Auctioneer Charles Nicholls has auctioned real estate, furniture and antiques during his decades in the business. Peter Cihelka/THE FREE LANCE-STAR

Charles Nicholls is shown here working an auction in 1977. He started Nicholls Auction Marketing Group in 1968. Peter Cihelka/THE FREE LANCE-STAR

- Peter Cihelka/THE FREE LANCE-STAR

Auctioneer Charles Nicholls, shown here at Fredericksburg Auto Auction Thursday, has turned Nicholls Auction Marketing Group over to his son John. Peter Cihelka/THE FREE LANCE-STAR

Fredericksburg auctioneering company changes hands from father to son

Date published: 6/9/2007

By KELLY HANNON

In a sea of men wearing shorts, ball caps and T-shirts, Charles Nicholls stands out.

Trim and white-haired, Nicholls is wearing a crisp button-down shirt, khakis and a navy blazer. He appears unruffled by the heat or crowds at the Fredericksburg Auto Auction.

Thursday is for dealers only, and every 60 seconds or so another Ford, Honda or Chrysler rolls onto Lane 12, where Nicholls is presiding at the microphone.

The dealers run their hands along the car's body, opening and shutting doors. A few even kick tires.

Then it starts.

To an untrained ear, Nicholls' auctioneer "chatter" sounds like gibberish.

But the dealers understand. Hands dart into the air. Nicholls responds, digits flying, constantly gesturing between the dealers until one word is clear:

"Sold!" he calls, slapping a a length of hose on the dais like a gavel.

"When he picks up that microphone, it's like the last thing he's ever going to sell in your life," said John Nicholls, 40, Charles' son and fellow auctioneer at their family business in the Fredericksburg area, Nicholls Auction Marketing Group.

On Thursday, Nicholls, 65, sold dozens of cars.

But since he started his company in 1968, he has auctioned real estate, property, furniture, antiques and all kinds of bric-a-brac--even a golf course.

"I've always said you can sell anything at auction if you have a willing seller and a willing buyer," he said.

Nicholls loves what he does, and considers his job a blessing from God. But it's work that comes with high expectations.

"It's an awesome responsibility to have someone come and put their trust in you and turn over their estate, all of their possessions, their whole life," Nicholls said, "to conduct that auction in a manner that will bring honor to their life and their possessions."

On June 1, Nicholls passed leadership of his company to John, who assumed the title of company president.

But Nicholls isn't ready for retirement. He'll continue to auction a few days a week. That includes volunteering with a long list of charities, including the Rappahannock United Way, Youth for Tomorrow and private schools in the Fredericksburg and Richmond areas. He has helped them raise hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Date published: 6/9/2007