items left unclaimed at the Queen's Warehouse at the Civil Air Terminal.

The Government Auction, held biennially, traditionally offers a variety of goods for householders, store owners and just about anybody interested in saving a few bucks.

"I've been to several auctions but I've been waiting for this one,'' said Mrs. Nina Fox. "You can find anything -- TVs, VCRs, mountain bikes. The prices are very reasonable but they went up during lunchtime because more people started to come and they're bidding higher.'' Mrs. Fox said she bought two cases of 12 light bulbs for $35 and light fixtures for $50.

Like Mrs. Fox, 14-year-old Jevon Joell was on hand to see what treasures he could find.

"I got a whole carton of filters for my deep fryer for only a dollar,'' he smiled.

Auctioneer this week, and on the past three occasions, has been Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs the Hon. Leonard Gibbons. With a steady eye and a quick tongue, the Minister began proceedings at 10 a.m. each day and continued until 4 p.m.

In 1990, 474 lots grossed $40,655. This year there were 390 lots, each one including as many as 10 or 12 individual items.

Principal Customs Officer Mr. Boyson Christopher said the three-day event took two months to plan and two days just to move the goods from the warehouse to the Front Street shed.

"There's a lot involved,'' he said. "We have to prepare the various lots because initially they're all in the Queen's Warehouse. We have to organise them so they're in a rotational order. Every package has to be opened to verify what's inside and to make sure it's in good condition. All perishable items are destroyed.'' Assistant Collector of Customs and event organiser Mr. Butler Durrant said the Revenue Act of 1898 governed the auction.

"It's normally held every two years but it could be every year or every 30 days,'' he explained. "It's all at the discretion of the Collector of Customs.'' Mr. Durrant said those items auctioned off had been delivered to the Island by air or sea and had remained unclaimed from HM Customs for at least a year.

A notice was placed in the Official Gazette three weeks before the auction, which gave importers or consignees time to pay the necessary duties on goods.

A week or so before the event, a list of the items was placed in Customs' Long Rooms at the Civil Air Terminal and in Hamilton, giving members of the public an idea of what was to be auctioned off.

Mr. Durrant said the auctioneer decided the starting price, his decision based on what he felt was a fair value. However, a member of Government's audit department was always present.

He said the sale was held to defray the cost of keeping the items. Ten percent of the revenue will go to the auctioneer and the remainder placed in the Accountant General's consolidated fund.