Staten Island is far removed from Manhattan’s antiques and auction scene, but where there is supply and demand, there is a market. And Richmond Galleries, Staten Island’s only auction house, serves that market.

Founded in 1888 by Clare Brown, the business was originally a carriage and storage company. The Brown family has operated the company for 120 years, but the stock has shifted with the times. Today, Richmond Galleries sells a variety of merchandise, much of which comes from lawyers representing an estate or New York’s surrogate court. Quality, variety, and cost can vary widely, but the one consistent factor is that the house gets a 25% commission.

Located on Castleton Avenue, in the neighborhood of West New Brighton, across the Kill Van Kull River from Bayonne, N.J., the two-story building that Richmond Galleries has occupied since the 1920s is an unlikely landmark. From the front, Richmond Galleries is modest and nondescript, like the surrounding neighborhood of shingle-roofed homes, first-floor storefronts, and auto-repair shops.

Inside is a different story. With 10,000 square feet on two floors — including a large, cluttered basement where the auctions are held — Richmond Galleries is, on the days leading to one of its eight annual auctions, packed with furniture, rugs, maritime oil paintings, porcelain collectibles, Roseville pottery, antique toys, baseball memorabilia, brass tea sets, old Life magazines, and the occasional mounted fish.

As in a yard sale, some of the objects are of good quality, while others are plainly not. Chipped, stained, tattered, or otherwise junky things abound. But with auctions averaging 900 to 1,000 lots in size, the chances of finding a gem or an outright steal are high. That’s also true of the prices, which start as low as $10 for the smaller lots and go into the high hundreds for furniture. Bids of more than $10,000 are rare. “If it has a value of $20 or more, we’ll try to take it,” owner and auctioneer David Brown, 41, said.

Mr. Brown is the fifth generation of his family to run Richmond Galleries. He began working there at age 15, under the direction of his father, Bentley Brown. And after so many years in business, he’s seen it all — at prices that wouldn’t register uptown.

“Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Doyle’s won’t take these kinds of items, but I’ll try anything. Whether it goes for $10 or $1,000, I’ll put it out there. I’m not picky,” he said. “It’s like the stock market here. It’s hit or miss. One day you’re getting a Victorian dresser for $400. The next day it’s $200.”

Last week, Richmond Galleries held an auction of furniture, art, and assorted antiques from seven tristate-area estates. The action was high-speed, but informal. Lots went by at about the rate of 200 an hour. Many were sold to pre-bids made during the three-day preview. Mr. Brown likes to call Richmond Galleries an “absolute auction,” meaning everything must go.

But the atmosphere is rather relaxed. Richmond Galleries may be the only auction house in New York where bidders sit on furniture that is for sale. And instead of paddles, numbered paper plates are used for signaling bids. As auctioneer, Mr. Brown has a friendly, quick personality. As he finished the bidding on a set of upholstered French-style armchairs — which sold for $75 — he yelled out, “Good morning, Ira,” to the winner. Later items saw higher returns. A Times Square scene by the prolific contemporary realist Richard Schmid went for $4,600.

Rosemary Tung, a retired Staten Island CUNY professor and former curator at the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art, in Staten Island, said that auctions at the Richmond Galleries are characterized by their total transparency and low prices. “David is honest,” she said. Ms. Tung said she had found a number of good deals over the years, including a 1960s post-abstract expressionist painting.

“Nowadays, with the Internet, it’s harder to find deals,” Staten Island antiques dealer Eugene Timmons said. Mr. Timmons, who rents a booth on the second floor of Richmond Galleries, said he had been attending the auctions on and off for the last 25 years, and that he was often able to re-sell items for a profit. “You get good stuff here. It’s cheaper than Manhattan,” he said.

Mr. Brown said he had come to dislike eBay — and Internet auctions in general, not surprisingly. Bidding, he said, was better in person. “Anybody can sit behind a computer and bid on something. You’re not dealing with someone face to face,” Mr. Brown said. “It’s not like you can call up and say, ‘Hey I like that piece and I want to bid on it.’ And if you go and sell it and make $1,000 afterwards, God bless you. I’ll see you at the next auction.”

Richmond Galleries’ next auction is scheduled for Tuesday, September 9. The sale will feature antique furniture, art, sports memorabilia, and miscellanea. (947 Castleton Ave., between Elm Street and North Burgher Avenue, 718-273-1120. Richmond Galleries can be reached from the St. George Staten Island Ferry Terminal by taking the S46 Bus from Bay Street to North Burgher Avenue.)