Novelist Tom Clancy’s death in 2013 has led to an auction of hundreds of unusual items and Cold War era memorabilia from his Maryland estate.
The auction will be held in Alexandria by a local antiques auction gallery, Potomack Trading Company. “The Clancy estate was referred to us, and we were thrilled to have it,” said Elizabeth Wainstein, founder of Potomack Trading Company.
Wainstein said there are two groups of Clancy items going up for bids. One group reflects Clancy the man, his affinity for unusual furnishings and rare materials. Some of these items include a snakeskin table and an entertainment cabinet covered in stingray skin.
Then there is the other side of Clancy. “His personal collection that reflects his fascination with the Cold War and the Soviet era. We have a Soviet wool coat, we have a model bi-plane,” Wainstein said.
Among other items is a Soviet trench periscope, with its almost secret distinctive markings of the hammer and sickle stampings. It’s said he would use his vintage nautical searchlights to scan the Chesapeake Bay off his waterfront property.
Yet there was another side to Clancy reflected in his collection: a bit of extravagance. “How much fun to be driving around the course in Tom Clancy’s golf cart,” Wainstein said of the ivory luxury golf cart up for sale.
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The collection is suspected to be very popular. “We had Kennedy property in our last sale, Jack Kennedy, that’s obviously the benchmark for interest .. and I would say Tom Clancy’s a close second,” Wainstein said.
The Baltimore born novelist stayed trued to his roots building a home in southern Maryland on the bay.
His writing success began with the book “The Hunt for Red October,” which was later adapted into a blockbuster film. The novel about a rogue Soviet sub commander plied the depths of cold war intrigue with amazing accuracy.
The Baltimore born novelist Tom Clancy would surface as a leading writer focusing on espionage and international intrigue.
