Mr. Perry is about halfway through a course leading to a prestigious CAI degree.
(SUFFOLK, Va.) – Tom Perry of Tom’s Auctions & Appraisals – one of the premier auction houses in the mid-Atlantic states – has been in the business for years, but he is a firm believer in the adage that you can never have too much knowledge. He is about half-way done with a course that would earn him the prestigious Certified Auctioneers Institute designation.
The CAI is a three-year program offered by the National Auctioneers Association, the Kansas-based organization that represents the interests of nearly 5,000 auctioneers in the United States, Canada and the world. Mr. Perry is a member of the Virginia and National Auctioneers Associations. The NAA believes there’s no better way to learn from auctioneers than to hold an annual auction.
On the third day of the week-long program, year-two participants (like Mr. Perry) host a fundraising event called a Fun Auction, for all CAI participants and instructors. The participants donate the majority of the items to be auctioned and then run the auction. Anyone can bid on the items, and the proceeds benefit the NAA and the charitable causes of the participants’
At last year’s Fun Auction, over $20,000 was raised. This year’s event will be held on Tuesday, Mar. 23, at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., at 6 p.m., but interested parties may bid online, through Proxibid.com. “The auction typically lasts about four hours,” Mr. Perry said. “Each auctioneer has the choice of selling their own donated items or can opt to let one of the other auctioneers in attendance sell for them. And some of the best auctioneers in the world are in this program.”
Mr. Perry added, “It's a fantastic learning experience, and a great deal of fun. The donated items are wonderful. And it's for a worthy cause.”
This year’s Fun Auction will feature a wild and wonderful eclectic mix of merchandise, to include framed, signed and numbered limited-edition art prints; an Auburn University football weekend package; an NAA stoneware crock; a $500-off tuition voucher for a future NAA program; advertising packages galore; and several Auctioneers' State Association memberships.
Other items will include CAI memorabilia;
Still more items to cross the block: membership to the Texas Auction Association;
“The Fun Auction is just that, a fun auction, and it’s a learning-by-
In 2007, the auction industry grew by 5.3 percent, with over $270 billion in goods and services sold. Proxibid will be one online bidding facilitator for people who can’t attend the Fun Auction live. You may also donate items or leave absentee bids for the auction with Tom Perry.
Tom’s Auctions & Appraisals is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign an item, estate or collection, you may call them at (757) 539-2498, or you can send an e-mail to tombuys@tomsauction.com. For more information log on to www.tomsauction.com. For more information on the National Auctioneers Association, please log on to www.naa.org.
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