Auctioneer Derin Bray grew up in an enchanted wonderland. The son of sign-maker parents, he spent the better part of his childhood in their York, Pennsylvania shop, where myriad artists, neon benders, and welders colored the boy’s life with their artistic passion and vibrant personas. His companions included Irv, a “round, cigar-chomping man” who hand painted signs, an installer who refinished his red pick-up truck to look like Eddie Van Halen’s guitar, and Dynamite Doleman, an off-season Harlem Globetrotter.
The young Bray acquired a deep appreciation for the beauty and artistry of the finished signs. He also reveled in the quirky charm of the creative personalities surrounding him. It is no wonder that he would later pursue a career acquiring rare and often unusual items. “I’ve always been attracted to unusual things,” he says.
Tagging along to country auctions with his dad further cemented his destiny. The auctions captivated the boy, opening his eyes his to a whole new world of finely crafted objects from a bygone era. Once he discovered “Antiques Roadshow” on television, he was hooked. Watching expert auctioneers like Ron Bourgeault of Northeast Auctions, and pioneering militaria dealer Bill Guthman as they appraised antiques filled his youthful mind with dreams for his future. “I realized these guys made a living studying American history, art, and craftsmanship,” he says.
Bray’s interest in antiques kept on growing, and he relished both the aesthetic appeal of the items and the storied history behind them. He went on to earn a B.A. in history from Yale University and an M.A. in Early American material culture. The unstoppable Bray forged ahead, building 20 years of experience in the antiques business, three of them working for one of his “Antiques Roadshow” idols, Ron Bourgeault, something he calls “a magical experience.”
Today, the little boy who so joyfully soaked up the artsy atmosphere of his parents’ sign-making shop stands proudly in the cavernous space of his very own auction house, Bray & Co. Auctions, inside The Hawthorn in Portsmouth’ s West End. His childhood dream has come true. “I am grateful to be doing something I love,” he says. He also appreciates the opportunity to expose his two kids to a different way of living through objects from an earlier time.
This auctioneer’s enthusiasm for his merchandise is electric—it is easy to imagine him as the wide-eyed kid frolicking in his fantastical childhood realm. Holding a small, wooden Shaker box, his excitement is palpable as he turns it over to reveal the name of its famous Shaker owner, Sister Elvira Hulett. Switching gears, he points to something he calls a “piece of wonky-looking plywood,” and animatedly launches into its story. The wonky plywood is the Sunset Strip Tattoo sign that hung in Hollywood when Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose and Slash, and members of Motley Crue got their tattoos. “It’s uniquely Hollywood and uniquely 80s and 90s,” he says.”
The multi-faceted Bray is equally enthralled with antique furniture and fine art as he is with offbeat items like tattoo art and circus memorabilia. “I approach all of this with the same seriousness,” he says. “A sideshow banner from the 1930s is as beautiful and relevant as a blanket chest handcrafted in the 18th century.” He adds with a smile, “I love history, I love stories, I love beautifully made things.”
In September 2026, Bray & Co. Auctions celebrated its third-year anniversary. Bray’s dream business has become a leading New England auction house with a global reach and reputation. While the merchandise is wide-ranging and eclectic, Bray’s main focus is on selling fine art, antiques, silver and jewelry, and historical documents like Lincoln letters. He takes all items on consignment. A self-professed non-collector, he admits to a penchant for collecting views of Portsmouth, like a stunning, intricate watercolor of 1884 Portsmouth that includes The Hawthorn.
The knowledgeable Bray provides a valuable service to local community members with collections, single items, or entire estates to sell. Family members suddenly left with these items are often overwhelmed. “That’s where I come in,” Bray says. “A big part of my job is helping people understand what the items are, and what they’re worth.”
Auctions at Bray & Co. hum with high-voltage energy and good old-fashioned competitive spirit. There is a live in-house audience, but most of the bidding takes place online. Bray is a masterful auctioneer and conducts each sale like an old-school live auction, with the addition of modern bidding. The fun part, according to Bray, is the inevitable heated bidding war. “That’s the exciting thing about an auction,” he says. “Two people always end up wanting something more than anyone expects them to.”
Like the dueling bidders, Derin Bray wanted his dream more than anyone imagined. Now that this luminous dream has come true, he is taking time to bask in its glow. “I like to enjoy the material while it’s here in my auction house,” he says. “I only get to live with it for a few months, and then it’s gone.”
"A big part of my job is helping people understand what the items are, and what they're worth."
"I approach all of this with the same seriousness. A sideshow banner from the 1930s is as beautiful and relevant as a blanket chest handcrafted in the 18th century."