How to go
What: Wayne & Shirley Woodrum Collectibles Auction
When: 10 a.m. today and 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday; preview 8 a.m. each day
Where: Dayton Airport Expo Center, Vandalia
VANDALIA — Wayne Woodrum calls the 1,500-item auction of neon clocks, advertising signs and other collectibles that runs today through Saturday at the Dayton Airport Expo Center his “million dollar sale.”
Auctioneer Rich Penn says his longtime friend from New Carlisle is close to the mark.
The event will be carried live on two websites, and Penn said it is likely to garner bids from five continents, “He will probably be between $750,000 and maybe a million one.”
But there’s a wild card: Some days, items with estimated values of $8,000 sell for $30,000, Penn said, “and Woody’s got a lot of that kind of stuff.”
Stuff like a Gem City ice cream advertiser that makes collectors’ mouths water; a Victrola sign with the RCA dog; and a Liberty Flour clock he can talk about as long as its hands turn.
But at 54, Woodrum says frantic years of assembling the collection he refers to as his “401K” have exacted a cost on his health.
His wife, Shirley, says: “It’s a hard life” — one they started together just down the street from where the auction will be held.
Sweethearts
Wayne and Shirley Woodrum were sweethearts who left Northridge High School when son Wayne Jr. arrived well before their Class of 1975 graduated.
Wayne got a job at Ratliff Metal Spinning, and they spent weekends at the Dixie Drive-In flea market.
“I made $10, $15, $20 on a Sunday, and I thought it was neat,” Wayne said.
But it wasn’t enough. Still struggling financially when Shirley was expecting daughter Sheila, “All of a sudden, the Army came to mind,” Wayne said.
“At the time I was in the Army ... I traded in antiques and collectibles,” often sending them home for sale, he said.
He left the Army for auctioneering school in 1979, plying his trade in Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee and keeping his eyes open.
“I did antique shows and swap meets and learned more,” he said.
And when he bought a neon advertising clock for $35 and sold it two days later for $65, he knew he’d found his niche.
Road warriors
When Shirley Woodrum heard women grouse about their husbands, she’d say: “Mine’s a 24-hour job.”
After working her own hours for 10 years at KTK Parts in St. Paris, she got up early or stayed up late to get him ready for the road.
“His suitcase was always packed,” she said. “I didn’t put the clothes in the dresser or closet. I didn’t know if he was going to Texas to an auction. He might be on his way to California.”
Wherever he went, “He always called to say I love you,” she said.
There were times of togetherness, too, when the kids were young.
“They went everywhere we went,” Shirley said, including the Nashville show, where Grand Ole Opry performers like Little Jimmy Dickens (famous for “May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose”) would visit the Woodrums’ booth.
Rolling the dice
Wayne also got to know flea-market regulars, earning a reputation as a guy who would “roll the dice.”
He’s often had wins, as when he spent $300 on an advertising clock with “Thank You, Come Again” painted on it and discovered a rare Coca-Cola sign on the inside.
“I rebolted it and sold it for $3,000,” he said.
After failures, he said, “that drive home is a long drive. You’re thinking ‘You’ve got to be the dumbest idiot that ever walked.’ ”
But then when the first person shows interest, he said, “You can take your feathers and fluff them up.”
Clock repair
Unable to find parts for clocks he collected, Woodrum founded Wayne’s Neon Clocks in 1981. Just north of New Carlisle, it’s known around the world for both its repairs and reproductions.
Wayne continued to leverage his collecting by heeding a friend’s advice: “Remember, you can’t sell from an empty truck.”
By buying a dozen things, keeping two or three and selling the rest, he soon had a small cadre of “pickers” combing shows for him. His best buddy in that regard has been Dave Greene of Cincinnati.
“A great guy, a great eye,” Woodrum said. “He’s done work for me and never asked a dime.”
He also has called at 4 a.m., asking for a decision on an $8,000 piece.
“If there’s any doubt, it’s on,” Wayne said, his eyes lighting up and energy filling his voice. “I’ll roll the dice.”
But the roller of dice also offers this advice: “I don’t recommend people jumping into the water knowing it’s above your nostrils. Try making it chin-deep.”
Irreplaceable
Wayne and Shirley are philosophical about parting with things like the Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield poster that’s been in their house for years.
“We’re only caretakers,” Shirley said, echoing her husband. “In your lifetime, you’re caretakers of whatever you hae.”
And at the top of her care-taking list right now is focusing on her husband’s health.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0368.
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