Historical and Museum Commission to Sell Items at Public Auction, July 9, 2016

Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is inviting the public to an auction of items from its collection on Saturday, July 9, 2016.  The auction will take place in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at Cordier Auctions & Appraisals, 1500 Paxton St., Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at 10:00 AM. There will be a preview on Friday, July 8 from 12 Noon to 4 PM and Saturday from 9 AM to 10 AM. 

 
The pieces being sold have no special significance to the history of the Commonwealth or duplicate what is already in the state’s collection.
 
The auction is being conducted by Cordier Auctions & Appraisal, Harrisburg under contract with the Commonwealth's Department of General Services.
 
Prior to being consigned for sale, the objects were offered to other PHMC properties as well as other historic museums state and nationwide.  Money raised from the auction can only be used to buy or conserve artifacts that enhance the PHMC's mission of preserving the Commonwealth's natural and cultural heritage as steward, teacher and advocate for the people of Pennsylvania.
 
The items were formerly held at the Anthracite Heritage Museum, Cornwall Iron Furnace, Drake Well Museum, Ephrata Cloister, Eckley Miners' Village, Fort Pitt Museum, Graeme Park, Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum, Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Somerset Historical Center, Washington Crossing Historic Park and the State Museum of Pennsylvania. 
 
The auction will feature a diverse array of items including 1960s travel posters, a stagecoach, mail sleigh and early automobile, foundry patterns, books, furnishings, photographic records, agriculture and textile working tools and equipment, prints, engravings, and an assortment of 19th and 20th century household and merchandising objects.
 
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is the commonwealth’s official history agency. Visit PHMC online at www.phmc.pa.gov
 
 
MEDIA CONTACT:  Howard Pollman, 717-705-8639