Sale draws pedal car enthusiasts
BRADY TWP — The fourth auction at the estate of a businessman murdered by his son brought out at least 100 people.
The auction on Saturday focused on pedal cars and model promo cars owned by Kenneth Abbott.
The charred remains of Abbott and his wife, Celeste, were found at the 25-acre estate in the summer of 2011.
Colin Abbott of New Jersey, Kenneth Abbott's son and main heir, pleaded no contest this year to murdering the couple and is serving 35 to 80 years in prison.
As with previous auctions, armed guards were present and those attending were not permitted to stray too far on the property.
Model and promo cars generally went for more than $50, while pedal cars were going for more than $500.
Auston Papay of Sharon said he did not have any particular items he wanted to buy.
“Not really,” said Papay, who enjoys checking out different auctions.
He said he would have been more interested in the full-size cars that were sold at a previous auction.
Papay, who did not know about the crime, said, “It's a little creepy. It's a shame.”
Because of that, he said it made sense that there were armed guards at the auction, something he had not seen at an auction before.
Brett Boyer of New Kensington is not a collector, but he has a young son at home who he felt would like some of the items.
“There's a few that interest me,” Boyer said.
He said that he recently bought his son a new pedal car for $400. He said he was looking for a good price at the auction.
Sharon Allen and Martha Berger of Slippery Rock Township both enjoy looking at vintage toys.“We're not big bidders or buyers. We're not collectors,” Berger said.However, they also were familiar with the area. Allen's family owned land adjacent to the Abbott property before the Abbotts owned it. Berger would hike the area.Berger is a bit familiar with the Abbott family. She knew his brother from her church, and she had spoken to Ken and Celeste Abbott at Slippery Rock Sliders games.“They were very good people,” Berger said.Allen remains shocked by the crime.“I still can't believe it,” Allen said.Don Grossi of the North Hills said he was focusing on two or three pedal cars.“I've got a collection of pedal cars so a few are of my interest,” said Grossi, whose pedal car collection totals 15 to 18.He was unaware of the crime that took place at the estate.“That is so ugly,” Grossi said when told of the crime.Bill Sonntag of Worth Township said he was looking for a pedal car for his 1-year-old grandson. However, he was surprised by the high prices that the toys were commanding.“I'm just here for the show,” Sonntag said.Only an hour and a half into the auction, Tim Brown of West Middlesex bought 15 packaged model cars. He said he primarily is interested in muscle cars.“We've got a good collection at home,” Brown said.He was at the auction with his grandson, Michael, who said that he might get some of the newly bought models.“We're going to split them,” Michael said.The next sale, which will be Saturday, will feature toys.
