By CONNIE POTTER
Correspondent, The Oregonian

ALOHA, OREGON - Robin Gordon has sold everything from antiques to walrus bones, and she gets a kick out of it all.

"It's not even like a job," said Gordon, owner of Estate Sales, Unlimited. "It's like the most exciting hobby I can imagine."

Gordon, 36, said one of the strangest things she had sold was a walrus bone, which netted $80. But what's strange to one is a treasure to another.

"Old bones are very collectible," she said.

Most of the merchandise Gordon auctions or sells at estate sales is more traditional - antiques, furniture, housewares, boats, cars, small equipment.

The daughter of an auctioneer, Gordon owned an antique and second-hand store in Hillsboro before deciding to follow in her father's footsteps. Her career actually started when a friend asked her to handle an estate sale, and Gordon decided it would be a fun way to make a living.

She graduated with honors from the Missouri Auction School in Kansas City, one of 13 women in a class of 117, and has been busy handling two or three sales a month ever since.

Gordon's work involves being sensitive to people's needs.

"The people who most often need to liquidate an estate have usually lost a close family member and need more than efficiency; they need warmth and sensitivity," she said.

On the other hand, the auction audience demands a tireless entertainer, and Gordon also enjoys that part of the job.

Gordon handles both estate sales, where all the merchandise is priced, and auctions, where the bidding is done on a competitive basis.

A friendly, outgoing woman, Gordon calls her work an important service. For relatives faced with liquidating the assets of a deceased family member, having someone to handle the estate sale can be a godsend, she said.

"We'll go in, take care of everything, and sweep the house when we're done," she said.

Sometimes it takes a strong stomach to do the job. Gordon said she had handled estate sales at houses where the resident died in the home. The smell, as well as the atmosphere, can be less than appealing.

"We've entered some houses with gas masks," she said.

Yet few things faze her. She credits her durability to her childhood. Born with a dislocated hip, she spent the first four years of her life in a body cast.

One of a handful of women auctioneers in the Portland area, Gordon calls auctions a lively way to sell. They can net higher prices than estate sales, depending on the desirability of the merchandise. She recently moved $56,000 in merchandise at an auction that took 11 hours to complete. Her father and two others helped with the chores.

"Part of my job is getting people really excited and bidding like crazy," she said. "It's a unique way to buy things."

In a low voice, she chants the traditional auctioneer's calls, but at a pace that makes her easy to understand.

Both auctions and estate sales offer good buys on merchandise, Gordon said, if the customer uses a little common sense.

"It's not a walk-in-and-buy-it-and-walk-out" situation, she said. "Patience is important. You should go early to preview and see what are the best buys."

Often those who wait the longest come away with the best deals, she said.

Customers should come with cash or checkbook in hand; credit cards are not accepted.

"That's why there's a lot of bargains," said Gordon. "Cash buyers don't expect to pay antique store prices."

While selling is the most visible part of her job, it's only one aspect. Not only must she assess and tag the merchandise; she and her staff of seven set up the sale, arrange advertising and clean up afterward.

"It's quite a production," she said.

Her company handles sales of $2,500 and up, with estate sales in Portland averaging about $10,000. Gordon works on a commission basis.

Her love of her job seems to have carried over to a third generation, Gordon said. Her 6-year-old daughter, Natalie, already has called at an auction, where she sold a camera for $10.

NOTE: This article appeared in The Oregonian in 1989.