After
decades of researching the collection
he started in his youth, and showcased and shared in his Old Salem
residence he sold in 2009, in March 2010, he parted with almost
all of his worldly possessions at auction.
Some 560 lots of R.J. Reynolds memorabilia, children’s toys
— the original truck was then valued between $500 to $1,000 —
Early American furniture and paintings, British and Continental
ceramics, hooked and shirred rugs, pewter, brass, glass and woven
baskets brought a total of $1.9 million.
The auction drew the country’s leading Early American
decorative arts museums to Salem College where it was held.
Representatives from Winterthur Museum in Delaware, Colonial
Above: Six Dutch tiles circa 1580-1620
feature animals, especially rare unicorn.
Opposite: King William and Mary Regina
English Delft chargers amid an extensive
collection of German Westerwald jugs
are displayed in cabinets built by Randy
Olson, local cabinetmaker.
Williamsburg in Virginia and Tryon Palace in North Carolina
hoped for a chance to bid on fine Southern Piedmont and New
England pieces. The 176-page, full-color auction catalog presents
an impressive picture of the collector and his passion.
Perhaps more interesting is the personal collection that was
reserved for the seacoast retreat that is now a permanent repository
for museum-quality maritime art, Civil War naval maps,
Revolutionary War letters from the North Carolina signers of
the Declaration of Independence, first edition North Carolina
history books plus scrimshaw, earthenware pottery and more
decorative accessories that resonate with meaning for the lifetime
steward.
24
WBM january 2013