MATTHEW COURTER/Sun-Gazette What is now known as Roan Inc. Auctioneers & Appraisers began in 1945, as a series of shops in Cogan Station, Williamsport and Ralston.

What began with one man selling furniture and antiques has become one of the staple businesses in the area as Roan Inc. Auctioneers & Appraisers celebrate their 80th anniversary.

Began by Robert W. Roan Sr. in 1945, as a series of shops in Cogan Station, Williamsport and Ralston, the business now functions as a consignment auction, with ventures into firearms and real estate as well.

In 1963, sons, Rich and Chuck purchased the business from their father and incorporated it as Bob, Chuck & Rich Roan Inc., according to the businesses website.

Following Chuck’s retirement in 1989 and Rich’s passing in 2017, two of his sons, Ron and Rod, currently head the family business, with several other family members investing they time, including sister and office manager, Robin Roan Pardoe, brother, Randy and niece, Amanda Roan Covert, along with some much appreciated part-time help.

Over the years, the company has been involved in many large and sometimes, historic sales.

“Sometimes people ask, ‘What all do you guys sell?’ I joke around and say, ‘We sell everything from refrigerators to real estate.’ It’s such a wide range,” Ron said, noting the sale of miniature lamp expert Ruth Smith.

“It was a very high-end lamp collection from Hanover. She wrote the book on miniature lamps, and she said, ‘When I die, y’all are coming here and you’re selling everything, my Cadillac, my lamps and even my wig.’ And when we went down in the basement, there was her wig hanging,” he laughed.

“We held a world auction record for a while for the highest amount paid at auction for a ‘Jonah & The Whale’ on a pedestal mechanical bank in the 1970’s. That was $77,500, and we did the estate of Betty James, who owned the Slinky, and she was in Hollidaysburg,” said Ron.

The business has even had some familiar people of fame as clients, including Liberace, who called in to bid on a piece of Peacock by the Fountain carnival glass.

“He called and said, ‘hey, this is Lee Liberace,’ and my uncle said, ‘yeah, and I’m Elvis,'” Ron joked.

“He was very kind, and he said, ‘I collect carnival class and I’d like to bid on that Peacock at the Fountain,” he said.

Over the years, Roan has been the holder of several selling records, including for a Foundation for North American Wild Sheep sheep hunt, which sold for a world record amount of $485,000, and they continue to hold a record for the most Severin Roesen paintings sold.

Being in business for 80 years, Roan has seen many changes in the field.

“Nowadays, the internet is your world. We used to have all these printed materials and mailing lists, but now it’s all online,” Ron said.

“Our business is changing a lot because of that factor and the foundation of our customers, but we’ve weathered all those changes,” Amanda added.

“Covid brought along a lot of changes because with all the shutdowns and whatnot, we had to figure out how to keep doing business, and that’s when the online auctions really moved up,” she said.

“People’s time is valuable to them. They don’t want to sit all day for one thing. They’re still very avid buyers, but they want to do their thing and move on to the next,” Ron said.

“But it’s worked out well for us, because it’s right there in your hand, and they could be sitting at a Penn State football game or another auction, but still be bidding on painting or whatever here,” he added.

The business has also diversified into real estate and firearms as well.

“Real estate’s a big part of our business,” Ron said.

“It keeps us busy. Everything from residential businesses, the whole nine yards,” Amanda said.

The family has been involved in the sale of 11 schools, three Quarries, restaurants/bars and Liquor Licenses, in three states and 22 Pennsylvania counties, according to their website, which is just the tip of the iceberg.

“We create all of our own advertising and photography, we utilize our website as well as any other online presence to get the word out,” Amanda said.

As a licensed federal firearms dealer, bidding on such items are headed up by Amanda’s father, Randy Roan.

“He’s semi-retired, but that’s one of his passions. He loves hunting and the outdoors and firearms, and he’s very educated on them, so he comes in periodically, as we average anywhere from maybe three to four firearms auctions a year,” Amanda said.

Those auctions are held exclusively live, in-person, as currently, modern firearms, ammunition and real estate are the only items not auctioned off online.

Roan Inc. has also made community support a pillar of their operation, having been a sponsor of the Hepburn Lycoming Little League team since 1963.

We support Preservation Williamsport, the Thomas Tabor Museum. With the kind of business we’re in, history and our local economy, our neighbors, our friends, it’s all very important to us. Ron does the Penn College Foundation Dinner and Auction every two years, as well,” Amanda said.

Asked what the biggest contributor to their longevity has been, Amanda said it’s their commitment to always doing the right thing.

“I hear it a lot from our customers, our work ethic, we’re honest, and we have a good reputation,” she said.

“We’ve been told many times that we provide great customer service, and that goes a long way, especially in this day and age,” Amanda said.

“That reputation is what keeps pushing me. Because you don’t want to give up on that. You want it to keep going. You want it to thrive,” she said, with Ron adding that they wouldn’t exist without their customers.

“We’re grateful for our customers. We treat them like family, and many of them have been coming here for years, and we’re grateful for that, and grateful to the Lord,” he said.

For more information on all of Roan Inc. services, please visit www.roaninc.com.