www.crownpointrugauction.comThe rug auction at Crownpoint, NM is something I have thought about for several years. I have been intrigued by Navajo rugs for many years and when I got interested in spinning and wool and checked out the webpage several times, attending an auction was one of the things on my wish list for this trip.
And so as we traveled north on Hwy 371 a small amount of excitement stirred in me. We took a few extra turns but we arrived at the Crownpoint elementary school at about 4pm. The sale actually starts at 7pm, but the doors are open at 4 for reviewing the merchandise. As we entered the front doors we noticed several people standing in line holding their weavings. We slipped through them and went into the school hallway. There were a series of tables with vendors and their wares displayed. There were several Acoma artisans with their beautiful pottery, others with jewelry, or dolls. A school organization sold fresh hot popcorn and another offered Indian tacos ( which are tacos with fry bread instead of a tortilla). If you have never had fry bread, with powdered sugar or honey, yummmmmm.
As we were moving down the hall between the vendors, a couple came up to us and said hello. They had been to PFNP a couple days before and we had talked to them while were doing our impromptu talks at one of the locations. They were, like us, attending the auction for the first time and had made a special trip to do so. I noticed at the end of the night they had fared very well and had scored three or four rugs.
So more than an hour was spent just checking out the vendors and deciding what to purchase, but we worked it out and found some really neat items. Then it was time to go into the gym and look at rugs. There were four tables set up with small rugs on the first, larger ones on the second, and so on, up to some rather large ones on the fourth table. Talk about gorgeous! As we looked them over we noticed that many folks had notebooks with them and were writing down the numbers on the tags. The numbered tags were attached to them by the weaving guild that conducts the sale when the weavers stood in line to check them in. So I went out to the truck and got a notebook. As we were looking through the piles and found a rug that both of us liked, we would write the number down. It was challenging because of the large quantity of smaller rugs that were stacked on the tables. Also, as more rugs were checked in, they were added to the pile we had already checked. So, as time proceeded, we added more and more rugs to our list. I know that some were going to be totally out of our price range, but strange things happen at auctions sometimes, so I wanted to at least keep my eye on them.
Finally it was time for the festivities to start and just like that, it did. The very first rug, for example, was a large rug that was probably worth $5000-$6000 easily. It went for $1600. We were stunned. One beautiful rug after another was held up and auctioned off at a clip of 1-2 minutes each. So that’s where the list became an asset. We just sat and watched these pieces of art go on the block and sell for a fraction of what they would sell for in a shop in Phoenix or Sedona. If only I would have been born rich instead so smart I would have purchased many rugs. You could not go wrong! #543
Soon number 0543 came up. It was on our list. After a few bids, we ended up with it!!! It’s a nice one. We scored! So as we continued to watch the proceedings, we struck up a conversation with two Navajo ladies sitting next to Randa. They both had brought rugs to the sale. So every time one of their rugs came up we rooted for them and clapped when they sold. It was getting near the end of the pile when the forth or fifth rug weaved by Eva came up and no one was bidding on it so Randa did and we bought it for a mire $50. A steal, but she was happy about it. It was kind of a bond between us. After I paid for and returned with our two rugs. I asked Eva if she would sign our rug. She wrote, ”Thanks for buying my rug.” It was truly a fun time and I would like to attend again sometime. But it was 9pm MDT (8:00 AZ time) and time to head for home. It’s at least two hours and we needed to get some groceries also.
The trip home was uneventful. We managed to get home at around midnight. The last hour was a struggle to stay awake. How do my sons do it staying up so late? Maybe the girls will let me stay in bed late…. Yah right. But the day had been the Best!
And so as we traveled north on Hwy 371 a small amount of excitement stirred in me. We took a few extra turns but we arrived at the Crownpoint elementary school at about 4pm. The sale actually starts at 7pm, but the doors are open at 4 for reviewing the merchandise. As we entered the front doors we noticed several people standing in line holding their weavings. We slipped through them and went into the school hallway. There were a series of tables with vendors and their wares displayed. There were several Acoma artisans with their beautiful pottery, others with jewelry, or dolls. A school organization sold fresh hot popcorn and another offered Indian tacos ( which are tacos with fry bread instead of a tortilla). If you have never had fry bread, with powdered sugar or honey, yummmmmm.
As we were moving down the hall between the vendors, a couple came up to us and said hello. They had been to PFNP a couple days before and we had talked to them while were doing our impromptu talks at one of the locations. They were, like us, attending the auction for the first time and had made a special trip to do so. I noticed at the end of the night they had fared very well and had scored three or four rugs.
So more than an hour was spent just checking out the vendors and deciding what to purchase, but we worked it out and found some really neat items. Then it was time to go into the gym and look at rugs. There were four tables set up with small rugs on the first, larger ones on the second, and so on, up to some rather large ones on the fourth table. Talk about gorgeous! As we looked them over we noticed that many folks had notebooks with them and were writing down the numbers on the tags. The numbered tags were attached to them by the weaving guild that conducts the sale when the weavers stood in line to check them in. So I went out to the truck and got a notebook. As we were looking through the piles and found a rug that both of us liked, we would write the number down. It was challenging because of the large quantity of smaller rugs that were stacked on the tables. Also, as more rugs were checked in, they were added to the pile we had already checked. So, as time proceeded, we added more and more rugs to our list. I know that some were going to be totally out of our price range, but strange things happen at auctions sometimes, so I wanted to at least keep my eye on them.
Finally it was time for the festivities to start and just like that, it did. The very first rug, for example, was a large rug that was probably worth $5000-$6000 easily. It went for $1600. We were stunned. One beautiful rug after another was held up and auctioned off at a clip of 1-2 minutes each. So that’s where the list became an asset. We just sat and watched these pieces of art go on the block and sell for a fraction of what they would sell for in a shop in Phoenix or Sedona. If only I would have been born rich instead so smart I would have purchased many rugs. You could not go wrong! #543
Soon number 0543 came up. It was on our list. After a few bids, we ended up with it!!! It’s a nice one. We scored! So as we continued to watch the proceedings, we struck up a conversation with two Navajo ladies sitting next to Randa. They both had brought rugs to the sale. So every time one of their rugs came up we rooted for them and clapped when they sold. It was getting near the end of the pile when the forth or fifth rug weaved by Eva came up and no one was bidding on it so Randa did and we bought it for a mire $50. A steal, but she was happy about it. It was kind of a bond between us. After I paid for and returned with our two rugs. I asked Eva if she would sign our rug. She wrote, ”Thanks for buying my rug.” It was truly a fun time and I would like to attend again sometime. But it was 9pm MDT (8:00 AZ time) and time to head for home. It’s at least two hours and we needed to get some groceries also.
The trip home was uneventful. We managed to get home at around midnight. The last hour was a struggle to stay awake. How do my sons do it staying up so late? Maybe the girls will let me stay in bed late…. Yah right. But the day had been the Best!
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