Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Gundel FH auction

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Gundel FH auction

    Discover the latest breaking news in the U.S. and around the world — politics, weather, entertainment, lifestyle, finance, sports and much more.


    Start with that 2 minute news video from the auction which was Wednesday, April 17. Two different news crews were running live feeds most of day. Decided on attending 6 weeks ago.

    Ended up being a *really* fun auction to attend. Probably 200 live registered bidders. Preview began @ 9am and I arrived shortly thereafter. Auction started @ 11am. Getting there that early ensures a few things. Among them: front row parking, having time to carefully inspect merchandise before others can pay attention to you, and keeping track of others that will be your 'competition' for the day. Each are important factors.

    Even after auctioneer assured me weeks ago that there would be no additional funerary items not advertised, there was 4x that amount now in front me. No way I could fit everything wanted into vehicle. After all the planning that I had placed into this, I ended up ill prepared. Prioritizing space over funds became main hurdle. Really didn't want to be in a position of strapping large items to roof of coach (and possibly damaging crown molding). Renting a local storage unit if necessary became another option.

    (In actuality, my available vehicle space was already at a premium. Just a few days before, I had gone to Cleveland for an unexpected family death. When there I ended up buying out vintage funerary items from a Victorian era FH. Another total surprise. About half of my cubic space was full going into auction.)



    I counted 8 FDs before auction started (out of 11 present, not bad). Better still for me, I identified only 2 other vintage funerary collectors. One was in his early 30s from York, PA (relatively local) and the other was late 60s from Finger Lakes region of NY. He had left home @ 4am. Younger guy was a complete prick, not a friendly bone in his body. Older gentleman was awesome. We instantly got along swimmingly.

    Respecting other like-minded collectors at an auction is an integral part of being 'successful'. NY bidder and myself went over which items we each considered priorities (and subsequently hung around each other rest of day). Several of them crossed over. Compromise came into play as to not bid against each other and drive prices up. Sure, it's collusion but it's also the smart move.

    For those unfamiliar with live auction craziness of this caliber, there is a fevered energy level akin to a mosh pit at a hardcore show. Learn to work with the craziness and emerge unscathed. Unwisely think you can control the craziness and sustain damages. This happens: Reading people. Perpetually assessing probabilities on the fly. Having auctioneer memorize your bidder number early on so it stays in pocket enabling flying under radar. Determining courses of action instantaneously. Manipulating others into bidding higher. Running not-very-nice individuals up to make them pay more on principle - then knowing when to stop and not get stuck as high bidder. Making sure dealers and not collectors also pay more to minimize their profits. The pure art of the bid; so subtle with mere eye contact that other bidders become frenzied figuring out who keeps coming over the top. Making frustrated bidders quit and leave auction.

    Oh yes...I was in my element yesterday!!! Won 18 lots total, all intentional.

    Prices ran gamut from high (near retail) to low wholesale. Know what made the difference? If items could actively be used in a funeral home, they went proportionately high to other FDs. That being said I did hear a couple different FDs say that quality of (newer) items at Gundel FH was not that great.

    Recently I was called a Rain Man of funeral items. Hilarious really. I do have a marked propensity recalling prices realized and will note otherwise. There were over 1000 lots. I only paid attention to vintage items for most part, not newer funeral stuff. I typically add auction fees in when reporting prices, this time I am not. Buyer's premium was a scant 3%, no additional fee for using plastic.

    Close up pics were taken very early on during preview. If other bidders were around, camera stayed in pocket. Much more vintage funeral stuff remained than I managed to shoot.

    Box lots started auction off. Auctioneer (who was fantastic!) in derby and an assistant would section off a portion. High bidder took choice. About a dozen large boxes were full of new sympathy cards and the like. First high bid was $90 and the next several stayed $70+. Sympathy cards and stereo speakers were first items taken.



    Once boxes had been picked over and bids bottomed out @ $5, remaining box lots in that section were bundled. Following two images went somewhere in the middle.




    Different box lot section had one large box of new prewar FH matchboxes. There were HUNDREDS in dozens of smaller unopened boxes beneath. Never saw who won this given crowd. (Did manage to buy a few from someone else hours later who bought them from the high bidder.) This lot was picked quickly when prices were still high, so probably over $70.



    6 embalming bottles were picked for $40. Bottle closest to lens had a duplicate underneath. Went to the guy from York who then made a "CHA-CHING!" move from the Wendy's commercial. Putz.



    Still in box lots, bigger embalming case brought $65. Smaller makeup case brought $45. Neither was that old. Small case was exceptionally nice.




    Split this lot with a medical equipment collector. Unfortunately he ended up keeping the curved handle trocar, which I wanted. Is there a specific name for that style? I don't have one yet.


  • #2
    There were 9 church trucks total. 2 prewar, another 2 that could have been but were probably early postwar, and the rest were newer. High bid took choice. I was aghast when the first bid went to $900. FD took 1. Second bid $850, different FD took 1. Third bid $800, another FD took 1. Fourth bid $775, that FD took 1. Fifth bid $500. Down to the four vintage pieces. Bid won for $250. Yet another FD (actually his wife) took the two newer units. Patiently waiting paid off and I won the two wanted for less.



    Basket I think went for $135. I was bidding on skeleton racks but with four already here bowed out when price went over $150. High bidder took choice, ended up at $185, buyer took both.



    There were five removal cots total. One ambulatory, rest were mortuary. High bid took choice. I told NY guy to stay sharp if any stayed under $350. He thought I was high. Should have seen look on his face when first bid went to I think $875. Other mortuary examples each brought more than the ambulatory, which was $650.



    Oldest one man cot present, one of the five mentioned above. I checked this out during preview and it worked, merely needed cleaned/minor adjustment. The angle probably kept most FDs from bidding and it only brought $350.



    Gurney no pad, $65.



    I won this Victorian casket bier. Sold it to an antique dealer on my drive home. Similar to another I own, it is different colors on opposite sides.




    Oak(?) casket, $175. Stainless cart, $380.



    Stopped bidding on this metal casket @ $200 given my space restriction. It sold for next bid, I think $225.



    Cloth casket, $150. Stainless dressing table $650 (may have gone higher, I got distracted). There were other similar stainless tables that all sold over $600.

    Comment


    • #3
      Half dozen children and baby caskets, some still in shipping crates. Most went between $60-$85. I won a couple.







      Very early on in auction after box lots was this Victorian style backdrop/funeral drape. There were two, other not set up. Both were infrequently seen jack-in-box types that needed no assembly. Each in great condition. First sticking point between NY collector and myself - we both wanted them. As these were first on his priority list, I differed. He did hope to get them under $250 which provided a glimmer of hope for me if he was bumped off and bidding went over that amount. High bidder takes choice. He won high bid for $210 and took them both. Possibly THE vintage scores of entire auction...

      Sigh.



      And the other lighter colored version. Carrying case was in poor shape.



      Chicago made FRESH'ND AIRE fans were produced for at least a 15 year period. Later fans had plastic blades as these do. (Thanks sgath!) High bid took choice, it went to either $185 or $195, buyer took both and received a bargain.



      I had taken them inside and tested with an auction assistant early on. Both worked.



      Lot of forceps brought $45 from same buyer of medical boxed lot.

      Comment


      • #4
        9 salesman sample vaults. High bidder took choice, bid went to $50 to a FD who took them all. After auction I learned that they were his that had been loaned to Grundel FH. Bank mandated a receipt stating they were on loan to reclaim property which obviously could not be produced, so he had to buy them back! I had approached the FD to buy just one from him (the only vintage vault) but after hearing story didn't bother asking.



        Urns mainly went to FDs. With odd exception, they went $65-85/ea.




        I won both embalming crates. Paid near retail.



        Large pulp Jack-O-Lanterns each went between $165 and $185. Four still had paper inserts. Didn't see German maker's marks on bases so I suspect these were reproductions.



        6 large '50s Halloween skeletons brought $145/lot to an older retired gentleman that had an antique mall space. Said his market for vintage Halloween items was very strong. Really nice guy. I gave him a couple items acquired in box lots that he could sell to help him out.



        He bought all the Halloween decorations with exception of Jack-O-Lanterns. Scored a dozen large hinged bats for $180/lot.



        I ended up with all the coffin & casket hardware.



        Bought the big old embalming and aspirating bottles as well.


        Comment


        • #5
          Each tray went to York guy. I ran him up. Think they went $70 and $80.



          Funeral ledgers would have taken considerable room in car so I reluctantly passed. (I do consider vintage ledgers fascinating reads.) Somehow missed when they sold. Pretty sure it was a remote sale at some point as they weren't moved.



          Assumed incorrectly this tray would have been sold as a lot. Nope. Broken up and sold in pairs. Mainly FDs I noticed bidding, maybe for local provenance. All cast pairs sold between $60-100. There were 16-17 total (recall seeing one set of three). I won two pair.



          I won 5 '50s vent window mounted funeral flags. Fabric flags are all sharp, need to detail aluminum a bit.



          Small stack of literature was HIGH on my list. Same with NY collector. Many '30s-'50s funerary catalogs complete with pictures and prices. I was frothing. This helps ID and date hundreds of items. Amount of information that can be gleaned is immeasurable. NY guy really really wanted this lot. As I had been buying considerably more than him, I figured it was the right thing letting him bid. Asked if he wanted to split it. Nope. Asked what his max was, that if he was bumped off I would start bidding. His response was classic. "What makes you think you'd pay more than I would?" Touché! Bidding was tense. New bidder kept coming right over the top with each bid he placed. I assumed he was a dealer. Well, @ $150 he leaned over and said "Do you still want this?" With a half smirk I took over, merely blinking to increase bid, immediately coming over top of dealer, who went nuts. Eff' him. This was the only item I went ADD on and kept composure while doing so.

          Let's just say this lot went over $200 and I came out on top. First and only time that dealer bid against either of us.



          Same FH folding chairs I recently had (85 in mahogany), these in lighter color. Turned out auctioneer didn't feel need to move ALL of them. Shown was a representation. There were 290 total. Sold for $165!!! If I had Darryl's 28' box trailer on site it would have been filled with larger items, these included.



          I won the vintage funeral cones.



          Couldn't find a maker's mark on this pre-1900 embalming table. All the cast nickel plated hardware made this more attractive to me than most. This was another piece very early on after box lots. Wasn't high enough on my list. I stopped bidding @ $120 and hammer dropped @ next bid of $130. That bidder wanted it badly so I backed down. Went over to congratulate him and shook his hand. Found out he didn't collect funerary items and he could get $500+ for it at his antique shop. Had I known that I would have come out on top.

          I made sure that was the last deal he got. Ran him up on every vintage funerary item from that point on, left him alone on antiques.


          Comment


          • #6
            Incomplete vintage embalming machine didn't bring much, $65.



            Matched pair of portable '30s embalming pumps I agreed to let NY bid again. He only wanted one but with high bidder taking choice would buy both and I'd take other. When bid went over $100, he looked to me for assurance. Yes. "We" stopped bidding @ $130. Bidding went to $185, buyer took both. Neat pieces but don't really know what they're worth. Seemed like a good fold.



            Portable registry stand, $140.



            Vintage Gundel blanket, $65.



            Black '98 Eureka only had 49k miles. Navy leather interior. the 3 vehicles were the only time during the day that two auctioneers ran concurrently. I stayed under tent for more deals as vast majority of crowd split towards vehicles. Heard $12k mentioned in description that was either what was still owed on note or what it was appraised at, unsure which. I had pegged $4500 before sale and wasn't far off. Hammer dropped @ $5100 to another local FD. No doubt a dealer would have it priced closer to $10k at any rate. Good deal. I know of two hearse collectors that each wished they would have attended to buy this after hearing what Eureka sold for.







            I did not pay attention what minivan and family car brought.

            Comment


            • #7
              Kneeler went over $450 to a FD.



              Velvet church truck skirt, $85 to a FD.



              Vintage wheelchair, bidding stalled around $65 then it went to $170.



              Most torchieres were tough to see wedged between couches. Slid one out for a shot. Nothing that enthralled me.



              All of the following went to numerous FDs. Prayer card tray, $180.



              Candle, $290 I think. Auctioneer was looking for $300 next bid.



              One pair torchieres below sold for $400 and the other for $410. Forget which was which.




              Wood torchieres I didn't think would be as desirable. Wrong. Even more FDs bidding. $650.

              Comment


              • #8
                Missed what these torchiere glass shades sold for. Another older matched pair sold for $170.



                Vases were cool but $675 cool? You bet! Went to a FD. In hindsight, I did not even realize these were Vaseline/uranium glass until getting home and scrolling pics. Damn!!! These were much older than I incorrectly assumed. Had they been displayed empty I would have picked up on that.



                Was diggin' this vintage microphone. 3 piece lot went for either $65 or $85.



                Never saw rulers go through auction. I only got up for a drink break once in 6 hours.



                Now for some of the crazy saved for last. '54 National Casket calendar. I stopped bidding @ $35. It went all the way to $165. It was embossed and in nice shape but really?!? Not a FD buyer either.



                Zercher's FH front facade name plaque. This was about 24" across. I've seen similar pieces at other closed funeral homes sell for $50-$85. Stopped bidding on this @ $60. It went for a whopping $650. Again, not FDs bidding. Local provenance must have been strong.



                121" long late 1800s hand painted sign, still original paint. This was high on my list and I had allocated $400. Having more money left than anticipated at this point in auction I decided to go $500. This was another piece I was waaaaaaay off the mark. A local historical society started the bidding off A @ $1k. Spirited bids from numerous people pushed past $2k mark. Hammer dropped @ $2450. Winner then agreed to loan it for display at historical society. Wow.




                Customary asking a high bidder if they would sell a portion of winnings. I do it, people frequently ask me. This badge oddity raised a red flag though when four different people asked within minutes of each other. Because of that I decided to hold onto it until researching.



                So a little over $50k was raised toward the bank's owed $350k. I do not know if property is a part of that figure. Met a 27 year employee of Gundel FH who stated there are still some vintage items remaining in FH, mainly 3 prewar porcelain embalming tables that are each different.

                There were several FDs that were impressed I was doing what I could to preserve pieces of funeral history. They stayed out of my way and I stayed out of theirs. After auction a couple even offered to stay in contact and pass along old stuff they don't want. Told 'em I'd be happy to buy more pieces.

                NY guy will be a friend for a long time. Auctions are a wonderful breeding ground for similar interest individuals. So happy he had another incredible score, 5' tall garden statue of the Virgin Mary won for $275. He had assumed it was concrete. Helping him load we realized it was white marble! Weighed over 500#.

                One of my goals today is to unpack coach and inventory items won.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Why can I not see pictures? I'm assuming there are pictures posted. This is not the first time that I can't see pictures. It's usually on Attila's post, maybe others not sure. Not just on this site. I can see some pictures, on some post, none on this one. Does anybody know why?

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I apologize Josh. Anyone else having a photo viewing issue?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Atti View Post
                      Customary asking a high bidder if they would sell a portion of winnings. I do it, people frequently ask me. This badge oddity raised a red flag though when four different people asked within minutes of each other. Because of that I decided to hold onto it until researching.


                      That's the logo to the Order of the United American Mechanics. In the mid 1840s there were a bunch of anti-immigrant [which back then also meant anti-catholic] clashes in our cities like NYC & Philadelphia. Ever seen Gangs of New York? Same basic situation. In Philly several of the more prominent nativists got together and formed the OUAM to try to quash the political & economic power of urban immigrant groups. Part political special interest, part Klan style vigilantism. They were also against drugs, drinking, and prostitution and probably engaged in the same sort destroying saloons & brothels that the Salvation Army tried in its early years.

                      Make no mistake, this was not a masonic organization. On the contrary the masons were pissed off that they were using the square & compass in their logos and tried to use the courts to get them to stop.

                      However, since their power came from the amount of members they started using charity as a recruitment tool. Most fraternal organizations back then did this, because this was decades before things like social security & the working class had so many people who needed so much. So if an organization went around offering food, medical care, education etc they could quickly get a lot of people to join them. So they had their own orphanages, hospitals, medical & financial aid programs just like the masons, unions, KOC, etc did/do. Eventually sometime in the 20th century they slowly lost their fanatical views and started letting the groups they were originally against join [like catholics, jews, etc.]. I don't know if they still exist, if they do they can't be that big of an organization anymore. They had a off shoot of the organization for youths, which I think was more popular than the "real" adult fraternity.
                      Last edited by sgath92; 04-19-2013, 12:57 PM.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Atti, If you ever come across a needle injector, would you let me know please! Thanks.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Can you put a pic up as an example? Think I have 3-4 in my collection of what you're asking about.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Something along these lines.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Thanks for posting this. Enjoyed reading it

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X