Hundreds of items from the personal collection and floral shop of the late Ireene McLean will be auctioned this Saturday, June 14, starting at 9 a.m.

The auction will take place at Ireene's Floral Shop at 405 Tusculum Blvd.

A preview of the collectible items, which include pottery from 1850 and Ireene's signature motion poodles, will be held on Friday from noon to 6 p.m.

McLean's sons, Alex and Dan, said last week they plan to continue to operate the floral shop after the auction.

John Coker, who specializes in antiques and fine art sales, will be the auctioneer. His business is located in New Market, Tenn. He said all items will be auctioned to the lowest bidder, with no minimum bids.

Coker said Ireene McLean collected thousands of items, keeping some in the floral shop, the basement of the shop, a warehouse, her house and in a condominium she owned.

Said Coker of the auction, "This is going to be fun, where there's something for everybody."

Ireene McLean started her floral business in 1947, and moved it to its present location in 1948.

Up for bid are a wide variety of items, including a marble bench/table, bamboo stands, "Trav-L-Games" for use while traveling the country's highways in the 1950s, pewter, cut-glass, china and silver.

Her signature motion poodles, which graced the shop's windows around Christmas time, will be for sale, as well as many ceramic items, plus retro vases and flowers from the shop dating to the 1950s and 1960s.

Some of the counters and unique cases in the shop will be for sale, as well. Coker said about half of the items in the floral shop will be auctioned.

A silver-plated soap dish that Coker said dated from 1870-1880 will be for sale, as well as a walnut book case from about the same era.

There are even never-used billfolds from several decades ago that were available for sale in the shop when Mrs. McLean ran it.

"Brides will remember items in weddings and receptions (that Ireene McLean used) of years gone by," Coker said.

"There's a 150-year-old canning jar from the Mohawk area where potters worked at that time," Coker said. He said there are several other regional pottery items for sale from the same era, as well.

Some of the items may be viewed online at: www.antiquesonline.com.

For more information, contact John Coker, Ltd. at (865) 475-5163.