In Search of Hidden Treasures in East Windsor

A 15-foot genuine oriental rug; a handmade, hardwood 19^th century drop down desk; a tray of uncirculated collectable coins; an antique oak Larkin desk – Who knows what you might find at Golden Gavel Auctions of East Windsor.

Like most auction houses, thousands of long-lost treasures find new life here. From pieces of bedroom furniture several hundred years old, to florescent beer signs and Tiffany lamps, people from all over the region turn to Golden Gavel to find new homes for their belongings.

“It’s the new age of green recycling,” said owner, auctioneer and appraiser Patrick Soucy at a recent Thursday night auction. “It’s a neat thing. It’s all stuff that would have gotten thrown out.”

Soucy tells a story of a family who contacted him to come give an appraisal of some items in a house. But it was what he found in a dumpster outside that proved the most valuable.

“The family had thrown away a valuable porcelain doll because the box it was in had a mouse nest,” Soucy said. “It’s a good thing we arrived when we did. We salvaged the doll. At auction, the doll sold for $750 for that family.”

It’s the many stories of hidden and long-forgotten treasures that drive the auction business, says Soucy.

Some of the biggest sales include a carved 17^th century Buddha that sold for $82,500, and an early 1960s Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud for $28,000.

These items were sold at a big auction held once a quarter. However, Golden Gavel hosts auctions every Thursday, beginning with an early bird auction at 5:30 p.m., a collectables auction at 6:30 p.m., and the main auction – with larger furniture items – beginning at 7 p.m.

Prior to each auction, potential buyers are welcome to preview all the items that will be up for auction, beginning at 2 p.m. This is a time, said Soucy, to decide what you are interested in and how much you are willing to pay for it. The bidding goes quickly, he said. Staff is also available to help answer questions and provide advice.

The items at the weekly auctions range from valuable collectables to lawn mowers in need of repair, books, lamps and other household items.

Soucy opened Golden Gavel in 1999. In 2004 he moved his business from its former location in Sophia’s Plaza on Route 5, to its current home at 149 North Road.

Although auction houses in Connecticut aren’t required to be licensed, bonded and insured, Golden Gavel is. Being licensed, bonded, and insured gives clients an extra layer of protection and allows Golden Gavel to do business in surrounding states that have those requirements.

Most of the business he does is with estate auctions – families looking to empty their deceased relative’s homes. To accommodate the family’s needs, Golden Gavel offers a five step process for any home or estate sale: 1) Appraisals; 2) Family disbursement of items; 3) Auction of saleable items; 4) Donation of charitable items; 5) and broom cleaning of the home.

Much of the furniture sold comes from estates, and often entire boxes of random household items are auctioned off. For example, if a buyer only wants one item in a full box, the buyer may pay $5 for the whole box just to get that one item. It’s a common occurrence, Soucy said. Any items people leave behind are donated.

There are several options for buyers to put in bids. They may attend the auction and bid in person, bid over the telephone, drop off a written bid after 2 p.m. on the day of the auction, or bid live on Golden Gavel’s Web site during one of the quarterly internet auctions goldengavel.com.

On an average night, the auction will bring in around $25,000. The big sales bring in upwards of $100,000 to $150,000.

“Everything is sold,” he said.

Each item sold is inspected, cleaned and catalogued. The upholstered furniture is all sprayed and sanitized.

If you look hard enough and know your stuff, incredible deals on rare items can be found, Soucy said. A recent auction saw two tickets to an Elvis concert in Hartford for two weeks after the “King” died sold for $100. A 200-year-old drop-front desk worth more than $1,000 sold for only $300. An antique hardwood, marble top bedroom set sold for only $300.

“You never know what you might find,” said Soucy.