KIMBERLY SWEETMAN
The Corsair
Mannequin heads and bicycles lined the sides of the gazebo in front of Building 6 at the PJC Found Property Auction, on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
PJC students and members of the community searched through the 855 lost and found items to find their desired objects.
After writing down the red numbers located on each item, the bidders then waited for the auctioneer, Officer Henry Shirah, to call their number. Many fought to claim their desired items, sometimes raising the bids to hundreds of dollars.
Although PJC has been holding Found Property Auctions for years, this year’s auction was the first held in the gazebo. From 9-9:30a.m., people viewed the items lost by students and faculty: such as books, electronics, bags, clothes, games, jewelry and bikes.
“I am really competing to get those bikes because they are really nice,” PJC Student Kristan McCants said.
The auction began at 9:30a.m., with Shirah, auctioneer, reminding bidders to pay in cash or check, and to listen for the red numbers listed on each item. Dr. Ed Meadows, PJC President, fought the crowd to buy the first item: a red Mongoose bike. Nice bikes were sold with older bikes just to “get them off the lot,” Shirah said.
“We sell it all because we take the good items and put junk with it so you bid on the good item and get the junk free,” PJC Police Sgt. Peggy Smith said.
The mannequin heads, used in the cosmetology department, were sold after the bikes followed by other groups of items. Competition increased when the auctioneer began to stuff back-packs full of different items to sell. Bidders were willing to pay in the hundreds to get the one item they wanted in the bag.
Rachel Burns attended the auction and paid $141 for a back-pack filled with 20-30 items. One of the items in the bag was a ring.
“I was looking at bikes and just happened to see a ring that was listed as silver with a clear stone,” Burns said. “It said 14 carat on the inside of the band, and it looked like a diamond solitaire. I think I got an amazing deal.”
According to a Florida statute, all items lost on the campus of a community college must be sold at an auction, and the money must go to student scholarship.
Del Sherbourne, PJC Student, bid a higher price for a box full of calculators and other various items just because the money was going back to the students.
The PJC auction raised a total of $1,321 for student scholarships.
Students that wish to reclaim their lost items before they are sold at the next property auction should visit the lost and found drop-offs which are located at the PJC Police Headquarters on every campus.