Printer's Plates Revitalize Silent Auctions

A few months ago I had written an article about asaid, "That's how I got the idea."
unique silent auction idea involving printer's plates.Turns out, this ambitious auction chair read every one
Here's a quick refresher before I get to myof my blog posts and subscribed to my FREE e-zine
experience:to prepare for her auction. When she read my blog
Printer's plates are the image from the newspaper'spost about printer's plates, she asked one of her
front page. These plates are relatively easy to obtain,auction team members to follow-up with a local
even without a contact at the paper. For example, younewspaper. The newspaper sent this group --
can check your local newspaper's Contact Us pageamazing! -- two beautiful historical plates with copies of
and find either a telephone number or email address tothe front page framed.
begin the process.She was so excited to have them in the auction. And
They make for nice silent auction items because theynow I was excited, too. I couldn't believe how nice
are unusual. Multiple plates are often made of thethese were. The newspaper donated two
various front pages so you may be able to obtain onesports-related printer's plates. These plates were
that has historical significance such as Presidentialdifferent than what I'd seen donated from The Wall
inaugurations, World Series, etc.Street Journal. These were clearly more
At a recent benefit auction, I was doing a walk-throughcontemporary-looking. The plates were printed on a
with my client before guests arrived. As wepolyester plate material that looked like a metal.
approached these plates (one of which was aFinal numbers are still out, but a preliminary audit
gorgeous printer's plate from an uplifting day in historyindicates that the auction related activities raised twice
for Cal Ripken and his fans), she said, "We're reallyas much as in year's past. They also hit a new
excited about these."attendance record. (Let's not forget that at the time of
"Wow!, "I said, "How interesting. I wrote about how tothis writing, we're still in a recession.) Friends, making
get these donated a few months ago, but I don't oftenmoney at a benefit auction is simply a matter of using
see them in auctions." "I know you wrote about it," shea proven system with a little creative planning.