A bit of excitement in a quiet life this week. As I mentioned in my last post, we are still looking for a couple of pieces of furniture to complete our new front room. Checking out all the new and used furniture outlets in West Cumbria did not solve our problem, or at least not without spending over a thousand pounds, which is just not what we do.
A little research on-line suggested that the vintage furniture maker Ercol is having a spell in the sun again. There is a style apparently, known as "mid-century," in which the shapes, colours and materials of the late fifties and sixties are once more in vogue. Soon, I dare say, brown and orange will be making a comeback. However, I find that I like the shapes of the wooden framed Ercol chairs, and the fact that they are small enough for the space we have. This may be part of their general appeal.
So then I discovered an on-line site called The Saleroom. This brings together hundreds of auctions, listing the lots on offer. Browsing through it, I spot a pair of Ercol Windsor armchairs - and, what's more, the auction company is about fifteen miles from here, and the auction in two day's time. I go to view the chairs, register as a buyer and place my bid with the company, because we are due to work a shift in the National Trust tearoom when the auction is happening.
On the morning of the actual auction, I discover something else: it is possible to follow the bidding for each lot on-line, and, after registering, to take part in the bidding remotely. I suppose I must have known that this could be done from seeing some episodes of "Bargain Hunt", but I had no idea of how it was done until now.
We have a tablet device and a cunning little gizmo known as a mifi. I set this up in the kitchen while I stood at the counter whacking out the pots of tea for two. The tension mounted. Our lot numbers were 676 and 677. It took an age for the auctioneer to work through all those other lots, although each one was over in seconds.
Just as our lots came up, there was a sudden demand at the counter, so we missed seeing our first lot go through. We were there when the hammer went down on our second lot though - and we had secured it, at twenty pounds less than my maximum bid. Would I have been able to restrain myself if the bidding had gone on up from there?
Later, we were able to check: both lots were ours. So all we needed to do was drive over there, pay for them and load them into the backs of our cars. Next problem: how to transport them to their new home in Cumbria.
A little research on-line suggested that the vintage furniture maker Ercol is having a spell in the sun again. There is a style apparently, known as "mid-century," in which the shapes, colours and materials of the late fifties and sixties are once more in vogue. Soon, I dare say, brown and orange will be making a comeback. However, I find that I like the shapes of the wooden framed Ercol chairs, and the fact that they are small enough for the space we have. This may be part of their general appeal.
So then I discovered an on-line site called The Saleroom. This brings together hundreds of auctions, listing the lots on offer. Browsing through it, I spot a pair of Ercol Windsor armchairs - and, what's more, the auction company is about fifteen miles from here, and the auction in two day's time. I go to view the chairs, register as a buyer and place my bid with the company, because we are due to work a shift in the National Trust tearoom when the auction is happening.
On the morning of the actual auction, I discover something else: it is possible to follow the bidding for each lot on-line, and, after registering, to take part in the bidding remotely. I suppose I must have known that this could be done from seeing some episodes of "Bargain Hunt", but I had no idea of how it was done until now.
We have a tablet device and a cunning little gizmo known as a mifi. I set this up in the kitchen while I stood at the counter whacking out the pots of tea for two. The tension mounted. Our lot numbers were 676 and 677. It took an age for the auctioneer to work through all those other lots, although each one was over in seconds.
Just as our lots came up, there was a sudden demand at the counter, so we missed seeing our first lot go through. We were there when the hammer went down on our second lot though - and we had secured it, at twenty pounds less than my maximum bid. Would I have been able to restrain myself if the bidding had gone on up from there?
Later, we were able to check: both lots were ours. So all we needed to do was drive over there, pay for them and load them into the backs of our cars. Next problem: how to transport them to their new home in Cumbria.
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3 comments:
What a great story with a happy outcome. Congrats on winning the chairs - they look comfy.
How exciting! I need to see if there is something similar in the US (there's gotta be, right?)
How interesting and what a great score!
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