Truckloads of Blixseth's furniture to be auctioned

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) - Truckloads of opulent furniture, including a two-seated throne meant to grace a 53,000-square-foot home that Yellowstone Club founder Tim Blixseth never built, will be on the auction block in Georgia next month.

Red Baron's Antiques in Atlanta estimates the collection could be worth $8 million or more. The company will conduct the auction Nov. 6-8.

"People buy this kind of furniture when they want you to know they're rich," said Bob Brown, president of Red Baron.

Based on the paperwork that came with the furniture, Brown said it appeared Tim and Edra Blixseth spent "a fortune" just traveling to acquire the exquisite furnishings.

The collection includes "a lot of stuff that was made for kings," Brown said. "In America, we can't be king, so people want to buy things that kings once owned."

Prospects of the lavish house, to be called "The Pinnacle," being built dimmed in March 2008 when Blixseth sold the 160-acre lot where it would have been built. By then, the Blixseths were in divorce proceedings.

Edra Blixseth ended up with the Yellowstone Club after the couple divorced. The club, a private ski and golf community, filed for bankruptcy and was sold to CrossHarbor Capital Partners of Boston for $115 million in mid-July. Matt Kidd, a partner in the firm, said CrossHarbor decided to liquidate the collection.

Along with the carved, black walnut throne, a bank clock, marble and mahogany mirrors and walnut and ebony cabinets are featured in Red Baron's auction brochure.

In all, 13 tractor-trailer loads of furniture are being shipped to Atlanta for the sale.

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Information from: Bozeman Daily Chronicle, http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com

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