7-inch extended play 45 rpm vinyl record entitled 'Tobacco Chant - Part 1 | The Song of the Auctioneer' ['Tobacco Chant - Part 2' on the b-side].

Undated. Dusty, but veryy good, on black vinyl with yellow label and triangular insert. In lightly worn, creased and grubby original sleeve printed in green and yellow, carrying a lengthy note by G. J. Ashton, beginning 'On this record you can hear parts of an actual sale of tobacco held on the floor of Tobacco Auctions Ltd., Salisbury, introduced by BOB CAGE. Mr. Cage, a native of Halifax, Virginia, has been auctioneering tobacco for over fifteen years in the United States and Rhodesia. His unequalled flair for imitating others of his calling makes this record a unique souvenir for all those engaged in any branch of the tobacco business - [...]'. Continues with a description of 'the business of selling tobacco by auction' in Rhodesia (the auctioneer is described as 'selling up to £500 worth of tobacco every minute - a feat of salesmanship it might be difficult to equal anywhere'): '[...] The buyers have their own very individual methods of bidding. Perhaps the touching of an ear, a sharp glance at the auctioneer or the raising of an eyebrow may send the price up by a penny or twopence per pound. [...]' R. F. Cage is an artist, sculptor, tennis player, preservationist, and community activist. In 1984, he won a world tobacco auctioneer contest sponsored by R. J. Reynolds, and in 2007 he demonstrated 'the disappearing art of calling a tobacco auction' at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.