Seeing almost as fun as owning

Thu., Nov. 3, 2005

The Spokesman-Review

Treasure hunting isn’t always about bringing home the bargain. Sometimes, the fun is in the pleasure of looking at a wonderful old something with an appreciative eye, knowing you could never buy it, but loving it anyway.

And then there are times you get to do both; admire a stately old antique and pick up a little treasure at the same time.

One of the best things about attending a sale is that once in a while it gives you a peek at the interior of one of those grand, historic houses you’ve always wanted to see. The kind of place you’d never be able to fool the real estate agent into showing you.

This weekend will bring that kind of opportunity when the 1902 Catterson house, a sprawling Georgian Revival house in Browne’s Addition, will be the site of a large sale. The house is already sold, but its contents will be on sale Friday through Sunday.

Held by real estate agent and estate sale professional Marianne Guenther, the sale offers buyers a chance to bid on furniture, crystal, silver, art and collectibles purchased by veteran home restorer, Neila Poteshman.

Poteshman purchased the 10,000-square-foot Glover mansion, a Spokane landmark, in 1991. When she sold it several years ago, she moved into the Catterson House – downsizing by 4,000 square feet – bringing with her the antiques and decorative items she had purchased for the mansion, as well as other items she had collected.

Now, Poteshman is downsizing again. She has sold the nine-bedroom, seven-bathroom Catterson House and is moving into an 1,100-square-foot home nearby.

“That’s it for me,” Poteshman said. “I’m done. I’m ready to let it all go and simplify my life.”

The sale will include a pair of massive, and very old, black leather platform rockers, an enormous burl-wood dining room table with a set of upholstered high-back chairs, vintage floor lamps, contemporary oil paintings, fringed and tasseled Victorian silk curtains, as well as other items.

“I haven’t opened some of these boxes for 10 years,” Poteshman said. “I’ll keep marking those prices down until it’s all gone.”

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