The art of auctioneering

One of the things I enjoyed as a youngster, in the 40s and early 50s, was attending auctions, at a local home or farm sale, with Mom and Pop. Mostly, I was mesmerized by the actions of the auctioneer himself, Luther Welder. I was impressed by his style of counting and oftentimes didn’t even grasp what he said, due to such fast talking. I’d laugh at the funny things he’d say to the bidders about an item. In the end, when the bidding was over, I’d hear, “Going, going, gone!”

Luther was also a farmer and road supervisor for Maxatawny Township. On occasion he’d stop by our farm for a visit. What my siblings and I most loved about him was his awesome “spit,” from the chew tobacco, into the can we sat next to his chair.

After my husband read my article, he suggested contacting an auctioneer for an interview. Since I prefer knowing someone by word-of-mouth, I called my sister-in-law, Millie, who gave me the name Wagner Auction Services, located in Shoemakersville.

I immediately checked their website and found it to be exactly what I needed, a family operated business. Their 40 years of services range from real estate auctions, antiques, equipment liquidation, military memora- bilia, coins and more. The auctions can be found in Berks, Schuylkill and Lehigh Counties.

It was William “Willy” who was the stimulus for the future Wagner Auction Service. Willy, in the 1970s, conducted White Elephant (selling a collection of items) and Consignment Sales, for a group or community as a fund-raiser.

Willy’s son, Dennis, caught his father’s passion, but in a bigger way. He attended the Pennsylvania School of Auctioneering, in Harrisburg. He re- ceived his PA State license in 1977. He held a full-time job, conducting auctions evenings and weekends. By 1980, his dreams came true when he became a full-time auctioneer.

Another member of the family, Dennis’s daughter, Tracy, also caught the passion at a young age. She began her two year apprenticeship, with her father, in 1991. She received her PA State license in 1993.

Here are some interesting, fun incidents that Tracy related to me that happen in auctioneering: “When we clean out a house and prepare for a sale, we, at times, come upon some odd places people stash money. A battery operated clock fell down with money inside.”

Tracy continued: “In the 90s, we auctioned off Adams Hotel and farm. While at the farm, my father found a Cas (wardrobe) in the chicken coop. It was covered in chicken poop and a door was off. No one in the family felt it was worth anything. It