Taryn Marable came for the football she saw in the online ad with the Saints logo on it, and she found it in one of the kids’ bedrooms. It was $12. And the Saints hat? . . . $5. And they paid $12 for the Saints throw pillow, and $7 for a little statue of Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
Throw in a Celtics hat for $6, still in the package. And $4 for the four children’s books, for their 8-year-old daughter.
The Marables were among hundreds of people from across the state and beyond who flocked to this leafy town off Interstate 95 on Saturday for an estate sale like no other: The Schillings have downsized to a smaller home here in Medfield, and have put the 8,000-square-foot home they bought from Drew Bledsoe for $4.5 million in 2004 up for sale.
From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, whatever they left in it was for sale, too, a giant yard sale: a Kohler & Campbell baby grand piano for $6,000, or a $4,500 dining room table. Or, choose dirty cleats, and ice skates; a bathrobe and towels. Video games for $8. Or, pick from a collection of CDs, ranging from Snoop Dogg to “The Bodyguard” soundtrack, or the movie “The Matrix,” or Will Ferrell’s greatest hits on “Saturday Night Live,” Volume 2.
“I felt a little bad for Curt, personally,” Zachary Marable said later, sitting in his car for the drive back to New Hampshire, where they have been living over the last several months. “We were like going through his Christmas stuff.”
This is how his wife put it: The items are for sale, and if she can buy a football that she can say was owned by Schilling, the retired Red Sox great who led the team to the 2004 World Series win with his bloody sock, well then she is going to buy it.
“I was just hoping it’d be signed by somebody,” she said.
Schilling’s wife, Shonda, took to Facebook earlier this week to dispel claims that the family needed money. She maintained that they were downsizing and their children had outgrown the house full of items.
But what is clear is that, for many of those who attended the sale, Curt Schilling’s ongoing financial woes served as a sad backdrop: His video game company, 38 Studios, collapsed into bankruptcy in the spring of 2012, and the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp., the agency that lured the company to that state with a $75 million loan guarantee, has sued him, saying it was misled.
Schilling has called the assertions baseless and political. But the financial mess has taken its toll: Schilling has said he sunk much of his personal wealth — about $50 million — into 38 Studios. He suffered a heart attack in late 2011 that he attributed to the stress.
And he has already sold some of his baseball memorabilia to satisfy creditors. The bloody sock sold for more than $92,000 earlier this year.
Those who arrived at his estate Saturday morning found much more than socks: They found bath towels and kitchenware. Halloween costumes and holiday decorations. A giant teddy bear was on sale for $65. A drum set was offered for $250. His kids’ bunk beds sold for $400.
Dorann and Gary Wallrap of Foxborough grabbed a wrought-iron baby carriage for $45 for their granddaughters in Georgia. But Gary grabbed a silk shirt, too, for $6.
“He thinks Curt was wearing this shirt, so he’s excited,” his wife said, holding it up.
Cathy Gallagher walked away with some potential Christmas gifts for family members that she didn’t want to disclose, but she added, “I’ll tell you this, I thought the sports memorabilia was the best.”
And Tom McMullen and his son Brennan of Warren walked away with a batting cage that had been set up on the lot. That, and a picture of Schilling at Disneyland.
Taryn Marable, who is eight months pregnant, had hoped there would be a bathroom she could use after she took the long, scenic pathway up to the gated estate, but the signs said no. The rules were clear: No one could go into unpermitted areas, and no pictures were allowed. You couldn’t use your cellphone inside the home.
All sales were final. And you could pay with cash or credit card, no check.
Taryn and her husband bought a small leather box for $5, so they could cart their items as they walked around the house, past the kitchen, toward the garage.
“What, $60 for a [paper] shredder?” Taryn asked.
“Yeah, but it’s a nice shredder . . . it’s Curt Schilling’s shredder,” her husband responded.
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