| by Starr Shuppert Charles David Glynn has two very important things going for him – he loves his job, and he’s really good at it. So good, in fact, that while some others in his chosen profession are struggling to make ends meet, he is hosting huge crowds and successful auctions. He has, however, had lots of practice. “I got my auctioneer’s license when I was 16 years old,” Glynn said in a recent interview from his home in Citra, Fla. “Back in those days, you just walked to the town hall, paid your $30, and had a license in your pocket, no problem.” At that time Glynn was living in Sandwich, Mass., and had begun working for a woman who owned an auction house in that city. As a young man, Glynn found himself surrounded with spirited bidding and competition among collectors on the East Coast, and he admits that he was “bit by the bug” early. “When we lived in Sandwich, we were near a great big dump, and for fun as kids, we would go over and dig around and find our own buried treasures,” Glynn said. “I will never forget that I actually got my first bike out of that dump – and it was a gem. When we moved to Cape Cod, us kids would go down to the bottle dumps and sift around for hours. After a few hundred times doing that, I started peeking through the windows of this antique store that was right next to our bus stop – and I realized that this lady that owned the place was making real cash money selling things that I was picking out of the dump.” One day, Glynn gathered enough courage to ask the antique store owner if she’d buy some of his unearthed goods. She consented, handing Glynn a shiny coin in exchange for his find. “She told me to go out and find some better stuff – great encouragement,” Glynn said. After a few more trips between dump and antique shop, Glynn asked the woman again for advice. “I wanted to know how I could make a little more money – how to know if something was worth something,” Glynn said. This time, the woman handed Glynn a 1962 Kovel’s Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide, and told him to expand his horizons, to start digging at garage sales. “She told me that if I could get the stuff for less than half of what the book said, then I could make some real money.” And so, Glynn’s business savvy was planted, and over the past 30 years he has become a force to be reckoned with in the Florida auctioneering business. The locals know his signature white tent, inside which he boisterously and humorously keeps the large crowds that he draws in on the edge of their seats; and the fact that he chooses unusual locations to host auctions. Regardless of location or venue, Glynn said he is unique because no matter the sale, when customers come in, they have a fair chance of walking away with something. “I used to be a little leery of the big crowds at auctions,” he said. “But we had an auctioneer one time that was so bad I told him either get this going better, or I’ll just do it for you. And in about 15 minutes, I was up on that block, hollering out numbers and selling things left and right. So, after a few thousand times of that, it grows on you – it’s addicting.” Glynn has come a long way from his roots in the Massachusetts dumps, digging for goods that would turn a penny. These days, he is the president and driving force behind Turkey Creek Auctions Inc. Turkey Creek was established in north central Florida 20 years ago, with a proclaimed mission to provide the most comprehensive, professional and competitive auction services and merchandise to customers. Glynn is leading Turkey Creek into the 21st century, helping the company generate more than $1 million in sales annually. They specialize in the liquidation of estates and personal property. “My parents used to ask when I’d get a real job,” Glynn chuckled. “I guess now I can answer – I’m doing something that I love and something that really is just ingrained in my very being. I love this business, and things are going so well, I can’t say that I’d rather be doing something else.” Contact: (800) 648-7523, www.antiqueauctionsfl.com |
