Nearly 700 items were sold in less than three hours during Lehigh Career & Technical Institute's annual surplus auction July 17.

With veteran auctioneer John Pfeiffer calling the shots, about 100 participants bid on everything from microscopes and laptops to commercial refrigeration units and construction vehicles.

This year's event was an unprecedented success, according to LCTI Business Administrator Patricia Bader. She noted that 691 of the 692 items listed for sale drew purchase offers during the auction, which was held on the Schnecksville campus behind the school distribution center.

Everything sold except for one box of books.

"That's a record," Bader said.

A 1971 Mack water truck, a 1981 GMC dump truck and a 14-foot bowrider were among the big-ticket items, said LCTI materials handler Kyle Walbert, who manages the school distribution center. The dump truck notched the day's highest bid of $3,100, he said.

Also sold were several pallets of brick, a lawn tractor, lawn edgers, stationary bikes, a snowblower, a salt spreader, pallet jacks and light fixtures.

Sold "as is," most auction items were in good working order, just outdated. To ensure that students train on industry-standard equipment with the latest safety and technological features, LCTI follows a relatively aggressive replacement schedule, Bader explained.

The event makes room for new equipment, and its proceeds offset the cost of those purchases, Walbert said. The auction also serves as an opportunity for LCTI community members to buy professional-grade equipment at a discount.

For example, a local restaurateur needed a freezer but couldn't afford to buy new and so he bid on the Hobart unit LCTI put on the auction block, Walbert said.