Bodnars Auction had their first annual Jersey shore auction in 2019 and had a fantastic response from the community. In the late spring of 2021, the City of Cape May decided to reopen their Convention Center, and the team at Bodnars Auction was off and running to schedule its first live sale in 17 months. Quality antiques and collectibles will cross the block on Saturday, Sept. 11, beginning at 11 a.m. Joe Bodnar, president of Bodnars auctions, said, We will be practicing social distancing, and all will adhere to all guidelines to run a safe event for all who attend. The seating will be spread out over the 20,000-square-foot facility to allow bidders to be socially distanced. We are changing our whole format to make the buyers experience a positive one, said Bodnar. Bodnars staff will not deliver the items to the winning bidder until after payment has been made to minimize personal contact. Online bidding will be available through Liveauctioneers, Invaluable, Auction Zip, and on Bodnars own platform. This sale will feature several local estates. One of the features is an art collection from Manhattan. It has been appraised for over $200,000. Artists featured include Vigen Sogomonyan, Carlos Torres, Sylviane Canini, Philip Bueller, Alfred Rogoway, Orlando Agudelo-Botero, Kerry Warner, and Earl Hamilton, to name a few. Paperwork for each painting is included along with the majority of the original bills of sale. It is rare that a collection of this extent comes up for auction with no reserves; all will sell to the highest bidder. replied Bodnar. Now is the time to invest in art, everything in this collection is of great quality. Besides the art, Bodnars will also be selling a great collection of Jay Strongwater figurines, frames, and more. Also up for bidding will be four rare re-cast Erte bronzes from a Metuchen, N.J., estate. They all have proper marking and were limited production runs. Besides the Erte bronzes, there is a collection of older bronze statues in the sale. Fine jewelry will also be offered, as well as hand-carved screens, lighting, quilts, ship models, Cape May books, figurines, sterling silver, Waterford, Lladro, clocks, and a grouping of Disney collectibles. Bodnars often incorporates a charity component to its auctions. This one will feature several gift baskets benefiting the Cape May, N.J., Volunteer Fire Department in honor of 9/11. They will be selling a gift basket with local items from Cape May as well as several with vintage firemen collectibles, Christopher Radko 9/11 special ornaments and more. The fact that 9/11 was the sale date and its the 20th anniversary, I felt it was fitting to have the charity part of the auction go to the local volunteer fire department, stated Bodnar. Besides the gift baskets, there will be other ways to donate. The Cape May Convention Center is located at 714 Beach Ave., Cape May, N.J. Preview will be on Friday, Sept. 10, from 5 to 7 p.m., and on Saturday doors will open at 9:30 a.m. Bodnars Auction offers in-house shipping on most of the lots in the sale and can ship anywhere in the world. For more details, call 866-349-7378 or visit www.bodnarsauction.com.