“Seven, seven-FIFTY, seven, seven-FIFTY…SOLD, seven dollars, to number, 167.”

It’s 5:03 Thursday night.  Richard “Rick” Bryant Jr. just sold the first item of the night, a heavy-duty stainless-steel colander. He paces the cement floor in brown suede athletic shoes. His medium build fits his five-foot, eight-inch height.  His pristine white button-down long sleeve shirt is tucked into crisp clean jeans with a black belt.  The earpiece for his microphone rests securely in his left ear in front of his silver-gray hair. Embroidered above the left pocket of his shirt is the Bryant Auction logo.

On top of running his own auction business he runs numerous charity auctions free of charge.  He knows how to entertain the audience and how to raise the bids.  He was picked by the History Channel above numerous others for the series “Sold”, that aired in 2012.

Bryant Jr. is a second-generation auctioneer.  His father, Richard Bryant, Sr. started Bryant auction in 1967, with the help of his wife Barbara Bryant, while living in Iowa. Byrant Sr. had a master’s degree, two bachelor’s degrees, and taught chemistry, physics, and mathematics for Fort Madison Community School for 33 years, retiring in 1992.   He started Bryant’s Auction while teaching because he believed the industry needed more heart after seeing neighbor’s life possessions and family heirlooms auctioned off in a careless manner.  Bryant Sr. often said, “You can’t sell it, if you don’t know what it’s worth.” A saying his son, Bryant Jr. continues to this day.  Bryant Sr. died in 2011.

“Five and go…” It’s now 5:25, a few late arrivals, straight from work, squeeze in.  Every row of metal folding chairs, placed in the middle of the room, is occupied with bidders, all hoping to land a good deal.  Several bidders are standing around the room in the nooks and crannies created by auction items. Soon the big-ticket items will come up for bid.

Directly in front of the customers, suspended from the ceiling, is one of the five large screen TVs showing upcoming real estate properties Byrant Jr. will auction in the near future.  Below the TV lined up in neat rows is antique furniture, new and used furniture with miscellaneous household items such as lamps and flower vases sitting on every horizontal space to be found.  Tables covered with numerous household items are lined up next to the furniture.

On the right-hand side of the metal chairs is an industrial band saw, standing drill press, treadmill, bikes, camping equipment, BBQ grill, among numerous other items. Tables are stacked high with cast iron pans, hand saws, toolboxes full of tools and numerous miscellaneous items.

Rifles, securely locked in a display rack, are on the left-hand side of the metal chairs.  Pistols, locked in a box, are below the rifles. A wood case with a glass top displays fine jewelry and coins to the right.  Stereo equipment, party lights and more are to the left.  Bryant Jr. can usually be found close to this area during the auction. Numerous video cameras are running inside and outside the building, for extra security.

The smell of rib-eyes, hamburgers and popcorn fills the air from the concession stand tucked into the back left corner.  In the front left, just past the gun case, is a booth that sits up high with a clear view of the whole room.  Sitting in the booth is the auction record keeper, tracking every item sold.  Occasionally the auction record keeper pulls items up on the internet and displays them on one of the overhead TVs so bidders can see the value of big-ticket items up for auction.

Newly installed LED linear light fixtures brightly light the room and reflect off the white walls of the metal building, in the few spots not covered with artwork, taxidermy stuffed animals, or other auction items.

“One-fifty, one SEVENTY-FIVE, one-fifty, one SEVENTY-FIVE, one-fifty, one SEVENTY-FIVE…SOLD $175 to bidder number, 93”.  Bryant Jr points with his right index finger to bidder number 93.

When bids are rapid, Bryant Jr. stands at the front left of the bidders, between the record keeper’s booth and to the left of the first row of metal chairs. When the bidding is slow, Bryant Jr. paces the floor back and forth, similar to a lion, ready to pounce on the next bid.

As a child, Bryant Jr. attended most of Bryant Sr.’s auctions, often displaying items and helping carry items for customers.  Bryant Jr. had no desire to follow in Bryant Sr.’s footsteps, despite his father encouraging him to learn auctioneering.  Until one day, when there was a motorcycle that Bryant Jr. wanted but could not afford.  Bryant Sr. told him if he ran the auction for ten minutes, he would buy him the motorcycle. “I thought about it for a while, I really wanted that motorcycle, and I decided to do it”.

Bryant Jr. auctioned off his first item, then more.  “Afterward when I got the motorcycle, I decided being an auctioneer really wasn’t that bad” he said.  Bryant Jr. went on to get his auctioneer license at 13.

Being an auctioneer wasn’t his dream.  Bryant Jr. joined the police force, became a licensed paramedic, and worked with Search and Rescue. He got certified to be a scuba instructor and rescue dive instructor.  He also became swift water rescue certified.  Bryant Jr. was awarded two commendations for bravery and above and beyond duty call, in addition to being awarded several other admirable citations. He is credited with saving multiple lives, six of which were children ages eight and under.

“One night, I came home, knelt down on the floor, grabbed both of my children, and started sobbing. My children had never seen me like that, they didn’t say a word. They later told me that they didn’t say anything because I smelt of smoke, and they knew it was bad”, said Bryant Jr.  Two of his best friends, who were also co-workers, along with two young children, lost their lives that day in the fire.  “I was tired, tired of the horrendous scenes, you don’t want to imagine all the things I saw…I saw a lot…I wanted…needed even, a career change”.

Bryant Sr. was ready to retire, “My dad was starting to slow down, I was helping him out, and one thing led to another,” said Bryant Jr.  While vacationing at Lake of the Ozarks with his family and driving around, they spotted the perfect auction building for sale. “I didn’t feel like there was a lot of opportunity for my kids where we lived in Iowa, so I bought this building in 2005.”  The next year he moved Byrant Auction to Osage Beach, Missouri.

“Seventy, EIGHTY, seventy, EIGHTY, EIGHTY, NINTY, eighty, NINTY, NINTY, ONE-HUNDRED…”, Bryant Jr. chants while one of the ringmen demonstrates that a big red Craftsman air compressor up for bid works.  With a playful smile on his face, “Who bought that nail gun earlier? Whoever it was, go outside and poke holes in all the tires, maybe then we can get what this compressor is worth.”  The bidders laugh, Bryant Jr. shakes his head and returns to bid calling. “Ninety, ONE-HUNDRED, ninety… ”

It is now 6:20.

Bryant Jr.’s youngest brother, Bobby Bryant, is the auction floor manager and one of the ringman at Bryant’s Auction.  The two Bryant brothers banter back and forth, adding entertainment for the bidders.  Ringman bring items to the auction floor and assists the auctioneer in seeing bids. Tonight, there are four ringman, who often raise their hand while yelling their unique sound, “YES”, “YEP” “YEAH” and “YUP”, before pointing their hand in the direction of the latest bidder.

One of the newest members of the team is Brandon Shoemaker who started working for Bryant Jr. almost three years ago in 2020.  During a shortage of ringman Bryant Jr. made an announcement to the bidders that he was hiring.  Shoemaker’s mom was one of the bidders and called her son.  Shoemaker came up to the auction right away, went to work that night, and has been there ever since.

“He lost his dad.  I’m trying to be a father figure,” Bryant Jr. says.  Shoemaker’s father passed away when he was 7. Shoemaker recently got his auctioneers license, which now hangs in the office next to Bryant Jr.’s.  Bryant Jr. has been training Shoemaker to be an auctioneer for over a year now.  Next week Bryant Jr. is traveling to St. Louis to host a charity auction for the Shriners; Shoemaker will fill in for him.  Bryant Jr. plans to one day turn the business over to Shoemaker when it comes time to retire.

During the auction, Shoemaker calls Bryant Jr. “Boss” and Bryant Jr. calls Shoemaker “Colonel”.  Calling an auctioneer “Colonel” is a tradition that can be traced back to the Civil War.  After a battle, the winning side would collect all the equipment and belongings of those who had vanquished, then the items would be auctioned off by a Colonel.  Now all auctioneers are honorary Colonels.

“Rick has taught me a lot about being an auctioneer and a number of other things, such as how to do home repairs and I’m very thankful to him”, says Shoemaker.

Auctioneers practice and learn how to talk fast. Bryant Jr. makes talking fast look effortless.  Patting his chest, “You have to talk from here, you can’t talk from down here, or up here”, he says touching his stomach and then his throat.  “I once ran an auction for 13 hours by myself. It takes a lot of practice. Colonel can’t go that long yet, but he is getting there,” Bryant Jr. says.

Byrant Jr.’s children have worked at the auction on and off but have moved on.  His son, Dylan Bryant, started working at the auction when he was 14 and became the company’s chief marketing coordinator and handled most of the company’s computer and internet demands. Today Dylan is the State Registrar & Chief at Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Bryant Jr.’s daughter, Danyale Bryant, started working at the auction when she was 12 and became a clerk. Following in her brother’s footsteps she is now a Legislative Director working in Administration and Accounts at Missouri House of Representatives.

“Forty, FIFTY, forty, FIFTY…COME ON GUYS! That is a nice leather chair and it’s worth a lot more. If you go to town, and try to buy that chair, it’s going to cost 4 to 5 hundred dollars, if not more… The guy that died in it, was only in it a couple of days before they found him. It doesn’t smell bad at all.”  Bryant Jr. tries to play down his smile, but you can tell he knows what he said was funny.  The bidders laugh.

It’s now 8:20.

Items at the auction come from estates sales, people wanting to downsize, and businesses closing or moving out inventory to make room for new stock. Some items are on consignment and others Bryant purchases before the auction, usually depending on how the customer wants to handle the transaction.  Police departments and city officials in the surrounding area bring surplus and seized items to Bryant, as well does county officials.  Some items even come from federal law enforcement. People wanting to buy new cars bring their cars to Bryant Jr. instead of trading them in.  The inventory changes weekly.

“I can handle anything you want to auction.  I have a man to handle livestock, a man to handle online sales and I have Angie!”  Angie Schejbal is Bryant’s companion and the office manager. Schejbal keeps track of consignment records, sales records, schedules, registers bidders, hands out bid numbers to the buyers and handles all the payments.  Schejbal is also a licensed real estate agent and specializes in marketing and selling real estate at auctions.

Bryant usually reserves Tuesdays for real estate auctions for individuals, estates, or court ordered sales.  “So far this month we’ve sold three properties and hope to sell one or two more before the end of the month”.

Bryant conducts over 45 auctions for charities and benefits each year, at no charge.  “If it is a worthy charity or benefit, I will donate my services. If it’s not, I’m not doing it”.  Bryant says he has never charged any charity or benefit for his services until recently, when one charity insisted.  “I accepted the payment, turned around 15 minutes later and donated it back to the cause. It just didn’t feel right.”

“I like helping people. It makes me feel good when I can help somebody get something they need or help somebody by selling their stuff,” Bryant Jr. says. Occasionally at auctions he tells the bidders, if you need something, come see me.  One gentleman that took him up on his offer wanted something special for his wife for their anniversary.  Bryant Jr. procured a one karat diamond solitaire pendant necklace for the gentleman, at below retail cost.

Bryant auction was picked, over hundreds of auction companies across the nation, for a 10-episode TV series called “Sold” that was produced for the History Channel. The first show aired on April 11, 2012, and the final episode aired on May 23, 2012.

Six tall swiveling bar stools that look brand new are up for bid.  “Choice, each, choice, thirty-five, FORTY, thirty-five, FORTY, choice each, thirty-five, FORTY….I could never understand that, there is three or four things in the business that really perplex me, even more than woman do.  And one of them is bar stools, pay 289 dollars at the furniture store and bring it here and you can only sell it for 50 dollars.   Bar stools are like exercise equipment.  I’ve never understood it. You can go buy a $689 Jack LaLanne exercise bike, pay $689 for it, making $49 payments, use it once or twice, bring it in here a year later and you can only get 30 dollars for it…”

It’s 9:00 now.

Licenses are one thing an auctioneer must keep up on.  In the state of Missouri, the state requires auctioneers to be licensed.  However, the license is issued by county and requirements vary.  The Missouri department of motor vehicles requires a special license to be able to deal with anything that requires a licenses plate.  Bryant currently has a Federal Firearms license, but he worries how long he will be able to continue to get one.  Currently the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE) is refusing to enter Camden County and Camden County doesn’t want the ATFE to enter Camdenton County.  “This year I had to meet an ATFE agent in Lebanon for lunch and lug all my records with me, just to get a license”, he says.

“Rick, can I say something?” asks an elderly woman setting in the second row of metal chairs. After Bryant nods, she continues, “I just want to say that I am very pleased and thankful to you and all of your crew for all that you have done this week. You are very professional, and very helpful.  You, all of you, have made downsizing easier than I ever thought it would be. I’m so delighted.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart”.   Tonight, numerous items that were auctioned were owned by this lady whose husband recently passed away.  Last Tuesday, Bryant auctioned her house and got more than she was expecting for it. Next week Bryant is taking three antique cars that belonged to her husband to another auction where he believes they are more likely to get what they are worth. Sitting next to her is her daughter, with a pleased look on her face as well.

“Thank you! I’m glad you’re happy with our service, we, Colonel, Renee, all of us, are happy that we could help you.  We all had a good time this week.  Can I give you a hug” he says.  Bryant Jr. walks over and gives her a brief but friendly hug.

Bryant Auction has a large following.  Some come every week, others come more occasionally.  Bryant Jr. calls the bidders, “The Bryant Auction Family”.  He calls all the employees at the auction the “Bryant Auction Crew.”

Many of the bidders are getting up there in age and they know things are not made as good anymore.  Some of the bidders have antique stores, thrift stores, flea markets or some kind of resale business.  Younger folks tend to do eBay and online auctions or buy new. Online sales have really hurt the auction business in the last couple of decades.

“Thirty-five, FORTY, forty, FIFTY…” Up for auction is a Makita electric planer. It sells for $40.

When the winning bid comes in low, Bryant’s forehead scrunches as if to say he is confused why. When the bids come in where he believes they should, he leans forward from the waist in the direction of the bidder and points to them with his right index finger and smiles at them.

It’s 9:20, the crowd is starting to slim down. “Look around, if you see anything you want to bid on, let us know, we will bring it up here and sell it,” he says.  There are still hundreds of items that were not auctioned off, the night was just not long enough.

Bidder 1125 exits the office with a receipt in his hand, walks back to where he was sitting, picks up a box and heads toward the door.

“Looks like you got yourself a box full of goodies!”

“Yes, Mam, sure did”.  Bidder 1125 is a man named Michael Palmer, who is pleased with tonight’s purchases.  Palmer purchased a vintage oil can, a Lodge handle for his Dutch oven (price tag still attached), a Makita planer power tool that looks as if it has never been used, a stainless-steel percolator that he will use to make coffee while camping, a drop light, two jack stands and a turkey fryer, all for $25 less than the Makita planer would cost at the local hardware store.  Palmer knows because he has been wanting one for a while.

Palmer said he tries to come to the auction once or twice a month.  “I come for the entertainment but always end up buying something. You never know what you are going to find here.”  His favorite item so far has been an early 1900s wooden refrigerator he got for $175 that sells for $800 or more in the local antique stores, maybe more considering the great condition it is in.

When Bryant Jr. is asked about his spare time and hobbies his eyes light and he smiles a big mischievous smile, “Sex, I like sex…NO don’t write that.  In my spare time, well I like to fly, I have a pilot’s license.  Like photography.  But really don’t have time between the auction and flipping houses.”  Bryant buys run down real estate, fixes it up and then resells it.  Another skill he is teaching Shoemaker.

It’s 9:40, most of the bidders have departed, only a few linger, still loading up tonight purchases. Bryant Jr. takes big gulps of something from a covered insulated glass and thanks any bidders still present. Ringman help customers load the heavier items and speed about the room, moving items to make room for new items that will be brought in for next week’s auction.

Since moving to Osage Beach, Bryant Jr. says several other auctions have come and gone.  When asked why Bryant Auction has been able to stay in business Bryant Jr. says, “It’s because we know the value of what we are selling, and by being honest and dependable”.