Well-known and revered for the past three-plus decades in the auction business, auctioneer Frederick M. MacPhail died on Tuesday, August 9.

Born in Jamaica Plains, Mass., in 1939, Fred attended andgraduated from Keene (N.H.) High School in 1958. He took a job soonthereafter with the Markem Corporation and later married BarbaraRitchie. Fred began a modest coin collection that soon grew in sizeand stature. Deciding that he did not want an industrial job forhis entire career, Fred up and quit in 1966 and was at the fleamarket the following weekend selling coins and antiques. His newcareer had been launched.

Fred decided to become a numismatic dealer and in 1971 he began conducting monthly coin auctions in Keene. He was a well-known and well respected dealer who attended and exhibited at many prestigious shows including the New England Numismatic Association invitational show and also the New Hampshire Numismatic Association’s shows.

In 1982 construction of the current the Frederick MacPhail Auction Gallery on Route 10 was completed and he left the coin sales behind as he began running a series of successful estate antiques auctions. “We used to run every Saturday night,” commented Barbara, “then he started the New Year’s Day auctions” at which the parking lot at the gallery, next door and both sides of the highway would be filled with cars.

Throughout the many years of Fred’s involvement with antiques, he compulsively col-lected toys. A lifelong passion was his collection of Kingsbury toys, regarded by many as the most complete and all-encompassing collection in existence. Fred also loved mechanical banks and cast iron toys.

A lover of animals, there was always one close by his side; the most recent was Henry, a cat, that since a kitten presided over every auction Fred conducted. Henry is now living in the “lap of luxury” with Fred’s good friend Terry O’Connor.

He is survived by his mother Ruth MacPhail, two brothers and sisters-in-law, four nephews and his former wife Barbara MacPhail.

Services will be held at a later date in September at the MacPhail Auction Gallery. Gifts in memory of Fred should be made to the New Hampshire Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, POB 3194, Nashua, NH 03061, to the American Heart Association, 2 Wall Street, Manchester NH 03101, or to the charity of your choice.