Every object that comes through our doors has a story attached to it — sometimes several. A painting that hung in the same hallway for sixty years. A marionette collection built one careful purchase at a time. A drawing nearly thrown away that turned out to be something else entirely.
This section is where we share those stories: the collectors, the discoveries, and the people whose passion for a particular category — art, coins, textiles, curiosities — shaped what they left behind. If you’re a collector yourself, we hope you’ll see a little of your own story in these pages. And if you’re just starting to build a collection, there’s a lot to learn from the people who came before you.
20 For 20: More Than an Art Auction – How Symphony in the Flint Hills Became Part of Me and the KC Auction Company
20 for 20: More Than an Art Auction How Symphony in the Flint Hills Became Part of Me and the KC Auction Company By Jason R. Roske 20 for 20 Note: This article is part [...]
The Next Caretaker: Why We Collect, and What Happens Next
The Next Caretaker: Why We Collect, and What Happens Next by Jason R. Roske I stood in a storage unit recently, surrounded by decades of thoughtful collecting. Paintings carefully stored, each separated with cardboard to [...]
20 For 20: The Woman Behind the Strings, The Dolores Hadley Marionette Auction
20 For 20: The Woman Behind the Strings, The Dolores Hadley Marionette Auction By Jason R. Roske There are house calls you remember because of the value.There are others you remember because of the people. [...]
20 For 20: From Trash to Treasure, The Lost Tom of Finland Drawing
20 For 20: From Trash to Treasure, The Lost Tom of Finland Drawing By Jason R. Roske There are moments in this business when you know immediately that you’re looking at something different. And then [...]
20 For 20: COVID and the Record-Setting DST Art Collection
20 For 20: COVID and the Record-Setting DST Art Collection Throwback Series By Jason R. Roske There are auctions you plan for, there are auctions that take on a life of their own, and then [...]
20 For 20: When the World Stopped, the Auctions Didn’t
20 For 20: When the World Stopped, the Auctions Didn’t By Jason R. Roske 20 for 20: Stories from 20 Years in Auctions When I was thinking about March Madness this week, it occurred to [...]
20 For 20: The Auction That Started the KC Auction Company
20 For 20: The Auction That Started the KC Auction Company By Jason R. Roske This is the first installment of our 20 for 20 series. As KC Auction & Appraisal Company celebrates its 20th [...]
Throwback: Monuments Men Diaries Auction: George Leslie Stout’s WWII Journals Sold to the Smithsonian
Throwback: Monuments Men Diaries Auction: George Leslie Stout’s WWII Journals Sold to the Smithsonian By Jason R. Roske October 17, 2025 One of the great privileges of nearly twenty years in the auction business is [...]
The Goben Collection of Americana: Why This Auction Outperformed Expectations
The Goben Collection of Americana: Why This Auction Outperformed Expectations Not every auction is about breaking gross sales records. Some are about who shows up, how they respond, and what the material means. Our recent [...]