The Pennsylvania Relief Sale, which supports the work of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), is an institution in the state. Held yearly at the Pennsylvania Farm Show building in Harrisburg, the event has been known to feature close to 400 handcrafted quilts, wall hangings, and comforters, along with opportunities to shop for handmade items and gifts and to bid on unique items during the Country Auction, Silent Auction, and Children's Auction. The event is also known for homemade food and family-friendly activities.
This year, however, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the auction was canceled. Steven Stoltzfus of Leola, who has long been involved with the relief sale, along with a group of volunteers wanted to help make up for some of the funds lost due to the cancellation. "We're holding just the coin auction," reported Stoltzfus. A variety of donated coins have been gathered to be sold at an auction that will be both live and online at the same time. The live auction will be held at the Bareville Fire Hall, 211 E. Main St., Leola, on Friday, Aug. 14, beginning at 5 p.m. At the same time, the auction will be held online through https://hibid.com. The auction preview will be held beginning at 4 p.m.
The complexities of handling online bidding and live bidding simultaneously will be addressed by having two auctioneers working in conjunction with each other. "The way this works, there will be an auctioneer bid calling with people in the audience, and, in addition, there will be a clerk sitting nearby with the computer," explained Stoltzfus. Pre-bids may be placed online, with lots closing live at 5 p.m. "If someone puts in a pre-bid, that is the starting bid. When we are auctioning a particular lot live, a person can be on the computer to enter live bids." Both internet bids and floor bids will be announced. "The clerk will report bids coming in by computer to the live auctioneer," said Stoltzfus, who noted that the bidding link will be posted at https://pareliefsale.org.
Lead coins in the auction will be a 1904 $2.50 gold piece, a 1997 American Eagle $5 gold coin, a one-tenth ounce gold piece, and a one-quarter ounce gold piece. A 10-ounce silver bar and an 1884-CC Morgan dollar will be sold, as will a 1925 Stone Mountain half dollar and 1923 Monroe/Adams centennial half dollar. An 1866 three-cent piece will go up for bids as well. "We will also have a nice selection of 2013 and 2020 Silver Eagles," said Stoltzfus.
In addition to the coin auction, a food fundraiser will be held at the Bareville Fire Company on Aug. 14, beginning at 4 p.m. It will include wings, french fries, and a beverage sold as a meal. Food will be sold on a drive-through or takeout basis. "We are hoping the income from the food will offset expenses of the auction to increase the coin auction profit," said Stoltzfus, who noted that some of the food is being donated.
All profits from the sale will help to support the work of MCC, with the goal of sharing God's love and compassion by helping to meet basic human needs and making efforts for peace and justice.
COVID-19 safety procedures will be in place. More information about the sale may be found at the aforementioned website. Readers with specific questions may call 717-725-1383.
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