Every family member I have talked to so far has told me that Joe A. kept to himself. That being said he has a lot of neat and interesting things to share will all of you coming to the auction on Saturday.
There will be lots of useful items at the auction on Saturday like: Several Storage Buildings, Tools, Furnishings, Cooking Kettle, Gold & Silver pieces, a couple of Firearms, S10 Pick Up, Handmade Quilts & then some.
There will also be lots of FUN, interesting & UniQue pieces like: sports memorabilia, collectible & commemorative items from Sport Greats to Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, & Princess Diana. There are also antique toys, advertising pieces, primitives, pottery crocks. I mean....the list could go on. We keep finding things!
Because of the size of Joe A.'s collection we are also planning SEVERAL online auctions. He has a TREMENDOUS coin & currency collection. We will have details and a preliminary inventory available for those interested on Saturday. He also has quite a collection of comic books & authenticated & autographed sports items, which will be held in a specialty online auction. Be sure to join our mailing list to get updated about ALL of those.
When we start working on estates, we very quickly get to see an insight into the lives of the individuals that have left us. You notice how they organized things. You notice what was important to them and what wasn't. You learn about that person in a way, well...you never would just having a conversation with them.
There is no question that this man was a collector & took GREAT PRIDE in the treasures that he found and the things that brought him JOY. It was like he had this foresight into the value of these items.
I think it's important to share the back story on Mr. Joe A, because I think it is wonderful.
Joe A. was an only child & has been described as: "a devoted son that took great care of his mother in her final years" and "a generous man, always willing to give to church fund raisers and community functions, as well as showing his gratitude to those caregivers in his last couple years of life."
One of the small buildings we are selling was built for his mother. He built it so she could sit outside on the "porch." Her failing eyesight made it hard for her to see, so he built it so...no matter what the weather was, she could sit outside & the natural light helped her vision.
His mother was a teacher, teaching a total of 33 years at the Birdsong Community in Burleson County, The Friendship Community in Lee County, New Dime Box, Dime Box & Lexington Schools. She predominantly focused in mathematics. This makes it no surprise that Joe A. received a degree in Mathematics from the University of Texas & taught at 3 different universities.
We will also have several other unique items at the sale on Saturday. They belonged to Joe A.'s father, Mr. Joe Spacek. He was a WW1 Veteran, so there will be several pieces there from his time served. Mr. Joe also had a train car accident in his early 20's (per family members) where he lost his leg. They said it never stopped him & after being a battery operator for some years, started his 44 year-long career at the First State Bank in Dime Box. I've been told that Mr. Joe took quite an interest in coin collecting & I believe he passed that interest on to Joe A. You will see unique items on Saturday that reflect these interests & events. Oh! And his dad was a Square Dance Caller!
Similar to his parents, after retiring from teaching, Joe A. worked in Austin for the Data Processing Division of the Texas Highway Department, until he reached time for his SECOND retirement! BEFORE teaching he also worked at aerospace companies. We have items reflecting those times of his life, as well.
Maybe some of the most heartwarming bits of information I've received as we've been setting up for this auction is regarding how close they were as a family. They were avid UT & Dallas Cowboy Fans. They enjoyed watching sports programs together & took an annual family vacation out of state every year that they all looked forward to. They were a unit, yet each one having their own individual strengths, interests, & stories that contributed to that unit. A unit that created a legacy of serving, teaching, enjoying life & getting things done!
What a blessing they must have been to the community of Dime Box!
As I sit here and think about how Joe A. "kept to himself," I think that more of us should probably BUCK UP & keep to ourselves. :) Work hard. Educate ourselves & others. Spend time with the people and things that bring us joy....& keep to ourselves, those we love, and those we can help.
There is something quite special in this story.
I ENCOURAGE all of you to come out on Saturday! We will have concessions available from the Dime Box Lions Club. We will also have additional information about the online auctions coming up & the real estate that will be for sale, which is also part of this estate!
Please go to our website at www.buckupauctions.com & subscribe to be added to our email list!
Heather Kaspar
Buck Up Auctions
TXL 17037
