Bidder #105

P and I have a never-ending quest to find new and different forms of local entertainment.  Our most recent venture is a weekly auction held about 20 minutes away in a small farm town.  Each week the inventory rotates between consignment and new furniture.  We've gone a few times and picked up some nice things.  For example, P spent $40 on a Hoover Wind Tunnel canister vacuum cleaner that normally retails for $260.  We picked up a brand new bookshelf tonight for $12.

Not bad, but the real entertainment comes from less popular items that end up at auction.  The following is a list of my favorite auction items we've seen:

10: An extremely rusted pocketknife with a picture of Elvis

9: Boris and Natasha Halloween Costumes (In a set, of course, except that halfway through they ran out of Natasha costumes and just sold Boris alone, which was weird)

8: Homemade clown dolls (I almost didn't add these to the list because they're still too scary to think about)

7: Neon colored q-tips 

6: Doorknob alarms (battery-powered globes that cats, dogs or the slightest breeze could set off)

5: Ceiling tile (seriously, and in massive amounts)

4: Weed wacker wire (no weed wackers on hand, just the wire)

3: Deep fryer with a malfunctioned lid that wouldn't close (add $5 for the splatter screen you'll have to buy)

2: Set of hair nets

1: Rechargeable power drill that only works with European outlets (use it for 20 minutes, throw it away)

Even if you don't buy anything, it makes for an entertaining evening.  If you're tired of movie night, try an auction.  You could become the next proud owner of a rusted Elvis pocketknife.  Fingers crossed...