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News Article  
Hunting equipment sells well
By Nancy Kelly

MIDLAND, Mich. – As hunting season is gearing up, it is no surprise that hunting related items were top draws during a recent auction at the Arnold Center of Midland. The event was called by Aden Yoder Auction LLC.

Garnering the highest bid of the day was a Cannon 64-gun fireproof gun safe sold for a high bid of $775. In that same category, a Browning A-Bolt II Varmint Stalker bolt action rifle drew much interest before finishing with a high bid of $350. An Excalibur 330 FPS crossbow with scope and case drew a $300 high bid, and a set of LaCrosse men’s neoprene with hunting waders, new in box, left for $85.

The Arnold Center of Midland was established in 1967 and its mission statement, posted in the auction hall, reads “The mission of the Arnold Center is to promote improved quality of life for individuals with differing needs, by helping them integrate into the community through the development of their vocational, social, and life skills.”

The board of directors recently decided to phase out the auction service and to utilize the building space for other programs. The purpose of this auction was to liquidate the remaining donated inventory, as well as all of the auction-related equipment.

Auctioneer Aden Yoder kept a brisk pace for the cataloged portion of the auction, which was simultaneously viewed on the internet. Items moved along quickly, with Jennifer Grace, service/program director for the Arnold Center, watching the computer monitor and providing the voice to the online bidders. Assisting as ringmen in the hall were Arnold Center employees, all sporting their bright orange logo shirts. There was a 10 percent buyers premium charged, which is not reflected in the prices listed here.

Interesting furniture pieces were offered and eagerly claimed by their high bidders. Listed in the catalog as shabby chic, an antique double-sided setback cupboard towered above the rest of the room at 80 inches tall. The top cabinet and drawers opened both to the front and the back. The front had a smattering of green and purple paint and the back was brown. It was claimed with a high bid of $180.

On the other end of the condition scale, a 72 inch tall antique quartersawn oak hutch with two glass doors, drawers, and cabinet doors that housed a pie safe left with a high bid of $130.

A 1926 Victor Victrola Granada model featured a different configuration than the upright models, as it was low with a record compartment on each side. The mahogany wood cabinet measured 34 inches tall by 34 inches wide. This interesting relic of the past closed with a high bid of $42.

There were several options, both new and old, for wall decoration. Although there were dozens of beautiful framed prints of flowers, landscapes, and animals, the advertising products fared much better in the bid-gathering.

A 12 by 18 inch green metal sign that read “This farm uses Oliver tractors” was the winner in this group with a high bid of $65.

A vintage metal red and white “CFS Fertilized” sign was claimed with a high bid of $38. A large yellow, plastic liquor store sign also proved popular with a final bid of $36. Numerous beer signs and mirrors also proved desirable, closing in the $15-30 range.

Interspersed among the more common items, some miscellaneous interesting lots drew attention. A 1920 Thos. J. Evans Brunton London Brass Compass with a metal label reading “Makers to the Queen” in its original wooden case came to the forefront with a high starting bid from the internet. It was quickly surpassed by floor bidders, and finished at $75. An impressive Marbles Gladstone hunting knife without its leather sheath was displayed by a ringman before being claimed with a high bid of $85.

Two musical instruments offered were an Ovation Celebrity Delux acoustic/electric guitar with wooden inlay on the top that finished at $200 and a Stradivarius copy violin without strings or a bridge that drew a $42 final bid. Packed in the original wooden box, a 144-piece Crown Jewelry Siam silverware set with serving pieces crossed the block with a final bid of $50.

Numerous cafeteria style plastic trays were arranged around the room, each holding several items grouped together as a single lot. They drew the expected modest bids and allowed several smaller items to move out at once. But one particular grouping generated excitement as the bidding suddenly took off. When it closed with a final bid of $65, it was revealed by the lucky buyer that among the coins and pocket knives there was also a silver Tiffany and Company money clip, still in its original clear plastic packaging.

At the conclusion of the auction, media items used during the auction crossed the block. A Dynex 60-inch LED flat screen TV monitor with ceiling mounting hardware closed at $475, a Crown audio CDI 1000 amplifier reached a final bid of $350, a Mackie 1402 VLZ3 Premium 14-channel mixer saw $140, and three wireless microphone systems in their boxes finished at $100 and $120 each. The nine sturdy Atlas Sound PA speakers were claimed for $30-40 each, and the auctioneer’s Oravisual speaker podium finished at $10. Truly, everything in use that day was sold, including the very chairs that the bidders were sitting on and the tables and display cases.

As the final items crossed the block, The Arnold Center was ready to turn the page and explore new projects.

Contact:

(989) 429-7049

9/15/2017