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Article: Auctions as multifunctional systems in the Rhine Valley, Germany, in the nineteenth century.
- Article from:
- Folklore
- Article date:
- December 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Folklore Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Introduction
In investigating a social phenomenon of recent centuries it is often worthwhile to glance at today's version of the same event. In relation to auctions, taking stock of North American and Canadian public sales in rural areas may provide a starting point for such an examination:
In the predominantly rural area of Pennsylvania, the public sale is
one of the few regularly attended traditional social events. It is
an event of economic and cultural value: economically it provides an
opportunity for purchasing cheap, used household and farm items; it
also serves a similar function of social interaction, as do the
Grange, camp ...