UNCLAIMED LUGGAGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3100, 13 August 1913, Page 5

UNCLAIMED LUGGAGE.

AN ANIMATED SCENE

LUST FOR BARGAINS,

Messrs Park, Reynolds’s auction rooms presented a particularly animated and interesting scene for several hours on Thursday. The crowd was drawn thither by the announcement that a large accumulation of unclaimed luggage acquired by the Union Company would be put up for sale by auction to the highest bidder. The love of risk and speculation inherent in human nature has always been a favourite theme of moralists, and this curious characteristic was certainly very much in evidence at yesterday’s sale. The room was crowded almost to the doom well before the advertised time of starting. There was a businesslike, determined air about most of the women folk, and they were in the majority. Not a few' of them, with long experience of such sales, hud resigned themselves to a lengthy wait so that they might get and keep a front rank position, with all the accompanying advantages of close inspection of the lots put up for sale. Some were obviously there to lay in a stock of clothing and other odd lines as a matter of business, some were mere curious spectators, and here and there in the crowd was a knowing one with ft “special tip’’ keenly on the watch for a certain lot in which ho had reason to believe more than ordinary value lay concealed. The goods offered have been accumulating for several years past, and were done up in about 200 separate lots. Their mysteries for the most part lay hidden behind stiff brown paper or the leather of bags or portmanteaus. From the very first Mr Reynolds with engaging frankness, informed the crowd that he had no knowledge of what was in the parcels, and speculators mast just take their chance. This they showed every willingness to do, a.nd business went with a swing and a snap from start to finish. The very first lot put up was a flat, narrow parcel. Mr Reynolds hazarded a guess that it contained photographs, but the assistant was heard to say something about building material. “All right; something to do with a building; how much for it?” shouted the auctioneer, and a man who offered a shilling made the lot his own. A lady’s gaudy hat, boldly described as “ the latest Bond street confection,” brought onlv a modest cighteenpenco. Small parcels of liats, clothes, and sundries were being quickly snapped up for two or three shillings. The diminutive proportions of one package led the auctioneer to offer the brilliant suggestion that it contained Maori full dross! Tennis racquets, apparently in excellent condition, attracted some attention, and the man who secured two and a camera stand for four shillings made one of the beet bargains of the day. Substantial lots of clothing and nigs and strains wore finding owners at 4 s and ss. but prices took a sudden jump when portmanteaus were icached. Many of these were new and sound, but doubtless it was the possibilities of the contents that ran the prices for Gladstone bags from £1 up to 30s, 325, and 33*°. Humorous incidents and remarks were not wanting to keep everyone in the best of spirits. An assistant raised aloft a small parcel with a single shoe attached. Someone at once drew the salesman's attention to the fact that the shoe wanted a partner. “Anyone here only got one leg?" came the quick retort. Bargains had to he completer! with the utmost despatch’ to avohJ confusion, and if the successful bidder happened to bo standing well back in the crowd the assistant took a mischievous delight in delivering the prize to him with deadly accuracy over the heads of the bystanders. When the prize happened to lx’ seven loose greatcoats or a epicoding bundle of blankets and sheets it can bo imagined that the result was very amusing to thoeo who did not have to accept delivery. One lady of very short stature solved the problo n of bestowing her goods by building them into a platform on which she gradually mounted higher and higher as her store increased. The purclraser of a laige bag was somewhat chagrined to find the contents to be ladies’ hats of doubtful value but got what fun lie could out of the deal by trying them on one after the other

The best price of the day was secured for a gentleman’s 18-carat gold watch, with chain and seal, which, however, had not been among the Union CV mpany s unclaimed goods. This rose from £5 till it found a purchaser at £l4 10s. in spite of tho sa-me wag’s suggestion that the maker was Reid and Gray. Other watches of rolled gold fetched only about 10s or less. Baugh's aril rings brought answering sparkles from tho eager eyes of ladies in the front rank, and ono signet and gem ring wont as high as £l. Many of tho article*, such as a

largo parrot cage and a crutch, were of a nature to make one speculate as to how they could ever have been left by their owners. Walking sticks and umbrellas, deck chairs, and books were, of course, numerous. The chairs mostly fetched about £e. A lot of two dozen promising-looking ladies’ umbrellas rose rapidly from 5s to 17s. The man who got seven greatcoats for 7s was surely entitled to consider himself lucky, especially as single greatcoats afterwards broug-ht as much as 10s, From a business point of view the sale was undoubtedly a decided success, and to the student of human nature the whole scone was one of the deepest interest, providing much food for curious reflection.