05/05/2022
WHY ARE AUCTIONEERS CALLED “COLONEL?”
The tradition of calling an Auctioneer “Colonel” can be traced to the civil war.
After a bloody battle the winning side would scour the battlefield and collect all the equipment and personal belongings of the vanquished. These items were then displayed in a central area. The winning soldiers were allowed to view all these items. The items were then “auctioned off”. The person in charge of the auction was always a Colonel. Now all auctioneers have the honorary title of Colonel.