‘SALE OF THE CENTURY’

For the last 30 years of his life, Richard Carroll built an assortment of hundreds of tools, old vehicles, antiques and other collectibles. It became so much that some referred to it as a museum located on his farm along a dead-end road in eastern Steele County.

“Dad had his own little museum here,” said Roger Carroll, Richard’s son, as he picked through the items last week in preparation for an upcoming auction. Richard died in May at 97, leaving his three sons to handle the vintage items.

Owatonna area auctioneer Dennis Jensen, who will be selling the items for the family, agrees. “This is a museum is what it amounts to,” Jensen said.

The retired farmer had four sheds on his farm stuffed with collectibles that will now be auctioned off over the next two weeks in both online and live auctions. Among the big items are a 1925 Ford Model TT truck with stake bed and manual hoist, 1926 Ford Model T and a 1929 Ford Model A truck.

“This is the sale of the century,” said Jensen. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my 45 years of auctioneering.”

Besides the collector vehicles, there are 32 hit-and-miss engines, which were historically vital for powering agricultural and industrial equipment before widespread electricity. They are known for their distinctive “buzzing” sound and the smoke and oil they often expel.

“He would buy them and get them running,” Carroll said of the hit-and-miss collection. “He would periodically start them up to make sure they were working,” he added.

The list of antiques and collectibles goes on. There are vintage washing machines, butter churns, crank phones, phonograph, cast-iron kettles,

One shed contains a large variety of shop equipment, including band saw/sander, drill press, gas pumps and wind generator. One of the more unusual items is a metal push lawn mower from the early 1900s.

Old farm equipment will also be featured, including a standard twin cultivator/disc from the 1910 era.

“Old to new, he had it,” Jensen said. “Most everything is at least 100 years old,” he said, noting the oldest items are washing machines.

For Jensen, goggle lens became the research tool used to identify many of the items because he had never seen them before. “All you do is scan the item and it tells you what it is,” he explained. “It’s usually spot on and makes a big difference.”

It wasn’t until after Richard’s wife, Lorraine, died in 1995 that his obsession with antiques took off, according to Roger. He often went with a childhood friend to auctions to find his collectibles.

Said Roger, “Dad would see something that caught his eye, and if it was a good deal, he would buy it. It was his money, and he could spend it however he wanted. If it made dad happy, that’s all that mattered.”

He bought most of the items over three decades and “slowly filled up the sheds,” Roger said. One of the shops used to store collectibles was constructed by Richard’s son in the 1980s.

Added Jensen, “He loved a challenge. I credit Dick for collecting things otherwise they would have been trash. It’s history—very unique.”

Jensen said it’s so rare to get so many items in one place at the same time. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime sale for me,” he said.

But there was more than just collecting. In his free time, Richard became a master woodworker, making cabinets, China hutches, gun safes, toy trucks and cars and other pieces. He even crafted his own crematorium box.

Richard didn’t sit around, his son said. “He never went hunting or fishing and this is what he did,” Roger said. “He lived to be in his shop every day. It was all self-taught.”

Roger admits that his dad wanted to sell some of the items years ago so that “the family wouldn’t have to deal with it” after he passed. But Roger convinced him to keep everything.

Online bidding begins on Friday at 8 a.m. and closes on Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. at www.proxibid/jensenauctions. About 850 items will be featured online only, according to Jensen.

There will be previews to view the items on Oct. 4 from 5-6 p.m. and Oct. 5 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. or by appointment by calling 507-456-1210.

The live and online auction will be Saturday, Oct. 4 at 9:30 a.m. at 2632 SE 54^th Ave., Owatonna.

Jensen said he has worked with the family for about 80 hours to prepare for the sales. “It took us four days to empty out the sheds and start putting it all back in,” he said.

“This is the first sale I’ve seen with this much vintage stuff. It’s very uniquely different,” Jensen said. “This is ideal for somebody that’s trying to finish their collection.”

Blooming Prairie area auctioneer Justin Krell will be assisting Jensen with the auction.

A complete list of the auction items can be found at www.jensenauctionsmn.com.