PANAMA CITY, Fla. – The many antique and collectible items gathered over the course of a long and rich lifetime by the late Yolande Freeman – a lady who was born in France and immigrated to the United States in 1961, frequently traveling back and forth between Europe and the U.S, adding to her collections as she went – will be sold at public auction Saturday, Aug. 29.

It will be an on-site auction, to be held at Ms. Freeman’s former residence, at 4801 North Lakewood Drive in Callaway, a suburb of Panama City, by The Specialists of the South, Inc., based in Panama City. The sale will get underway at 8 a.m. Central time. For those unable to attend in person, online bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com.

Ms. Freeman (1935-2105) was living the life of a carefree 21-year-old Frenchwoman when she met and married Robert Freeman, who was serving in France in the U.S. Air Force, in 1961. His service career took them to many places, but they settled in Callaway in the 1970s, buying the very house that will be the site of the auction. It is still filled with her many wonderful treasures.

A few examples include an embossed vintage Belgian shield with crossed swords and carved wood shield with crossed swords; a brass and metal banquet oil lamp, never converted, with cherubs, crystals and floral shade, 39 inches tall; a large ceramic sealife freeform centerpiece (unmarked); a 1960s-era Racine Select Yachting pocket timer; and a French La Jurassiene box.

Also sold will be a fashion reproduction by Camrose & Kross of the pin that Jacqueline Kennedy wore as First Lady (with authentication papers), gorgeous ceramics purchased from around the world (Limoges in France, Capodimonte in Italy and pieces from Germany, Portugal, England);
primitives; and many dazzling pieces of French, Spanish, German and Victorian style furniture.

These will include a Gothic-style game table with swivel top, a hall bench, a dark oak decorated chest, a barley twist side chair, a Gothic four-panel needlepoint screen, an antique burl decorated armoire, a narrow Gothic one-door armoire, two oak bowed and curved glass display cabinets (one with mask decorated back splash and stiles); and a carved and barley twist desk and hutch.

Also sold will be an extra-long (98 inches) trestle dining table; an antique French carved 85-inches wide sideboard with portrait ovals, animal carvings and a pierce-back gallery; an oak barley twist side table; cedar chests (one Lane with an upholstered top, and one quite large, 49 inches wide and 26 inches tall); and a 70-inch wide bookcase with drop-front desk and drawers.

Ms. Freeman had a passion for food and cooking (especially seafood; she even worked at various times as a food server at the Harbor House restaurant and the Panama City Yacht Club), and the sale will also feature her large collection of cookware (most of it French) and her cookbooks.
Also sold will be chamber pots and glass pieces (including cut, edged, milkglass and knife rests).

Oh, did we mention Yolande was also a passionate animal lover and dog person? She was very fond of poodles, as bidders will soon learn when they see the hundreds of poodle figurines in the sale – oodles of poodles, in various sizes (miniature to floor size), made from various materials (ceramic, brass, shell, blown glass) and in various forms (decanters, planters and dresser items).

The artwork and tapestries will feature a large oil on canvas Beller painting titled Trouble on the Range; a seafaring petit point scene; oil and decoupage nudes; a French battle scene in a carved frame; impish children art by T. Michel; a signed metal bust of Diane, after L. Villanis; and a metal Jeanne d’Arc au Combat statue, with a plaque attributing it to Berthoz.

Lamps and lighting will include a Parasenne England brass lamp with frosted shade, floor lamps with marble insets, crystal and brass chandeliers, and Gothic-style chandeliers. Dinnerware will feature a large set of Pfaltzgraff Blue Village dinnerware with serving pieces (broken into three lots), Noritake Christmas snowman dinnerware (and other white dinnerware), and other pieces.

Copper and pewter items will also cross the block, as will sterling and silverplate (to include a pair of flatware sets, one by Rogers in the Ambassador pattern and another set by Community in the Affection pattern). Primitives will include cast iron pieces (steam and coal irons, andirons and a kettle), plus a bed warmer and a sieve. Also sold will be some metal and carved figures.

Decorative items will feature large brass trays (30 inches in diameter, including one with a table stand), wine racks, candleholders made from several materials (wood, ceramic, crystal, silver), a Venetian-style oval beveled mirror, a Baccarat cognac decanter (and Old World-style and figural decanters), Oriental cork art, a nice Jeff Trag cedar jewelry box, and cloisonné vases on stands.

The sale will also feature men’s watches, a Schatz 400-day clock, a handsome grandfather clock, a Toledo sword, a nativity set with Fontanini figures, a billiards table in very nice condition (but possibly not full-size), a hot tub in equally pristine condition, a curio cabinet, a small roll-top desk with surround, and many other items too numerous to mention.

Previews will be held all day Friday, August 28th, and on auction day (from 7-8 a.m, CST), or by appointment. For an appointment, call 850-785-2577. Also on Friday, an “on the grounds only” sale (live only, no internet bidding) will be held, starting at 9 a.m. Central time, featuring about 100 lots, many of them household items. A buyer’s premium will be applied to all purchases and all sales are final.

The Specialists of the South, Inc., has been serving the Panama City community for over 30 years. The firm specializes in a broad range of services, to include estate auctions, furniture refurbishing, interior decoration, personal property appraisals and business liquidation services. It has been named the Small Business of the Month by the Bay County Chamber of Commerce.

The Specialists of the South, Inc., is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign an item, estate or collection, you may call them at (850) 785-2577, or you may e-mail them at contact@sospcfl.com. To learn more, or to register for the August 29 auction, you may log on to either of the two websites: www.SpecialistsoftheSouth.com or www.PanamaCityAuctions.com.

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