In a large consignment auction, many stories intertwine
These are not my memories, my joyful discovery or deep loss.
The collection that spanned decades with a love for automobiles and America as a manufacturing powerhouse, struck low by a stroke and a realization of the fleeting nature of life. Nor the antiques random and varied but with a common thread through Mt. Vernon, Ohio, where an older lady's family had once kept a store many, many years ago. Calendars marked with the family name, advertising pencils once proudly purchased decades before the world knew of today's social media or online world.
There are the early photographs, cataloged and cared for as part of a meticulous and long-term plan for organizing and enjoying a growing collection that was to blossom for many years to come. But those years seem stolen now, as the kind, gentle man who bought these things suddenly found out he had a most terminal of cancers. He then decided to sell, so as not to burden his children with what was his passionate, long-term hope for a collection that would never be. As we carefully packed these things at his home, he sat head in hands, in pain, and frail. The sorrow of the moment was indelible, and I'll never forget it.
But it is not all sadness, as life itself never truly is. The woman with roots in Mt. Vernon sold to move to a far-away state. Her belongings packed away by us, she quickly sold her house despite the down market, and now lives in the same town as her son, and grandchildren. She employed us as a means to a wonderful end, to be near to family.
And still another consignor, whose collection of political items, ephemera and advertising material will be offered Sept. 22-23, today enjoys warm southern climes and a love affair with a special car and the camaraderie it brings. And he reports that he continues to surrender to the pull to head out and buy a little more when the price is right.
But like all things material, we are only ever stewards for a time. And as our consignors ended their own time as stewards, they entrusted us with the task. For our auction house, that meant careful sorting, organization and marketing that is required to find a good and new home for so many treasures on two days in September. The process is rarely easy for those parting with these things, and for us it is always a meticulous and long task requiring focus to the end.
But all has gone well, and the auction is set. Consignors are excited, and ready to see results. While potential buyers show their cards as much as championship poker players do, it is clear they have begun to circle in anticipation of the auction. These are all good things, although it is hard to ever forget the other part of the story, of those who kept these items for so very long, and with love.
You can check out our auction online here, but please come in person if you can. Our gallery is where you can see these treasures first hand - and that really is the only way to do it. And who knows, you might buy something, and then you, too, are part of this human story buying and loving these things. That's the fun of it, after all.
Burns Auction & Appraisal is located at 113 N. Columbus St., Lancaster, Ohio, 43130, in the historic Democrat building in downtown Lancaster.
Here are a few highlights of our auction:
This plaque once hung on a building in Indianapolis:
Lucky Teter was lucky until he died driving his stunt car in 1942.
Old signs are always a hit.
This rare large storage jar likely comes from a Mid-Atlantic state such as Virginia.
This coke machine dates to the 1940s.
Our consignor didn't know this gold coin was in a box of old coins. She'll be happy when she gets the check.
A really neat postcard. If you are in Ohio, you know why!
This signed print includes an autograph of Teddy Roosevelt on a White House business card.
