The auction will take place in the firm’s gallery, at 544 E. Sixth Street in Panama City, Fla.
(PANAMA CITY, Fla.) – A whopping nine local consignors, together boasting hundreds of lots in an eclectic mix of categories, will be packed into a one-day multi-estate sale on Saturday, Aug. 27, at The Specialists of the South, Inc. The auction will take place in the firm’s spacious showroom, located at 544 East Sixth Street in Panama City, starting at 9 a.m. (CDT).
It will be a live and Internet auction. Bidding may be done in person, or online, through LiveAuctioneers.com, beginning around Aug. 8. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. A preview will be held the morning of the auction, from 8-9 a.m., and during the week prior to auction, or by appointment. Call for information, at (850) 785-2577.
The items will be as varied as the consignors themselves – some deceased and some still living. One was a prominent educator active in her community, another was a couple that dealt in antiques and collectibles, while another was a world traveler and artifact collector. Hundreds of their unique, collectible items will be sold Aug. 27.
Linda Stallings Grantham (1937-2010) is a name that will be familiar to many in Panama City. Originally from Louisville, where she taught third grade, Ms. Grantham moved to Florida in 1973. She served on the District Board of Trustees for Gulf Coast Community (now State) College (1999-2006) and before that she was a member of the Bay County District School Board (1980-1996).
As a one-time elementary school teacher, Ms. Grantham naturally loved children, and many of the items in her collection reflect that. Offered will be children’s wicker, toy furniture (changing table, high chair and crib), children’s toys, Madame Alexander dolls, a vintage sewing machine in a cabinet, Nippon, milk glass and an older wicker rocker.
Dolores and Rod Buckley were originally from Peoria, Ill., and were in charge of an antique flea market there for ten years before starting a yearly antique and doll show, also in Peoria. In the 1980s, Delores worked for the United Federation of Doll Clubs, traveling to Atlanta, New Orleans and elsewhere, appraising dolls and conducting doll seminars.
Rod was more into glassware, but the two worked hand-in-hand and carved out a nice life for themselves in the antiques business during their 50+ years of marriage. They both retired in 1982 and moved to Panama City, where their interest in antiques and collectibles remained strong.
The Buckleys were dedicated collectors of clear Iris and Herringbone Depression glass. Their collection (to include cups, saucers and dinner plates) will be sold. Also offered will be rare advertising memorabilia, including a black memorabilia tobacco tin from the late 1920s (plus the politically correct renamed later version of the same product, in a cardboard container).
Other examples of black memorabilia will include mammies and a teapot – about 12 items in all. Also from the Buckley estate will be dolls, to include Kewpie dolls, two KISS (the rock band) dolls, a “Fonzy” (from Happy Days) doll, a Little Miss Sunshine doll, celluloid dolls, bobble head dolls, vintage Kewpie postcards, mantel clocks, a rare Orange Crush soda dispenser, small older slot machines, vintage mechanical and still banks, advertising memorabilia (to include a Gipp’s Beer sign), two nice Planter’s Peanuts display jars, and an in-depth collection of colorful circular flue covers, decoratively ringed in metal (for the stove).
Keewatin Berg was quite the colorful character (and world traveler). A part Cherokee Indian and native Oklahoman, she was secretly taught how to fly airplanes by her brother, a self-taught pilot, and used that skill to fly Army salvage trainers, such as the BT13 (with aluminum skin and glass canopy) and the Steerman. She was a member of the 99ers, an elite club of the first 99 female pilots ever in the U.S.
Ms. Berg’s adventurous spirit took her to over 30 different countries, where she snapped up artifacts, artwork and other exotic objects. She loved Mexico and Canada (and even traveled as a child to Canada by canvas canoe, where she went fishing and moose hunting). But her favorite destination was no doubt Asia (or “the Orient,” as it was then called). She visited there many times.
Items from Ms. Berg’s estate will include many Native American and African objects, to include terracotta pieces from Mexico, ethnic artwork, receptacles and hats fashioned from natural materials, carvings, and items she acquired from the World Museum in Tulsa, Okla. (at their liquidation sale in the 1970s), plus a heavily decorated 48-inch diameter tin wall-mounted piece.
Ms. Berg resided near the tony Seaside area of Panama City Beach, and at one time her impressive collections were shown at the Carillon Beach Chapel Exhibit. Other items will also cross the block Aug. 27, such as Rattan furniture (some with leather upholstery) and a heavily carved sandalwood storage chest.
The living estate of another resident will feature a beautiful Hoosier cabinet and a collection of fine crocks, china and glassware. But one item certain to pique bidder interest will be a long Oriental belt (or wrap), possibly for holding a weapon and worn into battle, and with large Oriental characters at one end and along one edge, plus fine chop marks at the other end. The belt, along with a World War II-era parachute and other military memorabilia, were given to the consignor by her uncle, who served in the Philippines during World War II.
Margaret “Peggy” Beck and Bert Whitbread operated Fernleigh Antiques in Panama City for 17 years before the BP oil spill forced them to close their doors last year. The couple specialized in nautical items, which they often sold to restaurants and the trade. Items from their estate will include a ship’s sextant from 1876 and an original oil-on-canvas rendering of Joan of Arc with clergy and soldiers by J.W. Vale, 47 inches by 79 inches (estimated value: $12,000).
Other merchandise from the couple’s collection will include a hand-painted Austrian luncheon service for 12 with the beehive (a matching teapot, creamer and sugar), a Capodimonte vase, a Majolica mother-and-child elephant, a circa-1918 dental cabinet, a set of tiered retail canisters (each one about 14 inches long and 6 inches wide), a coalport vase, about a half-dozen Scottish purses (Sporrans) worn by men in kilts, and a sterling silver dresser or vanity set (comb, brush and mirror).
One other noteworthy consignment is the estate of the late Catherine Railey, offering a large collection of Royal Doulton figurines (boxed) and an equally impressive collection of Desert Rose dinnerware. Other items from additional consignors will include a gorgeous carriage clock, a nice Navajo rug, some oil lamps with shades and a vintage jukebox.
The Specialists of the South, Inc., has been serving the Panama City community for over 30 years. The firm specializes in a broad range of services, to include estate auctions, furniture refurbishing, interior decoration, personal property appraisals and business liquidation services. It has been awarded the Small Business of the Month by the Bay County Chamber of Commerce.
The Specialists of the South, Inc. is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign an item, estate or collection, you may call them at (850) 785-2577, or you may e-mail them at [email protected].
To learn more, or to register for the Aug. 27 auction, you may log on to either www.SpecialistsoftheSouth.com or www.PanamaCityAuctions.com
