Auction of vast Reynolds Tobacco collection begins Friday
Talk about a garage sale to beat all garage sales. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.’s 7,000-piece collection of artwork, pottery, books, antiques and collectibles from its offices all over the world goes on sale Friday through Sunday to benefit the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. Items range from small ceramics for $10 to $20 to large items such as grandfather clocks for $3,000. Reynolds acquired the pieces over more than 100 years and donated the collection to the arts council, which will use the proceeds for grants and programs.
“One of our main goals at the arts council is to put it into the community again, so it’s priced for that,” said Rebecca Parker, who has been cataloging the vast collection since May in preparation for the sale.
The sale marks the first such fundraiser by the arts council on this scale, said Catherine Heitz New, senior director of development.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” New said. The sale gives people a chance to buy a piece of local history and support the local arts community at the same time.
Much of the collection is antique. There are large sculptures, brass nautical items and a statue of a young man lighting a pipe. There are newer things, too. Many of the oil paintings, prints and photographs appear to date to the 1970s and ’80s, Parker said.
The collection also represents items from the company’s offices all over the world, New said. “Reynolds found that it had collected more than it could display.”
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