The Nancy Goff Sale
- Apr 28
- 2 min read
It was early November of 2024 when I first visited Nancy Goff at her home to look at her collection and to discuss selling a few things. What greeted me that cold fall morning took my breath away. Room after room revealed itself, each filled to the brim with beautiful objects—thoughtfully arranged within a home that felt warm, personal, and deeply lived in. Nancy matched that warmth. We spent hours talking: about her collection, about the stories behind the objects, about the many
friends and dealers from whom she had acquired them, and about memorable auctions at Garth’s Barn.
One thing was immediately clear—Nancy simply wanted to make a little space after years of spirited accumulation, not sell the collection. We agreed to reconnect after the holidays. But life, as it does, shifted. Nancy’s focus soon turned to her health, and our conversations moved to brief texts and updates shared through mutual friends. Though she passed away last September, it is fitting to note that she remained an active collector to the very end—her most recent purchases still on the dining room table when I met with her family about this auction.
Working closely with a collection offers a rare and intimate perspective into a collector’s life. In Nancy’s case, that perspective was enriched by more than 2,000 handwritten notecards—meticulously kept records for nearly every object in her home. Those cards and I have spent many hours together. They have been sorted and resorted by room, by date, by category, by value, by source—each pass revealing something new.
What has emerged most clearly is not simply a record of objects, but a portrait of relationships. Nancy’s collection is, at its heart, a reflection of friendship. Stoneware, folk art, baskets, samplers—each piece connects to a person, a conversation, a shared enthusiasm. Her home was not just filled with antiques; it was filled with the presence of those who helped her find them, encouraged her curiosity, and shared in the joy of the hunt.
The cover of this catalog features a Quaker meeting house sign reading “Old Friends Club.” It is an apt and deeply meaningful image. It speaks not only to Nancy’s collection, but to the broader spirit of the Americana community—a world built on trust, generosity, knowledge shared freely, and friendships formed across barns, show fields, and auction rooms.
Nancy embodied the very best of that world. She was endlessly curious, passionately engaged, and unfailingly generous with her time, her knowledge, and her enthusiasm. She loved the pursuit, she loved the objects, and—perhaps most of all—she loved the people.
As we present the Goff Collection, it is our hope that this auction represents more than the transfer of objects from one steward to another. Instead, we hope it serves as a continuation of the connections Nancy valued so deeply—strengthening old friendships, sparking new ones, and carrying forward the spirit of curiosity and community that defined her life as a collector.
In that sense, this is not simply an auction. It is, in every way, an Old Friends Club.
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