peter funk

Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.

At the petty auctions a person is employed to bid on articles put up for sale, in order to raise their price. Such a person is called a Peter Funk; probably from such a name having frequently been given when articles were bought in. At the mock auctions, as they are called in New York, this practice of having by-bidders is carried to a great extent; and strangers, unacquainted with their tricks, are often cheated by them. Grose describes a person similarly employed in England, under the name of puffer.

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