Auction watch: Sales of family homes to benefit wounded vets

A comeback of sorts stands out among this round of local sales as Tripp Kline un-retires for an on-site estate sale. And a former Trafford resident should receive a medal as he donates the proceeds from the sale of two homes and their contents to lend a helping hand and more to America's injured veterans.

Three Rivers Auction Co.

Tripp Kline is back. Just a couple months after retiring from the company he started three decades ago, Kline will join forces with Cresswell Auction Services to conduct an on-site estate sale Aug. 23 in Dubois.

“Bet you didn't think you'd ever hear from me again,” Kline says with a big laugh. “I'm going back to my roots with this sale. It should be a fun event with lots of good old stuff, especially some toys that will knock people's socks off.”

A call from an attorney seeking auction advice triggered Kline's return to his early days of auctioneering. After selling everything he owned — except a public-address system — during a closeout sale in June, Kline called his longtime friend Don Cresswell to collaborate on the sale. What excites Kline the most is the collection of toys.

“The owners of the home weren't hoarders,” he says. “They collected a little of everything. And when they really liked something, they collected a lot. The toys are in outstanding condition.

“A Tipp & Co. motorcycle with sidecar is probably the highlight,” Kline says. “In the heyday of toy collecting, around 2000, you could find this selling for $12,000. We're not expecting that. But there are still plenty of guys with money buying toys. So this could sell for $3,000 to $5,000.”

For more grownup tastes, the sale offers plenty of furniture, including a hanging pie safe, vintage Halloween and Christmas decorations, stone- and enamel-ware and an amazingly large collection of tin items, ranging from candlesticks to a huge roaster that would fit over the front of a fireplace or other large source of heat.

The sale starts at 10 a.m. Aug. 23 at 614 Chestnut St., DuBois.

Details: 724-253-3493

Mark Ferry Auctions

“A lot of this stuff is right out of the barn,” Mark Ferry says about an Aug. 16 sale in Hunker, Westmoreland County. The contents of an old homestead and farm tell a tale of everyday life in much earlier times through many primitive items, such as copper double boilers, oil lamps, crocks and quilts.

A considerable amount of furniture should attract attention with notable pieces of Victorian, Eastlake, Queen Anne, Empire, Sheraton and other styles in the form of desks, dressers, rocking chairs, beds, wardrobes and pieces for nearly every room of an old-style home.

Among the glassware, bidders will find 79 pieces of Liberty pattern Syracuse china and another set of Syracuse in the Old Ivory pattern. Pieces by Fiesta, Meito, Hull, Wallace and other well-known manufacturers round out the selections.

And nearly lost among the old-time merchandise is a 2002 Mercury Sable four-door sedan with full leather interior and plenty of options — and just under 30,000 miles.

The sale starts at 9 a.m. Aug. 16 at 703 S. Center Ave., Hunker.

Details: 724-423-5580

Bill Anderson Auctioneers

Charity starts at home with Eric Nemi. Actually, the act of giving begins with two homes, as Nemi sells a pair Trafford homes and their contents to benefit the Wounded Warriors Project, a nonprofit organization that provides aid to injured American military personnel. Nemi says 100 percent of the proceeds of the sale will be donated to the organization.

Now living in Palm Coast, Fla., Nemi decided to sell the homes after the recent death of his brother, who owned them. While Nemi and his brother grew up in one of the modest post-World War II houses, his aunt lived in the other.

“My father served in Guadalcanal, and my uncle was in Iwo Jima,” Nemi says. “And so many people from my community fought in Vietnam and Iraq and Afghanistan. I wanted to show my gratitude to the people who fought to protect the rest of us.”

Keeping the money from the sale was never really an issue. At 68 years old, Nemi says the pensions and Social Security payments he and his wife receive more than cover their needs.

“I'm not rich by any stretch of the imagination,” he says. “I could sell the houses and everything in them. But the extra money isn't going to make me a better person. I hope we can present a pretty nice check to Wounded Warriors afterward. That's the bottom line.”

As for the sale, many of the items on the block hold special memories for Nemi. The toys and other playthings provided hours of entertainment for him and his brother when they were boys. Along with H.O. trains and vintage board games, the kids' stuff includes children's books, Howdy Doody memorabilia and one of Nemi's favorite youthful possessions, an old-fashioned sled. The sale roster features many decorative household items, advertising odds and ends and furniture.

The sale begins at 5 p.m. Aug. 15 at 405 and 407 Home Drive, in the Level Green neighborhood of Trafford.

Details: 724-327-3344

Royal York Auction Gallery

Owner Bob Simon welcomes all to Royal York's Aug. 23 estate auction with a slate of goods brimming with choices for nearly all tastes and budgets. Up for grabs are furniture, chandeliers, rugs, decorative items, sterling-silver flatware, holloware and tea sets and other household goods. Radio heads can tune in to bid on four classic Grundig shortwave and AM/FM models, a Trivoli AM/FM Audio Model Two and a vintage KLH Model Twenty-One FM number.

Previews are from 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 21 and 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 22. The sale begins at 9 a.m. Aug. 23. Previews and the sale are at 5925 Baum Blvd., East Liberty.

Details: 412-661-1171

John Altdorfer is a contributing writer for Trib Total Media.