BLACKSBURG -- Cathy Akers readily admits she can "junk up a house in a New York minute."

Figurines made in occupied Japan, violet-decorated dishes and hat pins all vie for attention in her Blacksburg home.

But at an estate auction Wednesday, Akers had another collectable in mind: milk bottles.

She walked away with four. They set her back $735.

The most notable -- a glass bottle four inches tall and embossed with the letters V.P.I. (for Virginia Polytechnic Institute) -- cost Akers $410.

About an hour later, a set of four plain bottles sold for $10.

It was the reference to Virginia Tech history -- and a dose of sentimentality-- that made the three-figure difference.

And both local memorabilia and sentimental heirlooms were for sale when Clarice Slusher Pritchard's estate was auctioned off from the porch of her family home.

Pritchard, who died June 29 at the age of 101, was a well-known figure at Virginia Tech.

She graduated just six years after the first women enrolled at the school and is remembered as a pioneer for the women who came after her.

Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times

This milk bottle fetched $410.

In an article about Virginia Tech history, Netta S. Eisler wrote that Pritchard attended school at a time when women weren't allowed to go onto the "male" territory of the upper quad. Yet following her 1927 graduation, Pritchard went to work in the university registrar's office. She served as registrar from the mid-1930s to 1963.

In 1974, Slusher Hall was dedicated to her, and many of the local residents looking through her belongings Wednesday, said Pritchard was commonly known around town.

Funds raised by the auction will go to a number of estate beneficiaries, including family members and a couple of charities, one of which is the Virginia Tech Foundation, said Bob Bryant, a senior vice president with estate executor NBB.

Larry Linkous of Linkous Auctioneers credited Pritchard's high profile -- as well as her vast collection of historical memorabilia -- with producing the auction's large crowd.

Despite the damp weather, 258 people had registered with the auction company by 2:30 p.m.

"There are very few estates in Blacksburg where you're able to buy local history and here you are," Linkous said. "People interested in local history -- it'll be a fun day for them."

Plus, Linkous added, "It's a real neat estate because they haven't thrown anything away."

Like the $410 milk bottle: it was found on a shelf in the basement.

Before bidding opened at 9 a.m., the bottle sat among trinkets, toys and old periodicals on a table on the porch. Other tables, their surfaces covered with kitchen supplies, clothes and books, stood in the yard. And prospective buyers perused stately wood furniture next to several white tents.

A set of hand-forged blacksmith tools resting beside him, Keith Marretta said he had his eye on a vintage Schwinn Admiral bicycle.

The women's bike, bright green and outfitted with a metal basket, caught Marretta's eye Tuesday.

He returned Wednesday morning specifically for it and bought the tools as he waited for the bike to come up.

"It's in really good shape -- the tires still have air in them," Marretta said. "I work around the corner and had to call my boss and say I'm going to be a little late."

Moments later, the Schwinn was wheeled out in front of the house.

"Folks, you're talking about a nice bicycle," Linkous said. "It's nice as it can be."

Perched on a stool, microphone in hand and eyes scanning the crowd, Linkous began taking bids.

Marretta spoke up for $60. He was quickly outbid. The bicycle sold for $175.

He wasn't the only one to walk away disappointed.

Christiansburg resident Bill Phelps was on the lookout for things for himself and things to sell on eBay.

A fan of old toys, Phelps fancied a small Donald Duck figure with a bobbing head.

"It's probably a mid-50s piece from Japan," Phelps said before the auction started. "I imagine it'll go for $100."

Once Linkous' fast-talking began however, bidding quickly topped Phelps' prediction.

"I bid two (hundred dollars)," Phelps said.

But he said someone else "bid $210 and you have to learn how to stop. "