Absentee bids let you place your maximum bid on an item before the live auction begins. During the live show, we’ll continue bidding on your behalf up to your max bid — just like leaving a bid with a traditional auctioneer.
When you place an absentee bid, you’ll choose a bid strategy. Your chosen strategy determines how the current bid will be set at the time your bid is placed. Your maximum bid always remains confidential.
The available strategies are:
🐢 Slow & Steady — starts your bid low and lets others chase you.
⚡💥 Power Bid — starts at about half your max to show intent without revealing your top number.
♥️♠️ All In ♦️♣️ — sets the current bid to your full bid amount right away.
The current bid shown on each lot reflects all confirmed absentee bids and updates automatically as new bids come in.
When the live auction starts, bidding will begin at the current bid. The auctioneer will continue bidding on behalf of absentee bidders up to their max bids.
Because absentee bids can arrive seconds apart, the current bid you see may not always include bids still being processed. Refresh the page for the most up-to-date information.
For our full absentee bid policy, please click here.
Bidding Quick Facts
How bidding works
All items have a minimum bid of $1.00.
When "No Bids" is displayed, it means no absentee bids have been placed on this item yet.
Once bids are placed, the current bid will be displayed instead.
For more information on the bidding process, please click here.
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Your absentee bid for Lot 035 - Antique Grouping Of Archival Materials From The Order Of United American Mechanics O.U.A.M., Excelsior Council No. 2, Waterbury, Connecticut, Including Three Meeting Minute Books, 1876–1909, And Loose Ephemera was successfully submitted—thank you for bidding with us!
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For our full absentee bid policy, please review the Auction Rules.
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Lot 035 - Antique Grouping Of Archival Materials From The Order Of United American Mechanics O.U.A.M., Excelsior Council No. 2, Waterbury, Connecticut, Including Three Meeting Minute Books, 1876–1909, And Loose Ephemera
Lot 035 - Antique Grouping Of Archival Materials From The Order Of United American Mechanics O.U.A.M., Excelsior Council No. 2, Waterbury, Connecticut, Including Three Meeting Minute Books, 1876–1909, And Loose Ephemera
Grouping of archival materials from the Order of United American Mechanics O.U.A.M., Excelsior Council No. 2, Waterbury, Connecticut. Includes three fully completed hardcover meeting minute and record books detailing proceedings from 1876 through 1909, handwritten and recorded at various halls including Good Templar Hall, Temperance Hall, Mechanics Hall, and Pythian Hall. Entries document officer elections, member propositions, finances, and ceremonial activities in remarkable detail. Also includes a small grouping of more than ten loose pieces of related ephemera such as proposition cards, letterhead, and other printed materials. Hardcover volumes show significant wear, with loss to spine coverings and surface abrasion.
The Order of United American Mechanics O.U.A.M. was founded in 1845 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a nativist fraternal organization promoting the interests of American-born workers and advocating for compulsory public education and protection of domestic labor. By the late 19th century, the order had expanded nationally, establishing local councils such as Excelsior Council No. 2 in Waterbury, Connecticut. These records represent a detailed primary source for fraternal, social, and labor history in post–Civil War Connecticut.