At an auction house in North Carolina Tuesday morning, hundreds of Civil War artifacts hit the auction block. The collection represents the life’s work of a Perryville, Kentucky man who died in April.
Jimmy Johnson says his company, based in Angier, N.C., has been dealing with Civil War relics for 30 years.
“Lots of times you get little bits and pieces of different collections, but in this case, we’ve just got such a wide variety of different items,” said Johnson
The collectionbelonged to James “Cotton” Reynolds of Perryville. He was 84 when he died this spring.
His two daughters were at the auction house Monday where hundreds of collectors previewed the trove of Civil War artifacts.
“Obviously they’re excited, it is an emotional thing anytime you’re selling your parents items, it’s an emotional event,” said Johnson. “But they saw their Daddy nurture these items and collect them over the years.”
Johnson says the Reynolds’ collection features hundreds of items including dozens of personal artifacts from Captain W.H. Turner. He says it’s unusual to have such a complete collection from just one soldier.
“There’s probably 25 items in that one collection including binoculars, his sword, his hat, his wallet – still had tobacco in his wallet. His whiskey flask, his medicine, his little whistle, his jacket – I mean all those things… and his foot locker,” said Johnson.
