Thank you very much for the explanation. It ends up that we have been doing that at our carnival for years, but I have never heard anyone refer to it as a Chinese Auction. I guess we just call them raffle items or something generic like that. We have the best luck when we have the teachers donate something, like a trip to a bookstore where the teacher buys a book for the winner.
Thanks for the explanation, but now I am even more curious on whether "Chinese Auction" is a regional saying or if I am just not up on my small gambling events.
with any auction, it is wise to check with your state gaming authority. you may need a license, and may also need to pay sales tax on items purchased at an auction.
Skyview - There are 2 or 3 different meanings, but in this case it simply refers to a kind of drawing or raffle where you buy tickets at a fund-raising event and drop them in the corresponding jar for the item you hope to win. So the more tickets you put in any one jar, the better your chance for the item.
But - note - as one of the posters above said, those names are viewed by some as derogatory. I don't think there's consensus as to how the term "Chinese" auction was derived, but I've heard two theories. 1) The American tendancy to put another cultural name to something done differently 2) The idea that something "Chinese" is cheap or inferior going back either to inexpensive, low quality imports and/or the poorly paid Chinese labor used on the West coast in the 1800's.
My own PTO doesn't use those terms, but we do conduct these type of drawings, and they are pretty popular.
I must be way out of it, but nobody in our PTO has heard of a Chinese Auction or Tricky Tray. We have a silent auction at our carnival each year, but have never even heard of this. Can I get the high level explanation of what it is? Thanks
I must be way out of it, but nobody in our PTO has heard of a Chinese Auction or Tricky Tray. We have a silent auction at our carnival each year, but have never even heard of this. Can I get the high level explanation of what it is? Thanks
