Local man honored for five decades of auctioneering

Bobby Melton looks like he stepped out of an old western movie. His distinguished gray hair hides under a black cowboy hat and he typically wears jeans and boots.

“I like old cowboys,” he said with his southern drawl. “I was raised up with them.”

Outside his office near his home on Melton Drive, a rusty suit of armor stands guard. Inside, deer heads, racoon, a duck and other stuffed wildlife adorn the walls, although Melton said he doesn’t hunt, he’s just picked them up through the years, along with dozens of photos. He has autographed photos from John Amos, Ben Johnson, Barry Corbin and Mary Crosby and Melton himself has been in a few movies, including The Rare Breed and The Last Plane Out.

In addition to riding, shoeing and showing horses, he has been an auctioneer for a long time.

Melton, and his business partner, Ronnie Causby, of Morganton, were recently recognized by the North Carolina Auctioneer Licensing Board for being active licensed auctioneers for 50 years.

The two men were among 10 across the state to be honored.

According to a press release from the NCALB, Causby has provided bid calling services for decades, initially primarily in the auto industry. Melton started in the horse business and became an auctioneer in 1969 and expanded to conduct all types of auctions. In the late 1980s, Causby and Melton partnered to form Auctions Unlimited, Inc., providing a wide range of auction services. Causby, Melton and four additional honorees (and their guests) were able to attend the celebration event and received commemorative plaques in-person.

"Auctioneers serve as fiduciaries, and they are entrusted with people's property and the proceeds from the sale of that property,” said NCALB Chairman Daniel H. DeVane. “The licensing system provides an important layer of protection for consumers."

Melton, who can rattle off numbers faster than most people can think, said every auctioneer has a little different tone and uses different filler words. He likes to use his hands as he talks, and he said when he first became an auctioneer he would practice while he was driving down the road and wave his hands around. His children were young at the time, and they said “Daddy, you know everybody that goes by,” thinking he was waving to everyone they came across.

He said sometimes he works as the ring man, or the one who catches the bids out in the crowd which requires a careful eye.

Melton, who was born and raised in Casar, said he loves horses and has a long history in the equestrian business that goes back generations. His grandfather was an old horse trader, and Melton still has his original horse license hanging on the wall that was issued in 1920 and signed by the sheriff.

In 1967 he went to horseshoeing school in McCombs, Illinois, when he was in his early 20s and was in the business for years but he also always wanted to be an auctioneer, so in 1969 he went to a two-week school in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he learned how to count like an auctioneer and use filler words.

The first auction he worked was at a house in Casar, and Melton said he nearly missed it because he was snowed in at a horse sale he was attending in Tennessee.

In the five decades since that first auction, he has helped sell countless items.

He’s sold rare, valuable coins, pots and pans, tractors and cars.

Last year, they sold a '58 Corvette for $40,000 to a man from Pennsylvania.

“I’ve sold everything from a toothpick to an airplane,” Melton said.

Auctions Unlimited handles a lot of estate sales, but they also do business liquidations, personal property, vehicles and livestock.

“I want the buyer and the seller to be satisfied,” Melton said. “If they’re satisfied, I’m happy as a goose.”

He said he loves to sell, and it’s kept him in the business for so long.

When asked if he expected to still be working as an auctioneer for so many decades, Melton chuckles.

“No. I didn’t think I’d live this long,” he said.

He’ll turn 80 this month.

He said it’s been a good life, and he’s enjoyed meeting people, being in the fray and having fun.

He said some people attend auctions like they're going to the fair.

“It’s a fun way to make a living,” Melton said.

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Local man honored for five decades of auctioneering