Stlrs4Life
04-15-2007, 11:05 AM
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07104/777869-66.stm
Saturday, April 14, 2007
By Kevin Kirkland, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Hey Steelers fans, do you miss Bill Cowher?
Maybe we should hold that question until after the first few games of the football season. But if you're having trouble filling the void the Jaw left in your soul, take heart: He's left something for you to remember him by.
In fact, he's left 134 lots of things, ranging from his pool table to his king-sized bed to his Steelers ice bucket. All will be auctioned beginning around noon April 28 at Dargate Auction Galleries in Point Breeze.
All of the items come from the 5,000-square-foot house in Fox Chapel that the former Steelers head coach shared with his wife, Kaye, and their three daughters. It's typical household stuff -- lamps, rugs, sofas, chairs, china, artwork -- the kind of things a family wouldn't bother to take if they were moving to, say, a $2.5 million, 7,400-square-foot house in Raleigh, N.C.
Sports fans will be disappointed to find that only two items -- the ice bucket and a clock -- have Steelers logos.
"All of the memorabilia went with him," said Dargate consignment manager David Arnold. "I would have been surprised if he had left it."
Mr. Arnold dealt with Kaye Cowher, who consented to identifying the pieces as theirs as part of a three-day, 2,400-lot auction. She had only one condition:
"Don't make it a circus."
The auction house is trying to do that, though it's also making sure it can handle the interest anything Steelers-related can generate. Workers are printing up extra catalogs and suggesting that you block out two hours, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., for bidding on lots 1211 to 1277. They and the other lots can be previewed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 24 and 26, noon to 8 p.m. April 25, at Dargate, 214 N. Lexington St.
Bidders also can make arrangements to bid by phone or online through eBay Live. All of the items will be posted on www.ebay.com (http://www.ebay.com/) on Tuesday and are already on Dargate's site, www.dargate.com (http://www.dargate.com/).
"It's not just Pittsburgh. They're competing against Steeler fans from all over the country," Mr. Arnold said.
Though he believes the Cowher name adds value to the furniture, knick-knacks and other household items, Mr. Arnold did not boost the pre-sale estimates.
So the 8 1/2-inch-high crystal ice or champagne bucket (Lot 1211) is expected to sell for $100 to $200, about what you might get for the one you used to celebrate New Year's. It's nice to think it might be the one the Cowhers used to celebrate the Steelers' victory in Super Bowl XL. But no one at Dargate makes that claim.
Lot 1232, a 1990s king-sized bed with white upholstered headboard and footboard is expected to bring in $200 to $300. Would it be worth more if it turned out to be the one where Mr. Cowher tossed and turned after losing four AFC Championship games?
The items with the highest pre-sale estimates are those in the dining room set, consisting of a mahogany Regency-style table (Lot 1260, $1,200 to $1,800); four Henredon Chippendale-style armchairs (Lot 1260A, $400 to $800); and a Henredon china cabinet (Lot 1262, $1,500 to $2,500).
The next most expensive is the 8-foot Olhausen pool table (Lot 1242, $1,500 to $2,500). It's identified as the Remington model, which is "very traditional, promoted as being very masculine," Mr. Arnold says, chuckling.
Among the many lamps on the auction block is one described as a classical trophy lamp (Lot 1225A). Since there's no inscription on it, the name apparently comes from its shape. It's estimated to sell for $80 to $120, a steal if it had been a real award. Apparently, the Cowhers decided they didn't need it anymore. They finally got a much better one, with Vince Lombardi's name on it.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
By Kevin Kirkland, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Hey Steelers fans, do you miss Bill Cowher?
Maybe we should hold that question until after the first few games of the football season. But if you're having trouble filling the void the Jaw left in your soul, take heart: He's left something for you to remember him by.
In fact, he's left 134 lots of things, ranging from his pool table to his king-sized bed to his Steelers ice bucket. All will be auctioned beginning around noon April 28 at Dargate Auction Galleries in Point Breeze.
All of the items come from the 5,000-square-foot house in Fox Chapel that the former Steelers head coach shared with his wife, Kaye, and their three daughters. It's typical household stuff -- lamps, rugs, sofas, chairs, china, artwork -- the kind of things a family wouldn't bother to take if they were moving to, say, a $2.5 million, 7,400-square-foot house in Raleigh, N.C.
Sports fans will be disappointed to find that only two items -- the ice bucket and a clock -- have Steelers logos.
"All of the memorabilia went with him," said Dargate consignment manager David Arnold. "I would have been surprised if he had left it."
Mr. Arnold dealt with Kaye Cowher, who consented to identifying the pieces as theirs as part of a three-day, 2,400-lot auction. She had only one condition:
"Don't make it a circus."
The auction house is trying to do that, though it's also making sure it can handle the interest anything Steelers-related can generate. Workers are printing up extra catalogs and suggesting that you block out two hours, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., for bidding on lots 1211 to 1277. They and the other lots can be previewed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 24 and 26, noon to 8 p.m. April 25, at Dargate, 214 N. Lexington St.
Bidders also can make arrangements to bid by phone or online through eBay Live. All of the items will be posted on www.ebay.com (http://www.ebay.com/) on Tuesday and are already on Dargate's site, www.dargate.com (http://www.dargate.com/).
"It's not just Pittsburgh. They're competing against Steeler fans from all over the country," Mr. Arnold said.
Though he believes the Cowher name adds value to the furniture, knick-knacks and other household items, Mr. Arnold did not boost the pre-sale estimates.
So the 8 1/2-inch-high crystal ice or champagne bucket (Lot 1211) is expected to sell for $100 to $200, about what you might get for the one you used to celebrate New Year's. It's nice to think it might be the one the Cowhers used to celebrate the Steelers' victory in Super Bowl XL. But no one at Dargate makes that claim.
Lot 1232, a 1990s king-sized bed with white upholstered headboard and footboard is expected to bring in $200 to $300. Would it be worth more if it turned out to be the one where Mr. Cowher tossed and turned after losing four AFC Championship games?
The items with the highest pre-sale estimates are those in the dining room set, consisting of a mahogany Regency-style table (Lot 1260, $1,200 to $1,800); four Henredon Chippendale-style armchairs (Lot 1260A, $400 to $800); and a Henredon china cabinet (Lot 1262, $1,500 to $2,500).
The next most expensive is the 8-foot Olhausen pool table (Lot 1242, $1,500 to $2,500). It's identified as the Remington model, which is "very traditional, promoted as being very masculine," Mr. Arnold says, chuckling.
Among the many lamps on the auction block is one described as a classical trophy lamp (Lot 1225A). Since there's no inscription on it, the name apparently comes from its shape. It's estimated to sell for $80 to $120, a steal if it had been a real award. Apparently, the Cowhers decided they didn't need it anymore. They finally got a much better one, with Vince Lombardi's name on it.