Podcast Summary:

New Books Network – Sara Pennell & Jon Stobart on "Auctions and the Consumption of Second-Hand Goods in Georgian England"

Date: February 17, 2026
Host: Dr. Miranda Melcher
Guests: Dr. Sara Pennell & Professor Jon Stobart
Book: Auctions and the Consumption of Second-Hand Goods in Georgian England (Bloomsbury, 2026)

Episode Overview

This episode explores the world of second-hand goods auctions in Georgian England, overturning the myth that secondhand consumption was solely a matter of necessity or poverty. Drawing rich parallels to modern platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Vinted, Pennell and Stobart present auctions as lively, integral facets of 18th- and early 19th-century economic and social life, involving a far broader cross-section of society than commonly assumed. The conversation delves into who ran these auctions, what was sold, why people bought secondhand, and how auction culture reflected and shaped changing ideas of consumption.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Origins and Collaboration

• Backgrounds of the Authors (01:22–02:07)
  • Jon: Historian specializing in consumption and retailing.
  • Sara: Scholar of food and material culture in 17th/18th centuries.
• Book’s Genesis (02:15–03:15)
  • Came from shared research interests and opportunity to merge quantitative and “touchy-feely” perspectives.

Debunking Myths of Secondhand Consumption

• Dominant Myths Challenged (04:34–07:09)
  • Myth 1: Only the poor bought secondhand—authors argue for a diverse market beyond necessity.
  • Myth 2: Secondhand faded after Industrial Revolution—auctions and recycling of goods persisted far longer.
  • “We’re arguing that really isn’t the case, particularly with household goods. It just doesn’t work like that at all.” (Jon, 06:05)

Objects at the Center: Case Studies (07:56–12:11)

• Five spotlighted objects/sets illustrate scale and nuance:
  • Annotated Reverend Tonnings sale catalog – shows detail, prices, and event structure.
  • Jane Austen’s writing desk – tracing ownership through auction records, status, and respectability.
  • Auctioneer trade card – how professionals marketed themselves.
  • Table from the Fonthill Abbey sale – examining elite participation.
  • Carlyle’s secondhand sofa – customization, personal significance, and female agency in purchasing.
• Objects illuminate motivations and debunk the “desperation” narrative:
  • “Being excited about a sofa doesn’t really sound like desperation.” (Miranda, 12:11)

What Were Auctions Like?

• Occasions for Auctions (12:57–15:10)
  • Most commonly post-mortem, but also due to bankruptcy, distraint, or lifestyle changes (downsizing, retirement).
  • Auctions supplemented by other forms: pawnbrokers, private sales.
• Advertising and Cultural Familiarity (15:10–20:24)
  • Publicized through newspapers (often front-page), handbills, town criers.
  • Auctions became cultural touchstones—in literature, satire, visual media.
  • Auctioneers professionalized and marketed themselves like lawyers or hairdressers.
  • “Auctioneers as a professional service is a new thing in the 18th century.” (Sara, 18:35)

The Auctioneers: Social and Professional Mobility

• Who Became Auctioneers? (20:48–25:15)
  • Early auctioneers often booksellers or art dealers, expanding into household goods.
  • Frequently a sideline for cabinet makers, undertakers, upholders, and even coal merchants.
  • “If you were a prospective auctioneer… thinking about how you might combine what you’re doing now with this different type of retail.” (Sara, 22:47)
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation
  • Auctioneers offered advances to sellers; business was risky and competitive.
  • “The risk is almost on the auctioneer rather than on the seller.” (Jon, 24:43)

The Business of Auctioneering (25:35–30:28)

• Process
  • Securing goods (often through appraisal), advertising, producing catalogues, arranging for viewing.
  • Commission (around 5%), administrative costs, taxes, and entertainment all factored in.
  • Auctions as social and theatrical events—“You need to be able to rouse the attending crowd…” (Sara, 29:45)

Goods Sold and Changing Tastes (30:45–36:12)

• What Was Auctioned?
  • Household contents, from beds to pianos to cucumber frames; clothing less frequent.
  • Auction catalogues gave detailed room-by-room listings (often available beforehand).
• Trends Over Time
  • Changes in social practice: more informal, comfortable living (sofas, carpets, pianos).
  • Material shifts: move from walnut to mahogany and tropical hardwoods—reflecting global trade.
  • “The type of things maybe isn’t changing too much… certainly the materials and certainly the emphasis in their use is changing…” (Jon, 35:49)

How Auctions Worked for Buyers (36:57–43:01)

• Getting the Word Out
  • Handbills, advertisements, viewing days before auction.
  • Potential buyers could tour the actual homes, often sparing sellers (and buyers) storage and transport costs.
  • “Perhaps the appeal of going to an auction is you’re doing a little bit of possibly sort of house viewing as well.” (Sara, 41:28)
• Auction Experience
  • Not just for buyers—community event, spectacle, entertainment, and opportunity for socializing.
  • “There was an auction taking place. I went in, it was raining, you know, that sort of thing. And it was a spectacle…” (Sara, 43:19)
  • In rural areas, they fueled social cohesion and mutual aid (e.g., supporting a distrained family).

Motivations and Social Meanings (46:50–51:49)

• Why Buy Secondhand?
  • Not just necessity—thrill of the bargain, distinctiveness, thrift, fashion.
  • Buyers exercised discernment; bidding could be competitive but also prudent.
  • “That’s a really important aspect of this notion of getting a bargain or being thrifty, that you need to know when not to bid as well as when you do bid.” (Jon, 48:35)
• Circulation and Value
  • Constant “cycling” of goods as people redecorated, upgraded, or sold on for value.
  • Second-hand goods held real economic and social value, not just cast-offs.
  • “We shouldn’t underestimate the appetite amongst particularly middling consumers for… primping… their household interiors without having to go through a wholesale change and without having to pay top dollar.” (Sara, 51:06)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Jon Stobart on the myth of secondhand as mere necessity:

  “We’re arguing that really isn’t the case, particularly with household goods. It just doesn’t work like that at all.” (06:05)

• Sara Pennell on material culture:

  “Being excited about a sofa doesn’t really sound like desperation.” (12:11)

• Jon Stobart on professionalization:

  “Auctioneers as a professional service is a new thing in the 18th century.” (18:35)

• Jon Stobart on auction entrepreneurship:

  “The risk is almost on the auctioneer rather than on the seller.” (24:43)

• Sara Pennell on the experiential nature of auctions:

  “There was an auction taking place. I went in, it was raining, you know, that sort of thing. And it was a spectacle…” (43:19)

• Jon Stobart on thrift and discernment:

  “That’s a really important aspect of this notion of getting a bargain or being thrifty, that you need to know when not to bid as well as when you do bid.” (48:35)

Conclusion

The episode dispels simplistic narratives about poverty and desperation driving the second-hand market in Georgian England. Instead, auctions emerge as vibrant nodes of economic, social, and cultural activity—places of aspiration, discernment, and creativity.

Key Takeaways:

• Auctions were more than just markets for the poor; they were sites of community, self-fashioning, and economic strategy.
• The professionalization of auctioneers paralleled developments in other service industries.
• Social meanings of consumption were complex, involving thrift, taste, fashion, and sociability.
• The legacy of these practices is visible in today’s secondhand platforms, showing how resilient and adaptable “old” forms of exchange can be.

Further Listening & Research

• Sara Pennell’s new project: Educated working women in the 17th century.
• Jon Stobart’s current research: Auctions and second-hand economies in 18th-century Jamaica.

Recommended Reading:
Auctions and the Consumption of Second-Hand Goods in Georgian England (Bloomsbury, 2026)