We have been going to a local auction for many years and have always enjoyed it! The people are friendly, the items are constantly varied and of good quality. And they really move along.

I contacted Julie Ziniel, the owner of Julie’s Auctions, to see if she would be able to shed some light on what handling such an ‘event’ is all about. She was kind enough to comply. They are going on their 25^th year of continuous monthly auctions, so she surely knows her stuff. The auction is held at Clifford’s Supper Club, 10418 W. Forest Home Avenue in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. (Hales Corners is a small suburb of Milwaukee.) They are always held on Monday evenings with previewing from 3:00 to 6:00.The first item goes up for bid at 6:00 promptly!

We attended last month’s auction, held on February 25^th, and as usual, found some neat items. Furniture included a child’s mission oak rocker, a pressed back office chair, and two carved 1920s tables. There was a fine offering of advertising pieces too including items for those into breweriana. (This is close to the “Beer Capital” you know!)

 

She had a large selection of jewelry, from costume to opals and diamonds and garnets, a significant group of paper memorabilia, some beautiful antique china, elegant glassware and lovely figurines. She tells me that this month will have some real surprises.

Julie has offered us a ‘primary behind the scenes’ which means we can attend the set-up whuch takes place on Sunday afternoon, prior to the sale (her next one is March 31^st.) Consignors begin bringing their items in between 3:00 and 5:00. She was very proud of her staff, many of whom have worked for her for over 20 years! They work independently and have quite a project to complete in a limited amount of time. She likened it to ‘moving an antique shop and having it ready to open for business in a 9 hour period of time.’ That sure puts things into perspective for us.

For those who might want to check out one of her auctions, you can go to http://www.juliesauctions.com You’ll find information on her service, terms for buyers and consignors and a list of items in her upcoming auction. You can also get directions to Clifford’s Supper Club. They have some yummy food throughout the auction as well as a full bar. It is a non-smoking environment which lets you focus on your bidding!

Hubby and I will plan to attend the set up and talk with the staff. We will take photos of some of the items before they go on the auction block and will plant to report back in my next blog with the results(Friday, April 4^th.) Sound like fun?

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This entry was posted on Friday, March 28th, 2008 at 4:15 am and is filed under collecting fyi, events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.