MOVING tributes have been paid to a popular Colwyn Bay auctioneer, an influential figure in North Wales, following his death.

David Roger Jones died on Monday, 12 December aged 80 after a short battle with cancer.

He was the co-founder of Roger Jones & Co., a Welsh fine art auctioneers with offices and salesrooms across North and South Wales and in London.

David and wife Margaret started the business in 1992, working long hours to create a busy auction room in the centre of Colwyn Bay, and initially lived above the saleroom in a flat that doubled as their office space.

Described by his family as a “supreme auctioneer”, David conducted his first auction at the Drill Hall in Menai Bridge in 1962, continuing to lead auctions until around four years ago.

He worked his final valuation in Caernarfon on Monday, 5 December this year, with wife Margaret by his side, but just a few hours later, he was taken to hospital for what would be end-of-life treatment.

In a moving tribute to David, his son Ben said: “Dad often remarked that he was immensely grateful for the support from local solicitors and clients who entrusted the company with instructions from the very beginning.

“Dad was a supreme auctioneer who loved his job.

“There can be very few auctioneers who have conducted as many auctions and sold as many lots as Dad had. Certainly, it seems likely that no-one in Wales will ever come close.

“Dad loved the theatrical element to auctioneering, but his style was not showy, there were no gimmicks – none of the fancy waistcoats, dramatic hand gestures or catchphrases that might be witnessed at some metropolitan auction houses.

“He added warmth to his auctions through gentle humour, fun and camaraderie with the bidders. This helped bidders feel at ease and enabled him to generate a fabulous rapport with customers. Dad would not have been the man for a fancy London auction house but he was the man for auctioneering in Wales to the Welsh public.

“He had great affinity with this audience. It seemed like the role was made for him and he for the role.

“Our Dad loved being out and 'doing his calls'. He enjoyed meeting people and getting to know every backroad, housing estate and small community in North Wales. My brother John and I were privileged to spend a great deal of time out on calls with him when we started our Rogers Jones careers. He always had the perfect tone, clients would immediately warm to him as a person knowing that he wanted the best for them.

“He was the consummate professional during his valuations, but there would always be humour where appropriate, such as his classic 'now, you haven't booked a cruise have you, Mrs Jones?'

“He remained the professional to the very end.

“Dad was incredibly proud that 30 years on from its humble beginnings, the Rogers Jones company is still a family business with family values at its core, and that colleagues within the company appear to be happy in their work and remain for long durations.

“One of Dad's legacies is that the Rogers Jones & Company remains an extension of the Rogers Jones family, and that the family values on which the company were built are secured for the future, through myself and my brother.

“David Rogers Jones was admired and respected by clients, customers, and employees past and present. He was adored by his family.”

David Roger Jones is survived by wife Margaret, with whom he had been ‘inseparable’ since their student days, and leaves three children – Ben, John and Shan – and five grandchildren, together with cherished children in-law Paul, Glenda and Mererid.

David’s funeral will take place on Wednesday, 21 December at Colwyn Bay Crematorium, and a celebration of his life will follow at Conwy Golf Club.

The family has also said those wishing to make donations to charities close to their late dad’s heart, in lieu of flowers, should make them to Hope House and St David’s Hospice.