Be careful what you wish for
The 36 inch x 36 inch print in an awesome frame which caught my attention immediately. It was positioned on an easel in a cordoned off area by the host supermarket. It was a good shot of the Beatles as they set foot in the USA for their first time, a horde of young people in the background welcoming their heroes – they were mine too. The perimeter displayed the covers of albums sold to date. And it was available — to the highest bidder. It only required an amount and a signature. As I contemplated, my partner Sheila came along, saw what I was tempted to do and said, “Don’t be crazy, we don’t have a spare wall for something so big!” That definitely made up my mind — quick. I filled out the ballot, scratched my head over an amount, wrote $352, absolutely convinced it was too low, signed it, and stuffed it brazenly into the ballot box hoping it would bug Sheila to no end. It did.
A week later the phone rang. It was a 416 area code (Toronto) and this melodious voice said, “You won”! I instantly imagined a lottery or at the very least, a big prize from the Knights of Columbus for a ticket I bought. On her third explanation I got it; I was the highest bidder for the Beatle print. An email would be sent with instructions on how to pay for it. When the notice arrived and after I read it, I started to have second thoughts about that huge print, the Beatles, and the whole caboodle. I guess I wasn’t really that keen on the Beatles and found my enthusiasm had waned like an engine low on fuel.
I quite often bid for help from someone or bid farewell and am accustomed to bidding on silent auctions at social events or on auction sales of farm animals. In fact, one Saturday morning at the auction in Stouffville with my nine-year-old son, it was the time for hogs. One brand to be auctioned was a sow with piglets. Brett came alive with curiosity, pointed at them and the auctioneer noticed and shouted, “Sold to the highest bidder.” It was quite challenging to explain that mishap. Finally off the hook, we were asked to leave the premises.
I recall one “Bid for Dinner” of presentable men to partner with the highest female bidder for a formal sit-down dinner but not included, was an extended bid afterwards. In one instance, more happened than just the dinner, which soon fell off the wheels. The couple had commenced into a full-blown affair with benefits and resulted in a nasty divorce.
A guitar that Elvis Presley played in the movies, “Girls! Girls! Girls!” was put on the auction block one time for a starting opener of $32,000 but drew no bids. It was later offered for private sale. Elvis had lost his charm! For $352 or maybe more, I would have taken it in a flash.
Sotheby of London, an auction house founded in 1774, saw Samuel Baker first auction off books. Today, with a legacy of uniting collectors with their passions, Sotheby’s has grown to become the distinguished place where collectors gather, presenting auctions and exhibitions at venues throughout the world. Principal sale offices are located in London, New York City, Paris, and Hong Kong. Two of Sotheby’s artworks as an example, sold for more than $100 million; Pablo Picasso’s ‘Boy with a Pipe’ and Andy Warhol’s ‘Silver Car Crash’.
Back to the Beatles calamity: I have sat on the instructions of having no payment sent for two weeks now and a second notice still hasn’t arrived. Their policy does state that if the bidder is uncomfortable with the purchase, they are under no obligation to finish the sale. That tells me to continue to wait them out.
Sometimes wishes do come true but there can sometimes be unpleasant circumstances. It might involve anything from a new girlfriend that dumped you to a job promotion that you were unqualified for. In my situation, it was the darn Beatles print and my ambivalence about whether to pay or not to pay.
