Estate tag sale features auto and sports memorabilia
If you’re a collector of automobile and sports memorabilia, or just interested in local history, an estate tag sale this Friday and Saturday might prove to be a treasure trove.
UNC sports collectibles will be featured at a tag sale at Lexington Motor Co. this Friday and Saturday.
Ellis Auction and Tag Sale Co. in Thomasville will conduct a tag sale at Lexington Motor Co., 306 East Highway 64, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
The sale at the former automobile dealership, owned and operated by Guy Smith for decades until 2005, will feature Cadillac and Oldsmobile collectibles such as model cars, advertising brochures, owner’s manuals, parts catalogs and various promotional materials, such as a lighted Cadillac sign. There’s even a 6-foot metal sign featuring “Mr. Goodwrench.”
This 6-foot metal sign is one of the collectibles expected to draw buyers of auto memorabilia to a tag sale at Lexington Motor Co. this Friday and Saturday.
Smith’s father, the late Moyer Smith, purchased Lexington Motor Co. in 1948 from the late Zeb Grubb. The dealership was located on North Main Street but Smith relocated it to its present location in 1972.
Vintage hubcaps from a variety of automobiles and license plates are also among the items for sale. Melinda Smith, Guy’s wife and an interior designer, noted such items may appeal to people planning to design a “man cave” or retro restaurant.
A longtime Rams Club member at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Smith has a lot of UNC sports memorabilia, including a copy of a Sports Illustrated magazine with the late Dean Smith on the cover, as well as UNC posters and calendars. There is also a small collection of Carolina Panthers memorabilia.
Smith also collected Bradford Exchange baseball plates featuring legends such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Cy Young and Ty Cobb as well as vintage sporting equipment ranging from golf clubs and skis to fishing poles. For collectors of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia, one of the Smiths’ cousins has for sale a collection of Bradford Exchange plates featuring the movie star as well as Marilyn Monroe Barbie dolls.
Office equipment and furniture from the former dealership, including metal file cabinets and other storage pieces, are also part of the sale as well as some residential furniture.
A little local history is also part of the sale, including a clock from McCullochs’ Jewelers, a chopping block from Lexington Barbecue and a Lexington Business Directory from 1963-64.
Cadillac and Oldsmobile model cars will be part of the tag sale at Lexington Motor Co. this Friday and Saturday.
The Smiths said Lexington Motor Co. has leased the showroom and office space of the dealership building to Smart Start of Davidson County for several years but the nonprofit is relocating. Capital Chevrolet, which is located across East Highway 64, plans to lease the entire dealership building, which is more than 12,000 square feet, for a regional body shop for the large dealership chain.
So, rather than relocate all the accumulated items to store elsewhere, the Smiths decided to sell them to make way for the new tenant. They said they had previously attended a tag sale conducted by the Ellis company.
Photos of items available for purchase at the tag sale and purchasing details can be viewed at the auction company’s website, ellisauctioncompany.com.
