April 18th, 2023
Friends of Kauffman Museum, volunteers who help support the museum on the Bethel campus, will hold a sale of vintage items, antiques and artwork on Saturday, April 29.
The sale will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the museum’s front entrance and in the auditorium. Kauffman Museum is at 27th and Main in North Newton.
The premier item at the sale is an early-19th-century icon of Kyivan saints Boris and Gleb.
The two brothers were the favorite sons of Volodymyr the Great, who reigned Kyivan Rus’ from 980 to 1015.
At their father’s death, Boris and Gleb were the assassination targets of their half-brother Svyatopolk, who conspired to seize power. Advised of the plot, Boris and Gleb chose not to “resist an evil person” (Matt. 5:39) and were murdered.
The brothers became the first saints canonized in Kyivan Rus’ in 1071.
Said David Kreider, Kauffman Museum’s coordinator of collections, “The icon of painted and gilded wood was purchased in 1994 in Bethlehem by a friend of Kauffman Museum who was intrigued by this martyr story.
“The family contributed it to this benefit sale with the intent of raising funds to support the museum’s operations.”
Other notable items in the sale are an Elson jeweler’s lathe with a Boley box of Starrett collets; a set of “Jamoca” Franciscanware; an 87-piece set of William Rogers “Paris” silverware; a copper engraving, “Baya de Gibraltar,” of a 17th-century sea battle; a Justrite® carbide lamp for a coal miner’s helmet; an 1860 Godey’s Lady’s Book; a Whiting & Davis mesh bag; and a 1902 stereoview “Round-up on the Sherman Ranch, Geneseo, Kansas.”
Kauffman Museum Store manager Coralee Shenk noted, “Prices range from $1 to $2,000, so there will be something for everyone.”
In addition to priced items, from 9 a.m. until noon, the Friends of the Museum will hold a silent auction of an early 1800s French cavalry flintlock pistol, a 19th-century brass samovar and 1956 Vornado fan.
Silent auction items will be available for viewing the week of the sale, April 25-28, in the museum auditorium.
Rachel Pannabecker, retired museum director, now serves as a volunteer with the Friends of the Museum Sale.
“I have enjoyed researching the donated items,” she said, “which include 1930s sales tax tokens, an 1840 wool coverlet woven in Pennsylvania, and an untitled portrait by Lindsborg artist Lester Raymer.
“Price tags contain information I’ve learned about these unique and truly collectible artifacts.”
Kauffman Museum will accept cash, check or credit/debit cards (Discover, MasterCard, Visa). Said museum director Andi Schmidt Andres, “We deeply value the support of our museum friends and hope that the public will be equally generous!”
More information about the Friends of the Museum Sale can be found at kauffmanmuseum.org/event/friends-of-the-museum-vintage-antique-art-sale/
For more information about Kauffman Museum, including regular hours and how to become a museum member, visit its website, kauffmanmuseum.org, or Facebook page, or call 316-283-1612.