I worked in the auction industry from 1982 to 1998 for Dunning's Auction Service. They sold to Butterfields in 1998. I did everything except drive the truck. My auctioneer license has expired.
"The company will leave behind a legacy dating to 1896, when Frank Dunning began selling livestock to supplement his farming income. By the 1920s, the company was handling real estate and furniture. Livestock sales eventually were dropped.
Dunning's introduced fine art and antiques in the late 1960s. In the last decade, Midwest sales representatives were hired to solicit business as far away as Indianapolis, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. A Chicago storefront opened in 1993. In 1997, Dunning's Auction Service reported sales of more than $10 million--a 10 percent increase over the year before."
Today, its Elgin showroom is filled with goods ranging from fine china, silver tea sets and dining room furniture to coins, porcelain dolls, pistols and, even a cannon. All will be transported to a facility being prepared at 441 W. Huron St. in the River North area of downtown Chicago, along with any of the 50 employees who wish to continue with the firm."
Grew up in auction industry so know the ropes. The last 20 years I have been a business consultant in the medical industry. I miss the auction industry.