Auction set for books and antiques from estate of Sacramento newspaper exec C.K. McClatchy

Rare books and first-hand accounts of California history will be sold Sept. 16 as part of an online auction of property from the estate of C.K. McClatchy.

Witherell’s Auction House in Sacramento will be hosting the sale of goods owned by the late chairman of the company that owned The Sacramento Bee and other newspapers.

The auction, which will go live at 9 a.m. next Wednesday, will feature a first-edition of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and other rare books, collected by McClatchy and his aunt, Eleanor McClatchy.

McClatchy died in 1989 at the age of 62, from a heart attack. His estate has remained largely untouched since his death.

In addition to the live auction, an online auction will feature other items from the estate, which opened at 9 a.m. last Thursday and will continue until Sept. 17.

Brian Witherell, the auctioneer, said the book collection is one of the state’s most extensive private collections.

“We cataloged more than $150,000 in books from the collection. Some of them are very rare. It’s one of the best private book collections in California history,” Witherell said in a statement by the auction house.

Other items up for sale include memoirs by California pioneers, sketchbooks, antique newspapers and artwork. Antique boats and furniture will also be sold during the auction from the other estates.

James McClatchy, C. K. McClatchy’s great-grandfather, founded The Sacramento Bee in 1857, and the company was controlled by family members until its recent sale following a declaration of Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Chatham Asset Management LLC took control of The Sacramento Bee and 29 other McClatchy newspapers last Friday

McClatchy has been a prominent name in Sacramento and California history, becoming the namesake to many places in the region, including C. K. McClatchy High School.

The live auction will take place on the Witherell’s website, witherells.com, where potential buyers must register.

This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 1:46 PM.