The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

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November 14, 2009

‘Sale-a-bration’

Public auction turns into ‘sale-a-bration’ of family’s pastᥥ

By Courtney D. Clark

One full day of auctioning did not put a dent in the Wilkes family’s treasured collectibles, and two days were scarcely enough.

More than 2,000 items left the Wilkes’ building on Friday and Saturday during a public auction on Eisenhower Drive in Beckley.

“The Wilkes sisters are one of the oldest families in Beckley,” Susan Landis, executive director of the Beckley Area Foundation, said Saturday. “They love this city, plus they are part of the history of this town.”

Landis described the auction as part of the history of Beckley because the city grew and flourished during the Victorian period when most of the items were made.

“They amassed all of these items through years of collecting,” she added. “My house is filled with antiques and I love old things, so I just had to come.”

“Besides, I think so much of the Wilkes sisters. It is a little sad, but mostly it’s a celebration of their lives and their interest in preserving the past.”

The two-day auction event was presented by United County Riverbend Auction Services, based out of Alderson.

“Betty Wilkes and her sisters have been collecting these antiques for years,” said Randy Burdette, principal auctioneer for United Country. “When the antiques outgrew her home, she started storing them in this building here and now she has decided to move them on.”

Betty Wilkes is the last surviving sibling of her generation of the prominent Wilkes family of Beckley.

Burdette said the group sold for six hours Friday and expected to sell just as long Saturday.

“It’s a huge collection,” he continued. “Most things are around 100 years old, maybe older.”

The auction items included Flow Blue china, carnival glass, stoneware, rare fruit jars, ironware, ironstone, primitives, glass, china, Victorian furniture, oil lamps and more.

“There are people here from all over Beckley, Summersville, Bluefield, Princeton and Virginia,” Burdette said. “There are a lot of dealers, collectors and a lot of folks that have known this family for a very long time.”

Rhonda Harper of Grassy Meadows traveled to the sale from Greenbrier County.

“We go to Riverbend auctions a lot,” Harper said. “We usually try to look on his Web site and see what he’s having before we go. So if I’m looking for something in particular, like primitive or antique items, that’s a great help.”

Harper said she bought an old coffee grinder and had her eyes on a couple other things she hoped to get.

“I came yesterday and bought a dish for a very reasonable price,” Shelia Chapman of Beckley said.

“I’m back today because I just love auctions. You never know what you might find, and I enjoy the thrill of the hunt.”

— E-mail: cclark@register-herald.com

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