This is my grandfather speaking in this video, he is an awesome individual.. I love hearing his stories of the old days. We often ask him to recite the Gettysburg Address, which is what he used to win the Auctioneering World Championship back in the 80s...
That is so cool to know that you got to hear this story. Your grandfather is a fascinating man who has lived through a time of great change. He was so kind to share his memories with us.
DaHokie I knew your grandfather, Page Roberts. He won the 1982 World Tobacco Auctioneering Championship Contest, sponsored by R.J. Reynolds back in the day. Page Robert's chant was rythmatic, very much like a song with numbers. He was definitely a champion auctioneer!
My great uncle. He along with your great uncle / my grandfather George was a brilliant auctioneer and is a joy to know him. I remember going to Richmond to meet the Governor who congratulated him.
Absolutely love listening to Page Roberts on this video. I've really enjoyed listening to him telling about the halcyon days of the Tobacco auctions. He certainly hasn't lost his chant. Here in the UK the livestock auctioneers aren't in the same league as the American auctioneers when it comes to the chant. I've only recently stumbled across these old Tobacco auctions with the likes of Speed Riggs, and it's got me hooked.
I would love to get a transcript of this recording! I can hardly understand it but fascinates me very much. The speed and rhythm is amazing! Rage seemed like a very interesting and well skilled person.
Page is a true gentlemen and one of the best tobacco auctioneers the business ever to walk the rows. I had the pleasure of buying tobacco with Page Roberts in Winston-Salem, Lexington Ky., and in Hughesville, Maryland. Page, Bob Cage, & Walter Wilkerson were all three class acts in the auctioneering universe.
We had the honor of meeting Mr. Roberts in 1982. I cannot tell you how much we enjoyed the chants and the kind hospitality. Our daughter still has the photo of the two of them together. I do hope he gets to see this as we speak of him fondly. from Racine & Laramie, in San Diego
Page Roberts, the narrator, is my great uncle. This brings back pleasant memories and visiting the markets to see him (along with my grandfather George, his brother) auction. My dad, before I was born, also helped at the markets by supervising the loading and weighing of the tobacco. (Thank you, +Doug Grimes, for sharing your perspective on Page.)
Hi Matthew: We actually visited Mr. Roberts home in Clarksville, VA and recorded his chanting and narration in his living room. The pictures were taken at his home many of the historic pictures were provided by him. We worked as a team through a grant, but Richard Gilbert handled all the audio recording and editing then added the images (that other team members shot) in his studio.
Had the honor of meeting Mr. Roberts at his home in Clarksville while on a fishing trip with Scott Pope who was a tabacco warehouse broker from Winston Salem . Mr. Roberts recited the Gettysburg Address before we had dinner and was a wonderful gentlemen .
I went to auction school in 1980, and we learned how to sell all sorts of things...EXCEPT tobacco. Tobacco auctions have a language all their own and even auctioneers not familiar with tobacco sales might not have any idea what the auctioneer is saying! Even then, only a few schools taught tobacco auctioning...mostly in or around NC as I recall. I'm not sure how few schools, if any, still teach this special way of chanting...and most tobacco is sold via contract directly to the tobacco companies, cutting out the middle-men that would sell by auction. It's dying skill apparently.
I am the young man standing next to Page in the fourth picture from the start of the video. That was thirty three years ago during the world championship. Page is a wonderful man who always took time to speak to everyone.
Charles Waddell That is very nice to know, Mr Waddell. So glad you saw the video and recognized the image. Mr. Roberts was wonderful and gracious sharing his photos as we did this project.
***** My father was the Sales Supervisor for the Danville Tobacco market. I worked in the warehouses lifting and shipping tobacco. Dad volunteered me to be on stage for the Auctioneering Championship that year. I got to know Page and actually took an image from that competition and painted a protrait of Page.
Charles Waddell It sounds like tobacco often followed family lines. Thank you for using this outlet to share some of your personal stories. Maybe someday you can share a picture of the portrait you painted too.
Bottom line is,now because of high tobacco prices, higher taxes and the economy going up up ,up in pricing ,has caused more and more people to start growing their own. Greed will kill AMERICA in the END.
Read that at 1965 Smoke Act, there were 519,000 T. farms, most in VA/NC/TN/KY, but double the number in NC, the bible belt. @2002, it was 46,000. The land, devalued, bought up for subdivisions and yankee-ugly strip malls of the "New South" & breakup of southern culture. 1 wonders if they just hated the bible belters. Sure wasn't abt health (they jack kids up on ADD drugs, sugar, pharm rugs, etc.) Ppl from that life should record it, their memories, people do care.
This is my grandfather speaking in this video, he is an awesome individual.. I love hearing his stories of the old days. We often ask him to recite the Gettysburg Address, which is what he used to win the Auctioneering World Championship back in the 80s...
That is so cool to know that you got to hear this story. Your grandfather is a fascinating man who has lived through a time of great change. He was so kind to share his memories with us.
DaHokie I knew your grandfather, Page Roberts. He won the 1982 World Tobacco Auctioneering Championship Contest, sponsored by R.J. Reynolds back in the day. Page Robert's chant was rythmatic, very much like a song with numbers. He was definitely a champion auctioneer!
My great uncle. He along with your great uncle / my grandfather George was a brilliant auctioneer and is a joy to know him. I remember going to Richmond to meet the Governor who congratulated him.
I knew Page Roberts. He auctioned at Taylors Warehouse in Winston Salem, NC, where l sold at. He was a fine man.
Absolutely love listening to Page Roberts on this video. I've really enjoyed listening to him telling about the halcyon days of the Tobacco auctions. He certainly hasn't lost his chant. Here in the UK the livestock auctioneers aren't in the same league as the American auctioneers when it comes to the chant. I've only recently stumbled across these old Tobacco auctions with the likes of
Speed Riggs, and it's got me hooked.
I would love to get a transcript of this recording! I can hardly understand it but fascinates me very much. The speed and rhythm is amazing! Rage seemed like a very interesting and well skilled person.
Page is a true gentlemen and one of the best tobacco auctioneers the business ever to walk the rows. I had the pleasure of buying tobacco with Page Roberts in Winston-Salem, Lexington Ky., and in Hughesville, Maryland. Page, Bob Cage, & Walter Wilkerson were all three class acts in the auctioneering universe.
I love hearing this man. This is history, Bless you my friend !
We had the honor of meeting Mr. Roberts in 1982. I cannot tell you how much we enjoyed the chants and the kind hospitality. Our daughter still has the photo of the two of them together. I do hope he gets to see this as we speak of him fondly. from Racine & Laramie, in San Diego
Page Roberts, the narrator, is my great uncle. This brings back pleasant memories and visiting the markets to see him (along with my grandfather George, his brother) auction. My dad, before I was born, also helped at the markets by supervising the loading and weighing of the tobacco. (Thank you, +Doug Grimes, for sharing your perspective on Page.)
Hi Matthew: We actually visited Mr. Roberts home in Clarksville, VA and recorded his chanting and narration in his living room. The pictures were taken at his home many of the historic pictures were provided by him. We worked as a team through a grant, but Richard Gilbert handled all the audio recording and editing then added the images (that other team members shot) in his studio.
Had the honor of meeting Mr. Roberts at his home in Clarksville while on a fishing trip with Scott Pope who was a tabacco warehouse broker from Winston Salem . Mr. Roberts recited the Gettysburg Address before we had dinner and was a wonderful gentlemen .
I watched this video and now I’m at 7-11 buying my first can of Skoal Straight.
I went to auction school in 1980, and we learned how to sell all sorts of things...EXCEPT tobacco. Tobacco auctions have a language all their own and even auctioneers not familiar with tobacco sales might not have any idea what the auctioneer is saying! Even then, only a few schools taught tobacco auctioning...mostly in or around NC as I recall. I'm not sure how few schools, if any, still teach this special way of chanting...and most tobacco is sold via contract directly to the tobacco companies, cutting out the middle-men that would sell by auction. It's dying skill apparently.
A way of life still is yes sir
I hope he sees your kind comments as well, A Mogilner. He is a true gentleman!
I am the young man standing next to Page in the fourth picture from the start of the video. That was thirty three years ago during the world championship. Page is a wonderful man who always took time to speak to everyone.
Charles Waddell That is very nice to know, Mr Waddell. So glad you saw the video and recognized the image. Mr. Roberts was wonderful and gracious sharing his photos as we did this project.
***** My father was the Sales Supervisor for the Danville Tobacco market. I worked in the warehouses lifting and shipping tobacco. Dad volunteered me to be on stage for the Auctioneering Championship that year. I got to know Page and actually took an image from that competition and painted a protrait of Page.
Charles Waddell It sounds like tobacco often followed family lines. Thank you for using this outlet to share some of your personal stories. Maybe someday you can share a picture of the portrait you painted too.
love this,im from danvile!
Do you have any credits for this? Where did you get the audio? I would like to see if the producer has any other material.
@ 3:39 looks suspiciously like TSF, with Harry Proctor and Mark Mason in the foreground.
Bottom line is,now because of high tobacco prices, higher taxes and the economy going up up ,up in pricing ,has caused more and more people to start growing their own. Greed will kill AMERICA in the END.
Read that at 1965 Smoke Act, there were 519,000 T. farms, most in VA/NC/TN/KY, but double the number in NC, the bible belt. @2002, it was 46,000. The land, devalued, bought up for subdivisions and yankee-ugly strip malls of the "New South" & breakup of southern culture. 1 wonders if they just hated the bible belters. Sure wasn't abt health (they jack kids up on ADD drugs, sugar, pharm rugs, etc.) Ppl from that life should record it, their memories, people do care.