ADRIAN, Mich. — In historical southeast Michigan, JM Auction conducted a sale, primarily with “the guys” in mind. Offering several pieces of history, tools, coins and table guys, the auction came to a high point with the sale of a Dodge Ram 4x4 truck.

As the featured item of the auction, the jet black 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 extended-cab 4x4 pick-up truck with 120,000 miles on the odometer drew an appreciable amount of interest from the crowd. Whether needed as a sportsman’s field truck or a work vehicle, the Ram had enough muscle for nearly any job. Equipped with a V-8 Magnum motor, the package included a cross-bed diamond tread workbox on the back, front brush guard, silver side step-bars and stood tall on B.F. Goodrich All-Terrain tires mounted on black rims.

This was an impressive looking truck even while standing still; but the bidding was anything but stationary. After the dust settled, the truck sold for $5,750.

Auctioneer Jim Tomaszewski opened the event offering up the coins and currency that were sold both individually and in sets. An 1893 Barber half-dollar brought $12.50 while a group of four 1943 Walking Liberty half-dollars sold at $50. Ten Mercury head dimes brought $30. Silver Dollars captured the bidders attention with a pair dated 1881 bringing $32.50 apiece. Additional specimens dated 1882, 1885 and 1901 receiving high bids of $35 each.

Items of local history garnered the interest of historians and others looking for family connection. There were several pieces related to Hillsdale County and the surrounding area.. The group of early post cards was sold at $17.50 while the well-used cope of the Standard Atlas Hillsdale County Michigan, circa 1916, went to a new home for $40.

Adrian and nearby Hillsdale County have a wealth of history. Much of the early railroad history in the Midwest is associated with this area.

On June 18, 1826 Addison Comstock, associated with the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad, founded the village of Logan, which was the terminal end of the rail line of Michigan’s first railroad. It is also thought to have been the first railroad built west of the Alleghany Mountains. Three additional railroads, The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, The Wabash Railroad and The Detroit, Lima & Northern railroads were to make this their home.

In 1828 the village was renamed Adrian, also referred to as “The Maple City” due to the many different maple tree species found throughout the city. Adrian College, an institution for the liberal arts and sciences related to the United Methodist church, was founded in 1859. In the late 1800s Adrian was known as the “fence capital of the world” after J. Wallace Page invented the process for “bounceback” fencing, which is considered the first successful wire fence. The Page products were shipped across the United States, Europe and Africa. The Page Woven Wire Fence Company sponsored the successful Page Fence Giants black baseball team.

The city, just southwest of Detroit, may have become a motor capital with the manufacturing of three motor vehicles between 1900 and 1912. Two were the Murray Motor Car and Lenawee Car which sold hundreds after the 1910 Chicago Automobile show. The most successful was the Lion, made by the Lion Motor Car Company, which was popular and successful. With an unfortunate fire on June 12, 1912 the company ceased operations. Today, you can be entertained by The Adrian City Band, founded in 1836, with their concerts held in Trestle Park. Trestle Park features a pedestrian walkway innovatively situated along a former railroad trestle.

From that era, a turn of the 20th century small woman’s pendant watch, with 15 jewels and Swiss movement, brought $5, as it was not running. Several box lots of costume jewelry followed with prices ranging from $5 to $60 per lot.

The auction also featured a large selection of board games with several dating into the 1930s, such as the Vox Pop game, by Milton Bradley, which was based on a popular radio show. Others were noted to be from Amsterdam, such as “De vrolijke vriendjes,” a competitive and fine motor skill game where you earned points rolling a marble through the target. A Milton Bradley “Archie Bunker Card Game,” similar to playing Bridge, brought $17 while the vintage Parker Brothers Monopoly game passed “Go” at a bit higher at $17.50. The electric football game by Tudor and the Strat-D-Matic baseball game each scored at $30.

Additional toy related collectables available, including several Mason jars filled with marbles, which sold at $14 each; and a Lionel electric 027 gauge railroad crossing sign with lights headed to a new home for $25. The premier toy was the Harley Davidson motorcycle cop in olive green with white tires and white gloves on the driver. It did have a couple spots of rust from age, but was in overall quite good condition which enabled it to obtain a winning bid of $50.

An antique looking cast iron bull hitching post wall ornament tied onto the high bid of $105.

Antiques were interspersed throughout the day. One bidder served up a warm $12 bid for the set of three cast iron frying pans, including Griswold and Wagner brands while a cast iron kitchen water pump obtained $20. Fitting in nicely was the oak oval drop leaf five leg kitchen table, which had the top painted white, for $17.50.

A large wicker basket, designed as an open top basket, carried a winning bid of $25. A doubletree ox yoke sold at $30, and a pair of large wooden pulleys with iron wheels and hooks was announced sold at $45.

For those interested in advertising collectibles there was an electric Gulf advertising wall clock at $20. Combining advertising and antiqueness the cast iron Texaco pole sign door stop was $30.

Definitely getting the attention of the men present were the tools, both new and used, crossing the block. Auctioneer Brett Armstrong took over the bid calling, selling a new air pressure grease gun at $7 and a Desa brand 35,000btu salamander heater, model C35, new in the box, for $25.

Many used tools were available and had been sorted into box lots for the bidders to ponder. Part of the selection included a group of Craftsman brand wrenches for $15. The box lots of mixed use files and various sized adjustable wrenches were $12.50 a-piece. The lot of plastic spring clamps held out to $17.50 with the lot of metal C-clamps of all different sizes tightened onto a winning $27.50 bid.

Of an antique nature was a box lot of thin wood block molding planes generating much activity and announced sold at $100.

An automotive analyzer crossed the block at $20 while an 8-inch bench grinder that looked new sold for $22.50.

To keep everything in order in your shop a pair of stationary parts bins, standing about five feet tall brought $100. The bolts, nuts, supplies and parts that had been in the bins sold separately for $60.

To provide some entertainment in your shop there was a brand new-in-the-box RCA five CD audio system bringing $50.

Sportsmen were not left out as they bought fishing tackle boxes filled with lures and supplies for $10 to $40 each. Case knives sold from $30 to $55 a piece with specific examples of the Red Stag for $40 and an interesting model featuring a single blade and a folding hook for $55.

The auction did move outside for a few minutes to sell the pair of Artic Cat snowmobiles, which included the double unit trailer, at $1,600.

Contact: (517) 266-4655