My Professional Charity Auctioneer Business

At a very young age I fell in love with Johnny Regula's auction cry at the Perry County Fair Livestock Sale. During the years of selling my 4-H projects through the sale ring I fell more in love with the different chants of the Auctioneers, which also included Doug Leith and Ronnie Kreis.  I am really not sure how Perry County landed so many talented Auctioneers - but they were great.  By the age of 16 I had information from every Auctioneer school in the country.  I soon found out that you needed to be 18 to be licensed in Ohio, so I had decided to wait until then.  My mom was sure I would change my mind.  I didn't and by the age of 18 I was on my way to the 2 week Auctioneer School in Indiana.  I narrowed my choice to Indiana mostly because my parents really didn't want me to leave the state and this school was just over the state border.

It was an exciting two weeks and I met a lot of potential auctioneers, learned information and had practiced and developed my own chant. While not as award winning as Ronnie Kreis (a world champion auctioneer), I felt it was one I could build on. I completed my apprenticeship with Mike Kennedy a local auctioneer. Jake and I were not dating at the time, it was after we met though  (see http://www.fortheloveofbeef.blogspot.com/2011/12/for-love-of-beef-part-1.html . I was selling at the Fairfield Union FFA Alumni consignment sale and we were selling smaller items.  I was still working on the numbers in my chant.  I was chanting to sell a chain hoist.  It was going for more than I predicted so I decided to jump from one dollar bids to two and half dollar bids.  He bid and bought the chain hoist for more than what he wanted (by a few dollars).  He blames me for jumping the bid and I blame him for bidding before he heard the number.

The following fall I scheduled to take the Auctioneer Test in Columbus, while I was at Ohio State.  I was well prepared for the auctioneer questions, however being young and never have purchased real estate I failed the real estate questions and did not pass the test.  I was discouraged, mostly because in Ohio to auction real estate you have to have an auctioneers license and real estate license.  So why so many real estate questions?  I studied up on real estate and passed the next time.  The man next to me who held auctioneer licenses in three or four different states was taking it for the third time and said that Ohio had the hardest test and if he didn't pass this time he would just not sell in Ohio.  That story made me feel better as they passed out the tests.

My paid auctioneers position really never got started - mostly because of college and then teaching and the right opportunity just hasn't come along yet.  However my professional charity work is very successful. :) I enjoy selling at charity events.  Mostly because there is no pressure.  I have auctioned for the Republican Party to help them raise money, I have auctioned football players jerseys for homecoming week, my friend Stephanie and I helped raise $1300 for our kids' school through an art auction at Grandparent's Day.  I really enjoy raising money for organizations and usually the people bidding enjoy their time and have fun with it.

The reason for this long story is actually because I received the funniest letter from the Department of Agriculture in Ohio to all licensed auctioneers. In response to the animals that were released in eastern Ohio this past fall, the Governor is asking that licensees voluntarily agree to abstain from selling or participating in the sale of dangerous wild animals (ex. lions, cougars, boa constrictors, gorillas and gibbons).

My response to this letter was laughing out loud.  I realize the seriousness of the topic.  However with the state of my auction business, you have to admit it is funny.  I am putting on record that I will not sell these type of animals and that includes through any of the charity auctions I help with.