New Ohio Antiques Auction House
Jo Valentine, co-founder of central Ohio’s multi-dealer Valentine Antique Gallery, has established a new offshoot company in partnership with Ohio auctioneer Cynthia Schillig. Known as The Antiques Auction Gallery, the new business will base its operation and conduct its sales at the 12,000-square-foot Valentine Antique Gallery in Sunbury. A debut auction is planned for Friday, Oct. 9, and will include Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com.
Jo Valentine said the new business was launched to serve a growing need in the region for a full-service auction house specializing in antiques, fine and decorative art, collections and estates.
“When my husband John and I first opened our antique gallery in 2003, we wanted to include auctions, but we were so busy, those plans got sidetracked,” said Valentine. “During the six years that we’ve operated our gallery, we’ve noticed that there is a need here locally for an antiques and fine-art auction house. There are auctions in central Ohio, but they handle mostly box lots. Not a week passes that we don’t get several calls from sons and daughters of parents who are downsizing or who have passed away, telling us they don’t know what to do with all the articles in the family home.”
Valentine said that when Cynthia Schillig expressed an interest in co-founding an auction company, she knew she had found the right partner for her new endeavor. “Cindi is highly qualified. She has three auctioneering degrees and is a certified estate specialist, but what impressed me most was her love for the auction business and her incredible enthusiasm. For years she had been planning a trip to Greece, but when she thought our first sale might be held in September, at the same time as her trip, she was prepared to change her travel arrangements. I told her, ‘Don’t do that. Take your trip, have a great time, and come back refreshed and ready to work.’ So that’s why we chose October 9th as our first sale date.”
Valentine said the plan is to hold monthly auctions featuring fine art, porcelain, pottery, glass, silver, Oriental rugs, lighting, and collections of various types, including antique toys and dolls. The premiere auction will contain between 300 and 350 lots.
“Luckily, we have some very knowledgeable dealers selling through our gallery who will serve as our expert appraisers and catalogers,” said Valentine. “Another nice feature to our operation is that we have ample gallery space, so the auction goods can be previewed over an extended period of time prior to auction day.”
The Antiques Auction Gallery and Valentine Antique Gallery are conveniently located at 579 W. Cherry St. in Sunbury, Ohio, just off exit 131 of Interstate 71, 13 miles north of Columbus and 120 miles south of Cleveland. For information about consigning to The Antiques Auction Gallery, call 740-965-9519. E-mail info@valentineantiquegallery.com. Visit both galleries online at www.valentineantiquegallery.com.
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New Ohio Antiques Auction House
