ASHLAND — A collection of slate, flint and stone artifacts was auctioned Sunday for a combined total of nearly $667,000.
All 162 artifacts in the auction came from the collection of the late Marvin Seeley, a Columbus native. The auction took place Sunday afternoon at Premiere Auctions Group, 1213 U.S. 42.
The combined total of each high bid came out to $666,600 by the end of the auction.
Seeley was born in 1952 in Columbus and graduated from Waynesfield-Goshen High School in 1970, according to information provided by his wife, Debi Seeley, in the auction catalog.
“His passion for hunting Indian artifacts began in 1963, when he and his father discovered several remarkable relics while clearing swamp land near Indian Lake to prepare it for farming,” she wrote in the program.
“That experience sparked a lifelong enthusiasm for collecting and preserving history. Over the years, Marv spent countless hours searching fields and attending relic shows and auctions.”
Seeley continued attending relic auctions and shows until one month before his passing in 2025, following a long and courageous battle with cancer, his wife included in the catalog.
His collection up for auction Sunday, full of highly-collectible and well-documented artifacts, included bannerstones, pendants, gorgets, arrowheads and knives, among other styles.
Jim Bennett, operations manager at Premiere Auctions Group, said Seeley placed a high degree of importance on acquiring relics with “solid provenance and documentation.”
“Marv was a long-time customer of Premiere Auctions Group and his presence at our sales is truly missed. We are honored to have the opportunity to offer these wonderful artifacts back to the collecting community,” Bennett wrote in the auction catalog.
Below is a PDF version of Sunday’s auction catalog.
Top three items auctioned
Three items from Seeley’s collection were auctioned for a combined $97,000.
Out of the 162 artifacts auctioned, 12 lots sold for $20,000 or more and 33 lots sold for $5,000 or more.
Below are the three artifacts which received the highest bids Sunday, including details about the artifact featured in the auction’s catalog:
Heron Effigy Pipe made from Ohio pipestone ($41,000)
This pipe was found in the late 1800’s by workers removing sand for a foundry located directly south of the city of Huron on the east bank along a bend of the Huron River in Erie County, according to the catalog. Seeley originally purchased the pipe on Dec. 5, 1988. It is highly documented and pictured in several books.
Archaic notched ovate bannerstone ($31,000)
This green and black banded slate artifact was found in the mid to late 1800’s west of Fremont in Sandusky County, according to the catalog. It was once displayed at the Ohio Historical Collection in Columbus. A cast of the piece is also on display at The Smithsonian Natural History Museum Warehouse in Suitland, Maryland.
Hopewell Monitor Pipe made from Ohio pipestone ($25,000)
This pipe, made from colorful, greenish-black Ohio pipestone, was found in the early 1900’s on the J. Dill Farm in Delaware County. It is well publicized and pictured in several books.
‘You don’t see it very often,’ Bennett says of Seeley’s collection
Most of the 162 artifacts auctioned were found in Ohio, Bennett said, while others were discovered nearby in Indiana.
Artifacts displayed Sunday were mainly found in fields across farmlands, rising to the surface over time as farmers tilled their fields.
Seeley’s full collection is valued at around $1.5 million, he said. Sunday’s auction was the first of two auctions showcasing Seeley’s collection. The second auction will likely take place in June.
“You don’t see it very often,” Bennett said of the magnitude and quality of Seeley’s collection.
The auction, which took about four hours from start to finish, attracted collectors from five different states, the operations manager said. Others placed bids live online or over the phone. Absentee bidding was also included in the auction.
Bennett started Bennett’s Artifact Auctions out of his basement in Polk back in 2005, he said. He expanded his venture by starting Premiere Auctions Group about a decade ago, along with some partners and shareholders.
Over those 10 years, Premiere has put on over 800 auctions. Each month of the year typically includes three auctions — two online and one in person, he said.
Premiere also offers artifact identification and authentication services for folks with smaller collections, even if they aren’t seeking to auction the items.
