MCKINNEY, Texas — Whether it is police vehicles or office equipment, everything government agencies buy will have to eventually be replaced and government auctions are a popular way to sell off old items. And since 1966, Rene Bates Auctioneers, Inc. have crisscrossed the map, helping government entities sell of the property they no longer use.
However, most of their auctions these days are done online with only a handful of live auctions.
But it was those live auctions that made their namesake a legendary figure on the auction circuit.
“He was very good at selling and getting up and entertaining crowds,” said Sheryl Bates, his wife of nearly 20 years. “He was also very good at knowing what he was selling. He would always say your brain has to work faster than your mouth does.”
Rene died in 2020 and now Sheryl and his daughter, Michelle, run Rene Bates Auctioneers, Inc.
At their McKinney office, pictures of Rene and old auction brochures adorn the walls along with his placard commemorating his induction into the Texas Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame in 2011.
But despite his acclaim, very little video exists of Rene Bates captivating the crowd, putting on a show and spouting the “Reneisms” he was known for while selling auction items.
A 1972 WFAA story from the SMU Jones Film Collection is one of the few moments that captured Rene live in the moment.
“We ain’t going to hold you under long enough to drown you, we just want to get you wet,” said Rene, while zipping through bids and items in that classic auctioneer speed-talking fashion while the crowd of on-lookers watched, some there for the auction, others there for the show.
It is film even Sheryl had never seen before.
“I love it," Sheryl said. "That is the young Rene. He was a character. He was one of a kind and one of the best auctioneers I have ever seen or ever will see.”
The 1972 WFAA story referred to Bates as a “vanishing breed,” yet here, 50 years later, his name and legacy persist. Being able to carry his legacy, as both a person and auctioneer, is something Sheryl does not take lightly.
“If you never had the opportunity to meet him, you missed a blessing," Sheryl said. "There are people that when they are gone, the world is a sadder place and that is the case with him.”