I’ll take it off… your hands

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/03/2009 (6229 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ANDY Kaye thought he had seen it all during his 45-year career as an auctioneer. Until Saturday.

The owner of Kaye’s Auctions has sold millions of items during his nearly half-century in the business, including cars, trucks, furniture, antiques and even airplanes and an army tank. But at a late-morning auction at the Park West Inn in Charleswood, he sold his first stripper pole.

“There is a first time for everything,” he said. “Just don’t ask me to demonstrate it.”

There was some spirited competition among five bidders for the pole and adjoining platform, which ultimately sold for $350.

“Everybody was after the pole for some reason. Don’t ask me why. Usually hotel owners don’t sell their poles but Park West doesn’t have dancers anymore,” he said, adding he doesn’t know what a new pole would cost.

A spokesperson for Park West wasn’t available for comment but Kaye said the hotel decided to eliminate strippers from its entertainment offering and target a more upscale clientele.

The successful bidder was Keith Pearce, who bought it on behalf of the owners of the Blush Cabaret, who were out of town and unable to bid in person. He said he didn’t have an upper limit on what he could spend.

“I was instructed to get it,” he said. “I was told to use my best judgment. I was thinking $500 might have been the tops.”

Pearce said after an initial inspection, the pole appeared to be in “not bad” shape.

“They probably cleaned it up a bit. At least I hope they did,” he said with a laugh.

Kaye said more than 200 items were sold by the time the auction would up Saturday afternoon. Nothing generated as much interest as the pole.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca