I have a passion for auctions, for collecting and preserving vintage, collectibles and antique items and I live in North Carolina. On a typical Saturday morning you will find me at an auction, preferably a personal, on site, estate sale. Auctions held in a gallery are too impersonal and don’t allow me the opportunity to browse about in the home and learn about the people who once occupied the rooms and loved the treasures that are up for sale. No, this is not about selling items on Ebay, although, I have been there, done that and I am happy to share my experiences with you. This is overwhelmingly about sharing with you the items I purchased at auctions and the auction adventures for that day. While doing this I hope you enjoy viewing the pictures, hearing about the provenance of the items I purchase and experiencing a little bit of my native North Carolina. Welcome, let me tell you about the Estate Auction for Mrs. Mary Flint, held this past Saturday in Summerfield NC, 69 miles, one way, from Durham.
While standing in line to register for the auction, the lady behind told me that she had known Mrs. Flint since childhood. Mrs. Flint and her husband had purchased the land and built a home. Mrs. Flint had worked for a while outside of the home for Blue Bell a now defunct textile plant and her husband worked as a tobacco farmer. Mrs. Flint, since her husband’s death, had live in the home by herself and had managed very well until she developed Alzheimer. In fact, Mrs. Flint was well known for keeping a pistol in every room of the house, in the event of a burglary. On Saturday the auctioneer sold four revolvers and one rifle
Since this was once a working farm with outbuildings and barns there were lots of farming equipment, tools, horse harnesses, tobacco baskets and such. The “jaw dropping” purchase of the day was a winning bid of over $6,000 for a Diesel Ford 2310 Tractor.
My best find of the day was located in the tobacco barn, an old quilt had been left in the barn fading under the sunlight that streamed through the barn opening. The folds of the quilt had become housing for wasp nests. I bidded $2.00 for the quilt and won the bid. My plans are to use the quilt as artwork, to hang on a wall in my office. My second and third best finds were a grouping of vintage tobacco burlap sacks, and an old milking stool. I plan to weave a new bottom for the stool and use the tobacco burlap sacks as a wall hanging as well.
When I attend auctions, I always look for recipe books, looking for a well used cooking book to jot down a recipe from. I have a collection of over 60 books and countless cooking magazines Mrs. Flint was an avid canner, as evidence by the shelves in the basement lined with old mason jars filled with canned foods, from days gone by. So instead of sharing a recipe, I will share a picture of old atlas-canning jars from my personal collection, note the original metal lids.
I spent 4 hours at this auction in Summerfield NC. While I did not purchase many items, I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to walk amongst the fields, touch the equipment, pick up and handle the old tobacco tools, walk around in the home of the people who once carried on their lives there and develop a sense of who they were and what their passions were. At the end of the day, I had a small bundle of treasures that I had purchased at auction and now call my own. Sold to #99 !
Tags: antique, antiques, auction, AUCTIONS, collectible, collecting, collection, estate, estate sale, family, for sale, heritage, life, NC, North Carolina, old, perservation, photos, preserving, quilts, sale, site, tag sale, vintage
