Spotlight: Bidding on the bizarre

ll things unusual went up for sale at an Andreas auction on Jan. 25.

But seven giant fiberglass figures anchored to heavy steel bases stole the show. They appeared to date back to the 1940s.

Each colorful character stood more than 7 feet high, except for the old man balancing on a beer barrel. He was much higher, towering above all.

“I’ve been doing these auctions for 25 years and have never seen anything like this,” said auctioneer Dean Arner.

Nobody knew what to call the figures. They reminded folks of a happy childhood but at the same time brought back memories of nightmares.

They were like something you’d see on TV.

They were creepy. They were kooky, mysterious and spooky. They were altogether ooky, this circus family.

“I really don’t know the background,” said owner John Burns of Fleetwood.

Some said they could’ve come from an amusement park or a place like Coney Island.

Someone suggested they were from an early Kutztown Folk Festival.

Burns thought they might have originated at a beer garden since most carry a libation theme.

“I don’t really know. I just buy what I like.”

Burns is what some might call a picker, but doesn’t consider himself to be a collector or dealer.

“I’m a professional picker,” he says.

He spends the year hunting down curiosities and then hands them off to the auction house.

“We’ve had other sales for him and he always has unusual things,” said Loretta Derr Gilfert of the Andreas Station House at 42 Andreas Road.

In fact, 250 curiosity seekers from the East Coast converged on West Penn Township for the sale.

“You can’t get this kind of stuff where we are,” said Mickey Dallow, of Bronx, New York, on hand with wife Barbara.

“We like the primitives and farmhouse stuff. We’re here about three weekends a month. We especially like the people we meet.”

One customer occasionally furnishes hot food for the work crew.

Steve Donofrio of Buddy’s Log Cabin Family Restaurant in Pine Grove brings along breakfast sandwiches to share with others while he hunts for vintage signs and other antiques. Others come with an empty stomach to fill up at the in-house kitchen operated by Sister Stash and More. The unusual figures were auctioned off at noon.

Arner announced that each figure would be sold individually but with the high bidder having choice. This meant the high bidder would have the exclusive option to buy all seven at the high bid, leaving nobody else with a chance to buy.

And that’s exactly what happened.

Bidding was brisk. But when the dust settled, dealer John Bolito of Burlington, New Jersey, was the high bid of $600 for choice. He opted to take all seven, for a total cost of $4,200. There was no buyer’s premium charged.

Bolito said he operates a place called Obnoxious Antiques, which occasionally provides rental props for the movie industry.

“We’re taking these to New Jersey,” he said. “We’re going to leave these as is, and enjoy them.

Other unusual items included a fire blanket, old cattle brands, cast iron carnival candle holders and a horse-drawn funeral carriage.

In some cases, there were bargains to be had.

On the other hand, many rare, bizarre items fetched high prices, which just goes to show that there’s a market for the spooky and ooky.

How much did it bring?

· 1902 Oldsmobile 3-speed replica

electric car $1,400

· Fruit and produce huckster

wagon $1,200

· Child’s carnival firetruck $300

· 1800s goosewing ax $85

· Old basket handstitched basket quilt $85

· Reading & Northern Railroad sign $650

· Old Pegasus flying horse $140

· 1932 World Series poster $200

· 1950s Coca-Cola bottle mold $280

· Freeman’s Dairy sign $175

· Carnival gaming wheel $210

· Pink velvet sofa and two chairs $140

· Rare, antique child’s rocking boat $220

· Sports electric scoreboard $350

· Two antique glassblowing

pipes $90 each

· Two pair new old stock Converse

track shoes in box $290 each

· Berks County farm longrifle $180

· Draw Poker machine unknown

if operable $30

· Cast iron carnival candle holder $160