The Lifetime Collection of Robert Horn of Eaton, Ohio will sell in the former Garth's Auction Barn in Delaware, Ohio on Friday, November 29, 2024. Below is a letter excerpted from the printed catalog accompanying the auction. To learn more about the auction, or to browse individual lots online, click here.
Several years ago, I received a call from a gentleman who introduced himself as Robert Horn. He was calling on behalf of our mutual friend, David Good, about a purchase from one of my auctions. Robert was professional, kind, and complimentary - a personality, I have come to learn, that is as natural as it is genuine. As we were ending the call, he welcomed me for a visit “any time you find yourself close to Eaton.”
Late last summer, as I moved child number four back to Indiana University for the school year, I was driving across I-70 and thinking about all of the collectors I know between Columbus, Ohio and Bloomington, Indiana. Robert came to mind as someone who had offered for me to visit, but about whom I knew basically nothing at all. Robert welcomed me warmly that day, but the friendship we have developed grew, admittedly, in fits and starts. One step forward, two steps back - generally over one or the other misunderstanding or questioning intentions. The more I learn about him, the more I realize that we are more alike than different, and that explains a lot.
My experience of Robert is that he is slow to trust, but once he does, he is all in and as loyal as the day is long. Me, too. Robert is a champion of beautiful things and sincere people. Me, too. He is fiercely independent, and while he is quick to offer assistance, is loathe to ask for it. Me, too. He deliberates carefully over big decisions, but once he makes up his mind, he relinquishes control and acquiesces to whatever happens. Me, too. Robert would say he has collected based more intuition than knowledge. I would argue that his knowledge is vast, his memory sharp, and his eye as keen as any I have known.
“Friendship, love, truth, faith, hope, charity…” these are the principles promoted by the International Order of Odd Fellows - an organization from which you will find a number of very good objects in this catalog. It is fitting that Robert would have a large representation of Odd Fellows material among his collection. He counts his friends as his most prized possessions, naming Clark Garrett and David Good at the top of a long list of industry legends.
It has been a gift to handle a collection that was built via a network of sincere friendships, over decades of passionately pursuing beautiful, historical, and unusual objects. It is my hope that this auction would not only memorialize a lifetime collection of joyfully hunted treasures, but honor the principles on which it was built.
Amelia Jeffers
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