Marvin Carr’s One of a Kind in the World Museum wares auctioned

Bidders came from far and wide Saturday to get their picks from Marvin Carr’s One of a Kind in the World Museum, as all its contents were auctioned off.

The eclectic collection included everything from intricately carved ivory to a car once owned by Jackie Gleason to a group of stuffed squirrels. Carr, who lovingly maintained and added to the collection for more than a decade, died in November.

Auctioneer Jeff Owens of Owens Auction spent seven hours at the microphone, slipping the occasional joke into his auctioneer patter as he sold over 1,000 items. “It’s entertainment,” he said. “You want to make sure they’re paying attention.”

At one point, however, Owens slowed to honor Carr. “Marvin was young at heart,” he told a crowd of hundreds. “It’s an honor to be selling his things.”

The stars of the auction were a collection of cars that included a 1968 Lincoln stretch limo used by Gleason and a 1973 Lincoln Mark IV made for Elvis Presley.

Brad Southard came because of the many stuffed animals and animal heads. He buys taxidermy items and ships them to East Coast buyers.

He bought an 8-foot-tall black bear and a snowy owl.

“It’s a hobby, but it’s a strong hobby,” he said. “I never miss an auction.”

Southard knew Carr and would come to the Hillyard museum occasionally to clean his taxidermy pieces. But Southard never asked Carr to sell him any of his treasures. “This was his baby,” he said. “I respected his wishes.”

Jerry Nebel drove in from Coeur d’Alene just to look, but that didn’t last long. He found himself buying cut glass vases and a few other items. Then he found himself bidding for the 1979 Lincoln that Carr drove. He bought it for just over $5,000.

“I didn’t think it would go that cheap,” he said. “I bid once and that’s all it took.”

After the cars were all sold, Nebel stood by, looking at his purchase. Chrome pipes line the sides of the hood and giant headlights perch on the front.

“He sure decked it out, didn’t he?” Nebel said. “It’s kind of unique. I’ll have some fun with it.”