Emma Bailey

Emma Bailey (d. 1999) was the first American woman auctioneer, and the first woman admitted to the National Auctioneers Association. Bailey held her first auction in 1950, and continued her career for almost 20 years.

Emma Bailey
Died1999
NationalityAmerican
OccupationAuctioneer
Years active1950 – late 1960s
Known forFirst American woman auctioneer
Children2

Biography

In 1945, Emma Bailey moved to Brattleboro, Vermont, with her husband and two children.[1] Since their new home was an old house in need of repair, and the family was having difficulty paying bills, Bailey decided to start an auction business to supplement her husband's income.[1][2][3]In April 1950, Bailey placed the following advertisement in the local newspaper:

The Bailey Auction Barn on Black Mountain Road is prepared to handle auction sales. Courteous and efficient handling of all consignments, large or small. We will sell anything—from a plate to an estate, signed: Emma Bailey, Brattleboro's Woman Auctioneer.[1]

On May 12, 1950, Bailey sold her first item, a 50-year-old rocking chair, for a price of $2.50.[2] Her Saturday auctions soon became a regular local event, and her family helped out: Bailey's husband organized the sale items, and her daughters did the record-keeping and sold concessions.[1] Bailey sold a wide range of items, including antiques, farm tools, books, household furniture and more.[2]

In 1952, after applying to the National Auctioneers Association, Bailey was accepted as the first female member of the Association.[1] She continued her auction sales for almost 20 years, before retiring "at the peak of her career" in the late 1960s.[2] She wrote a book about her experiences, titled Sold to the Lady in the Green Hat (1962).[2][3]

During her time as auctioneer, Bailey encountered some opposition based on her gender: her first auction was postponed for several weeks after a male competitor accused her of breaking a zoning law.[2][4] Later, when Bailey and a rival male auctioneer both expressed interest in the same sale, the man proposed that he should get the sale because "he had a family to support", whereas Bailey already had a working husband.[4] Bailey lost the sale.[4][2] Despite her induction to the National Auctioneer's Association, Bailey was not always well supported by her peers: in 1960, when a reporter inquired about women auctioneers, the Association's response was that "although a woman had tried auctioneering in Vermont, she had found it too hard and quit".[2]

Bailey died in 1999.[4] The Wisconsin auction house Bailey’s Honor Auction, LLC, owned by auctioneer Carol Miller, is named after Emma Bailey.[5]

References
  1. Hansen, Fran Lynggaard (2009-06-01). Brattleboro: Historically Speaking. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781625842558.
  2. "Emma Bailey: reflections on life as America's first woman auctioneer". Christian Science Monitor. 1983-05-19. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  3. Bailey, Emma (2017-06-28). Sold to the Lady in the Green Hat. Pickle Partners Publishing. ISBN 9781787205345.
  4. "Women Make Bid To Run The Show". tribunedigital-orlandosentinel. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  5. "Local auctioneer inducted into hall of fame". www.gmtoday.com. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
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