BEHIND THE GAVEL
AUCTIONS HAVE
ALWAYS BEEN
PERSONAL.
For me, auctioneering has never just been about the highest bidder. It’s about people, stories, causes, and knowing how to bring a room together around something that matters.
WHERE IT STARTED
A LIFETIME IN
THE AUCTION RING.
Auctions have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up alongside Norton Auctioneers, traveling the country with my grandfather, David A. Norton, and learning the profession from the ground up. What started with carrying items across an auction stage grew into cataloging, registration, production, bid spotting, and eventually taking my own place behind the microphone.
At sixteen, I followed in my grandfather’s footsteps to Reppert School of Auctioneering, attending the same school at the same age he had more than forty years earlier. But some of the most important lessons he taught me had little to do with calling bids: be honest, take care of people, give back, and never forget the community that supports you.
Those lessons became the foundation of David Joseph Auctions and remain at the heart of every event I’m privileged to be part of.
THE LEGACY
DAVID A.
NORTON.
My grandfather, David A. Norton, spent more than forty years building Norton Auctioneers into an internationally recognized auction firm. Over the course of his career, he conducted thousands of auctions across the United States and abroad, selling everything from antiques and private collections to amusement parks, museums, carnivals, and some of the most unusual pieces of Americana imaginable.
But the part of his legacy that shaped me most wasn't measured in auctions conducted or miles traveled. He believed deeply in giving back. Through benefit auctions, he helped raise millions of dollars for schools, historic preservation, community organizations, and charitable causes.
I was fortunate enough to grow up beside him, learning the profession from the ground up. He taught me how to work an auction, certainly, but more importantly, how to treat people, serve your community, and conduct yourself with integrity.
Those are the lessons I still carry into every auction today.
FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS
FORTY-TWO YEARS LATER.
In 1966, at sixteen, my grandfather attended Reppert School of Auctioneering in Indiana to learn the trade.
Forty-two years later, at sixteen, I followed him to the same school.
In August 2008, I completed Reppert's Intensive Term in bid calling, vocal training, public speaking, advertising, marketing, real estate and auction methods. From there, I stepped directly into the auction ring and began building a path of my own.