after a death, and his sister LaDoris J. Minson and her fiance Billy D. Pack, Sr. each had quite an estate. 

"There was a large quantity of stuff and Richard was recommended to me," Gary said, "plus my sister loved dealing with him, so I thought she'd like that."

The auction was scheduled for May 10, 2008.  As that day approached Richard and his crew spent their days preparing the property.  When it comes to real estate the appearance of the property makes a huge difference in the dollar amount it brings.  A nicely trimmed hedge-line could mean the difference between making the sale or not.  In Sullivan's case there was a lot more than just real estate too.  There were cars, tractors, machinery, trailers, and household items aplenty.  

"The preparation was excellent, the crew did an amazing job of getting things running," Sullivan said.  "I learned a lot."

Sullivan said that he was happy about how the sale did, that it went "even better than expected." 

 Since that auction Sullivan said that he's been to a few of Spear Auctioneer's auctions and enjoys them.  He may not be planning his weeks around sales yet, but he seems to be sold on the auction method as a way of liquidating an estate or selling real estate, "I would do it again and I would recommend it.  I was amazed."

Welcome to the Family

The auction business has traditionally been one of family.  A skill learned by a father, honed by a son, perfected by a grandson, and presented to each successive generation as a gift. That was the idea when Richard Spear began Spear Auctioneers, Inc. in Russellville, Arkansas.

Richard has a kind of quiet excitement for his job, a confidence and certainty that comes only from years of determined hard work first as a boy on the family farm in Lincoln, Kansas. His father was a carpenter and a farmer and you'd know it by looking at his hands.  My husband, his grandson, still delights in telling me about how, as a child, he couldn't wrap his whole hand around one of his fingers.  Richard has those hands, and my husband too, even our son who is only a year old has hands that, judging by the sheer size of them, must be Great-Grandad's.  

As a young man Richard worked two jobs, as a groundskeeper during the day and waiting tables at night, to put himself through college at Kansas State, then Mississippi College, and continued his schooling over the years at the Certified Auctioneers Institute and Graduate Realtors Institute.  After being drafted into the US Army during the Vietnam War he achieved a high-ranking position in communications, talking directly with men in the fields and jungles of Vietnam.  He was stationed in Germany and given a crypto-native clearance.  Maybe it was the years on the family farm that gave him his work ethic, it could be that waiting tables, having to earn tips for the money for school, developed his natural charm, and it's possible that those years serving in the Vietnam War, in the communications department, made him value words as a commodity.  He speaks not so much with urgency but with intensity, as if it's necessary for him to convey as much important information as possible as briefly as possible in a calm, definite way.

Richard met his wife, Neta, in Mississippi.  She grew up in Jackson in the 50's.  Her father rented juke boxes and was called at all hours of the night to go out to clubs and repair skipping records and broken machinery.  In a segregated South this was sometimes a dangerous job.  As it's told he had a gentile way about him, and his own measure of charm that allowed him to enter these clubs, and leave, without trouble from angry inebriated mobs desperate to hear Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue." 

Her mother loved cats and was known to rescue litters of kittens from the sides of roads. The family still laughs about Bandit, an all black cat that may or may not have had some lynx in his blood.  Neta's mother fed the cat tuna from a can.  Neta's father spent his evenings in his easy chair, welding gloves on, armed with a rolled-up newspaper to defend himself from Bandit's imminent attack.  Despite a few bad experiences Neta still loves cats and has a heart for all animals.

Richard and Neta have been married for 40 years.  Neta was there 22 years ago when Richard began holding auctions in chicken houses for free just for the practice.  She was there addressing auction fliers and helping set up as he was able to make auctioneering his full-time job, and she's there today as Spear Auctioneers has become the Arkansas River Valley's  leading auction company.  You'll know her by her smile.  It lights up her eyes so that you can see your reflection in them, and you always look better in her eyes than you do to yourself.  It's a quality that she didn't learn attending business school, it was passed down to her and she, in turn, has passed it down.

Justin was born in 1973 and Julie two years later.  He grew up in a boy's world of hunting and fishing and epic games of kick-the-can, she a world of dresses and friends and dreams of the future.  Road trips to Kansas and Mississippi were filled with the sounds of Justin pestering Julie, Neta taming the children, and Richard perfecting his auctioneering chant using mile markers as bids.

Armed with his mother's smile and his father's charm Justin entered the sales world as a teenager.  He began by selling floor mats to car dealerships and soon moved on to selling insurance.  His easy way with people and their reciprocal ease with him earned him the title of one of the top producers for Life Investors Insurance company three years in a row.  He was the youngest person in the company to ever receive the award.  He eventually quit the insurance business and got his own auctioneering certificate.  Working full-time now with his dad as an auctioneer and a ringman, he continues to attract people and business.

Julie has that same ease with people.  I imagine high school halls, for her, were filled with laughter and joking and the greetings of friends.  I imagine this because even today, if you go anywhere with her, grocery store isles and neighboring restaurant tables are filled with the same sounds.  In true Spear fashion she worked her way through college at Arkansas Tech where she met her husband Todd Meimerstorf who is currently working as a loan officer at Arvest Bank here in Russellville.  Julie has a gift of talent for everything she does and an eye for detail that she's turned into her own business.  When she's not helping out at Spear Auctioneers she's painting canvases and tote bags, picture frames and plaques that she then sells at craft fairs and local businesses.  Like her parents before her she's found a niche and has capitalized on a natural talent.

The third generation of the Spear family is comprised of Holly, Hayden, Jenna, Landon, and new addition Story.  Holly, Hayden, and Story are Justin's, Jenna and Landon Julie's.  Holly is 12.  She is a princess and you can tell immediately that she's the oldest.  A caretaker from the beginning she was known to scold the floor for hitting her when she fell as a baby.  Hayden is 10 and he's a boy after his father's heart, riding dirt bikes, playing guitar, and encouraging his father in his current vice, purchasing exotic pets (we now have two iguanas and either three or four tortoises).  Story will be one on February 25th.  He's walking and babbling and likes to put things on his head and wedge himself into tight spaces. 

Jenna and Landon live just down the street.  Jenna, seven, works magic with Story.  She's always anxious to help with him and I'm always anxious to have her help.  Landon, four, idolizes Hayden and his first question to me is always "where's Hayden?"  Known for his bright red hair, he laughs a lot and always has something funny to say.

As for me I married into the Spear family three years ago and this is my impression:  I've never met a closer family, one who seems to work so hard for the good of the whole and who is dedicated without reservation to the eternal pursuit of happiness and the happiness of eternal pursuit.  An auction at Spear Auctioneers is the product of years of learning a business, but more than that it is the business of learning a family.  Each individual's talents have been distilled and refined into a specialty, all are maximized and utilized and come together in perfect proportion on auction day.

Every year at Spear Auctioneers brings new opportunities for changes and growth.  With auctioneering becoming a preferred method for liquidating estates and businesses and selling real estate even in an unstable economy, Spear Auctioneers maintains its title of "The River Valley's Leading Real Estate Auctioneers."  Holly, Hayden, Jenna, Landon, and Story all have the opportunity to build Spear Auctioneers into "Arkansas' Leading Real Estate Auctioneers," and their kids could take it to the next level and on and on into the future, a future that looks bright from here.

    Holly, Story, Hayden, Landon, and Jenna