One issue that often appears in our Washington, DC benefit auction is the card printer.

What is the plate of the printer? It used a metal plate traditional offset printing. The raised areas of the plate bears the ink, which was transferred to a rubber blanket and the printing surface, such as paper.

That said, the plates donations to these auctions do not seem to be the plates used in the process of making the papers today. The plates for sale are more smaller, lighter versions of what we traditionally use in the offset printing process. On the other hand – besides the size difference – the other factor suggesting that these plates are not used to print the real owners today is that often the document of gift of several plates of each organization.

For example, a client had received two plates of the printer on 5 November 2008 – the day the world learned that the U.S. had elected its first president African-American. For fans of Obama, history buffs, or addicted to the new, the plates were a unique piece of history, whether the plates were in actually used to print the Wall Street Journal.

According to my clients, these plates are relatively easy to obtain. Several utilities have acquired a plate the printer from the Washington Post or The Wall Street Journal.

How to get a plate printer

If you have a contact in his local paper, call his or her first. For groups without a contact, call the paper and ask for Community Relations and Marketing departments. These internal teams traditionally handle donations to organizations and can inform you as to the availability of a plate. Several plates are often made of each page so maybe you can assure the two of them!

If you’d like more free benefit auction ideas, get Sherry Truhlar’s “What Sold Great in 2008″ Auction Item Guide and complementary subscription to her Auction Circle Ezine. The Guide features 100+ of the top-selling items Sherry sold in benefit auctions around the country last year. Sign up at http://www.RedAppleAuctions.com

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