Major on-site estate auction slated for Oct. 9 in Litchfield, Conn. The estate of the late James B. Irwin, a longtime resident of Litchfield, will be sold Sunday, Oct. 9, in a two-session, on-site auction at Thunder Ridge Farms on Beach Street in Litchfield, Conn.
News-Antique.com - Sep 30,2011 - (LITCHFIELD, Conn.) – The estate of the late James B. Irwin, a longtime resident of Litchfield, will be sold Sunday, Oct. 9, in a two-session, on-site auction at Thunder Ridge Farms on Beach Street in Litchfield. Mr. Irwin owned and operated the 100+-acre horse farm, as well as the prestigious, 32-room Litchfield Inn and other businesses, both stateside and internationally.
The auction will be conducted in two sessions. Session I, slated to start at 12 noon (EST), will feature the contents of a sprawling, detached 20,000-square-foot office facility that Mr. Irwin had custom-built to resemble a barn building, in keeping with the overall theme of the property, and out of which he ran his many businesses. Session II, which will begin immediately after all of Session I has been sold, will comprise the contents of Mr. Irwin's magnificent 10-room Thunder Ridge estate home.
“This is a monumental estate auction, with many discoveries yet to be revealed leading up to auction day,” said Tim Chapulis of Tim’s, Inc., himself a longtime Litchfield resident and the auctioneer of the sale. “Mr. Irwin was a successful businessman who appointed his home and office with wonderful items throughout. Bidders will be able to inspect these items from 11 a.m. until not just the start of the auction, but throughout the entire day. This is rare for an auction.”
Mr. Irwin's love of horses and all things equestrian is reflected in some of the things he collected. Two such items to be sold include a rare and unusual “Ride the Champion” 10-cent riding horse machine with full saddle and marvelous folk art graphics; and a large, framed 1882 Currier & Ives print titled Edward and Swiveller, depicting horses at full gallop in a buckboard wagon race in Moorisania, N.Y., in which a winning time of 2 minutes and 16 seconds is given. The print was the focal point of Mr. Irwin's living room and was hung proudly above his mantel.
Session II will be packed with beautiful furnishings (to include Hitchcock furniture), an early Kentucky rifle collection (some pieces having tiger maple stocks), artwork, a slot machine, a large collection of railroad lanterns (some with gorgeous colored glass), Waterford cut glass china, desks and secretaries, highly collectible Lladro figures, bedroom sets, lighting and antique clocks, to include an E. Terry & Sons pillar-and-scroll clock as well as other vintage timepieces.
Some individual items of note will include an ornate brass cash register, a stunning custom-made oak dining room suite with oak harvest-style table, 108 inches long by 44 inches wide, with matching sideboard and mirror (and a custom-made corner hutch with an unusual L-shaped design), a Margolis custom-made mahogany low-boy, a pair of leather fire buckets with the letters “JD” on the front of them, and a mahogany Victorian two-drawer library (or writing) desk with carved lion and gargoyle heads and matching director's chair, in the original finish.
Also sold will be a 2001 Coachmen Leprechaun motor home (Model 314-SS, $57,000 new) with very low
