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# auction in attica, indiana # 
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tom swanson clip #1 tom clip #2 tom clip #3 unintentional purchase yeps and ah-ahs new hampshire maple hutch the auction truck matt swanson headphone purchase |
i recently made a trip to attica, in with jes and her family. j3s' grandmother passed away and the family was having an auction to distribute the items from her home. i mainly went to get a feel for the woman that j3s respected and talked about so much. i also wanted to spend some time with j3s and her family. attica is possibly the smallest town i have ever been in with a population of only 4000 people. somehow it seemed even smaller than that with only one traffic light and a seemingly deserted downtown area. we stayed overnight at the attica inn hotel which is rumored to have been a hideout for al capone while he was on the lam. first thing in the morning we headed over to the house where the auction, conducted by swanson and swanson auctioneers, was being held outdoors.
tom swanson auctioning off glassware
there were tons of household items out in the yard, much like a yard sale, but with many more items. the front yard, the side yard, the back yard, all had large tables filled with every household item you could possibly imagine. the auction was already underway when we arrived, but i quickly found the few items i wanted (2 old microphones and some headphones). this first recording is from when we first arrived. i like the way it starts with "you the man, you the man" and then you hear the person getting more glassware. you also hear the sound of me zipping my bag and shuffling around.
tom auctioning off a few more things
the auctioneer cannot see what the next item for bidding is, so he asks. next are indiana historical items (old newspapers), then the old western songs of the ranch guitar book, then more martial studios (no idea what that is), indian red clay pottery.
tom auctioning off some more items
he says, "thank you, thank you, thank you" and "2 boxes 1 money". i'm not sure what was in the boxes.
i almost unintentionally made a purchase
on this soundclip i was saying hi to j3s' uncle as he walked by. all i did was raise my hand a little (oops) to wave at him and suddenly the auctioneer thinks i an bidding on the auction. luckily he was kind enough to ask.
yeps and ah-ahs
i included this clip of tom auctioning off a book more for the loud "yeps" and "ah-ahs" more than anything.
new hampshire maple hutch auction
the bidding goes up fairly high on this, either way, the winning bidder got a pretty good deal.
the auction truck
tom sells something and then starts up the truck to move to the back of the yard to sell a washer and dryer. you can hear his voice traveling away and the sound of other people talking about the auction.
tom's son, matt, takes over
at some point in the backyard the auctioneer changes to the matt swanson instead of tom. they both have many similarities, and many differences in auction calling style. both are amazing at calling out things and keeping people alert. since the auction has moved to the backyard where there are more bushes, you can hear crickets in the background.
headphone purchase
this last clip is of the stereo headphones being auctioned off. the headphones are in a cute little red bag that says columbia (the manufacturer) on the lower corner. the bag itself would find a nice home in almost any hipster's accessory closet. since i am not an experienced auction buyer, i had to have jes coach me. if it hadn't been for jes i would have bid as soon as they said the word headphones and paid $10. instead i got the headphones, with the cute red bag, for only $1.
i also was lucky enough to visit j3s's uncle's home and his recently acquired carnegie library in williamsport, indiana. i guess this is now the smallest town i have visited with only 2000 residents. i also climbed down indiana's tallest waterfall, the williamsport falls, (90 feet tall) which was a little dried up at the time with j3s and her siblings. more pictures can be seen here.