I recently went to a large auction out of curiosity. I didn't bid but just watched. I saw men and women jumping around, moving among the crowd, yelling, "Yes" or "Yep" or something to that affect, flinging their hands up in the air. I asked someone what they were doing and I was told they were Ringmen? What is a Ringmen?
Ringmen are the men or women who stand in the crowd and relay the bids to the auctioneer. Other terms such as bid spotter, bid assistant or ring person, do the same thing. All refer to the person taking bids during the auction for the Auctioneer.
Especially with large crowds, the duty of the Ringmen is to watch his/her section of the crowd that has been assigned to the Ringmen. The duty of the Auctioneer is to watch the Ringmen rather than the crowd. With large crowds, the Auctioneer could miss some bids if he tried to spot the bidders himself.
The Ringmen should try and establish a relationship with the bidders before the auction seeking to get as much information about the items the bidders are interested in, answer any questions and let them know when those items are up for bid.
The Ringmen is a very important asset to the Auctioneer. There is even a school to teach you to become a professional Ringmen.
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