Cape to host auction at Arena Park on Saturday

In the market for a concrete cigarette urn? How about a 1966 half-dollar? An upcoming Cape Girardeau public auction will offer attendees the chance to bid on an eclectic array of items that come from every municipal department, from office equipment and lawn mowers to golf carts and basketball goals.

Oh, and bikes. Lots and lots of bikes.

The public auction at Arena Park's 4-H shelter begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, the first such city auction in nearly two years, said city fleet coordinator Michael Schott. While the city has deemed the for-sale items as surplus, that doesn't mean they won't be found useful -- or valuable -- by someone, he said.

"Some people like to buy older equipment," Schott said. "It's more sturdy sometimes, or better built. If they have skills to work on an engine and get it running again, it's good value for them."

While the last auction brought in about $75,000, Schott said he expects Saturday's event to generate about $25,000, which will be placed in city's equipment replacement fund. That's because in recent years the city has shifted toward the growing trend of selling its surplus rolling stock at an online auction. The auctions used to be held annually, but now they will probably take place every other year, Schott said.

Using online auctions, in this case www.govdeals.com, the city's surplus police cruisers, dump trucks, road graders and backhoes bring in more money because the Internet offers a much wider market, Schott said. More than $120,000 has come into city coffers in the last fiscal year from the online auction, which is significantly more than they would have made at a Cape Girardeau-based public auction, he said.

Using govdeals.com also generates the equipment replacement funds quicker, usually within 30 days, instead of waiting to unload the items once a year at public auction, he said. Schott would like to sell even more items on the site.

Still, Schott said, he's hoping for a large turnout Saturday, when items like subwoofers, more than 80 bicycles, a 1974 Ford tractor and cement mixers will be up for grabs. The bikes were confiscated by the Cape Girardeau Police Department after being reported lost, stolen or abandoned. The bicycles can be claimed up until time of the auction if ownership can be proved, spokesman Sgt. Jason Selzer said. That could come as serial numbers or special markers on a bicycle.

Other unclaimed and found property at the auction include earrings, costume jewelry, sunglasses, tools and cologne.

J.W. Strack of Strack Excavating is a regular at the auction and he's bought things every time he's attended. He's bought tractors, mowers, dump trucks, for example, all which he's fixed up and resold. Though he says he still has two trash containers he bought 12 years ago that he still uses for storing materials in.

When asked about the quality of the items, Strack said: "Well, let the buyer beware. A lot of that stuff's been sitting for several years by the time it gets to the auction block."

Strack doesn't just go for the goodies, but he warns against getting caught up in the heat of the bidding battle, which could cause you to spend more for something than it costs brand new.

"Someone makes you mad and then you don't want to let them have it, so you keep going beyond what it's worth," Strack said. "But it is fun bidding as long as you keep your head."

David Crump of Crump Auto Sales in Perryville, Mo., has attended the event for years. But he said he probably won't this year since vehicles are no longer for sale.

"I go to a lot of city sales, though," Crump said. "You can tell they've been maintained and taken care of."

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

410 Kiwanis Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO