Guns, swords, spears, cannons and much more will all be on the auction block when more than a thousand artifacts and memorabilia from the Soldiers National Museum in Gettysburg. "It gives the public the opportunity to take some history home with them," said Bonnie Jacoby, who works for Gettysburg Heritage Enterprises which owns the museum.
The man selling that history is the museum's owner Max Felty. He said he's seen dwindling numbers in recent years because of other companies with more modern attractions. "They're really doing a fantastic job. The amount of money that we would have to put in to try to bring it up to speed to be competitive isn't really feasible," said Felty.
The museum closed earlier this month. The auction will take place this Friday and Saturday at the Inn of Gettysburg. Small wooden figures are among the items being sold, which were created by the museum's former owner who's got some show business history of his own. "Cliff Arquette, also known as Charlie Weaver. He played on Hollywood Squares, Jack Paar show. Today he has grandchildren, David and Patricia that are actors and they're last name is Arquette as well," said Jacoby.
The museum will also sell life-size replica cannons as well as a soldier's journal with a handwritten notation from the day President Lincoln was assassinated. There are also artifacts from the Korean War, both World War I and II as well as the Vietnam War. Regardless of what era, this auction is bound to pique the curiosity of any history buff. All together the items could fetch as much as $500,000.