Auctioneers bid for title

There was some serious rapping going on at the Boise Centre on The Grove on Wednesday, and it didn't involve breakbeats or DJs.

The only background music was crowd buzz, and the subject matter was model John Deere tractors, stone crocks and table saws. Still, the crowd was hanging on every word.

Or, more accurately, word fragments.

Welcome to the International Auctioneer Championship, at which 84 people seized the mike and let loose linguistically with that unique auctioneer syntax, where words and numbers combine in a melodious mix of information about that table lamp or afghan you can't live without. The championship is one of the highlights of the 52nd annual International Auctioneers Conference and Show.

"There is a cash prize this year for the first time, but that is only a small part of it. Everybody just wants to win," said Paul Adams of Middleton, an auctioneer of 20 years who would like to add a top-15 finish to his resume.

Hours before his turn on the stage Wednesday, Adams appeared strangely calm. "It's pretty competitive," he said. "I'd rather sell for 2,000 people than 200 auctioneers any day. There is a lot of scrutiny going on."

The contestants' suits were styling, the folksy accents dripping and the charm on full display.

Of course, that unique chanting was reverberating throughout The Grove all day -- a smooth flow of verbal shorthand where prices and word fragments combine to create a buzz about the merchandise.

So you think that lamp would look good in the living room? Well ... "10 wugime 15, 10 wugime 15, 15? wugime 20? 15 wugime 20?" Translation: "$10, would you give me $15?"

Or what about that antique clock? "35 bidawa 40, 35 bidawa 40, 40! 40 bidawa 45, 45, 45, 40!" Translation: "35 bid, and I want 40 ...."

In auctioneer circles, what they do is the "chant." The rapid-fire rhetoric is called the "filler."

While each auctioneer's chant is different, and much of the time unintelligible to the uninitiated, it takes only about 10 minutes to get the feel for what is going on.

Just follow the numbers.

The chanting and filler give the sale rhythm and help fill in the dead spaces where no one is bidding, auctioneers say. A crafty auctioneer can use subtle vocal inflections to create some desire and excitement about almost anything.

"Starting low helps get bidders and makes it more fun," said Marty Rogers, a contestant from Iowa whose easy manner, smooth flow and enthusiastic descriptions scored with the crowd. "You have to be a salesman. I practice a lot. You also have to avoid words that get stuck in the back of the throat. Like 'got,' for instance. That one can get stuck."

Sometimes when an item is hot enough, chanting isn't necessary.

"If the bidding is fast and furious, then you don't need filler, just the numbers," Adams said. "When it slows down some, then we use the filler for rhythm."

Being a good auctioneer requires more than a fast tongue, said Amy Sparks, an Oklahoma native who won first place in the women's division at last year's international conference.

In fact, one of the main criteria for judging auctioneers is body language and how well they connect with the crowd. Another criterion is practical: Does the auctioneer make you want to buy that stack of Johnny Mathis records?

"The neat thing is that there are so many styles and individual sounds fine-tuned towards personalities in this contest," Sparks said. "We are all salespeople. A good auctioneer creates momentum. We have such a short amount of time to sell, so we have to be effective.

"If I am selling a $1 box of miscellaneous stuff or a $15,000 parcel of land, I want to have the same poise and enthusiasm."

Winning the championship has its perks, Spark said, such as respect from your peers, bragging rights and the ability to watch others sweat over the competitions.

"This year, I see other people shaking before getting on stage instead of it being me," she said.

The auctioneers convention continues through Sunday, after which its 1,000 attendees will be going, going, gone.