On the count of three it’ll be ‘sold, sold, sold’

It may be hard to believe, but Pattaya has well and truly stolen a march on Bangkok in a business-related area: auctions. The eastern seaboard resort city has two foreign-run auction houses, with Collingbourne Auctioneers generally considered the most prominent.

Certainly Collingbourne Auctioneers was the first auction house to set up business in Pattaya, and that was just four years ago. Owned and operated by John Collingbourne, who hails originally from the valleys of south Wales in the United Kingdom, Collingbourne Auctioneers holds a Saturday auction every Saturday, starting at 11am. They turn over antiques, furniture, all sorts of home décor, original paintings and prints, jewellery, electrical goods, motor vehicles, statues, and…well, you get the idea.

Among some recent items placed up for auction were a framed flag of the US state of Texas and a battered Russian infantry helmet.

The British, in particular, seem to love auctions. So, naturally, of the up to 300 people who regularly pack out the Saturday auction at Collingbourne, it’s no surprise that a majority are expat Brits. Nonetheless, it’s amazing how many other nationalities quickly become almost addicted to the auction bug.

John Collingbourne was in the auction business in the UK for over thirty years. His sister, who started with him in Pattaya, went off to live in Cyprus and is running a major auction house on that Mediterranean island. It seems selling things ‘under the hammer’ is a family trait.

When he first moved to Thailand, about 13 or so years ago, John became involved with a resort in Rayong. He ran it quite successfully for a decade or so, and then, when most people are fishing out their slippers and looking to spend their days fishing or golfing or simply sleeping more, John decided he needed a new challenge.

He realized an opportunity existed in the Pattaya marketplace for a proper auction house and so he set up Collingbourne Auctioneers.

His motto is, ‘the easy option to buy and sell anything’ and his auction house, located in eastern Pattaya, specifically Soi Chaiyapreuk 2, has a nice cafe serving teas and coffees as well as a few snacks and even breakfast for those who feel a bit hungry after browsing the up-coming goods to be auctioned.

There is ample parking and it’s quite amazing just how many people will wander through during the day to inspect the up-coming items. John and his staff accept goods for auction from Monday to Thursday and then use Friday to prepare everything for the big day on Saturday.

For more information on Collingbourne Auctioneers visit their well-designed website: www.collingbourne-auctioneers.com