By KELLY SULLIVAN

HOPKINTON – It is 1969 and auctioneer Ernest Orrin Maine is standing up at the block. “Going, going, gone!” he calls out to the crowd that has gathered at his Ashaway Auction Barn. Maine’s auctions always pull in the people. Maybe they are attracted by the merchandise that goes up for bid. Maybe they are attracted by the idea of a bargain. Or maybe there is just something about

Ernest that draws them. His mischievous grin and unique sense of humor add considerable entertainment to the Wednesday night auctions.

“Are you two together?” he asks a couple who are, unknowingly, bidding against each other. “You won’t be for long if you keep that up!”

Ernest liked to point out the flaws in merchandise and then jokingly play up how they could be an asset to the piece. Some of the stuff is high-end and some isn’t. Cracked dishes might be followed by an elaborate Victorian gown.

Maine’s big white house on the property he called Nine Acres, is packed solid with merchandise he has collected for his auctions. And his wife didn’t mind. The whole event was a family affair. The wife, kids, siblings and other relatives all had jobs to do, and there was a lot to get done. Supper was always served prior to the bidding and most people came early to relax with a plate of jonny-cakes, corn on the cob and baked beans. An Ernest Maine auction was a well-rounded event. There was even a little 12-year-old boy named Bob Ward walking around selling bunches of flowers.  

The seventies, eighties, and nineties came and went. A new century began. It is 2008 and another generation of auction fans have gathered at the Ashaway 7th Day Baptist Church Parrish Hall. Most have come early to enjoy a plate of baked beans, cole slaw and a burger. The auctions here always pull in the crowds. It could be the chance to get a great deal or find a unique item that pulls them. Or maybe it’s that little boy who used to sell the flowers. He’s now the auctioneer with the huge sense of humor and laid back personality. He keeps the crowds coming.

“I’ve always liked antiques,” Bob Ward said. “I bought my first barrister bookcase at the age of twelve.” That was the same year he started working as an assistant to Ernest Maine. When Ernest passed away in 1981, he had several auctions lined up. “His wife said someone was going to have to do these auctions so I took over the business,” Ward said.

What Ernest Maine taught him, he calls an art. “It was the art of being a country auctioneer,” he said. Ward now has his own crew of ten and they’re more like a family than co-workers. “Hey, Bobby, should I tell her about that one auction?” Butch McNulty called out. They both laugh and Ward assured him, “Tell her anything you want.”

McNulty described how they went into a house to box things up. “There were things packed from floor to ceiling with just a path in between,” he said. “The woman had like 600 pairs of shoes in the basement. It took over an acre to set it all out. Anyway, we found these antique fishing lures, brand new in the box. Well, at the auction, just one lure sold for $5,000. We made about $30,000 just on fishing lures. The look on Bob’s face, he just couldn’t believe it.”

For Ward, that element of surprise is the most exciting thing about the business. “Something that will sell this week for $400, might sell for $50 next week,” he said. “It’s fun to see what things go for. Plus I enjoy the hunt. It’s so much fun going through stuff.”

But Ward doesn’t do consignment auctions. His merchandise comes straight from estates. To go through a house and box things up for auction takes about forty hours and Bob said, “I couldn’t do it without a great crew.”

Muriel Conklin can’t even remember when she started working for him. “Time flies when you’re having fun,” she said. Brian Birch nods in agreement. “Bobby makes it fun. He’s a blast. He’s also knowledgeable and fair which makes it good not only for us, but for the buyer.”

The auction begins and everything from Fenton lamps to costume jewelry comes on the block. A vintage bar stool is held up in front of the crowd. “This is a milking stool for high strung cows or farmers with bad backs,” Ward tells them.

A flower vase comes up a short while later. “This is an umbrella stand,” Bob announced.
“No, it isn’t,” Birch corrected him. Bob grabs an old umbrella out of another lot and drops the handle into the vase. “I just made it one,” he said. A wrought iron patio set goes for $170. A vintage dining

table and chairs goes for $15.
There is an atmosphere at Bob Ward’s auctions – not stuffy or boring. Like the old country auctions of yesteryear, there is a laid-back, casual quality. “That’s just me, I guess,” Bob laughs.
Later, when noticing a man and woman outbidding each other, he asks, “Are you two together? You won’t be for long if you keep doing that!”

Maybe there is just a little bit of Ernest Maine thrown in for good measure.