[wade clark]

Saturday I did an Amish Consignment Auction that lasted 7 1/2 hours with one 5 minute break...what an experience! I sold 20 horses, mostly Belgians and buggy-broke Standard-breds, tons and tons of horse-drawn equipment and anything an Amish farmer/family might have in the attic or barn loft! $56,410.00 worth of STUFF.
Horse-drawn implements that wouldn't have brought $5 at any other Auction were bringing $300 to $1,200 and being bought by 20-something young farmers/family men who planned to actually use these antique relics! I wish you could all have been there, it was really fun! One of the better experiences of my life.
Managed to get it all sold by about 5 til sunset.
What a day!
Wade

[bygeorge]

Wade, glad you are enjoying yourself. It's wonderful to enjoy the work you do. Were any of the other buyers Amish?

Chuck

[wade clark]

Chuck,
Most of the buyers were Amish. There were about 300 "English" bidders (they call non-Amish people English) and maybe that many Amish. Most of the equipment was horse-drawn, so the "English" would have wanted some of it for decoration, more for scrap metal. The Amish, especially the young men starting out, really wanted the equipment for farming and had the money to buy it. All the serious bidding was between Amish and Amish.
Doing Auctions, you get good at reading faces. Lots of the time I can tell someone's going to bid long before they put their hand up. It's a good thing that young Amish men don't play poker! Their faces are the easiest I've ever seen to read. They're not in the habit of hiding things, it's kind of refreshing!
I've done a Produce Auction for them all Summer. There are about a half dozen similar Auctions through the Midwest, plus one in KY and TN. I'm going to Indiana later this month to an annual Growers Meeting of all these Auctions. All the Auctioneers are invited. It's going to be very interesting.
They're very friendly people with great senses of humor when you get the chance to know them! They didn't do the concessions for this Auction, but after the Auction was over, one of the Amish men walked up to me with a home-made cherry pie and said, "We made this just for you!" I felt humble and honored. Good Folks! (Great pie!)
Wade

[Ron Davidson]

I am going to have to find a way to come visit you sometime next summer.
Ron

[wade clark]

Ron,
Let's plan on it!
Wade