I.B.M. Ring 9
Ring Reports
October 2010
No. 9, Atlanta, Georgia - Georgia Magic Club
3rd Monday, 7:00 PM, Mt. Vernon Presbyterian Church
EVAN REYNOLDS, President (evan@evan.org)
ARAGORN, Vice President (aragorntm@comcast.net)
BILL PACKARD, Secretary (packardw@earthlink.net)
Ring 9 Web Site: www.GaMagicClub.com
Our October meeting each year is the much-anticipated Annual Auction, and tonight didn't disappoint in terms of excitement, great deals, and attendance.
The evening began with a Flea Market, which was much larger than in recent years. Many members brought interesting groupings of tricks for sale. Items ranging from brand new, sealed tricks and videos sellers purchased but never got around to trying; magic that didn't suit their style; and as to be expected, some well-used props. There was also a huge table containing the remainder of the magic and videos that went unsold at a recent estate sale of our dear departed member, Felix Snipes. This opening pre-auction hour resulted in some very satisfied sellers and many delighted buyers who proudly walked around displaying their purchases.
We were once again happy to enjoy the services of magician and licensed auctioneer Jack Corcoran, who ran the very long auction with a delightful mix of speed and humor. His personable style of leading an auction always lends itself to his interjection of comments that relate to his experience with a particular prop, his amusement at rare items he's not familiar with, and there is often great laughter in the room as Jack interjects stories about the inventor of a trick or the subject of a video.
Sellers often accompany Jack onstage to either describe a prop, hawk the grouping of a series of DVDs or props, and sometimes we're treated to a quick performance of a trick to illustrate its value. Just about every year there is an illusion in the auction, this year it was a well-used Zig Zag that was the incredible bargain of the evening. This particular evening, there were a tremendous amount of videos for sale (in the flea market and auction), some purchases resulted in the buyer getting brand new videos by "A list" magicians and lecturers at pennies on the dollar!
As all seasoned magicians know, every magic auction brings out a strange grouping of vintage or discontinued items coveted by many, standard props that newer magicians are anxious to purchase, and some amazing bargains because the seller needed to clear out some space in their home (although by the time they leave the auction, often that space will need to be assigned to their new purchases!) This was a very successful evening for the club thanks to the small seller's fee that goes into our treasury, and the fact that the auction brought out many prospective members and old friends we only see on our annual auction evening. Just about everyone walked out with some purchase, some left with pockets full of money, and of course most attendees exited with smiles on their faces and armfuls of magic.
Debbie Leifer
Ring Scribe