ALookBackat Auction Kings:HowPaul
BrownandGallery63BroughtAuctionsto RealityTV
Formanyviewers,theDiscoveryChannel’s Auction Kings wastheirfirstintroductiontothe thrillingworldofauctions.Airingfrom2010to2013,theshowfollowedPaulBrownandhis teamatGallery63inAtlanta,Georgia,astheyuncovered,appraised,andauctionedoffa widerangeofeclecticandhigh-valueitems.Fromhistoricaldocumentsandvintage memorabiliatorarecollectibles, Auction Kings highlightedtheunpredictablenatureof auctions—andthecolorfulcharactersbehindthem.
TheBirthofaRealityHit
WhenDiscoverywentlookingforareal-lifeauctionhousetofeature,PaulBrownand Gallery63stoodoutfromtherest.Unliketraditionalauctioneerscladinsuits,Brownproudly leanedintohisunpolishedcharm.“Wedon’tnecessarilylook,talk,oractlikeyouraverage antiquedealer,”headmittedina2011interview.Thatauthenticity—combinedwiththe high-stakesdramaoftheauctionfloor—made Auction Kings aperfectfitfortelevision.
In2009,Discovery’sproductionteamsentBrownaflipcameratofilmatypicaldayat Gallery63.Thatrawfootagesealedthedeal.Thenetworkordered26episodes,and Auction Kings wasborn.AlongsideBrown,thecorecastincludedCindyShook,JonHammond,and DelfinoRamos,eachbringingtheirownpersonalityandexpertisetothescreen.
TheGallery63Formula
LocatedinAtlanta,Gallery63wasfarfromatypicalantiquegallery.Whatmadetheshow compellingwasthevarietyofitemsthatcamethroughitsdoors—oftenwithlittlewarning andbigbackstories.Avampirekillingkit,letterssignedbyHarryHoudini,andvintage Coca-Colamachineswerejustafewofthestrangeandrarefindsfeaturedontheshow.
Whileeveryepisodefollowedafamiliarstructure—discovery,appraisal,auction—theresults werefarfrompredictable.“Sometimes,we’dfollowanitemwethoughtwouldhitahome runonlytoseeitfizzleontheblock,”Brownshared.“Othertimes,therewere‘darkhorse’ itemsthatendedupringingthebellonauctionday.”
Thiselementofsurprisebecameadefiningfeatureof Auction Kings,makingitstandout fromsimilarshowslike Pawn Stars Viewerstunedinnotjustfortheitems,butforthedrama ofthebiddingwarsandtheenergyoftheauctionroom.
PaulBrown:ANaturalShowman
PaulBrownwasn’tnewtotheworldofantiques.Raisedaroundauctions,hisfamilyoperated RedBaronAntiques,awell-knownnameinGeorgia’santiquesscene.Gallery63originally servedasanoutletforbulksales—whatBrowncalleda“clearinghouse”forboxlotsand low-costfurniture.
ButBrownsawpotential.UsinghisbackgroundinEnglishliterature,heresearchedtheitems indepth,uncoveringhistoricalsignificancethatboostedtheirvalue.Underhisleadership, Gallery63evolvedintoafull-scaleauctionhousespecializinginhigh-enddecorativearts, jewelry,raredocuments,andfineart.
TheEndofanEra—andaNewChapter
Afterfoursuccessfulseasonsand96episodes, Auction Kings wrappedin2013.However,the showlivesonthroughrerunsonchannelslikeQuestTVandstreamingplatforms,continuing tointroducenewaudiencestotheworldofliveauctions.
PaulBrownandGallery63didn’tslowdownafterthecamerasstoppedrolling.Theauction houseexpandeditsoperationsandrefineditsfocus.“Thesedays,wespecializeinunique collectibles,high-enddecorativearts,fineart,jewellery,andcoutureitems,”Brownsaidina laterinterview Thegallerynowhostsnumerousauctionseachyear,adaptingtomarkettrends andchangingbuyerinterests.
Hisson,ElijahBrown,hasalsojoinedthebusiness,bringinganewgenerationofleadership toGallery63whilemaintainingtheauthenticityandboldnessthatmadetheauctionhousea TVsuccess.
