BLINDFOLD BUYING.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 121, 25 May 1927, Page 11

BLINDFOLD BUYING.

F A.H.B. BARGAIN SALE.

JIBBERS HATE A GAMBLE.

(QfEEK COLLECTION OF DISCARDS.

On the off chance of getting a bargain, a lot of people climbed to the top floor of No. 14 shed on Queen's wharf, where unclaimed cargo was auctioned this morning. A list of the things to be •old was posted up, but did not prove very enlightening. The auctioneer explained that nothing was known as to the actual contents, but did not discourage the idea that there might just possibly be gold or some equallv valuable find within. "Feels heavy! What about gold? Perlaps nuggets from New Guinea?" This was the tentative way a heavy little fcox was introduced. Held up with difficulty by the storeman, the weight favoured the precious metal theory, e but the contents were just as likely to be bolts and nuts, and the final bid of 10/, "just for a gamble;' 1 rather ' favoured the laser metal. There was a bit of mvstery about a hrge case, said to be some sort of disinfectant. "There you are (indicating a dealer, evidently well known in rostrum tad hammer circles, "you want some of tiiat!" said the auctioneer. After a brief bout it was knocked down at 7/, and, going on size, looked a ■bargain. Then an official of the Customs appeared and whispered sometiing to the auctioneer. "Oh," said the latter, turning to the bidder, "'you can't £ave it. Then he said in a* hushed Toice. "Yadil: ,, The bidder said "Oh!" comprehendingly. the audience grinned, and the proscribed contents will probably "be emptied down the sink. A deck chair at half-a-crown set the pace for a whole collection of these discarded concomitants of a sea voyage probably a unique one—and every now and again the rest of the stuff wa« punctuated with a deck chair. Tiisy were mostly of the ready-to-wear kind, provided by some enterprising member ef the crew for wayfarers without preTIOU3 experience, and seemed to have •emigrant ship" -written all over them. A sack of almonds, "hard nuts," brought 13/, and went to a dealer, described as another "hard nut." Three sacks of the soft kind, not guaranteed in good order, only brought A Chinese basket, introduced with a "Brass, perhaps?" went for 11/6. A box of dates for 7/6 was followed \>y a- steamer winch at £9.

There was absolute silence -when a! pram was put up. "Yes," was the answer to a query as to it being a selfstarter. At last a bid of a shilling was squeezed out, but thi 8 was considered unworthy of the vehicle, which was temporarily passed in. A lew minutes later it was resurrected and coupled with an iron cot, another obsolete piece of furniture,/but even the two failed to create a thrill among the bidders, and this time not even the shilling was repeated. Bad the Auckland Harbour Board gone round the second-hand shops and Taked up a collection, it could not have got together a more motley lot, and one had a suspicion that some of the things mast have been forgotten deliberately. Most of the bidding was done jby dealers in second-hand goods, but many of the people round the ring were obviously out for a gamble. It seems that at these sales there is always a chance of picking up a prize. "Last time a man who bad 30/ made £300—or was it lost £300?" reminisced the auctioneer, and the dealers laughed. , There was some suggestion that the gambling nature of the bidding was folly understood. Everything was bought *m> the blind,"' and the auctioneer insisted upon each purchaser giving a deposit of five shillings or so whenever anything was knocked down. The speculative nature of the business was emphasised when he refused to take initials, it is common at auction sales for modest bidders, who have a horror of ealling out their names in cold blood before a erowd of strangers, to give initials. "Xo," said the auctioneer this morning, 1 can't take initials; must have the fall name." Taking the goods on their face value, food prices were obtained, though prams, a cradle and the cot did not get much appreciated, and the audience rather tn-ed of deck chairs before the sale was over. Still, there was ample proof that even if you prohibit the rolldown and Emit the totalisator. the eolonial will find some other way of satisfying his love of a gamble.