Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 20, 1990 TAG: 9004200376
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Debra and Richard Krutchkoff of Blacksburg bid a cool $1,600 for a white fox coat that was worth twice that or more.
"I'm so excited I can't believe it. We've been looking for a fur for years," said Debra Krutchkoff.
Her husband had been promising to take her to New York to go fur shopping, but now he's off the hook, she said.
Now the only drawback, she added, was that the weather wasn't cooperating.
"It's not cold enough to wear home," she said.
The Krutchkoffs didn't attend the "Smuggler's Auction" Thursday night at the Roanoke Civic Center expecting to buy anything.
Before the bidding began, the couple figured that they'd find a better bargain elsewhere. Some coats were listed for as much as $28,000 retail.
"For that kind of money, I could get a trip to New York and a fur coat," said Debra Krutchkoff. "We'll have too see how the bidding goes."
For them, it couldn't have gone better. Others, however, didn't fare so well.
Frankie Scott of Wytheville and his wife bought, well - they weren't sure what it was. It looked like a typewriter, kind of.
So they started bidding and got the item for $25. Afterwards, Scott gave it closer inspection.
"I'm not sure what it is. It looks like something for the deaf," he said.
What it was was a Texas Instruments Silent 700 Portable Data Terminal equipped with a computer telephone modem that emitted odd electronic sounds when Scott typed on the keyboard.
"It may be a steal, it may not. I'll have to wait and find out when I know what it is," he said. "Maybe it's a collector's item.
The Scotts were simply in the market for a typewriter and bid on the data terminal after hearing the auctioneer say something about a typewriter.
"I can always take it by a school for the deaf and give a donation," Scott said. "Or maybe I can sell it to Radio Shack for parts."
Despite the mistake, he remained good-natured. "I bet this is the best sucker story here," he said.
Scott wasn't the only one who had a problem at the auction.
The sponsors, National Trade Center, a private auction company based in Maryland, struggled to get the ball rolling and the dollars flowing.
Auctioneer Jeffrey Gerhoff pleaded with the several hundred people who attended the auction to open their wallets or miss out on some bargains.
Cars, Oriental rugs, furs, electronics, coins, jewelry - all of it was on the block. Much of it had been confiscated by law enforcement agencies or obtained through dealer liquidations.
National Trade Center buys the merchandise at police auctions and going out of business sales and then resells it at its own auctions where admission is $5 per person.
Jewelry, rugs and furs were especially hard sells, often getting no bidders even after the opening bid prices were dropped from $5,000 to $500 on some items.
"Any interest in this carpet?" Gerhoff asked. "That's ridiculous, folks! You're not being realistic."
After bringing out about a dozen rugs with no takers, he moved on to something else.
"Anybody awake?" he said later, scratching his head. "Did anybody come here to buy anything?"
by CNB