VULCAN, Alta. — Marjorie Schneider spent a lifetime visiting auction sales, flea markets and garage sales for her extensive collections.
Marjorie died last year at age 84 and her family held an estate sale last month at the Vulcan farm where she and her husband, Fred, lived and farmed since the mid-1960s.
The Schneiders decided it was time to share Marjorie’s collection of 10,000 dolls, 1,000 wagon wheels, ceramic figurines, books, china and antique furniture and donate the proceeds to charity.
The sale earned more than $57,000, which was split between the Vulcan Hospital and the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary. The top selling doll was an antique German piece that sold for $1,200.
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Sale auctioneer Frank McInenly knew Marjorie from his auctions and found her to be an astute buyer who knew what she wanted.
“If she was at a sale, you would have to pay some big bucks. She was pretty determined when she wanted to buy something.”
She also loved children, he said.
“She would be sorry to see the dolls go, but she would be happy to see it was helping little kids,” he said.
Some people at the auction bought toys to donate to the children’s hospital, including a house that contained 770 toy dogs.
Donna Arrison, Marjorie’s daughter from Red Deer, said preparing and sorting the vast collections took weeks.
“I think most people weren’t aware of what Mom had,” she said.
During Marjorie’s lifetime, the dolls were kept on display in a 1,600 sq. foot building, but the family also found items stored elsewhere on the farm property.
Arrison described her mother as a sentimental person who bought dolls with the cutest faces or that fit into a theme like Elvis, Shirley Temple, Eaton’s Beauty Dolls, the Royal family, Cabbage Patch dolls, Barbies, porcelain or antique dolls. Many were still in the original boxes.
The dolls were sold live at a community centre in Vulcan and online on the first day, with bidders coming from Toronto to Fort St. John, B.C.
The second day at the farm drew between 1,500 and 1,800 people looking for collectibles and bargains that included two dozen wood stoves, furniture, clocks, bath tubs, toys, perfume bottles and figurines.
The family also bid on items to preserve special memories of Marjorie, said Arrison.
After decades of selling, McInenly has learned something from offering collections such as this one.
“The memories make these things come alive. It’s the nostalgia,” he said.
