Bolton sings and auctions
emus in Nokesville

Frank "E" Bolton chants his auctioneer lingo as he helps the
Rowlettes of Nokesville auction their estate.
Photo by: E. Bruce Davis / the Bull Run Observer

Frank "E" and Donna Bolton worked very hard before, during and after the emu auction in Nokesville to ensure their clients, Jim and Norma Rowlette, got their money's worth from the sale of their fine, fast and flightless feathered friends, as well as everything else available at the July 22 auction.

In addition to preparing to put up 40 emus for sale, the Boltons generated interest locally and afar in incubators, hatchers, horses, farm equipment, cars, tractors and other personal property at the Rowlettes' estate auction.

Frank "E" and Donna Bolton met at the Certified Auctioneers Institute in Indiana in 1987, and they have been sold on each other ever since. They are both graduates of the prestigious Missouri Auction School, although they graduated decades a part. Both partners are also certified appraisers.

"We specialize in onsite estate sales," Bolton said. "We're handling auction items, picking [them] up and loading them to prepare for the auction." It usually takes three or four days to prepare for an auction, including raising a tent and setting items on tables with polyethylene over them until auction day.

"We have six day laborers on this job," Bolton said. They work under his direction, sorting everything into categories to display for buyers. Before taking on a job, the Bolton's assess the value of the saleable merchandise and then determine a percentage to charge the seller.

"We don't specialize; we're general practitioners," said Bolton, who has been in the business forty-five years. "But we don't sell junk. Through the years, you acquire knowledge. Every year you pick up a little more." The Boltons attended the National Auctioneers Convention in Orlando, Fla., in July, where they saw old friends and attended seminars to add to their knowledge.

Bolton was raised on a cattle farm in eastern Tennessee. In the third grade, he started going with his Uncle Henry to the cattle market. "I loved the chant of the cattle auctioneer," Bolton said. "In the eighth grade, they let me do some selling of the cattle. It just came naturally to me." He went off to Missouri Auction School and became licensed and bonded, which states require for auctioneers. He has lived in the general area for 45 years. He and Donna have lived in Lake Ridge the last 14 years.

The Boltons handle 35 to 40 auctions a year, and do appraisal work, which includes work for four insurance companies. The Boltons follow the Certified Uniform Standard Professional Appraiser Practices developed and published by the Appraisal Standards Board.

Through experience, the Boltons have learned to assign proper values to things. However, on auction day, the fair market value is established by what someone is willing to pay.

Many people have seen Bolton working at charity events for churches, civic associations and hospitals. He has helped raised funds for the new cancer center nearing completion on Lee Highway between Warrenton and Gainesville, as well as with the Jaycees' raising funds for a community center. Some might recognize Frank "E" by his white cowboy hat or by his tendency to break into song during an auction. He grew up singing; when the mood strikes him, he will serenade buyers with a tune.

"I sang at the Grand Ole Opry, starting at age 14," Bolton said. "Our teacher in school called us the 'Chord Masters Quartet,' because we hit the harmony just right." Comedienne Minnie Pearl used to give a big "howdeee" to Frank "E" and his buddies when she spotted them. He has always enjoyed singing and chanting as an auctioneer.

"Fifty and a burber... Fifty and a burber...Do I hear 60? ... Sixty and a burber...," an uneducated ear makes out as Bolton chants into his headset microphone. Before long he breaks into song with "Anytime you're feeling lonely," or "Goin' to the chapel." However, he always stays focused on moving the merchandise to be auctioned. When the sale of items slow in an area, he changes the arrangement, packaging goods together or perhaps selling a whole table full of items for one bid.

The Boltons have a slew of letters following their names indicating their levels of expertise and the designations they earned. Among them are CAI (Certified Auction Institute), GPPA (Graduate Personal Property Appraiser) and NAA (National Auctioneers Association). These titles indicate they have studied and have been certified in the nuts and bolts of auctioneering and appraising as well as the ethics of the business.

In addition to preparing the auction site, the Boltons provide a great deal to their sellers, including informing prospective buyers of the items for sale and the details of the auction by placing advertisements and posting the dates on their website. They also have a concessionaire onsite for food and drink.

Bidders must register and receive a number to participate. At the auction, Bolton Auctioneers will have a clerk, a registrar, a cashier and two to four "ring people" to display items as they are up for auction. They accept major credit cards.

"We'll take a check with proper identification, and if you have someone to vouch you are a good person, I'll take cash," Bolton, with a grin, often tells buyers.

Bolton's chant was as facile as ever as 40 emus and hundreds of farm and household items were auctioned to the highest bidders. Not another day at the office for the Boltons, but just another day of helping clients place their belongings with others who went home with something they wanted and a smile on their faces. Everyone was "sold" with the results.