Dixon's Furniture Auction in Crumpton, Maryland

Step Back in Time

Selling Outside, Selling Outside. The voice booms across the speakers every Wednesday as it has for the past 48 years. It's 9 a.m., and the inside auction has already been going on for the past hour, now it's time for the two outside auctions to begin.

Dixon's Furniture Auction is unlike any sale you have ever attended. While they are known up and down the east coast from Maine to Florida for selling furniture, here one can find anything from diamond rings to a full size stuffed lion (real not a toy) to a vintage Coca Cola machine. It's part treasure hunt, part festival.

While the dealers are here to buy and sell, locals and tourist visit for the fun. The sale draws people of all kinds; dealers and collectors, those well heeled and those down on their luck. Love a good deal? Try one of the two outside sales. Things move at a fast pace and be ready with your money, for outside you pay as soon as you win your bid.

A bicycle built for two, a hand push lawnmower, shrubbery, an old rocking chair that has seen better days, cardboard boxes filled with dishes and household items. You name it and sooner or later it will show up in Dixon's field. Anything not sold, (while one man's junk is another's treasure, some things aren't wanted by anyone), is there for the taking. Free, just haul it off. There are a few dedicated souls that make their living reselling the freebies at yard sales and flea markets.

Inside the higher end items are sold. To bid inside one must register at the office first.

Here is where one finds the finest antique china, rare paintings, and Oriental rugs. Precious stones and jewelry and smaller items are displayed on a large screen TV, a concession to modern technology, allowing everyone in the large crowd surrounding the auctioneer a close up view. It's not unusual for items inside to run up to the thousands of dollars.

Some people visit the auction just to people watch and eat. Inside there are a number of Amish vendors and an Amish run restaurant serving home cooked meals at very reasonable prices. For a quick snack grab a pretzel dog and fresh squeezed lemonade.