By KATHLEEN FLOYD
Antique Week Correspondent

FINDLAY, Ohio — It takes a lot to surprise Jan and Vicky Sorgenfrei, who own and operate Old Barn Auction. They conduct at least 40 major auctions a year, so they’ve seen many large and unusual estates; but the collections of the late Louise Hoffman of Lima, Ohio, astounded even the Sorgenfreis.

According to Vicky Sorgenfrei, all three floors of Hoffman’s large home were filled to capacity with thousands of choice collectibles she had purchased on frequent trips across the country and around the world. Surrounding every room were display cases and curio cabinets filled with arrangements of pricey, contemporary treasures including animal figurines, wood carvings, dolls, dishes and thousands of decorative items made of brass, pottery, porcelain and glass. Additional display cases lined both sides of the hallways, while the walls in every room were covered with framed prints from Hoffman’s travels.

The Sorgenfreis knew the scope and quality of Hoffman’s collections would make what they called a “once in a lifetime auction,” but they were concerned about the Teddy bears. Hoffman had filled an entire room with more than 8,000 Teddy bears and other stuffed animals. In addition to familiar brands like Boyds Bears and Gund, there were stuffed animals she had purchased in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Britain and other countries. Although they were high-quality bears in new condition with original tags, the huge quantity would likely keep auction prices low.

Jan Sorgenfrei wanted to make sure that at least some of them would go to a worthy cause. He contacted Roger Neff, local Toys for Tots director, and encouraged him to come to the auction to try to buy some affordable stuffed animals to distribute to needy children for Christmas. He asked Neff to bring a few donation bins, hoping some bidders might buy bears to donate. No one could imagine how successful Sorgenfrei’s idea would be.

On Oct. 30, Old Barn Auction hosted the first of three consecutive Saturday sales to disperse the Hoffman estate. According to Vicky Sorgenfrei, it was the largest estate they have sold. Auctioneers parceled it out in a total of 3,184 lots, which sold without a buyers’ premium or reserve.

With so much to sell, the auctions were divided into two rings. Each week, auctioneer, Tim Speck sold the collectibles from Louise Hoffman’s display cases, while auctioneer, Steve Eaton, sold Teddy bears and framed prints. Together, they sold the furniture, antiques and household goods. Auctioneer Don Stratton, also filled in to give Speck and Eaton a breather.

While most of the bidders followed Tim Speck’s ring, Eaton sold to a group of bidders in the back corner of the gallery. Eaton introduced the Toys for Tots representative who was there to bid on toys for the charity. He also pointed out the donation boxes. Early in the sale, most of the stuffed toys sold in the $5 to $20 range, although some sold much higher. One of the top sellers was a life-sized, realistic plush Doberman that had stood near Hoffman’s front door to welcome her guests. It fetched a winning bid of $100.

Animals sold smoothly for the first half hour until Old Barn associate, Butch Humphrey, held up a large, white Christmas bear and Eaton couldn’t get a bid on it. Humphrey bid two dollars and bought it himself. “This one’s going to Toys for Tots,” he said with a smile as he placed it in the donation box.  

Humphrey’s donation was all it took to spark the spirit of giving. While dealers, collectors and other bidders continued to compete for the finest collector bears, they also started to buy some of the less expensive bears to donate. When Eaton picked up the pace of the sale by selling stuffed animals in groups, some of the lots which contained a choice bear sold between $50 and $100, but other lots of more common bears sold for only $4 or $5. Bidders began to buy the inexpensive lots of bears and scoop them straight into the donation bins. At Jan Sorgenfrei’s request, Humphrey continued to buy stuffed animals as a contribution from Old Barn, while Steve Eaton bought and donated bears that caught his eye.

When the first donation bin was full, Eaton called out to Tim Speck and announced the news to the entire gallery. Everyone applauded. As bidders continued to fill more bins, Eaton’s updates drew even more applause, while the Sorgenfreis smiled in amazement. According to Roger Neff, there were a total of 415 stuffed animals donated to Toys for Tots at the auctions. He also used funds raised by the charity to purchase an additional 545 animals at the sales. Neff was surprised and overwhelmed by the generosity of bidders and the Old Barn staff.

Of course, bidders also were overwhelmed by the fine selection of items from around the world.

Among the many highlights in Tim Speck’s auction ring, a chess set with carved ivory pieces sold for $550. A child’s wooden bench with carved bears on each end and across the back had a music box concealed in the seat. The unusual bench reached $210.

A hefty two-foot tall wood carving of a bear leaning over a tree stump climbed to $175. One bidder bought a wooden folk art giraffe with painted spots. Standing about three feet tall, it reached $50. Moments later the same bidder clapped when she bought a slightly taller metal giraffe sculpture for $120.
Bidders had their choice of many miniature Swarovski crystal animals. Among them, a crystal rabbit standing less than two inches tall, sold for $95, while a crystal bear brought $75. A brass Chinese gong, about 12in in diameter on a black wooden stand, hit a $60 bid. A much larger gong, at least three feet in diameter, sold with a black stand which reached more than six feet tall. The large gong struck $200.

A 10-inches tall tree house, decorated with several tiny brass bells, was the largest figure in a nine-piece set of Russian nesting dolls. The set sold for $240. A liquid-filled paperweight containing glittering gold flakes sold for $40.
 “The label identified it as “Pure Alaska Gold.” Leading the wide selection of furniture, an early, four-drawer dresser with brass pulls sold for $1,000; an antique walnut lap desk with numerous drawers and compartments brought $300 and a black writing desk with Oriental designs sold with a matching chair for $400.

Everyone who knew Louise Hoffman said she had enjoyed her collections. At the end of the sales, when bidders loaded the treasures they had purchased, it was clear that Hoffman’s collections were going to bring enjoyment to many others. Best of all, nearly 1,000 of Hoffman’s Teddy bears were destined to bring joy to many needy children.