Burglars’ bargains at police goods auction

Press, 23 June 1978, Page 4

Burglars’ bargains at police goods auction

g| 1 Yesterday’s auction.' on ! account of the Police Departement could be described as a s burglars’ bargain bazaar. •I Several suspicious looking [bags auctioneds by the New Zealand Farmers’ Co- ! Operative Association,; Ltd. e I contained such useful items n jas hacksaws, bolt cutters, " cold chisels, and hammers—all classified as “unclaimed "goods.” ■ Virtually anything that; j anybody might find of use was available at the auction, Iwith some items which I appeared to be completely [ ' useless. Top sellers at the auction included a camera, lens, exposure meter, and camera- : bag- which went for $240; a reel-to-reel stereo tape-. recorder at $175; and a car stereo which soid for $l5O. ’ One item which nobody

i among the 150 people at the | -) auction wanted was an arm ijoff a wheelchair. Many items of clothing ,) were offered and all were ’; sold, including a .fur coat at j . $l2. Perhaps reflecting the! , | inclement weather, a lot of j ) sunglasses W'ere . auctioned, but only one umbrella. ’ There were television sets, j radios, surfboards, tyres, wheels, a wheelbarrow, a) dented car door, an archery ) J bow, golf clubs, a barometer,) cigarette lighters, and even) a microscope. .) Crash helmets were there ) in abundance, with a trumpet, i I several sets of sheepskin carlseat covers, electric drills,), tool boxes, tricycles,' i .grinders, suitcases, tape and cassette recorders, binocu- 1 1 lars, a pram, and quite a ; number of pocket calculators.) I ) One badly cracked crash i helmet sold for $l9.

I Watches and Tings were in popular demand—sBs being paid for one lady’s -ring—and assorted tools, baskets, handbags, torches, pillows, a i hubcap, and a rather well I used motor-cycle. A box of cigars sold for $3. Two battery-powered flashing warning lights of unknown origin were sold; both . bore a strong resemblance to 1 those seen at road-works barricades. ) Nothing that was sold cari ried any guarantee and some people ended up with transistor radios that do not, and probably never will, work, at prices ranging as high as $35. In all, the cross-section of merchandise up for sale represented just about anything that might have been left on the seat of an unlocked car.