Police Auction Nets $5,100 in Torrance

It wasn’t Christie’s, and there weren’t any mystery men engaging in bidding wars for high-priced objets d’art.

But the Torrance Police Department auction, held Saturday at the loading dock in back of the station house, drew its fair share of customers nevertheless. About 50 of them stood for 3 1/2 hours in a cold, misty drizzle looking for bargains in the misfortunes of others.

The auction, held quarterly, is the Police Department’s way of getting rid of stolen car stereos, toolboxes, bicycles, watches and other miscellaneous items that police confiscate but can’t match with their owners.

It was sort of a police version of “The Price is Right.”

The auction began at 9 a.m., after bidders were given 30 minutes to inspect the merchandise. Sgt. Ralph Blount, the auctioneer, picked up a microphone and outlined the rules: Bidding would begin at $1 and go up in increments of $1.

10-Speed Bicycle

With that, the first item went on the block: a 10-speed girl’s bicycle described by Blount as being in “not too good a condition.” The audience apparently agreed. The first bidder got it for a buck.

Later sales ran the gamut. After a lengthy back-and-forth between two bidders, one of several packets of jewelry sold for $200 to a man who wouldn’t identify himself and wouldn’t say why he wanted it. He later bought nine additional packets of jewelry, which had been bagged randomly by the Torrance officers.

A Sears vaporizer went for just $4 to Paul Marsh of Long Beach, who said: “I got a den that’s hot. I’ll put it in the corner.”

A pair of Volkswagen radial tires--rims included--went for $56 to Chuck Everest of Torrance, who said: “I got a friend who’s got a Volkswagen. He needs ‘em real bad.”

Gift for a Girlfriend

And a set of ceiling fans sold for $45 to Fred Rembert of Torrance, who wanted them for a Valentine’s Day gift for his girlfriend. Rembert also spent $40 on a wooden jewelry box. “If she doesn’t like the fans, I’ve got that as a backup,” he said.

Rembert was among several bidders who are no strangers to police auctions. Calling himself an “auction hound,” he said he has furnished his entire house with items purchased at auctions.

In fact, he said, “I bought my house at a public auction.”

By the time the auction ended, about 150 items were sold for a total of $5,100, which will go to the city’s general fund. Among the items sold were 85 bicycles and an 18-speed trail bike that brought the highest price of the day, $226. Also sold were about a dozen toolboxes, three hydraulic floor lifts, a photo enlarger and a set of Volkswagen car seats--two front buckets and one back seat.

Only one item, a bicycle, drew no bidders. Five items drew bids but were not picked up by the bidders, according to Lt. Susan Rhilinger, who was in charge of the auction.

“I thought it was a lot of fun--even with the rain,” said Rhilinger. “A lot of people left that auction very happy.”