By Michelle Church
When I was a little girl, there was something almost magical about going to an auction with my family. We’d arrive and stroll through the site, looking at the boxes full of treasures. My sister and I sat enamored and watched the auctioneer ignite the audience into a bidding frenzy. The auctioneer held a position of power and respect to us and watching the bidding increase was exciting, plus there was nothing like walking away the winner of a box of surprises. The boxes could be filled with books or antiques, but they had all been someone’s treasures – and now they were ours.
Auctioneer James Clayton has been the very man chanting to auction crowds for decades. When asked how he became interested in the career, James shares a charming story from high school. James had taken an aptitude test and the results suggested he would make a great auctioneer. He began working as an auctioneer at the age of nineteen and is now seventy-five, and he has spent over half a century as an auctioneer, so that aptitude test must have known something. He also worked at Southwest Regional Medical Center (now WHS Greene) in Waynesburg for forty-two years as a histology technician.
Recently, James was inducted into the Pennsylvania Auctioneers Hall of Fame. He is extremely humble about his induction. This great honor is the highest presented by the Pennsylvania Auctioneers Association (PAA) and James joins a limited number of inductees. James has also received the Auctioneer of the Year Award given by PAA multiple times over the years. The Pennsylvania Auctioneers Association designates that, “this award is given to an individual based on integrity, honesty, high moral character, acute fairness, and distinction, and is bestowed on an auctioneer each year, who, over the course of his or her profession has committed him or herself to fostering excellence in the auction industry.” Around five hundred auctioneers join the events and only two or three are selected for this recognition.
Clayton Auctions holds an average of twelve actions a year, usually once a month at the auction house in Dry Tavern. According to James, one of his favorite aspects of the job is that it “isn’t typical” and every day brings different challenges. A few years ago, James said antiques were the most popular type of item being auctioned but in recent years, the interest in antiques has declined and tastes have changed. As far as James feels, he most enjoys selling the useful items.
The most memorable item that James ever sold was a vintage crock made in Greensboro. He remembers that it had “all the bells and whistles” on it. The eight-gallon crock sold for $18,000. He’s kept an eye on the progress of that crock over the years and said the last he spotted the item, it had sold for over $100,000.
To become a Pennsylvania auctioneer, potential auctioneers need to attend one of the two approved auction schools in the state, either Harrisburg Area Community College or Reading Community College. After passing the exam, the future auctioneer will begin working as an apprentice. Although not mandatory, an auctioneer should also possess knowledge of antiques, math, real estate and auction laws. James says the most valuable quality an auctioneer can possess is a clear, understandable voice. “It’s important that the auctioneer is not too fast of a talker and for the audience to follow the bidding.”
A good auctioneer should also have excellent communication skills, confidence, charisma, passion, humanity and showmanship. These traits are also the traits of a great leader and an auctioneer must be a leader. He leads the sale, maintains control of the audience, keeps them updated, and makes them feel safe. If the audience can’t follow the action, they don’t feel involved in the process and they won’t be as likely to make a bid.
When James Clayton was a little boy, he went to an auction with his father and grandfather. That day he was enthralled by the chant of the fast-talking auctioneers. That day and those auctioneers shaped the course of James life. And in turn, James has entertained and inspired many future generations while becoming part of Pennsylvania auctioneer history.
