It all began in the summer of 1951. My grandmother Potvin sold her house and moved to live with Aunt Lydia Lavallee. Her estate went up for auction. Colby Johnson was the auctioneer. Colby had a stentorian voice, chewed tobacco and charmed me as I sat at his feet as a 9 year old boy! It was then I knew I wanted to be an auctioneer someday!
As I grew up I was attracted to Mr. Johnson's auctions in North Brookfield. The first attended was in 1952 t Charley Fullam's Hardware Store auction on School Street. I bought a lot of hickory handles for hammers for fifty cents. From there I began to tag along with Colby.
In 1956, in April, "Kizzle" and I attended the estate sale of one George L. Wakefield in my own neighborhood on South Main Street. It was fun. A runner fed Colby with "Genuine cherry wood" and we laughed.
A highlight of my youth at auction came in 1959 at the Christ Memorial Church Auction. I bought a 1924 Edison crank-model Victrola and a slew of the Edison records for $5.00. This one purchase defined my love of Thomas Alva Edison for decades to come. In 1978 I sold the player for $200.00 and recently sold another of the same model for $150.00!
When I was 19, Mr. Johnson ATTEMPTED TO RECRUIT ME AS AN AUCTIONEER-APPRENTICE! " No" I exclaimed as I wanted to further my education. Twenty-five years later I came of age. For 10 years I called the auction for St. Mary's in Scituate Harbor. I was on my way.
My desire to be a good auctioneer sent me and my boys to Kansas City for 2 weeks at the famed MISOURI AUCTION SCHOOL. I was 39. I worked.
Now I had become a full-fledged estate auctioneer. I even got my story published in The Rotarian Magazine in July of 1992. Before that I attended Indiana University for my Certicication: CAI .
Yes, auctions are in my blood, and it is a delight to be still enthused in buying and selling as I approach my "Spirit of 76" next month on July 29th.
Thanks Colby for inculcating me in the ways of "Betty Botter!" LOL.
"Twenty-five.. now thirty!" SOLD to the man with the toupee! LOL.
AUCTIONEER LICENSE AU 2000
ROBERT LOUGIE POTVINSKY
Box 11
West Brookfield, MA
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