TUPELO, Miss. – Items from the estate of the late George Ruff of Tupelo – a renowned local car dealer and real estate figure in town who amassed many fine antique items prior to his passing – will be sold on Saturday, October 18th, on-site, at Mr. Ruff’s former residence that he called Wildwood, located at 2430 Lawndale Drive in Tupelo, starting promptly at 9 a.m. Central time.

The auction will be conducted by Stevens Auction Company, based in Aberdeen, Miss. The Wildwood property, consisting of 68 acres of beautiful landscaped grounds and pastures that surround a layered, stone ranch-style home built in 1950, is also for sale, but not in this auction. Interested parties may call TRI, Inc./Realtors of Tupelo, Bea Lucket agent, at (662) 842-8283.

Farmland in Tupelo once owned by Mr. Ruff is now the site of Barnes Crossing Mall, a retail colossus that has attracted major nationwide chain stores to the city, which is now a regional hub for commerce. Also to be sold at the Oct. 18 auction are select items from the home of Dr. John Blakey of Tupelo, who is recently retired and is downsizing. But the Ruff estate is the headliner.

“George Ruff was the owner of George Ruff Buick-Oldsmobile in Tupelo for 48 years and was a legend in the real estate world in town as well,” said Dwight Stevens of Stevens Auction Company. “His estate items being sold include fine antique furnishings, John Deere equipment, antique automobiles, statues, fountains and many unusual items. It should be a great auction.”

Furniture items being offered include a Victorian rosewood parlor suite attributed to John Jelliff, comprising a sofa and two armchairs; a ladies’-size rosewood rococo secretary in the original finish attributed to Alexander Roux, 81 inches tall by 55 inches wide; and a circa-1855 rosewood Victorian étagère with carved heads on the crown and a marble top, standing 7 feet 2 inches tall.

Additional furniture will feature a walnut Renaissance Victorian drop-front secretary with fitted interior and burl columns, 6 feet 9 inches tall by 42 inches wide; a heavily carved French carved 12-piece dining room suite with thick Italian marble tops; a French 2-tier table with gallery; and a large, heavily carved mahogany two-door bookcase with full-bodied columns, by R. J. Horner.

In need of transportation? Two lots would fill the bill, but in very different ways. One is a 17-month-old Tennessee walking horse, double-registered filly with spotted saddle horse association sire. The other is a beautiful, garage-kept 1959 Chevrolet Corvette convertible, red with white accents, 4-speed with the original 283 c.i. engine, hard and soft tops, leather seats and clean title.

Decorative accessories will include a bronze bust depiction of a Victorian woman by French artist Leopold Pierre Antoine Savine (1861-1934); a bronze garden fountain with cupid, 7 feet 4 inches tall; a marble life-size garden statue, 62 inches tall; a great Kerman Persian rug with tight knotting, 9 feet 10 inches by 18 feet; and an antique French clock set with the original pendulum.

Sterling silver will include a 12-piece Gorham set in the Chantilly pattern and a five-piece Gorham tea service with silver plate tray. Also sold will be a John Deere tractor, Model 5303, garage-kept, hardly used and in like-new condition, purchased new from Scruggs in Tupelo.

On Saturday, Nov. 8th, Stevens Auction Company will sell the estate of the late Dr. Ben Martin of Holly Springs, Miss. Dr. Martin’s fine antique collections, many original artworks and period furnishings will come up for bid on-site, at his former residence in Holly Springs called Athenia, which will also be sold (but not at the auction), through Crye-Leirke Realty of Memphis, Tenn.

Color photos of the items in the Oct. 18 auction may be viewed at the Stevens Auction Company website: www.stevensauction.com. For a free color brochure, please call (662) 369-2200; or, e-mail them at stevensauction@bellsouth.net. For those unable to attend in person, internet bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted.

Terms will be all major credit cards or pre-approved business and personal checks, with proper ID, or wire transfer. All sales are final, with no warranty expressed or implied. A 15 percent buyer’s premium will be charged on the total purchase price of all lots sold, with an extra two percent processing fee for credit cards. Light refreshments will be served on the day of auction.

Stevens Auction Company is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign a single item, an estate or a collection, you may call them directly, at (662) 369-2200; or, you can e-mail them at stevensauction@bellsouth.net. To learn more about Stevens Auction Company and the upcoming Oct. 18th auction, visit www.stevensauction.com. Updates are posted often.

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