Ever been to an auction? Every other week, the author goes to one in a small town nearby and we enjoy it very much! They have furniture, junk, books, junk, knick-knacks, junk and even a restaurant serving really good food!

Other folks love the online auctions! There is EBay, of course, plus MSN, Yahoo and many more!

Here is some history of the auction.

The Greek historian Herodotus first documented the auction about 500 BC. He wrote of his visit to the city of Babylon, where he witnessed this method of selling, though he gave it no particular name.

The next historical record in the history of auctions deals with the sale of desirable property in imperial Rome. There the magister auctionarium, who was required to have a license, drove a spear (hasta publica) into the soil to signal the start of an auction.

The sale of the entire Roman Empire is regarded as, perhaps, the most preposterous auction of all time. It placed on the auction block a huge empire that then sprawled all the way from Syria on the east to the Danube on the north band to Britain on the west.

At the time of the Great Depression in 1929, real estate auctions had steadily gained in popularity. After the Great Depression, the growth in real estate auctions was inhibited in some parts of the country due to the trauma that families experienced during those dark economic times of having mortgage loans on the family farm, business or home foreclosed and the property subsequently sold at auction. While the auctioneer was not responsible for the foreclosure, he still received the criticism. In some cases this "Depression Mentality" toward the auction method of marketing was maintained by real estate decision makers for years, thus decreasing the number of real estate auction opportunities available.

Today, auctions are a part of the American way of life. They fill the buying and selling needs of thousands of people, products and properties. Since many products have their origins on the auction block - tobacco, grain, wool, building materials, etc - no one, regardless of financial status, can escape the effects of auction buying and selling in America. Real estate sold at auction amounts to billions of dollars and includes all kinds of properties touching on every type of residence, business and trade.

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