History for sale at local auction featured on 'American Pickers'
The sale at Good Old Boy Country Auction included everything from signs to tools to milk cartons
Lovers of Americana came to Good Old Boy Country Auction on Saturday hoping to snap up a piece of local history.
And Bob Sholly, the 73-year-old owner of the Manchester Township-based auction business, had plenty of treasures to bid on — from a pair of metal Avalong Farms milk boxes to a red Radio Flyer wagon to a barrel of yardsticks bearing the names of area businesses.
One, given out by Ace Heating, was emblazoned with the company's slogan, "A Good Rule Before Buying Heat," and what was then the company's five-digit phone number — "53366".
It took Sholly 30 years to amass his collection of Americana, which he hopes will be sold off by the time the auction ends Monday.
A renewed interest in Americana, spurred by the popularity of shows like History Channel's "American Pickers," makes this a good time to sell, said Sholly, who was featured in an episode of the show that aired in December.
"A lot of this stuff I've had a long time," Sholly said. "I'm focused. It's time to get rid of it."
Some of the larger pieces up for auction included a pair of owl signs from the original Lincoln Highway Garage, which is now a Turkey Hill convenience store.
Auctioneer Gary Sweitzer kept things moving as item after item came up for bid.
"We're selling everything," he told the crowd camped out on folding chairs under a tent. "There's no reserve. There's no fooling around."
A pair of antique coffee grinders went for $35. A 1920s-era battery charger — "the plate's still on it," Sweitzer said — fetched $20.
Within the first hour of the auction, Lester Swinehart, 76, of East Hempfield Township in Lancaster County, had already placed the winning bid on a scale, several antique screwdrivers and a stack of folded, unused milk cartons from Avalong Farms.
"They're in really good shape," Swinehart, a retired foreman for a construction company, said of the milk cartons. He paid $9 for them.
Glenn Hively came to bid on two pieces of local history with a lot of personal meaning — the sign that used to hang outside Shiloh Nurseries and the sign that was once outside Shiloh Hardware.
Hively's parents started the nursery in the 1920s. His mother ran the hardware store that was once located at Sunset Lane and Carlisle Road, he said.
"I'm 82 years old," Hively said. "I want to buy these for my kids, if it's not too much money."
If You Go:
What: Auction of Americana items
When: Monday, starting at 9 a.m. until close
Where: Good Old Boy Country Auction
Address: 545 Locust Lane, Manchester Township
Phone: 717-309-5821