A price of $54,000 is not much money for a house, car or pickup truck these days. It is five times what my first house cost me. But how about a $54,000 necktie, but not just any necktie… .
St. Jude is the chosen charity for the National Auctioneers Association. We are closing in on raising $5 million after 20 years of support through annual fun NAA auctions.
At our 72nd annual convention recently, a St. Jude children’s hospital tie that belonged to Don Shearer was auctioned by Mike Jones for $54,000 in memory of Don. Don was the auctioneer for Disney and a past NAA president, a fellow NAA Hall of Fame member, and an ardent St Jude’s Hospital supporter who passed away with COVID this year. Don was a great and big-hearted man gone too soon and who will be missed by many.
The NAA auctioneers across America raise hundreds of millions of dollars on an annual basis for every kind of charity you can imagine, from the dogs and cats (SPCA) to sales for the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, March of Dimes, schools, churches and more. Many efforts to support the FFA and 4H Sales are also conducted nationwide. As an example, our Polk County Youth Fair raises $600,000 to $800,000 every year, so multiply that by the number of counties across America and you have some idea of the success.
The main thing that is lost in this translation is most of these services are donated by the auctioneers. These auctioneers are talented professionals who have spent a lifetime developing their skills and knowledge to provide this service for their communities. As many service providers find, the efforts are not fully appreciated because they have been generous enough to donate their time and talent over the years. The average auctioneer conducts 20 charity auctions a year. So the next time you see your auctioneer on the street, be sure to thank him.
See you at the auction!
- August 21 Multi-Estate Auction-Rocking H Ranch
- August 28 4/3 Home in Plant City
- August 31 3/2 Renovation Project-New Port Richey
- September 4 Liquidation of HMR Welding & Fabrication Shop-Lakeland, FL
- September 10 140-Room Hotel-Branson, MO
- September 14 Commercial offices/37 acres-Independence, MO
- September 18 Firearm Auction-Rocking H Ranch
- September 21 2/1 MH-Davenport FL
This column is sponsored by Higgenbotham Auctioneers International, Ltd., and the opinions expressed herein may not reflect those of CFAN or of its advertisers.
BIO: Marty Higgenbotham, founder and president of Higgenbotham Auctioneers International, Lts., has conducted approximately 12,000 auctions, selling everything from cemetery lots to shopping centers. He graduated from Reisch Auction College in 1959. Since then, he has sold in 49 states and five foreign countries. Clients include Wal-Mart, AutoZone, HUD, and the states of Kansas, Missouri, Texas and Florida.