The following is a press release for a grand re-opening sale at Tennille Auction Company in Sandersville, Ga.

The inaugural sale is slated for Saturday, March 3rd, 2007 at 7 p.m. Anticipated top lots include pottery from Crawford County, Ga. (circa 1850-1900), Fostoria pieces, antique Persian rugs, Victorian chairs, tramp and folk art, and more.

“SIGNED CRAWFORD POTTERY, ESTATE ITEMS FROM THE NORTHEAST TO BE OFFERED BY TENNILLE AUCTION IN NEW BUILDING, MARCH 3rd

(Sandersville, Ga.) – For years, Tennille Auction Company held weekly sales in a 6,500-square-foot converted parts warehouse building in Tennille, a small town in central Georgia. All that changes on Saturday, March 3rd, when the firm will hold a grand opening sale in a brand new building designed specifically as an auction house in nearby Sandersville. The sale has a start time of 7 p.m.

“We’ve always been a small auction company, flying under most people’s radar, but we’d like to be better known and I think having this new building will help get us to the next level,” said Rusty Rhodes, owner-auctioneer of Tennille Auction Company. Mr. Rhodes said he designed the 6,500-square-foot building, located at 519-A Industrial Drive, specifically with auctions in mind.

The inaugural sale will be worthy of a new facility. Headlining the event will be 13 pieces of pottery – most of them from Crawford County, Ga. In addition, many important furniture pieces and other merchandise will be sold from estates in the Northeast, mainly New Jersey, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and New England. “This will be a great sale with a lot of nice items,” Mr. Rhodes said.

Crawford County pottery is rare and coveted by collectors. “A guy drove all the way from Chicago just to see it,” Mr. Rhodes remarked. The pieces to be sold are early examples from a single-owner collection. They include whiskey jugs and storage crocks. All were handmade between 1850 and 1900. Six of the pieces have been signed, one by Henry Newton Long (signed as “HNL”).

Other items expected to draw keen bidder interest include:
– Several pieces of Fostoria, as part of a nice single-owner collection.
– A dozen hand-made antique Persian rugs, ranging in size from runners to room-size.
– About 30 Victorian chairs, most in original condition, all circa late 19th century.
– Folk art and tramp art, including one piece made almost entirely from bottle caps.
– Furniture items, smalls, collectibles and more.

“We’ll have a lot more to talk about as the sale date approaches,” Mr. Rhodes said. “I haven’t purchased my truckload of merchandise from up North yet. When that happens, the list of expected top lots will be much longer. I always bring back treasures when I go out on a buying trip. Come sale day, we’ll have a wide range of high-end items – something for just about everybody.”

A preview will be held the day before the sale – Friday, March 2nd – from noon to 5 p.m., and on Saturday, March 3rd, from 8 a.m. until the start of sale. Sandersville is situated in the center of the state, about 60 miles either way from Augusta and Macon, off Highway 15. Mr. Rhodes described Sandersville as “the toehold of Washington County” and “the kaolin (white dirt) capital of the world.”

Tennille Auction Company holds sales the first Saturday of the month, always beginning at 7 p.m. Not every sale features antiques and collectibles, although many do. “We never know what we’re liable to be selling from week to week, Mr. Rhodes said with a chuckle. “Much of it comes from local estates, trips up North and defaults from storage facilities in Atlanta, Macon and Augusta.”

To learn more about the upcoming auction, or for directions and more information, you may visit Tennille Auction Company online at www.tennilleonline.com. Online absentee bidding is facilitated through www.auctionzip.com. To consign an item, estate or collection, you may call the firm directly, at (478) 552-0908. The e-mail address is tennilleauction@sandersville.net.