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Estate sale includes one-of-a-kind memorabilia from the Fredericksburg area, as well as household items and classic cars
The estate sale near Four-Mile Fork includes a 1940s ration book from the National Bank of Fredericksburg.View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place |
By CATHY DYSON
As Tom Johnson has gone through his parents' estate, he's decided their habit of never throwing anything away was both a blessing and a curse.
"They had so many things of sentimental value, some things of financial value and a lot of clutter," he said.
This weekend, people who never met Thomas "Penny" and Verena Johnson--who ran Johnson Auto Parts near Four-Mile Fork from 1965 to 1981--are getting the chance to look over the couple's collections. The estate sale runs through Sunday, or until everything is gone.
The assortment of household goods included wringer washers and an old refrigerator that was cooled, not by electricity, but with a chunk of ice. There were medicine bottles and poison bottles, bottles that once held Welch's Grape Juice and had Howdy Doody's picture on the side, and milk bottles from the former Farmers Creamery in Fredericksburg.
The living room was full of one-of-a-kind Fredericksburg memorabilia, such as calendars from Princess Anne Tire, World War II ration books still in their original folder and old newspapers, most before 1960.
In the wooden buildings out back were six of the classic cars restored by Penny Johnson.
"I've been doing this for 24 years, and this is the biggest sale I've ever done in terms of how much cool stuff there is," said Pam Weldon, owner Liberty Park Estate Sales.
She pointed out a souvenir program from a Nov. 22, 1935, homecoming football game at Fredericksburg High School.
"It's signed by all the players, and it's from Fredericksburg," she said. "You're not gonna find that anywhere else."
The Johnson home, off State Route 208 in Spotsylvania County, opened Friday for the sale. Every item, from a 1929 Model A Ford pickup to a Remington typewriter in mint condition, already had price tags on it.
Customers started lining up in the rain three hours before the doors opened at 9 a.m. to get first dibs on the merchandise.
Carrie and Donald Delaney drove from Charles County, Md., and were among the early-birds--and big spenders. He made a beeline to the garage to claim the first items: two porcelain Mobilgas signs featuring a red Pegasus.
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The estate sale at the former home of Thomas "Penny" and Verena Johnson, is scheduled through 4 p.m. Sunday. Whatever is left is marked down by 25 percent on Saturday and 50 percent on Sunday. The home is at 10610 Rollingwood Drive, off State Route 208. People can park in the lot of Eastland United Methodist Church on Saturday and after 1 p.m. on Sunday. More information and photos of the items available can be seen at estatesales.net/estate-sales/302685.aspx. Thomas "Penny" Johnson died in 1984, and his widow, Verena Carter Johnson, died Dec. 4, 2011. She was 92. Since her death, her son, Tom, has spent at least four days a week, going through the couple's belongings in their Spotsylvania County house. He was surprised to find a gold ring with a -carat diamond in a jewelry box. With the ring was a note from his mother, who said the ring belonged to her Grandmother Carnohan. She chronicled how it had been passed through the family until 1978, when she inherited it. "The last line of instructions was, 'Please take good care of this,'" Tom Johnson said. He and his two sisters plan a family meeting to decide who in their generation--and the next, and the next--will get the ring so it will remain in the family. |