Field Notes: Auction—Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Auction Haul | October 10, 2026

Another gorgeous Saturday. Another auction. And this one was less than ten minutes from home! A local auction practically in my backyard? On a beautiful October morning? WELL, OBVIOUSLY I WAS GOING. After walking through the preview, however, I realized there was a slight problem. I only saw a handful of things I wanted. And naturally, those things were scattered across approximately seventeen different locations.

Some were on a farm wagon. Some were buried in box lots. Others were waiting in the furniture line. Meanwhile, the featured attraction at this particular auction was vintage Coleman equipment. Lanterns. Stoves. Coolers. More lanterns. SO. MUCH. COLEMAN. I'm talking more than an entire farm wagon full of Coleman merchandise. Now, I have nothing against Coleman collectors. I hope they all found the lantern of their dreams. But I wasn't interested in any of it.

Which meant I had a decision to make. How badly did I want the things on my list? How long was I willing to wait? And could my time be better spent doing something productive? Like cleaning and pricing the things I bought at the LAST auction? Let's not get carried away. I DECIDED TO STAY.

First Stop: Box Lot Roulette

The box lots were first, and I managed to bring home a couple of boxes containing old whisk brooms. These aren't pristine, never-used decorative brooms. They're worn, weathered, and have clearly swept their fair share of dirt over the years. Which, of course, makes them wonderful for primitive decorating. People love displaying these, and I understand why. In fact, I have my own little stash of old whisk brooms that I actually use. Because apparently even my cleaning supplies need to be antiques.

What IS That Thing?

Another box caught my attention because of one particular object. A rusty, bent, wire contraption. I suspect it may have originally been some type of livestock muzzle, but I haven't confirmed that. Does it currently look like something that should be attached to a farm animal? Possibly. Does it look like something most people would willingly bring into their homes? Probably not. DID I BUY THE ENTIRE BOX BECAUSE OF IT? Absolutely.

With a little bending, cleaning, and persuasion, I think it's going to make a wonderful rusty garden cloche. Sometimes you have to look past what something is and see what it could become. Other times you just buy the rusty thing and figure it out later.

Victorian Hardware Makes Everything Better

The same box also contained two gorgeous antique Victorian cast-iron swing-arm wall-mounted oil lamp holders. And LOOK at that detail! Beautiful ornate metalwork, wonderful old finishes, and best of all, they still have their wall-mounting brackets. Those brackets are frequently missing, so finding them together is a win. Do I have oil lamps to put in them? No. Am I going to go looking for oil lamps? Not a chance.

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I'm planning to repurpose them with candles and Christmas greenery for my booth. Because nothing says holiday decorating quite like 19th-century hardware that has been temporarily reassigned to festive duties.

My Most Practical Auction Purchase

Now for perhaps the least glamorous thing I purchased all day. A box of packaged steel wool. Not antique. Not going into a booth. Just steel wool. And I was genuinely pleased to snag it. I use a LOT of steel wool when I'm cleaning and working on furniture and vintage pieces. Whenever I find useful supplies like steel wool, sandpaper, or tools at an auction for the right price, I'll happily bid. Not every auction purchase needs to be exciting.

Sometimes it's just nice to avoid another trip to the hardware store.

And then there's the stuff you don't want that comes with stuff you do want. The remaining miscellaneous box-lot items that I don't need will be donated.

The Swan That Made Me Stay

One of the pieces that convinced me to stick around was this wonderful hand-carved wooden swan. It's big, primitive, and has a great presence. And someone has already dressed it for Christmas with a wreath of greenery and red berries. IT'S ALREADY WEARING ITS HOLIDAY OUTFIT. I don't even have to do anything.

Well, aside from price it, load it, unload it, and find room for it in my booth. But let's not ruin the moment.

And Then There Was More Folk Art

I also brought home two pieces of hand-painted folk art. First, a primitive wooden oar decorated with fruit, a sailboat, and a coastal scene.

And then there was a hand saw. Not just any hand saw. A hand saw with a beautifully painted farm scene, complete with a farmhouse, barn, tractor, and fields.

I love finding pieces like these. Someone looked at an ordinary, utilitarian object and saw an opportunity to create something decorative. And now those old tools get another chapter. That's the kind of thing that keeps me hunting.

Knowing When to Abandon the Mission

By this point, I'd been at the auction longer than I originally intended. There were still a couple of furniture pieces I had considered bidding on. Both were project pieces. And both would have eventually joined the growing collection of things in my possession that are patiently waiting for me to restore them.

I stood there and considered my options. Did I want them? Yes. Did I need them? Absolutely not. Did I have room for them? LET'S NOT ASK PERSONAL QUESTIONS.

But I also knew that waiting even longer for a couple of project pieces wasn't necessarily the best use of my Saturday. So we called it a day. No dramatic last-minute bidding war. No furniture Tetris in the parking lot. Just a perfectly respectable haul of vintage treasures, useful supplies, and one mysterious piece of livestock equipment destined for a second career in the garden.

SOMETIMES THE REAL SKILL IS KNOWING WHEN TO GO HOME. Although the wooden swan is pretty great, too.

Take the back road. Find the good junk.