Evening star., 1936-04-12
COOLIDGE AUCTION
CLAIMS INTEREST
Many Household Effects Will
Be Sold by Famous
AuCti0neer.
BY LOUIS Nj. LYONS.
gpecial DISPATCH to The Star.

the furniture that Calvin Coolidge
bought when he married the blithe
Young school teacher from the Clark
School and took half of house on
Massasoit street.
There's the oak bedroom set of
80 years ago. There's the mission
desk and chair that Mr.. Coolidge
used when he was running for mayor.
There's a cradle that Col. Coolidge
made that may have rocked Pres
ident. Bean doesn't know whether
1t did or not. A plain pine cradle.
dark with age.
It's going to be quite an auction
admission by ticket-Thursday, May
z. at 1920 am. at the arena OF the
Smith School, that holds nearly 1000
standing.
Auctioneer Bean knew Mr.. Coolidge
q long time Mrs. Coolidge has been
to his auctions Once she attended
a Bean auction for three days. IL ran
four days. Are you enjoying your
self?" asked the friendly auctioneer
one noontime IF I wasn't, wouldn't
have come here for three days"
Best People Attend.
A George H. Bean auction is like that.
Bean has tried to run auctions on
a higher plane, and the best people
come and bring their knitting along.
His big sales go off like social events,
almost like lawn fetes. People remark
about it,
There1l be pile of people at this
one. twenty-five circulars are going
out. to selected list. Very nice cir
culars, expensive, too The printing
on the tickets is almost like engrav-
ing They'll do for souvenirs and
when one buys a Coolidge article,
the price of the ticket will be applied
to the purchase.
If Mrs. Coolidge hadn't been to
one of his auctions and realized his
reputation for square dealing, George
Bean doesn't believe she'd ever have
trusted him to sell her things. He
doesn't want anybody to get the
impression that this auction will sell
all the Coolidge things. Only a small
part: The old things from MassaSoit
street and a few from the Beeches.
Il don't want people coming a
long distance feeling there's guam
titles of stuff" says Bean, but I
realize that thousands of people would
like something out of there. There's
plenty of items and plenty of people
are going to own them
Sends S. for Souvenir.
A lady in New York has sent George
Bean a SIS bill, all she can afford,
she says, and she asks him to get
her some little Coolidge souvenir. A
boy in New Jersey sent the North
hampton postmaster request to get
him something for his Coolidge COL
lection. Somebody sent George Bean a
blank check for ticket.
George Bean will take care of these
requests if they don't get too many
to handle.
How Mrs. Coolidge came around
to having this auction is an interest,"
Ing story. She never meant to do it.
1t took lot of persuading by George
Bean
Mrs Coolidge. of course. is selling
after they came back from WASH
1ngton. She's going to live with her
chun, Mrs. Florence Bannar Adams,
who is seeing Europe with her now.
Mrs. Coolidge has spent the last two
Winters at Mrs. Adams place in
North Carolina, and Summers she
stays lot of the time at Mrs.
Adams Northampton house. She
won't need all the furniture from
the Beeches. not to speak of the
Old oak and mission things from Mas
sasoit street days
Bean Wins Argument.
1t wasn't as auctioneer, but as a
secondhand furniture dealer that
Mrs. Coolidge called up George Bean
last Fall.
Mrs. Coolidge had some furniture
to sell. When George Bean knew
what she meant, it must have put
a strain upon his professional re-
straint. Il know an awful nice way
to handle that, Mrs. Coolidge" he
Ventured.
You mean an auction" she guessed.
You see,'' said Bean, 'if I was
to make you an offer for this stuff,
1t would be ridiculous figure. As
secondhand furniture it would be
no better and no worse than the
other stuff in my place-without any
identity"
Il want it to lose its identify"
said Mrs. Coolidge
And she meant it, too. She and
Mrs. Adams were busy tearing fly
leaves out of books that bore sigma
tures of people who had presented
them to Calvin Coolidge.
Bean had an inspiration. Suppose
you didn't have the sale here, but
let me take the things up to nv
place and sell them at an auction
next Spring"
We'll, if it wasn't for the publicity
I might let you," Mrs. Coolidge said.
We'll you've had lots of that"
persuaded Bean.
Grace, you don't really care"
suggested Mrs. Adams.
%, don't suppose I do" Mrs
Coolidge said at last. What do
people do with things they don't
need? They don't throw them away
or give them away. They sell them
Of course
So George Bean will sell them,
Treasure for Philatelist.
Among the items for sale is an
envelope, addressed to him in long
hand by Mrs. Coolidge, that inclosed
the list for the sale. with her sigma
ture written up In the corner in
place of stamp. AS a Presidents
widow she has and exercises the
franking privilege by signing her
name to her envelopes. Bean thinks
that will be a treasure for some
philateliSt.
With every item sold will go a
certificate of its genuineness signed
by Bean and sealed by his notary