Being retired and living a semi-capitalistic life causes us to take a long absence from auction sales. This fall curiosity made it possible to take in Kintschi’s Farm and Antique Auction. It woke us up that at one time, farm sales were a big deal in our lives.
In 1927 Dad got wiped out in California, so a retreat back to Washington [State] took place. It made me very happy. The old vacant farm looked wonderful but it was very bare of machinery.
Harry Buck, of Bachelor Prairie, was calling it quits that fall. He was putting all his farm things on the auction block. Going over the sale poster with Dad on what to bid on, made excitement run high. That night before the sale, sleep came light.
After breakfast I thought we would never get to the auction sale. Dad wanted to enjoy the countryside and inspect all the scenery. (In other words, goof around.) Before the sale crowd came into view, the sun was getting close to the 10 o’clock position.
When bidding time came, this senior teenager was discriminated against. Dad was busy visiting with old friends, so I started bidding on a Monitor drill. Sandy Keith, the auctioneer, said in jest, “You better watch out son, or Dave will be out some money.” Sandy didn’t know that I had over 100 bucks left that I earned picking berries and was planning on using my small fortune to help Dad help me get started farming.
Later that afternoon, I noticed two veteran farmers talking to each other about things of value. The farmer that had one of his legs swung on top of a plow beam could ante his bid on a hunk of machinery, by just turning his head slightly, and giving a hick-up kind of nod. He just kept on visiting and nodding ’til he fell heir to an expensive piece of machinery.
Witnessing such cool know-how made me fantasize that when I got on my feet I would graduate to such smoothness.
The sale ended with my berry money gone, along with a wad of my dad’s dough. We wound up owning a lot of tired-looking machinery. Fred Magin said I could use his large built team of horses to move all our stuff home. That is, if I didn’t let those big animals run away and obey a few other horse rules. Quite an order for someone just getting initiated. Two long trips of transporting machinery home at horse speed was quite a drag, but I felt secure when it was all over with.
"Auction Sales" Kik-Backs, page 11, part 1 (continued) (home)
Title: Farm machinery [drills] manufactured by Superior
Conservation Department, Planning and Development Division, Lantern Slide Shows, 1908-1939 / DigitalArchives.WA.gov
Photographer: Unknown / 1 lantern slide : hand colored ; 3.25 x 4 in.
Scope And Content: Shows 2 men using Superior farm equipment.
Notes: Glass cracked.
"...I started bidding on a Monitor drill."
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