September 26, 2022 | Market Insights from Bob McConkey
The Moose Sale is the original auction promotion. In the Fall of 1954, only nine months after founding South Seattle Auto Auction, one of its four partners, Bob McConkey Sr., who loved to hunt, decided there was no better way to show his appreciation for the small but loyal dealer base than to share his prized wild meat bounty with them. Oh – and yes, there was a new-found tax benefit to support the hunt.
The 1954 method of preparing the moose involved digging a big hole in the ground at the auction, placing large amounts of charcoal around the edges of the hole, wrapping the moose meat in burlap, and placing it on grates inside the hole. The meat was covered, and more charcoal was added as needed. The process began the day before the sale and went all through the night; auction management was equipped with Canadian whisky as they tended the coals until morning.
That first moose barbecue and promo sale 68 years ago netted a few extra cars and was greatly appreciated by the dealers.
With few exceptions, a moose has been harvested and a Fall Classic Moose Sale has been celebrated ever since. This year, David Pendergraft headed to the Northwest Territories to carry on the tradition in search of our “guest of honor.” After two weeks of hard work and perseverance, David shot a nice bull that is now being prepared for you. Congratulations and thank you David!
With locations in Seattle and Spokane, we will serve moose to you, our dealers, twice this year. But don’t worry – we won’t be digging any holes at the auctions or tending coals through the night with the aid of Canadian whisky. DAA Seattle’s Moose Sale (the town where it all began) will be Friday, October 7th and Spokane’s sale will be Thursday, October 20th. We hope you attend in person, and we hope there is a small part of you that appreciates this tradition of the Pacific Northwest auction business’ roots and the significant place the Moose Sale has in it all.
Sincerely,
Bob McConkey, Jr.
President & CEO
McConkey Auction Group