SOLD… Auction finds In CedarGrove North Carolina

This morning I travel down I-85 taking exit 160 to Efland North Carolina. I traveled 30 miles North down Efland/Cedargrove Road to the living estate (personal and real estate) auction of Sam and Gertrude Borland. Two years ago the Borlands decided to down size after 65 years on the family’s homestead. Both Sam and Gertrud attended the auction along with a host of family and friends. I was told that both Sam and Gertrude are eighty something. However, I would have guessed their ages to be sixty-five years or so. I asked a family member what Sam did as a vocation and with such devotion and love she answered there was not anything that he could not do. Judging by the four section tool outbuilding and the extensive collection of equipment and tools, I can imagine this to be true. Sam and Gertrude have seven children. The auction was an emotional event for their children, there were tears shed. After all this was their homestead and every square inch of land held a memory. This auction signaled the end of a season for their parents as they had known. However, given the appearance of both parents, I would say that they have lots of life and years ahead to come.
There were lots of items up for auction. So much so that three auctioneers rotated around to worked two auction venues. There was a huge outbuilding that housed an extensive collections of shop tools and small hand tools. There was another  outbuilding that housed Sam’s mother estate item. The “wow” purchased  for the day was made in this building.  A hand made sideboard was estimated to have been made in 1810 or earlier.  I was told that this piece of furniture had been handed down from Sam’s grand parents. The final bid on the sideboard was $12,650. Before the sideboard was secured away I was able to capture  a picture.I purchased a couple of kitchen items and founded another quilt to add to my wall hanging collection. A picture of the quilt follows. I was disappointed in that there were items I wanted from both outbuildings.  I walked back and forth between both buildings trying to gauge when those items might come up for bid.  As fate would have it I missed the opportunity to bid on those items by minutes in my back and forth travels. This was a day when I needed another person with me. Nonetheless, the drive into Cedar Grove was beautiful. I would love to own a homestead there. It is country living accessible to the Raleigh/Durham area. 
This auction experience was different, I would not rank dual auctions at one location as my favorite type of auction. The people at the auction were friendly enough. But the best part of the day was seeing what I consider as icons, husband and wife in union for 65 years. Thank You Sam and Gertrude Borland for publicly, sharing an end of a season to your lives and a embarkment on a new chapter. And while the auctioneer did pronounce a couple items SOLD to my number 131. The best things at auction are not always the assets up for auction but the assets of lives lived in union with  more seasons to come.  

       

SOLD ….Auction Finds in Summerfield NC

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 !

        

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