Estate sale of Tom and Gayle Clifford planned for this weekend
Apr. 23—The estate of former UND President Tom Clifford and former UND First Lady Gayle Clifford will be up for sale this weekend.
The estate sale comes a few months after the death of Gayle Clifford, who died on Jan. 3. The sale will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at 2464 Augusta Dr. in Grand Forks.
Gayle Clifford's daughter, Kim Kenville, said she and her brother and their family members took the trinkets and things they wanted to hold onto, but there was still a house full of items left.
"My mom was a great collector of things," Kenville said, adding while they were a bit nervous about opening up the home on Augusta Drive to others, they are planning to sell it, so the other items needed to be taken care of first. "I guess after a couple of months of daily going through things and wrapping up her estate, we came to the decision that we needed to have a sale."
Kenville said the family already has donated many items to local charities and thrift stores.
"I'm hoping that somebody treasures her treasures the way she did," Kenville said.
Included in the estate sale will be a number of items, including home furnishings and decor, as well as a variety of Victorian antique furniture (armoires, foyer tables with marble tops and mirrors, stately headboard/footboard sets, side tables, dressers, desks). Other items in the sale are dining sets, Chippendale table and chairs, ornate mirrors, 1960s tufted chairs, antique twin canopy beds, an antique brass bed with railroad fittings, organ stools and patio furniture. The sale also includes blue/white pottery, artwork, lamps, Galway crystal, Fostoria, Silver, Spode china, an antique clock, televisions, numerous mirrors and UND and Irish items.
Kenville said her mother never got her ears pierced, so if there are any local clip-on earring lovers in the area, they may be in for a treat, with more than 200 pairs of clip-ons for sale.
"She loved Grand Forks and Grand Forks loved her back and we hope that there's people here that maybe have some of the same tastes as her and can enjoy her treasures," Kenville said.
Julie Hilgers, owner of Triple J Estate Sales, which is putting on the sale, said items will be listed at full price to begin on Saturday, with items going to half price on Sunday until about 2 p.m. After that, items will be at a clearance rate of 75% off. Silent bidding will be an option for people if they see an item they want on Saturday but might not be willing to pay full price for.
For example, if an item is marked at $500 but someone doesn't want to pay that much for it, they can put in a silent bid for the item. If it doesn't sell at full price on Saturday and the person is the highest bidder they will get the item for the bid price.
"But you're taking the chance that it doesn't sell the first day," Hilgers said.
In 2009, the estate of Tom Clifford was debated in court, but the probate case was resolved privately in 2010, the Herald previously reported. Kenville said as far as she's aware the case has been fully resolved.
