Historical society and museum host silent auctions

By Carolyn Marnon – The Wayne Historical Museum and the Wayne Historical Society are trying to have more events throughout the year. They are also trying to find new ways to fundraise. People have items in their homes that they no longer use and would love to see go to a good home. When discussing the idea of a silent auction, a society member said she was cleaning out some of her things and would donate them for the museum’s first auction. Some of the items have been auctioned already as part of that first auction which raised $125.
During the last lecture hosted by the Historical Society, members were invited to bring in items they would like to donate to the next silent auction. Every month, 15 different items with boxes and bid slips will be put out. It is a blind silent auction; bidders do not know how much others have bid for an item. If a bidder really likes an item they must bid accordingly.
A few of the items auctioned last month included two McCoy textured basket weave flower pot planters with saucers from the 1950s, a vintage silver ginkgo leaf rhinestone pearl brooch, a Goebel bird figurine from the 1960s, and a glass washboard from the National Washboard Co., patented in 1918. Not all items in the auction are vintage or antique. Other items included a framed double-matted Successories golf print which had Arnold Palmer’s sentiments towards the sport and a beautiful picture of a seaside coastal golf course, a long wooden shelf with heart cutouts, a set of 4 Disney glasses celebrating the new millennium, Laurel and Hardy dolls and a Hardy Stein.
Every month new items will be put out the day after the monthly lecture and bidding will continue through the following lecture. People can bid on items by coming to the museum during open hours Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. and Thursdays from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. or during the monthly lecture, typically on the second Thursday of the month. The current auction runs until August 10. The next auction will be August 11-September 13.
The items in the silent auction and for sale are NOT museum artifacts. These are items that have been specifically donated for fundraising endeavors. All money raised from the silent auction will go towards running and maintaining the museum. The Historical Society is in the process of updating many of the museum displays and freshening up the museum.
The items in the current auction include an Evan’s vintage 1950s mink stole wrap, which has become popular for brides to wear. There are also white suede and fur fingerless gloves and a fur keychain which were donated by Bricker-Tunis Furs in West Bloomfield and a set of vintage rhinestone brooch and earrings. There are Greenfield Village Motor Muster prints from 1996 and 1997 as well as a poster about Henry Ford. Visit the museum during open hours to learn more about how you can help.