John Kramer celebrates milestone anniversary calling bids and selling!
For John Kramer, his love of auctions began when he was a child. In a recent telephone conversation, John said he started going to auctions with his parents when he was young and always enjoyed the experience.
“I always enjoyed it—then on my 18th birthday I went to an auction and it hit me,” he said. “I talk all the time, so I figured I might as well get paid for it,” he said with a laugh.
John graduated from the World Wide College of Auctioneering in Mason City, Iowa and also took an early (Dale) Carnegie course.
He began his auctioneering career in 1967 and began building Kramer Auction Service. Today Kramer Auction Service is a very well-known company and is a premiere seller of firearms in Wisconsin. John noted that his son, Curt, now runs the firearms auctions for the company. “Our firearms auctions have sold as many as 50,000 antique guns and rifles,” he said, noting that the auctions are available for buyers online.
Meanwhile back in the early years, John also attended agricultural college and “stumbled along” on the auction front.
He said that auctioneers can’t let their pride be hurt while starting up. “I got a few sales and did some work for Ed McNamara and Jerry Wilkinson.”
“Once my name got out there, it got better –but (at the start) it’s extremely tough,” John said.
Over the next 50 years John and his wife, Cheryl, built and grew the business in Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. In addition to estate auctions and additional types of auctions, Kramer Auction Service has a real estate division that they established in 1976. “Without my wife, I would not be successful.” Cheryl did all the accounting for the business and remains active with the company.
John earned a real estate license, which meant he could sell the antiques inside the home –then sell the home and property.
Farm land is mostly sold at auction, John explained. “Real Estate auctions on the farms is the best way to sell real estate in country settings,” he said.
Over the years John has seen some unusual circumstances in the auction business. “There’s been some doozies – families came in and couldn’t agree on selling,” he said. “(In one instance) the matter went to court where a judge ordered the property sold –and then at the sale, the family members were bidding against each other,” he said.
With a reputation for integrity, honesty and fairness, John was elected to the Wisconsin Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame in 1992. “I joined the Wisconsin Auctioneer Association when I first got out of auction school,” he said. “I made a lot of good contacts through my membership in that organization.”
“Auctions have changed so much over the years,” John said. “I remember standing on a wagon, freezing out in the cold and was impressed when I used a microphone for the first time.” During the 1970s and 1980s, John estimates he did about 100 auctions in a year. “That was the heyday of auctions,” he said.
Nowadays, John said the business has become very involved with computers, electronics and Internet postings and bidding.
“Now, the farms are gobbled up by the neighboring farmer –there’s no rural people out there,” he said. As for the household auctions that were once so popular, John said the market for antique furniture and glassware has gone down. “Currently if we’d have 20 household auctions a year–that would be good. It’s a different world.”
John is now semi-retired and he and Cheryl enjoy traveling and spending time with their three children, and 10 grandchildren. Their son, Curt now owns the business. “We raised a good family.”
Curt Kramer said his father taught him just about everything needed for the auctioneering business. “I didn’t go to auctioneering school, I learned from my father,” Curt said.
“I started auctioneering for him part-time in 1995 while going to college, then began full-time in the business when I graduated from college in 1998.” Curt explained that his father needed the help at that time and was happy to earn some money working for the family business.
Curt said his father was very pleased with the WAA’s Hall of Fame honor and he’s also thrilled to see his 12-year-old granddaughter and 10-year-old grandson coming into the business. “My kids are helping out as ringmen at the auctions, and my dad enjoys seeing them helping.” So, appropriately, the next generation of Kramers are joining the family business.
John and Cheryl enjoy their semi-retirement status, but also have fun working some of the big sales.
“I still like to reminisce with all the kids and our friends.”
Kramer Auction Service is located at 203 E. Blackhawk Avenue in Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. They can be reached at (608) 326-8108. The web site is www.kramersales.com. The company is also on Facebook.
