Huge on-site auction is slated for Sunday, Oct. 24, in Terryville. Conn., by Tim's, Inc., of Bristol

TERRYVILLE, CT, October 20, 2010 (Press-News.org) An on-site auction featuring the lifetime collections of the late Ambrose Zoni will be held Sunday, Oct. 24, at Mr. Zoni's former residence on High Street in Terryville. Mr. Zoni was born in 1921 in nearby Bristol, and had lived in Terryville since 1966. He was a graduate of Yale University and, prior to his retirement, worked as a union mason.

He was also a dedicated collector, in a number of fields. Offered at the sale will be coins and currency (which will kick off the action, at 11:30 a.m.), vintage clocks (including examples by Eli and Henry Terry, the renowned area clockmakers), kitchen collectibles, toys and train sets, jewelry, primitives, Victorian country and Empire formal furnishings and Wallace Nutting prints.

"Mr. Zoni lived in the manner of what he saw through his eyes, and he regarded his home as his own personal museum," said Tim Chapulis of Tim's, Inc., the Bristol-based auction firm conducting the auction. "He had a passion for collecting and for the love of preservation. He was also a personal friend of my father and me. He passed away this year on Father's Day weekend."

Mr. Chapulis said that because of all Mr. Zoni owned, the auction would be conducted in a unique way. After the stamps and coins are auctioned, the contents of a two-story barn loaded with discovery treasures will be sold as two lots - one per floor. The winning bidders will be given time to remove the contents. The contents of the basement will also be sold as one lot.

Then, the action will turn to Mr. Zoni's ten-room farmhouse, the contents of which will be sold on a room-by-room basis, sometimes in multiple lots. The action will wind through the house until all items have been sold. Even an automobile - a 2007 white Ford Focus with fewer than 7,500 miles on the odometer - will come up for bid. A preview is scheduled for 10 a.m. Mr. Chapulis said he expects many discoveries will be made in the preview leading up to the auction.

The coins and currency, which Mr. Zoni began collecting while a student at Yale, will feature 360 U.S. silver dollars in varying conditions (all pre-1930 and many of them rare key dates), walking Liberty and Franklin half dollars, Mercury dimes (491 in one bag to be sold as a single lot), wartime silver nickels (700 in one lot), large copper cents, quarters and paper bills. In all, over 100 lots of U.S. coins, currency and stamps will cross the block on auction day, Oct. 24.

The Terry clocks will include a pillar-and-scroll shelf clock by Eli Terry with a folk art-style cornucopia painted on the dial, and a Henry Terry shelf clock. Eli Terry was so revered the town of Terryville was named for him. Also offered will be a stunning shelf clock with woodworks by Riley Whiting, with a carved American eagle and claw feet. The clock was made in Winchester, Conn.

Other items people will see as they move from barn to farmhouse and room to room will include a Shaker rocker, country crockery, advertising items, weathervanes (including running horse and lamb examples), molds, Toleware pieces and a fabulous lifetime hat pin collection featuring many Victorian-era ornate hat pins, some with rhinestones and some possibly gold.

The house has already been sold; only its contents will be offered in the sale. "Bring a truck and a friend," Mr. Chapulis advised.

Due to the nature of the auction, no large coats, bags, pocketbooks or totes will be allowed during the auction or preview. Bidders are asked to leave them in the car while the sale is going on. There will be undercover security on the premises. Terms of sale: there will be a 15 percent buyer's premium (for cash and unknown checks) and 18 percent for major credit cards.

Admittance to the auction and preview will be in the form of a suggested $5 donation for St. Jude Children's Hospital, in memory of Peter W. Chaplulis, Tim's late father. To date, Tim's, Inc. has proudly raised over $31,000 for the charity, which treats cancer patients regardless of their ability to pay. St. Jude Children's Hospital was founded by the entertainer Danny Thomas.

Tim's, Inc. is celebrating over 30 years in business (1979-2010). The firm is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign an item, estate or collection, you may call Tim Chapulis at (860) 459-0964, or e-mail him at tims.inc@snet.net. For additional information about Tim's, Inc., and the Oct. 24 Zoni estate sale, log on to http://www.timsauction.com.