Pitt County family auction showcases 50-year collection of automobiles, Americana today | Local News

“A lot of the collection comes from eastern North Carolina and the East Coast,” said Sunny Hammons, the collection owner’s daughter. “He also did some collecting up north and a little bit out in the Midwest and the Texas area.”

Hammons asked for her father to remain anonymous, but did say that he grew up on a farm outside Falkland on N.C. 43. She said he is a fan of Ford cars and memorabilia.

On auction will be several Mustangs, including a 1972 Mustang convertible, and cars of other makes and models.

“He was a lover of Ford,” Hammons said. “He really loved his Mustangs. Anything that was kind of unique or unusual he really had an eye for. Not oddball things but the unique things you do not see every day.”

Old cars on Friday lined the driveway leading from 4082 N.C. 43 to the house and a vast collection of more cars, toys, farming implements, signage and much more. An ad in The Daily Reflector spelled out rare finds like four Cushman scooters, peddle cars, two children’s barber chairs, a full mount bear and “who knows what else.”

Bradley’s Auctions also is conducting online bidding for many of the items. The bidding will be simultaneous with the live auction at www.hibid.com.

Hammons said her father’s proclivity for rare items shined through on vacations and was a big part of her childhood.

“I grew up with all of this,” Hammons said. “His idea of a good weekend was going to a car show or maybe an antique mall, thrift shop or flea market. It was his passion. Sometimes we would be on vacation and would have to go check out the local stores because you never knew what you would find.

“Up in Pennsylvania, where a lot of the old car community is familiar with some shows specifically in Carlisle and Hershey, my mom and dad would go to the show in Hershey,” she said. “I lived in Texas and my folks would come out and there were several places we would go to. There is a very large flea market, antiques show in Canton, Texas, and we would visit there. Anywhere we went, we were checking those out.”

The social aspect of collecting vintage goods is not lost on the family.

“Daddy has never met a stranger,” Hammons said. “He is a very gregarious, outgoing person who definitely knows his stuff. He has a lot of knowledge on all these pieces from over 50 years of collecting.”

“A lot of folks who know my dad in this area or travel on 43 most of their lives are telling us that they remember being kids or teenagers it was really cool to see those things out there. I have a lot of neat folks stopping by with memories of him and his pieces out in the yard or at shows.”

The auction is being run through Bradley’s Auction out of Salemburg.