Like I said, IF the story is true, they didn't go just to stay quiet on that sale:

I can appreciate the point you're making. The general drift I got from this story is that some rift in the family enabled an older absentee owner to sell it out from under younger members of the family who were still working it. If the new buyer had only had it a few years - mentioned in the article - gives the impression of a quick flip for fun and profit. All perfectly legal, OTOH such things somehow lend the impression of the rich getting richer while the working sod works long hours for a fraction of the return.

Could well be the story is full fiction, has sort of a click bait sound to it.

__________________
1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Let’s say it does not matter whether or not the story is an historical fact. Consider it a morality play; a story of conflicting morals. This is a common method of exploring moral problems.

The three perspectives have been described in the previous posts, in my opinion. The easiest to describe is the legal one, legally the bidders broke the law and deprived the seller of his due value. That’s a form of theft and everybody agrees theft is immoral.

On the other side is the community perceived moral injustice by the law allowing a family to lose the farm. The community knows the circumstances and reach what they believe is a just solution.

To me, the story quite properly explores the fact that law is a blunt tool for justice. Justice is an ideal we all agree is a prime moral consideration. Yet in the particular instances we often have conflicting opinion on what is morally just. To help unravel conflicting perspectives of justice, we create rules that most often lead to a just outcome. But laws do not guarantee justice. They do no more than point the way.

This conflict is actually playing out in the city streets of America. A large proportion of citizens believe laws are injudiciously enforce to the detriment of a persecuted group. Others concentrate their attention on lawbreakers.

Where is justice?

Given that it would be easy enough to have verified the story, that there were hundreds of people who supposedly were there, that such behavior is illegal and that it would have therefore been documented, and finally, that the author admits it might not be true making the included photos highly suspect, I call bullshlt on the article.

And, if it were true, the owner was clearly ripped off.
It is most definitely not a heartwarming story.

__________________
Those who fail to read posts in a topic thread are doomed to repeat them.
George Santayana.

Depends on many details. I suspect all of those people believed something unethical, unjust had gone down. Hard to imagine people en masse passing up a bargain without some compelling emotional reason. I think it fine and dandy that the buyuer would want to make maximum profit but oh well, you can't always get what you want.

__________________
1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Rural myth.

__________________
Those who fail to read posts in a topic thread are doomed to repeat them.
George Santayana.

How do we know the seller didn't attempt to flip the land and the other bidders wanted him not to succeed in selling the land at a higher price?


While house hunting, I just looked at an unremarkable place on purchased last October, almost immediately put on the market after ownership for at an increase of 107,000. It's been on the market since then, because
1. It is unremarkable- no basement, garage, barn, A/C or electricity.
2. People saw through county records that it had been the object of a flip that doubled the price of a house that was in the middle of an unpopulated area.
I thought it was a joke at first but maybe the guy thought he could sell it.


Kinda like the 2 million mile W123s?

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

Might have been a tax forfeit. In which case the minimum bid goes to covering the back taxes and legal fees.

__________________
You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

I dunno, I do know there is a long history of theft, crime and fraud concerning lands in Oklahoma. Whites stealing from the native americans, whites stealing from whites, whites stealing from blacks, the list is long. By the way, during all the stealing, the government stood by and didn't lift a finger to stop it.

What law is broken by people not bidding?

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Should have had a reserve in this fantasy.

Then it wouldn’t be a fantasy.

Probably none. Even if collusion exists to enable it. Auctioneers will at times stop bidding when they feel something is going at too low a price. Legally nothing much is usually done about it.

When prices are bid up by either the owner of the item or other shills that have no intension of buying. There is no actual law to prevent this.

The coin has two sides.