Word: auctioneers
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1950-1959
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Unable to pick one institution over another to receive the original Max Reinhardt manuscripts she bought at auction earlier this winter, Miss Monroe has decided to sell them to Reinhardt's son, Gottfried...
...Santa Anita one night in 1947, horse fanciers and some of Hollywood's top stars looked down on a spotlighted auction ring for a notable equine event. On the block was the first lot of thoroughbreds from Cinemogul Louis B. Mayer's famed stable. As the sale began, L.B. jokingly whispered in the ear of Announcer Humphrey S. Finney: "I found Clark Gable as an extra and converted him into the biggest thing in pictures. Now I'm going to convert Finney into the biggest salesman in the horse business...
British-born Finney, who came from a long line of Anglican parsons, learned about horses as a groom and stable boy. He is known for his ability to produce furlongs of equine statistics at the drop of a crop. But his technique is not all smooth talk. At one auction, a heckler who was scornful of the horses up for sale asked Finney: "When are you going to start the dog race?" Snapped Finney: "Just as soon as you can get in shape...
...mink. "White wonder of the world," said the ads, "white as purest snow." From the Mutation Mink Breeders Association came a batch of engraved cards, with a golden crown as a crest, announcing the arrival of "this superb new fur." In Manhattan last week, at the first fur auction of the new season, it was obvious that "Jasmine," a new white fur, was indeed the new queen of the minks. It sold as high as $155 a pelt, then settled down to around $70 v. about $20 for darker, standard pelts...
...good news from auction rooms and retail stores, minkmen have had their troubles. With feed prices high and markets erratic, more than 2,000 ranchers (U.S. total: 6,500) went out of business in the past year. With coat manufacturers, a big complaint is the 20% luxury tax, which puts prices just out of reach of a big market...