It seems like a lot of estate sales these days are staged by the living. Perhaps it's because of the economy, but it seems like people are paring down their possessions. Great news, because there's more for the rest of us. In a sale on Russian Hill this weekend, a couple is divesting themselves of an interesting art collection and more.

The thing I found most appealing about this sale was the artwork. This couple (who, according to organizers, is scaling down and moving on), has a notable collection of portraits. It's uncommon to see this, as most people don't go for paintings of strangers. But add something like this portrait of Sir Guilford Molesworth K.C.I.F. (whatever that title means) to your interior and you will instantly acquire a bit of to-the-manor-born, even if you were raised in my hometown of Salem, Indiana, which has no manors to speak of.

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