By ERIC C. RODENBERG
Antique Week Associate Editor

NEVADA, Ohio — During his past 10 years in the auction business, auctioneer Gregory T. Durham can tell some wonderful stories about “primitive” auctioneering in the Midwest.

Operating from an old downtown stone building in Nevada (population 814), Durham faithfully ran The Bull Pen Auction House, with consignment auctions nearly every Saturday evening. The last Saturday of the month was reserved for antiques, collectibles, jewelry and coins.

It was not easy for Durham and his partner, John Bonen, who both make up The Bull Pen Gallery on downtown Main Street.
There were holes in the roof; there were drafts of cold air that, nearly unimpeded, blew through the structure. In short, many of the winter auction nights, despite the anthracite coal burner, were for the most stout hearted.

The springs weren’t much better.

“We’ve had the storms come through and knock the electricity off, and we ended up finishing the sale after lighting several candles,” Durham says. “Then, we had one sale where it rained so hard with water coming in at one side of the building, and we opened the doors on the other side and just let it all run through.”

And the summers were hot.

But, that’s all soon to come to an end.

On Jan. 2, The Bull Pen Auction Gallery will hold its debut auction in a new modern 8,000-square foot facility. Located at the same address, 208 North Main Street, only feet behind the old location, the new facility offers toasty heat, handicap-accessible bathrooms, air conditioning, food on site and more, according to Durham.
“It’s a huge change,” he says, “like going from a Chevette to a Cadillac.”

The old building, built in 1910, will soon be razed. A parking lot for auction customers will take its place.

At the Jan. 2 auction, The Bull Pen is opening up with a strong antique showing, including an appreciable amount of period and primitive furniture, stoneware, an antique mortuary sign, collectible glassware and old toys, and several lots of old coins.
“I’ve really gone out and looked for some unique items for this sale,” Durham says.

Nevada (pronounced “Na-Vay-da” by its inhabitants) is located about 60 miles north of Columbus, the state’s capitol.

“This is small town USA,” Durham says. “Our business here has been strong – there’s not really any slack time. We’ve not had the problems, like many auctioneers we’ve heard from, of finding good merchandise.”

An auction at The Bull Pen usually consists of 1,000-1,400 lots, with prices ranging anywhere from $5 to thousands of dollars, Durham says. “We probably got one of the better auctions in the area. We really come out with a wide variety of items – maybe, what some call eclectic.”

At The Bull Pen, there is no online bidding (“personally, I’m just not comfortable with it,” Durham says.)

However, The Bull Pen does accept absentee bids and, once in awhile, Durham said he’ll find an item he’s interested in.
“I don’t sell on eBay, and everyone knows that,” he says. “But once in awhile, I’ll see something I’m interested in … I’ll tell the audience I’m going to bid … but they don’t seem to mind. I’m cheap and they all know it.”

For more details, call The Bull Pen at 740-482-2651.