SPIRITED BIDDING

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 170, 21 July 1941, Page 8

SPIRITED BIDDING

PATRIOTIC AUCTION

MAYOR "FINED" AT SALE

"Oh, lady!"

The look on the auctioneer's face was pained. A well-meaning woman had offered him 1/ for a brass tray —later to be sold at several times that price.

This was one of the amusing incidents at the patriotic auction which opened at the rooms of B. J. Ball Limited, Wyndham Street, this morning. The auction room was packed, and every section of the community seemed to t>e represented. The auction started when the Mayor, Mr. J. A. C. Allum, offered a half-guinea for sale. This was resold several times and a total of nearly £18 was realised for the coin. Following this a "summons" was received from the "Magistrate's Court charging the Mayor for auctioneering without a license, for which he was fined on the spot. There was much amusement among the crowd.

The sale then started in earnest, and the buyers, entering into the spirit of the business, bid keenly. Nevertheless, those present did not lose by the deals, and in the case of some of the larger articles very good bargains were made. There were no reserve prices. The goods for sale, ranging from a flower vase to a dining room suite, were donated by various firms and residents, and different Auckland auctioneers took turns to dispose of the articles. The sale continued throughout the day and a further auction will be held to-morrow. The proceeds are to go towards the building and allied trades group of the I' lghters Mother Fund contest.