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www.BurlesonCrowley.com
Burleson auctioneer makes bid for top honors
By By Danielle Novy/bcnews@trcle.com
Aug 25, 2008, 19:12
Selling antique guns and expensive baubles has become routine for Luther Davis, but the Burleson resident is far from an everyday salesman.
Armed with a quick tongue and team of family members to aid him in his work, Davis has gathered fame as an auctioneer, recently winning the 2008 Texas State Championship at the annual Texas Auctioneer Competition in Sugar Land.
Davis was judged on professionalism, chant, voice and body language as he rose above several dozen competitors to take home the grand prize: $1,000 cash, a championship ring, a plaque and a banner, he said.
Davis was introduced to fast-paced world of auctions as a boy when he accompanied his father, a cattle buyer, to livestock auctions.
“I went whenever I could,” he said.
His love for auctions was reignited when he attended 4H events with his company after graduating from college.
“I said, ‘I’d rather be up there, being the auctioneer,’” Davis said. “It just looked fun and interesting ... Learning to talk fast is about practice, practice, practice. I was a salesman for a meat company at the time, and I would sit there and practice my chant while on the road.”
Davis earned his auctioneer’s license soon after and hasn’t looked back. Davis said he thoroughly enjoys the trade, comparing auctioneering to hobbies his peers embrace, such as golfing.
“Back in the day, I worked with and listened to a bunch of other auctioneers,” he said. “To get good, you listen to somebody you think sounds good.”
In early 1999 Davis decided to transform his passion for auctioneering into a full-time business, Davis Auctioneers LP. He said running an auction entails more than just calling out bids.
The business, which handles estates, personal property business liquidations, foreclosures and benefits, is headed by Davis and his wife, Dena, and their sons are involved.
“Usually someone will call us and inquire about the process of organizing an auction,” Davis said. “We visit and get a feel for their urgency ... then, a contract is signed, and we usually ask for the key to the building so we can organize and catalogue the merchandise.”
The biggest auction Davis Auctioneers has conducted unfolded a few years ago when the Davis family was given the task of selling nearly 700 firearms and other expensive military memorabilia. Davis had to hire a firearms dealer to do background checks on the artillery, he said.
“We had to spread it out into four full days of auctions spread out over a year,” he said.
Davis Auctioneers handles nearly 200 auctions a year, said Davis, who also works alongside his wife as a realtor, forging a one-stop shop through which people can sell their real estate as well as their personal items.
Dena Davis said she enjoys auctions, especially setting them up and occasionally buying an item.
“I always enjoy buying,” she said. “And I like the behind-the-scenes stuff.”
She said watching her husband win top honors in the 2008 Texas Auctioneer Competition was “a great moment.”
He said he is already preparing for the national contest to be held in July in Kansas.
For information about Davis Auctioneers, visit www.davisauctiontx.com.
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