Imagine picking up two commercial boat engines in good working condition (with gas bottles) for under $25 or a mountain bike for only $5.

Well, to get a bargain like that, you should have been at the police auction.

The piercing Saturday (30) morning sun was no deterrent to the determined bargain hunters. People were peeling out cash on the spot to snap up the legitimate loot.

The crowd could hardly believe their eyes and this was evident in the nonchalant but consistent style of bidding. Some residents seemed too shocked by the prices to even chase the bid at all.

The police auction was held at the old vehicle licensing and inspection department in George Town.

The items that were on sale had been recovered or seized in police operations but subsequently not claimed by the rightful owners after a given period of time.

Notices about the items recovered by the police are announced to the public, allowing them the opportunity to retrieve lost items as long as they have the proper identification.

Under police law such auctions can be held twice a year to dispose of items that are uncollected or no longer needed as evidence.

The catch of the day were bicycles of which there were all sorts of shapes and sizes. These sold from $5 to $50 and got snapped up quickly. Household items and building equipment were also popular sales items.

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It was easy to distinguish the seasoned tradesmen from the ordinary opportunists, as their responses to the tool prices reflected their knowledge on the size of the deal.