Omro – John L. Freund, 94, of Omro, passed away peacefully with family by his side, on October 13, 2021 at Evergreen Retirement Community. He resided at Arborview Manor until recently. John was born on the family farm in Omro on January 19, 1927. He was the youngest child of John J. and Rose B. (Schrage) Freund.

John graduated from Omro High School in 1944 and Oshkosh State Teachers College in 1949. He married his high school sweetheart, Lucille J. Neary, on December 1, 1945, at St. Thomas Catholic Church in the town of Poygan. John and Lucille worked together, loaded up the family car and traveled together, and enjoyed activities and time spent with friends and their families. Lucille preceded him in death on September 17, 1992.

John was a life-long member of St. Mary Catholic Church in Omro, serving as a lector, usher, and parish council member.

John joined his eldest brother, Ernie, to begin his passionate lifetime career in real estate and auctioneering, which also later included insurance sales. Freund auctions were well known and were a weekend family event in the Omro/Oshkosh areas. The family always enjoyed closing out an auction with dinner, old fashioneds, and fun. John was a founding member of the Wisconsin Auctioneers Association. He served as its president in 1973 and 1974 and was named 1980 Outstanding Auctioneer of the Year.

John was an active community member. He served on the Omro Board of Education. He was a charter member of the Omro Kiwanis, actively serving that organization for over 50 years. John served as a Director of Winnebago County Bank for over 25 years. He was a member and past president of the local Board of Realtors and was Realtor of the Year in 1965. He was a member of the National Association of Farm and Land Brokers. John was also a member of the Omro Jaycees and Oshkosh Elks.

John enjoyed many years of bowling and golf leagues. He also enjoyed deer hunting and was a proud member of the Sawyer Swampers Hunt Club. John enjoyed many winters vacationing in Florida. He especially enjoyed fishing there with his Omro friends, fish fry’s, and socializing. It was never determined if it was John or his friend, Judd, who caught the biggest bass.

John is survived by his daughter, Janet Abalan, and son, Michael (Mona) Freund; grandchildren Kathryn Freund (Roger Baron) and Kristin (Andy) Duda, and their mother, Mary Morelli, Ryan (Kimberly) Abalan and John Abalan, Lauren Price and Andrew Freund; great-grandchildren Nicholas and Owen Duda, Lucy and Claire Abalan, and Lily and Trenton Price.

In addition to his wife and parents, John was preceded in death by his son Robert; siblings Ernest Freund, Naomi Ziebell, Adell Lesniak, Alyce Freund, Alvin Freund, and Frances Blount; and infant grandchild Meghan Abalan.

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History of Auctioneering

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Most expensive jewellery collection sold at auction
On 13–14 December 2011, Christie’s auction house in New York City, USA, hosted a sale entitled “The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor: The Legendary Jewels”, selling 269 items of jewellery formerly owned by the famous British-American actor for a total $137,235,575 (£88,090,700; €104,252,000). In addition to jewellery, the full sale, which ran from 3 to 17 December, also included items of fine art, fashion and movie memorabilia. The jewellery sale also set several records for individual gems, including the most expensive pearl and the most expensive emerald sold at auction. The 80 lots that were sold in the first evening sale (on 13 December) generated $115.9 million (£74.5 million; €88.1 million) of the total – a record for jewellery collection sold at auction in a single day. All the proceeds of the sale went to the Elizabeth Taylor Foundation.

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Most money made at auction by a single artist

Damien Hirst (UK) made $200.8 million (£111 million) during a two-day auction on 15 and 16 September 2008. 167 of his works went on sale at Sotheby’s in London. Only three of the 167 items available failed to find buyers.

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eBay was founded

eBay was founded as AuctionWeb in California on September 3, 1995 by Pierre Omidyar in September 1995. It has 132 million yearly active buyers worldwide and handled $73 billion in transactions in 2023, 48% of which was in the United States. In 2023, the company had a take rate (revenue as a percentage of volume) of 13.81%.

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eBay acquired Half.com

In June 2000, eBay acquired Half.com for $312 million in stock.

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Delaware Auctioneers Association v. Delaware Real Estate Commission

Pursuant to 24 Del. C. § 2901, “the practice of providing real estate services” is reserved for those “duly licensed under this chapter.” Section 2901 enumerates several exceptions to the licensing requirement for providing “real estate services,” including one for “auctioneers.” In its Complaint, Plaintiff Delaware Auctioneers Association challenges regulations promulgated by Defendant Delaware Real Estate Commission concerning the 24 Del. C. § 2901(e)(4) exception for “auctioneers.”3 Specifically, Plaintiff asserts that § 2901(e)(4) is a blanket exemption for “auctioneers,”4 and, therefore, Defendant does not have the authority to implement regulations which purport to clarify “the complete, clear unambiguous and blanket exemption provided to ‘auctioneers.’”

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Idaho Association of Professional Auctioneers (IAPA) was organized

The Idaho Association of Professional Auctioneers (IAPA) was organized in 1981 to promote professionalism and the auction method of marketing. All members are in good standing and subscribe to the code of ethics set forth by the IAPA. The Association offers leadership, support, information and assistance to its members through its various committees and services, and lobbies to protect and enhance auction interests in the State. Members in good standing in the Idaho Association of Professional Auctioneers abide by Idaho Auction Law, IAPA By-Laws and a strict Code of Ethics.

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Largest online auction house – active users

Based on users, the largest auction website is eBay (USA), with an estimated 157 million active buyers worldwide as of 9 October 2015, according to Forbes.

eBay was launched on 4 September 1995 by Pierre Omidyar (France) and has its headquarters in San Jose, California, USA.

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Most expensive painting by a female artist sold at auction

“Jimson Weed: White Flower No. 1” by American Modernist Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986) became the most expensive painting by a female artist sold at auction, when it made $44.4 million (£28 million) at Sotheby’s in New York, USA, on 20 November 2014.

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Most expensive wine sold at auction (Imperial bottle)

The most expensive bottle of wine sold at auction is £192,000 ($304,375), which was paid for a bottle of 1947 French Cheval-Blanc, and sold at Christie’s, Geneva, Switzerland on 16 November 2010. The bottle was sold to a private collector smashing the previous estimates. The wine is of Bordeaux variety.

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Most expensive radio equipment sold at auction

The most expensive piece of wireless related equipment is a German Enigma coding (ciphering/enciphering) machine sold for £24,172.50 ($38,047.50) when it came to auction at Phillips Bond Street, London, UK, in April 1993. The above amounts are equivalent to £29,385.80; $45,355.26 in the year 2000.

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