Auctions are on the up in the U.S. with record numbers of sales, as well as an increase in interest in auctions, according to the American Auctioneers Association.
Auctioneer Scott J. Cooper, a founding member of the Association, said there are a lot of reasons why people are interested in buying their own vehicles.
Cooper said there’s a lot more interest in the hobby now, and that’s a good thing.
“We’ve seen the boom in sales, and it’s really a good time for us to be here,” Cooper said.
“We have a lot going on, and we need the support of our members and the community to continue to grow and expand.”
The AABA’s 2017 Annual General Meeting will be held Saturday in Chicago, and the association’s board of directors will vote on the 2016 sales data at its meeting in New York City on Feb. 17.
For now, Cooper said he’s happy with the way things are going.
The AAGA is one of many organizations that will hold their own auctions, but it’s not just car auctions that have taken off.
The group is holding a car auction in Atlanta on Thursday.
The organization is hosting the event at its offices at 1810 N. Lake St., Atlanta, with proceeds benefiting the AAGAs Community Center, an organization that helps families in need.
“I think we’re seeing the excitement of the hobby,” Cooper added.
The group’s new member, the Ford Foundation, is sponsoring the car auction.
The Ford Foundation is one sponsor of the car sale.
A group of investors led by investor Paul Mancini and a partner in the Mancinis-led firm, Gensler Capital Partners, have donated $3.8 million to the car dealership, Cooper told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The car dealership plans to take the vehicle for a test drive this week.
Cooper and other members of the AABAs Board of Directors plan to present the car at the Car Show, and he hopes to sell it off at a public auction later this year.