On Friday and Saturday, Nov. 29 and 30, Amelia Jeffers and her team will offer Americana enthusiasts a special alternative to the typical American Black Friday activities. Reviving an annual tradition that began over 60 years ago with Ohio auction legend Garth Oberlander, Jeffers will oversee the auction of select items from three lifetime collections in a 19th century barn known to many as Garths Auction Barn. Day one will feature the lifetime collection of Robert Horn, from Eaton, Ohio, selling unreserved. Over a 50-plus-year span, Horn has maintained a low profile personally but purchased from some of the most legendary names in the Ohio and Indiana antiques market, including his friends and running buddies Clark Garrett, David Good, and John Auraden. Additions to his collection were chosen based primarily on intuition, a keen eye for unusual and special folk art, and a willingness to step up when opportunities presented themselves. Gleaned by establishing a trusted connection and then visiting lodges throughout Ohio and Indiana, an extensive grouping of fine Odd Fellows material from the Horn collection includes heart-in-hand and ram staffs, cornucopia, bows and arrows, quivers, urns, ark figures, and architectural letters with original gilt decoration. Known as a sophisticated antique weathervane collector, Horn has handled several iconic vanes, including a dozen that will be offered in the sale, such as a full-bodied steer with copper body and verdigris surface attributed to Cushing & White of Waltham, Mass. Horns large trade sign collection runs the gamut from 19th to 20th centuries and simple, lettered to dimensional signs. Of note is The Western Inn sign, of Clark Garrett fame that last sold at Mike Clums Auction gallery in Rushville, Ohio, for nearly $140,000. Passing through the hands of dealer Greg Kramer, the sign returned to Ohio when dealer David Good purchased it after the auction. Several barber poles will be included, including a scarce black-and-white example, which would have denoted post-mortem services. An unusual and possibly unique boot-form sign is finely detailed with open laces and punched trim that has been fitted with colored glass inserts, presumably for illumination. A double-sided cobblers sign for J. Schneider is styled in English on one side and German on the other, with an attribution to Pennsylvania. With more than 500 lots, the Horn collection is too vast to sum up in a few paragraphs. Amelia Jeffers commented, The pre-auction process with Robert has been a lot of fun. I so appreciate when my friendship with a consignor deepens over their collection, and that has been the case in this situation. His passion for the material and people of this business is incredible and heartwarming. Robert is not only a savvy collector, but a good human being and a loyal friend and supporter of the people he has met along the way. Jeffers points to a few of her favorite items in the auction. It is tough to pick a favorite, when you are looking at so many great things. For me, the folksy case of drawers from Meigs County, the Queen Anne table in original paint, and the sweet little etui that just had to have been made by a gunsmith are at the top! Day two features highlights from the collections of Carol Schulman of Chesterland and Joanne and Dr. David Woodyard of Granville (both in Ohio). Carol is a spitfire, smiled Jeffers when asked about the collection. We signed her contract back in April, and then she bought things in my May auction. I asked if she planned to take them with her when she moves, and she said no! Youll sell them in my auction! Schulman has been a regular on the midwestern antique scene for decades and counted among her closest friends Gus Knapp, Marj Stauffer, Joan Darnell, and others. But her buying wasnt limited to Ohio. Schulman regularly bought at Pook and Pook, New England Auctions, and Northeast Auctions. Carols focus was less regional, states Jeffers, and more about period. Shes largely an 18th and some early 19th century collector. With a focus on lighting, redware, folk art, and smalls, Carol (who has regularly setup at shows and malls in the region) had retained her very favorite things and has decided to put them all up, unreserved. Among the folk art and paintings in the sale are 19th century portraits by Charles Balthazar Saint-Memin, William Matthew Prior, and Jane Anthony Davis; dozens of charming watercolors, including a pair of full-length portraits of a mother and daughter, a Samuel Bentz fraktur, and a very good valentine from the Tom and Carolyn Porter auction at Garths in 2004. Carols lighting, treen, and redware collections are special, with scarce examples in every category. Of note are a gimbaled early iron and wood stick, a tin clip-on booklight candle holder, and a folded tin make-do shelf candle holder. Many pieces of her redware came from Lew Scranton and David Good, several with great decoration and form. One described by Scranton on his invoice as exciting! With a sweet collection of heart-form maple sugar molds, antique burl wood bowls, an early turned and painted master salt, and chip-carved boxes, the smalls in Schulmans collection should create quite a stir. With the fewest number of lots among the single-owner collections being offered, Joanne and Dr. David Woodyard have a concentrated group of early New England furniture and decorative arts with provenance. While living back east during the 1970s, the Woodyards built a collection buying from such illustrious names as Liverant, Tillou, Riordan, Maine, Prickett, and Stuart. Moving to Ohio for Dr. Woodyards post at Denison University didnt slow them down, as they continued to buy from Ohio dealers like Pick Richardson and Robbins Hunter. Early clocks include a documented Reuben Ingraham, a scarce Phineas Pratt, a clock with silver engraved dial by John Avery, and a shell-carved block front from Nathan Howell. A wonderful diminutive north shore Massachusetts block front chest of drawers with original shaped top is complemented by a charming full-length portrait dubbed Mariners Daughter by Peter Tillou, likely because of the ship portrayed in her background. Two cased pieces carry an attribution to Benjamin Burnham: an impressive Chippendale desk-and-bookcase and a fine cherry dressing table with shaped top. The apothecary pewter cupboard from C.L. Prickett has gotten a lot of pre-auction attention, says Jeffers. The surface and form are just great. The Woodyards also collected select early brass candlesticks from Robert O. Stuart of Maine. Sticks arent bringing what they once did, Jeffers continues, so this should be a great opportunity to scoop up some nice buys! A handful of smaller consignments that fill out the sale offer significant objects, including an Odd Fellows lodge ceiling medallion with exuberant carving and original blue paint, ex. Alan Katz; a scarce folk art corner cupboard attributed to the Ralph family of Sussex, Del.; and a carved and painted box handled by Israel Sack Inc. and illustrated in their 90th anniversary catalog. The three core collections really do not compete with one another, commented Jeffers. The Woodyards are strong on early, very good furniture; Schulman has great early smalls; and Horns folk art stands on its own. It came together beautifully, and it is not lost on me that these folks could have gone anywhere, and they chose us. Once again, I am so, so grateful to be working with amazing people and beautiful things! A printed and bound catalog is available for purchase for $30, postage paid. Preview is available by appointment throughout the month of November at Amelia Jeffers, Auctioneers & Appraisers, 3037 Silver Drive, Columbus, Ohio, and and during the week of the auction at the former Garths Auction Barn (now The Barn at Stratford), 2690 Stratford Road, Delaware, Ohio. Seat reservations are recommended. Bidding is available at www.ameliajeffers.com. For more information, call 740-362-4771.