Auction Marathon complete!

I never seem to be able to get photos of the Gallery items! Too bad too, because they are usually even cooler than the stuff in the Annex. This month we had the usual Estate Auction plus Monday we had an Ethno-auction. Jewelry, pottery, rugs, statues, all places like Africa, New Guinea, India, Pakistan, Mexico and even some Native American stuff. I had a very hard time not bidding on the two squash blossom necklaces or the vintage Native American rugs or the very cool Navajo Saddle blankets.( keep thinking horse show horse show!) 

Here is the beginning of the last day of auction number four inside the Annex. All the stuff in the foreground was sold between 10 AM and 5 PM. Today I was there helping people gather the stuff they had bought to take it home ( or to their stores). Here are a few of the things that I was able to get pictures of- of course it is all cool!

This is an African Sable. It was in a full floor mount and had come from a small museum. We have several taxidermy mounts that are coming up for auction soon. Someone told me that this animal is extinct in the wild now. This one undoubtedly was taken quite a while ago, but he was as beautiful today as ever. Who ever had him before treasured him and the others. This went for $ 950. a bargain price considering what someone had to pay to go to Africa, take him, then have him immortalized.

PS- dig the drop front desk behind him!

This couch was all leather except for the downy feather soft cushions. It was a dream to sit on ,

( not that I had ANY time to be 'asittin') . Price hammered down at $250. I almost put a bid in for myself- but my boss bought it! And I knew he wanted it- in my book it is bad form to bid against your boss until you have been on his payroll for a year or so!

This genuine leather couch and chair were a weird kind of melted chocolate color. They weren't as comfy as the other couch, but they were in great shape. The couch was 6 feet long. It went for.....drum roll.....$20.00!

Here is another taxidermy mount of a big horn sheep. It was a small one, and had a cute little punam ( face) the final bid was $1000- and it was not accepted. The owner wanted more for it. It was a full body mount, standing on a rock with lichen moss. Probably weighed 200 lbs. Just as well it didn't sell- that way I didn't have to move it!

We also had a heartbeest, a fallow red deer, a caribou, a musk ox rug, and some antelope head mounts.

I had a tour of the back three bays where they store stuff today. There are two cape buffalo, a huge musk ox head and some more antelope. Also there is an old singletree, and the corresponding shafts, some old harness, two very nice old and hand plaited bosals, a hand braided horsehair McCarty, an old sweet iron bit, three kids leather saddles, an Olsen-Nolte from about 1950, two bear trap saddles from the turn of the last century, one with bucking rolls that look ancient, a pair of very cool Tapaderos,and amazing Navajo rug, with black grey and red storm pattern ( I think it is a Ganado). Am I excited?

YES I AM!

Finally, here is one of my new friends, J. He's vera, vera' cool! I like working with him, his dry sense of humor goes along well with my sarcasm and bouncy attitude!

This next week I may have some exciting news about working with a third auction house in San Francisco. They have called me and I am going over sometime next week to check things out. Fingers crossed!

And even though it is a little sprinkley- tomorrow I am pulling Desi out of his little pen and start warming him up for the big show. Deneserita the Unpaid Ranch Slave is doing a show at the same showgrounds this week called Back to Basics. It is a split combined show, which means she shows on Friday and Sunday only, usually it is double judged. I can't wait to hear from her tomorrow to see how she and the GJA have fared!