Normally find this kind of long-form article terribly tedious, but I was engrossed. I like that he didn't leave the auction until the final act, but instead gave it upfront and then went into the flowery background.
It read as if the author was trying too hard.
If by "trying too hard," you mean "researched something over the course of several months instead of paraphrasing an AP or Reuters blurb," then yes I agree. And the world needs more of it.