ESTATE AUCTION • 1997

The Third-Best
Employee

A precise study of Jordan Hale, third-best associate at Premier Video Rentals, presented for private sale.

Subject

Jordan Hale

Premier Video Rentals • 1994–1997

Consistently placed third in monthly performance reviews behind the manager and the assistant manager. Known for an encyclopedic recall of 1980s science-fiction titles and an uncanny ability to locate any tape within the alphabetised shelves in under forty seconds.

Never once arrived late. Never once suggested a customer purchase popcorn. Maintained the most orderly returns cart in the store’s history.

Quiet interior of a 1990s video rental store with wooden shelves
Auction Lots
Lot 01
Est. $180–240
Personal Recommendation Ledger

Hand-bound notebook containing 187 customer recommendations written in neat pencil. Includes annotations such as “too slow for most but perfect after midnight” and “the only tape worth rewinding by hand.”

Blue cloth cover, spine slightly frayed from repeated use. Final entry dated 14 March 1997.

Lot 02
Est. $320–400
Worn Employee Vest

Standard-issue navy vest bearing the Premier Video Rentals patch and a single embroidered name tag. Interior label marked “Hale, J.” Three faint VHS rental stickers remain adhered to the left pocket.

Evidence of regular wear; one button replaced with a near-identical match.

Lot 03
Est. $95–130
Curated Late-Night Selection

Seven VHS cassettes personally set aside for after-hours viewing. Titles include “Blade Runner” (director’s cut), “The Thing” (1982), and an unmarked tape containing a recorded television broadcast of “2001: A Space Odyssey” with original commercial breaks intact.

Private Sale

Inquiries & Bidding

All lots are offered without reserve. Serious collectors may register interest below. Bidding will be conducted by sealed letter delivered to the store manager.