WAUSEON, Ohio — Even with the threat of rain, a large crowd gathered to help Linda Garmenn sell some of her late husband, Phil Garmenn’s, tools and collectibles that she would no longer need. This was the second large sale that Whalen Realty & Auction, Ltd. had held for the Garmenn family. The first sale consisted of 15 large farm wagons filled to overflowing, the yard filled with lawn mowers, farm equipment, and other large items.

This sale was pretty much the same as far as amount and these all came out of the garage and basement. There were still 15 farm wagons stacked high with tools of all kinds, some firearms, a collection of toys and trains, and even some furniture. With so much to sell, there would be two rings selling at all times. So, the crowd split up – one group for the tools, and the other headed to the toys and collectibles.

Firearms started he auction off with some high bidders. Whalen Auction announced that these guns must all go to Ohio residents, and would be held in their trailer until time to leave. They could be sold to an out-of-state resident, but there was paperwork involved and background checks that complicated the sale. The men pushed to get a close-up view when an unmarked military rifle was held up. With numbers all matching, this was an original Japanese rifle and the bidding started out at $100. There was an absentee bidder who gave the men some competition, even though he wasn’t there. His bid ended up taking the rifle with a high of $450. Selling quickly for the same bid of $450 was a Dakota 357 Magnum revolver. This one opened the bidding at $200.

A Western Field 12-gauge bolt action rifle was held up. With an opening bid of $100, the gentlemen were off. It took a high bid of $225 to be the new owner of this rifle. A Ward Teens Ranger 12-gauge single shot rifle was quickly stored away for the bid of $65.

A Simmons 20 60x60 scope was offered up. “You can literally count the blades of grass with this,” said Jason Whalen. The final bid price on this accessory was $65.

Moving around to see how the toy wagons were holding up, a hand-made stage coach, marked Findlay, Ohio, was quickly put away by a bidder for a bid of $35.

Offering a choice of three American Flyer steam engines, the bid kept rising for the right to pick the best of the three. It was no surprise when the winning bidder picked two of the three offered for his bid of $70. The final one needed to have some parts and pieces put back on it and was sold for the bid of $35.

Asking the bidders how they wanted to purchase, an entire table containing a Coca-Cola train set, complete with the village, was offered as a group. “The buildings are what is hard to find,” remarked one collector. This entire set brought a high bid of $350 and the new owner quickly began moving some of them so they wouldn’t get broken.

An American Flyer Frontiersman Electric train set had a lot of appeal as it was still in the original blue box. The box was in decent shape and announced that it “puffs real smoke” and was made by A.C. Gilbert & Co., out of New Haven, Connecticut. The final bid on this treasure was $125.

A rarer American Flyer engine was desired because it was the sought-after bullet shape. It sold for $65. A Lionel No. 1617S was also still housed in the original box and appeared to be complete. It sold for the high bid of $225.

Moving out of the train collectibles, a 1918 Harley Motorcycle toy with a side car was in mint condition. It sold for $90.

A set of Hull Jewel Tea dishes were sold as one unit. There were approximately 50 dishes in this display and the bid ran to $70 to own them all.

An odd rocking toy was full size for a child to ride on. There were some children present who had tested this critter and it worked just fine to their delight. It was a rocking camel and had the funniest expression on its face. The high bid of this toy was $60 and the little girl couldn’t wait to climb on it again.

A Cain electric wall clock was sold for $120. This clock was made by American Sign Industries, Inc. out of Florence, Ky. It was plastic, glass and metal, and measured 17 inches in diameter. A Seth Thomas clock was complete and sold in working condition. A couple of collectors bid against each other until one said, “He’s willing to go higher than I am,” and walked away. The winning bid was $325.

A key rack that stood almost 6 feet tall was full of keys and padlocks. It took $35 to win this one.

A small wooden drawer organizer had drawers about the size of small file cards and sold for $20. A stacked collection of red plastic and a few metal containers were full of nuts, bolts, electrical supplies, and just about any tiny items a person could need. There were two total in this grouping and they were sold by the piece with the winning bidder taking as many as he/she wanted. The top bid was $10 and the winner quickly claimed all 12 for a total bid of $120.

A table saw was quickly claimed for a bid of $155. A Craftsman 109 lathe was made by Atlas and brought a bid of $150. A Super Shop was sold for $100 and a Smithy X/Y table was tucked away for $50.

A MeLink safe proved to be an interesting item. When it was time to sell this heavy monster, the auctioneer joked to his ring man, “Are you going to hold it up for us.” The crowd laughed and it was sold where it sat. However, it was discovered that no one had the combination and it hadn’t been opened. So, “you are buying a grab bag. It could be jewels, air, gold – no telling,” and it was sold. “Now that was the longest and hardest I ever worked for $5,” laughed Auctioneer Whalen. The final bid price was the $5 bid.

A choice out on three hand carts found the winning bidder taking the aluminum one for his $40 bid. A band saw was sold for $55 and a wheeled weed eater/trimmer was carted off for $20.

A platform lift table was sold for $40, while a lift table jack which hand-cranked your items up in the air if you did the work, was sold for $115.

Whalen Realty & Auction, LTD would be happy to help you with your auction needs. They can be reached at (419) 875-6317. Or you can get more information for your auction or an upcoming auction they have scheduled by going to info@whalenauction.com.