BARRINGTON -- The antiques enthusiasts arrived at the Mathewson House estate auction well before 10 yesterday morning, ready to prowl through the tents and garages of art and furniture for sale.
They browsed through the mahogany chairs and bookcases, the Tiffany-style lamps, the paintings and etchings and bronze sculptures. They scrawled the lot numbers of coveted items on slips of paper. They took copious notes.
But only those with a rich knowledge of antiques and the history of Barrington took note of Ted and Betty Leonard, the owners of the home at 81 Mathewson Rd., watching from an empty parlor as the mementos of their 51 years together were put on the auction block, and carried out the door.
"I'm very emotional, please forgive me," said Ted Leonard, as he watched the auction proceed from a wheelchair inside his home. "I've seen my life go before me."
The Leonards, long-time Barrington residents, are known throughout Rhode Island as avid car collectors, savvy business owners and striving politicians.
Ted has been featured in print and in film with his collection of antique luxury cars, which includes the yellow 1928 Phantom Rolls Royce used in the film The Great Gatsby, and the 1938 Packard that Carole Lombard bought for Clark Gable as an engagement present.
Betty took the spotlight when she ran for governor in 1992, winning the Republican nomination but ultimately losing to Bruce G. Sundlun.
Together, they owned several local businesses, including the Auto Show Volvo dealership in Seekonk, the Bumblebee restaurant in Providence, and a real estate investment company called Toad Corporation -- named for the car-loving character in the book The Wind in the Willows.
In recent years, however, the couple has kept a lower profile, particularly since Ted suffered a stroke in 1997.
Yesterday's auction was the result of their decision to sell the house on Mathewson Road and move to Key West, where they own a condominium. They leave on Saturday.
"We're doing what we call downsizing," Betty said. "I told him I was going to send him to Antiques Anonymous."
The auction, run by Michael R. Corcoran of the Gustave J.S. White Company in Newport, was fast and efficient. Corcoran whipped through the items, entreating dealers he knew to make a bid, occasionally berating those who bowed out.
"He's like the Johnny Carson of auctions," said Butch McGrath, a dealer from Scituate, Mass. He bought several items, including an antique book, The History of Ireland, for $200.
McGrath and other dealers had come in search of particular luxury items, such as an imposing walnut bookcase. A few amateurs had come simply in search of deals.
"I just have a house to fill," said Michelle Konicov, a Lincoln resident. She purchased three paintings and was hoping to bid on a set of chairs.
Others were lured partly by the goods, and partly by the Leonards' history.
"I'm an antique collector, and I know of the family and their history, and I'm wondering what's happening," said Ronnie Newman of Barrington. "I can't imagine living here and watching this happen."
For Ted Leonard, the pain of watching his possessions disappear was mitigated by the number of old friends and acquaintances that dropped in to say hello. One woman delighted him by telling him that she bought her first car from his dealership.
A dealer who came in to talk about a Dale Chihuly glass piece that he had purchased sparked a memory of Chihuly's time as a student at Rhode Island School of Design.
"That was the first one he ever did, and he gave it me," Leonard said. "Dale has always been a good friend."
The house was nearly empty, save a few items in the kitchen and the carpets on the floor. A purchase-and-sale agreement for the house has been signed, but a closing has not yet taken place.
As the auction moved around to the front of the house, where some larger pieces were stored, Leonard's daughter wheeled him over to another window, where he could watch the sale.
Their water view, which allows them to sit on their porch and look at all the boats in the harbor, is almost duplicated at their condo in Key West, Betty said. And they plan to search for some waterfront property in Bristol, just to maintain a presence in Rhode Island.
"We've had such a great life," she said. "We've just had such great times."
Ted, watching strangers walk away with his memorabilia, smiled at her. "This is my greatest treasure," he said.
To contact Jessica Ullian, phone 253-1200 or e-mail JUllian@projo.com.
