Inside a modest house not far from the Georgia Dome, a screen door swung open and clapped shut for the parade of wide-eyed visitors hunting for bounty.

Here, Marion Jackson, the former Broadway dancer, financial analyst, civil rights activist and apparent member of the glitterati, has transformed his grandparents’ home on Holly Road into an estate sale showcase of his worldwide collections. Among the rare and precious items are quilts and crochet work from the Underground Railroad in Canada, rare books, Chinese porcelain figurines, an original Chippendale chair and many examples of black artistry and history.

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JOHNNY CRAWFORD / jcrawford@ajc.com

Beverly Fountaine checks out a giant Buddah head from China.

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The sale, coordinated by Atlanta Antique & Estate Liquidators, Inc., began Wednesday and runs through Sunday.

“It’s like a world bazaar here,” says Judy Friedman, president of the coordinating agency, who has been in the estate sale business since 1991. “There are a lot of rare items in this house, and as a collection it is extraordinary.”

Jackson plans to donate proceeds to charities including Morris Brown College and Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless.

There are emblems of Jackson’s life and associations here — a stained glass hanging emblazoned with his stage name, Bonzell, and the gold hardware in the bathtub given to him by Barbra Streisand, said Jackson’s assistant Beverly Fountaine.

But Jackson doesn’t want to talk about himself and focuses instead on giving back and his collection.

Among the highlights is a work by a deceased artist, William Tolliver, called “Radiant Lady” and priced at $10,000.

“If you’re a collector of black art, you want this,” Fountaine says. “Everybody’s looking for a Tolliver.”

But there’s plenty else to intrigue shoppers.

Like the hand-made African masks carved from ebony at the turn of the century, Friedman says.

“You have to be careful of masks,” Jackson says, explaining that superstitions surround reusing a mask from a ceremony. He has avoided those.

A large cabinet displays $10,000 worth and eight sets of Royal Crown Derby china.

A Kenyan sculpture, fashioned from one piece of wood, reveals a long-necked woman wearing rows of necklaces, dangling earrings and an elaborate cone hat. At $15,000 apiece are a pair of bronze foo dogs, Chinese icons that are meant to serve as a kind of guardian angels.

More modern treasures also abound, like Jackson’s full length sable coat and works by artist Kennith Humphrey. In one example, Van Gogh-like swirls of color enliven a dynamic street scene in which the trees seem to be dancing.

As Friedman puts it, “Every square inch of the house is covered with rare artifacts,” and it’s “in an area where you would never expect to see these riches.”

News researcher Richard Hallman contributed to this story.

If you go

WHAT: Rare collectibles estate sale

WHEN: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Noon-4 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: 39 Holly Rd. N.W., Atlanta

INFO: 678-429-1903