Bonner Arrington spent more than three decades as a carpenter in the White House, his time there going from the presidencies of Harry Truman to Ronald Reagan.
On Friday, more than 1,000 White House items owned by Arrington will be sold at auction in Atlanta.
Items include a handcrafted solid mahogany replica of the presidential desk in the Oval Office, signed notes from President Dwight D. Eisenhower and first lady Mamie Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy Jr.’s engraved diaper pins, and a framed and matted photograph of Mamie Eisenhower by photographer Louise Dahl Wolfe.
What makes the collection unusual, said Marie Kowalik, president of Great Gatsby’s Auction Gallery, is that it is from one private individual and the period of time it covers. According to the auction house, his wife, Alphadine, was also a White House employee.
“Buyers will generally be individuals who want to own a piece of White House history, who perhaps are partial to a particular president and admired the impact made by his administration or who simply want a piece of history that is essentially in limited supply,” she said.
Kowalik said it’s hard to place a dollar value on the collection, which will be auctioned online and live. “We’ve set very modest opening bids,” she said. “Basically, we’ll let the bidding run its course.”
According to a release about the auction, Arrington was involved in the day-to-day maintenance and special events that occurred within the public and private rooms of the White House.
The collection was consigned by the couple’s grandson, who lives in Georgia.
Neither Bonner Arrington, who lives in South Carolina, nor his grandson could be reached for comment. Kowalik said the grandson remembers attending functions at the White House like the annual Easter egg hunt and sometimes visiting his grandfather at work.
Victor Mongeau, of Legacy Americana, a Tucson-based company that sells political and presidential historical memorabilia, said he doesn’t know of “another employee who worked during that span of time and collected this much.”
The auction is happening just weeks before U.S. residents go to the polls to elect a president. Experts, however, say that may not necessarily influence prices, although it clearly helps to generate buzz.
“Serious collectors are interested in the long haul,” Mongeau said. “They would be interested in this auction regardless of when it is being staged.”
Joe Levine, owner of Presidential Coin and Antique Co. in Clifton, Va., said the auction has some interesting pieces but it pays for potential buyers to do their homework. Some items may be more common than others.
For instance, “the real action is in the presidential memorabilia, as opposed to first children or first lady memorabilia,” said Levine, who might bid on some of the items. ” The number of collectors for first lady memorabilia, is dramatically less. And, perhaps JFK Jr. is a little but of an exception, but collector interest in the children of the president is almost non-existent.”
For information and online bidding go to: www.greatgatsbys.com
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