A Question of Value
Stories from the Life of an Auctioneer

Robert Brunk (Author)

9781469678092

Paperback / softback, published 13 February 2024

204 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.5 cm, 0.272 kg

Deeply thoughtful and elegant in its forthright simplicity, A Question of Value is one of the best books on collecting in many years."—Antiques and the Arts Weekly

In his new memoir . . . the gavel-wielding philosopher shares wisdom gleaned from his many years on the road and in the salesroom. [Brunk's] empathetic tales capture the comedy, pathos, joy, and ultimate mystery that is collecting."—The Magazine Antiques

In the late 1970s, Robert Brunk discovered the world of auctioneering. Drawn to the unique mountain culture and the history of fine art in and around Asheville, North Carolina, Bob started a business, Brunk Auctions, that became part of a bustling network of commerce. America's passion for collecting, buying, and selling reached remarkable heights in the following decades. Auction houses and antiques stores thrived; people paid hundreds of dollars for a humble country basket and thousands for a rare piece of folk art.

In this collection of compelling, compassionate essays, Bob considers specific items and remarkable situations he encountered in his long and successful work as an auctioneer and appraiser. He presents objects as invitations to consider personal and collective histories often related to unresolved social inequities. Bob also describes how, as his business grew to offer the finest examples of American and European art, his career often conflicted with his Mennonite background and the complexities of ownership and value. The result is a portrait that reflects the best and worst of us as we search for ways to live with objects—and then decide what to do when it's time to let them go.