Antique Hunting in Angoulême

There is a brocante coming up this weekend just 3 kilometers from our home so we have decided to reserve a pitch.  Having decided not to attend a brocante we had booked for a few weeks back this will be our first of the season so with this in mind last Sunday I went out on the hunt for a few more interesting trucs to add to my stock.  It was a bit of an overcast day but ideal for shopping as there is nothing worse than getting hot and bothered when your trying to sift through all the goodies on offer.  

Because my Mum and her husband were over from England for a visit we thought that the most picturesque and interesting brocante to visit would be one held in the supremely elegant Place New York in Angoulême. Luckily there was also a vide grenier which is a kind of car boot sale in a suburb of Angoulême called St. Cybard so I had hopes that one of the two markets would come good.

The Market at the Place New York, Angoulême

Even if your not into antiques the architecture is stunning

The amazing Hôtel de Ville (it's good to be Mayor!)

A view from the Hôtel de Ville to the covered market

The labyrinth of cobbled medieval streets

As it turned out the little flea market in St. Cybard was much more suited to my budget and I managed to buy some really interesting little trucs.  Unfortunately the wonderful and genuine antiques on offer at the Place New York market were well out of my league.  

In my innocence I picked up an elegant vintage car mascot and thought that aside from the obvious use it would make a super paperweight so with that in mind I casually asked the dealer the price.  I put it down pretty quickly when he said 400€.  It might well have been worth that and more but I must confess that mascots are not my area of expertise (unless they are of the doughnut variety -mmmmm..... mascotte aux pommes)

Anyway, it was well worth seeing a proper antique market in such a charming setting and admiring all their lovely wares.  You never know one day I may have the money to match my obviously exceptional taste but for the time being, sadly, I must cut my coat according to my cloth.   

Le Truc to Antique Auctions in France

This Wednesday morning we were up and out of the house bright and early to catch an auction we had decided to attend in order to buy some trucs for the upcoming brocante season.  Unfortunately at this particular Vente aux Enchères in the historic town of Angoulême you are only permitted half and hour before the sale to view the myriad of lots on offer.     

The tables are laden with random objects that have no lot numbers  

When we arrived we pushed the heavy door of the saleroom open to find the place crammed with people struggling to view the lots.   For the next twenty minutes or so it helps if you are feeling strong as it mainly consists of being pushed around the crowded room by lots of little old men.  I have to confess that this was not my idea of fun but I was determined to hold my own and dived right in.

Over the years I have attended many auctions in England and France but I have to say that this particular one is especially challenging as there are no lot numbers and no auction catalogue.  This kind of sale is known as a Vente Courante which is a General Sale that mainly deals with trucs from deceased estates and house clearances.

Being of a rather wimpy disposition and prone to dizzy spells if I stand for too long I have found that the best thing to do once the alarming experience of the viewing is over is to find a comfortable chair somewhere in the middle of the room and settle down in the hope of standing half a chance of seeing what's going on once the sale kicks off.  

The room turned towards the auctioneer who has begun his random rummage! 

The room became hushed as the auctioneer made his way to a hitherto undisclosed part of the saleroom and picked up the first lot.  At this pivotal moment the crowd surged forward in a wave and in the process completely blocked my view from the aforementioned comfy chair!

With much reluctance I gave up on the chair and moved to the outer edges of the room for a better view. The auctioneer proceeded to discuss the object (chosen on what can only be described as a whim) with one of his colleagues (at great length I may add!) which led me to believe (I could be mistaken!) that he had never clapped his eyes on the object before!

It was at this point in the proceedings that it became painfully clear to me that we were all in for a very long morning.

Some trucs that may or may not (auctioneers discretion) be sold in group lots

Another quirk I have noticed concerning provincial French auction rooms is that you are not provided with a bidding paddle or number before the sale.  The accepted protocol is that once you have made your first successful bid you are required to hand over a signed blank cheque.

Having lived in London for much of my adult life and therefore cultivated a healthy mistrust of human nature the ordeal of handing a complete stranger a signed blank cheque is naturally a nail-biting moment for me.   However, I have also lived in France for the last 10 years so I have come to accept the system (albeit reluctantly).  I am happy to say that I no longer feel compelled to stare mistrustfully at the holder of the cheque for those usual telltale signs of villainy such as moustache twiddling or evil sniggering from behind a long black cape.

The dilemma I now face is assuming I am actually able to see the lot being offered for sale and do, by some miracle, win a bid I am then trapped in the saleroom for the duration. This means that if the auctioneer decides, in his infinite wisdom, to auction 15 cases of wine by the individual bottle I am, in effect, a virtual prisoner until the ordeal is over (they have my cheque... ahhhhh!)

All things considered, having looked around the room and the faced the possibility of waiting for the next three hours for lots that I probably wouldn't get anyway, I took action and did the only thing a hardened antique dealer could do in this situation. I snuck out of the saleroom on about Lot 16 and suggested to my husband, Spike, that we find somewhere nice for lunch!

In all fairness I must stress that I have been lucky enough to attend numerous fine art and antique auctions since living in France and have found them to be a wonderfully catalogued and organised.

Since this experience I am looking forward to, more than ever, my imminent trip back to England in March and can hardly wait to find myself in the familiar surroundings of an English auction room enjoying the security of clutching a heavily annotated catalogue consisting of numbered lots having had the luxury of rummaging through all the interesting trucs on offer the day before the sale.

You know what they say about best laid plans... I will keep you posted on how that goes soon!