Police Auction Draws Strong Interest

Imagine buying a 1.05-carat diamond gold ring, appraised at $5,000, for $350 or a Lincoln welder, that sells at Home Depot for $500, for just as little as $65.

Those were just two amazing bargains seen recently at a Suffolk County Police Department property auction. The auctions are held several times a year as necessary at the Property Section building next to police headquarters in Yaphank. Lt. Thomas Winsper, who runs the property division, said the auctions are typically well attended by a mix of buyers seeking bargains for personal and business reasons.

And it's why diehard bargain hunters like Fran Lesser, of Broohaven Hamlet, and Greenlawn resident Morris Stoller get their lawn chairs in place early to secure a front row view.

Lesser, who's been attending auctions since 1985, is a reseller looking for goods to sell at her Lions Furniture and Collective store in Brookhaven. Two of her best finds were a rare painting and a valuable Nippon Vase.

Stoller, who runs an insurance agency in Huntington, has been attending for more than 20 years and looks for items he can gift to family and friends. In between exchanging hellos with police officers setting up the auction stage, the 74-year-old said he's never looking for anything in particular.

"I budget myself and I'm just looking for good stuff at a decent price," he said, noting he still has a box of new clothes from the last auction that he needs to give away. One of his favorite auction wins is a Mets baseball from the 1986 season when the team won its most recent World Series title.

"You never know what you'll find or what kind of price it will sell at," said Stoller.

While there is the potential for a competitive atmosphere, auction activity is low key and very friendly as many attending know each other.

"One time there was this pretty necklace spelling the name Veronica," recalled Stoller, relating that the auctioneer then asked if anyone in the audience was named Veronica. One woman raised her hand.

"So he starts the bidding and another gentleman says 'I'll buy it for a dollar and give it to her.'" Stoller said. "And that's exactly what happened and everyone thought that was a great thing to do."

The long list of 188 items auctioned at Wednesday's event ran the gamut from floor jacks to theater systems, to religious concrete statues, bikes and movie DVDs.

The items are recovered through criminal case activity, are found abandoned or attained from residents who call the police in hopes of returning an item to its rightful owner. However tracking down ownership is difficult and after a certain timeframe goods can be disposed of or put aside for a future auction.

Right now the property division warehouse is home to more than a million different items.

"We do everything we can to get items back to owners and what we can't return or doesn't have to be held for evidentiary reasons we review to see if they should be put on the list," explained Winspur, whose staff collects items from precincts and offices throughout the county on a regular basis. Every item is boxed and tagged with bar codes for tracking purposes.

Item sales are 'as is' and cash only with proceeds submitted to the county treasurer's office. A recent car auction of 27 impounded vehicles brought in $181,000 in proceeds, and item auctions can tally $13,000 to $15,000 in sales.

The bidding, often led by Police Officer Robert Vigger, usually starts at the $5 to $10 range. At Wednesday's auction three pairs of new Nike women's sneakers went for $65 and Dominick Savino, a Middle Island resident, bought a collection of baby clothes for $25.

Savino, an auction fan for seven years and owner of a liquor wholesale business in Astoria, often attends with his brother-in-law John Caputo, a Farmingville resident who works in medical sales.

"This is about getting great deals," said Caputo, relating a recent $10 bid for brand-new fleece blankets that would have sold for $120 in a store.

While the auction team does what it can to display the items during bidding, many things are packaged in original wrapping and that doesn't guarantee an item is in good shape or will work.

Caputo recalled a bike purchase that proved to be a bust when he saw the frame was cracked. Lesser acknowledged she has bought a few faulty electronic devices in her years.

But sometimes there's a silver lining when an item is doesn't work. Stoller discovered a five-player DVD not only didn't work, but also had been recalled by the manufacturer.

"So someone told me to call them [the manufacturer] and I did and they said send it in," he said with a smile. "And they sent me a brand-new one. Not a bad deal in the end."