The Annual Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt Mammoth Auction & Sale will be held on Saturday, February 17 (preview Noon – 1 p.m., auction 1 – 3 p.m.) and Sunday, February 18, 2024 (Vendors 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Sale 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.) at the Lakeside Park Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave., in Oakland, California.
This is the official appeal for materials for the auction of quality bonsai on Saturday, and for the sale of bonsai, pre-bonsai and related items on Sunday. This is the largest fundraiser of the year for the BGLM. Items may be 100% donated or submitted on consignment.
Auction Items: High value bonsai, pots or stands for the auction will need to be submitted no later than January 6, 2024. Consigned items will have a charge of 30% of the sale price. Full donations are appreciated and tax deductible. If you wish to place a reserve price on your item in the auction, you will be charged a restocking fee of 15% of that reserve if the item does not sell. To donate or consign items for the auction, or for more information, contact George Haas, 707-762-9154, [email protected].
Sale Items: Any bonsai related items are suitable for the sale, such as pre-bonsai, bonsai, tools, pots, books, etc. Consignment items will have a charge 25% of sale price charge. Full donations are appreciated and tax deductible. Material for the Sunday Sale will be accepted at the Lakeside Park Garden Center on Saturday, February 17, from 9am – 4pm (preferred) and Sunday, February 18, between 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. To donate or consign items for the sale, or for more information, contact Mike Mello,
510-886-1568, [email protected] or Dennis Hawkins, 510-657-8229, [email protected].
AUCTION BIDDER PROCEDURES
Bidding in the auction will require that upon arrival on Saturday, you register and purchase a catalog for $5, which includes your Bidders Card that you will need to make bids and record your purchases. The catalog illustrates the items that will be auctioned, including a description of the physical characteristics of all material.
All Auction material will be available for public view starting at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, one hour before bidding starts at 1:00 p.m. Each auction item has its own Auction Item Card displayed. The Auction Item Card will have the catalog number of the item, description, and indicate whether or not it has a reserve price (the reserve price amount will not be shown).
During the auction, a successful bidder will receive an auction item number sticker on his/her Bidder’s Card by an auction official for each item purchased. Each bidder is encouraged to record on their Bidder’s Card the purchase amount and item number.
The auctioneer will determine the opening bid. Raises above the opening bid will be in approximately 10% increments. For instance, an item with a minimum bid of $250 will be raised in increments of $25. If the reserve price for the item is not reached the item will be removed from the auction.
An auction official will record the winning bidder number and purchase price on the Auction Item Card, which will be brought by an auction official directly to the cashiers. After check out and payment the Auction Item Cards will be retained by Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt for its records.
A bidder may exit the auction at any time when his/her bidding is complete. Bring your Bidder’s Card to the cashier. The cashier will have the Auction Item Card(s) for each item you have purchased. This can be cross-checked with your record of purchased items on your Bidder’s Card. You may pay by credit card, check or cash. If any dispute arises during the auction, it shall be reviewed by the auction chairs and their resolution will be final. Paid for item(s) may be removed from the display tables by a staff member when the purchaser is ready to leave the auction room and has his/her receipt stamped PAID. For purposes of security, this stamped paid receipt will be checked at the exit door.
PROCEDURES FOR PRE-REGISTERING ITEMS FOR AUCTION
Contact George Haas (707-762-9154 or [email protected]) to offer all items for Auction. You are encouraged to submit your bonsai for consideration to be included in the Mammoth Auction as soon as possible. The deadline is January 6, 2024. Items will be considered on a first-come-first-considered basis. Auction items are limited to approximately 115 items.
After you have talked to George Hass, please deliver all materials for the auction to the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt no later than 10:00 a.m., January 6. This will allow photography of item and printing of the Auction Catalog. In addition, your item will be published and advertised online for potential bidders to view. Any item received after this date may be accepted, but will not receive the advertisement in the catalog and online.
Due to limited volunteer time, PLEASE GROOM YOUR BONSAI AS YOU WOULD FOR A SHOW.
Complete the Auction Seller Form and submit it with your auction items. Do NOT write in gray shaded columns.
Auction Seller Form can be obtained, in person at the BGLM and through George Haas at [email protected].
For each item on the Auction Seller Form, complete the Description, Reserve Price (if applicable) and checkmark either the 100% DONATION column or the 30% DONATION column. Each item will be given an ID Number upon receipt of the material. This form will serve as the record of your submissions and final sales amount.
Provide a self-addressed and stamped envelope. Checks will be mailed as soon as possible after the auction.
SUNDAY CONSIGNMENT OR DONATION SALE PROCEDURES
For your sale items, fill out a Sale Donation or Consignment Form, and tags for each item, and bring it to the sale. Please complete the form and tags by printing legibly and using a ballpoint pen. We will have extra tags and forms at the drop off location, but we strongly encourage you to fill these out ahead of time. You are responsible for pricing your items. Please set prices only in dollar amounts (no cents). You may change prices during the sale, but remember to update your price on the price tag, and on your form, which will be at the cashiers’ table.
After completing the Sale Donation or Consignment Form and properly tagging your items, they can be delivered to the Lake Merritt Garden Center, Ebell Room, (Note: NOT the BGLM) on Saturday, February 17, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (strongly preferred) and Sunday, February 18, 2024, between 8 and 9 a.m. Items will not be accepted beyond these times. Your items, tags and forms will be examined at this time for completeness. The Chair reserves the right to reject any item that may be infested or not healthy.
Anyone wishing to pre-register bonsai material earlier than Saturday will need to make arrangements as to storage ability by contacting Chairpersons: Mike Mello
510-886-1568 or Dennis Hawkins 510-657-8229.
If consigning your item(s), 25% charge is the required donation to the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt. However, you may choose to donate your items 100%. Your donation of the entire amount of the sale would be greatly appreciated and your form will be mailed back to you for your tax purposes. For consignment items, your form will be updated at the conclusion of the sale to show your total sales, net proceeds and donation amount. Forms will be mailed back to you with your check.
Provide a self-addressed and stamped envelope. Checks will be mailed as soon as possible after the sale, generally within 2 weeks.
Sales Form and Price Tags can be obtained at the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt, or tags can also be purchased from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Garment-Perforated-Tear-Off-Receipt-String/dp/B07N14CXKF.
Detailed instructions for filling out the tags and forms can be found online. Do NOT write in gray shaded columns.
IMPORTANT: If you have unsold items, you may wish to donate them to the Bonsai Garden at Lake Merritt. If you don’t wish to donate them, items must be removed by 3 p.m., Sunday. Material that is not picked up by 3 p.m. will be considered a donation.
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