Woody Auction, a three-generation firm in Douglass, Kansas, reaches 80 years in business

DOUGLASS, Kan. - July 1, 2026 - PRLog -- Many businesses fail within the first year of operation, some are lucky to hit the ten-year mark, and a precious few make it to 50. But Woody Auction is proud to say it is celebrating 80 years of serving collectors, consignors and communities not just in Kansas, where it has always been based, but across the nation and the world.

The three-generation, family-owned auction powerhouse has been captivating audiences live (and since the new millennium online) for decades, holding sales that often feature cut glass, art glass, porcelain, pottery, silver and other fine antiques from the 1800s through the 1920s. The firm has gaveled treasured heirlooms and important collections from around the world.

Woody Auction had a humble and improbable beginning. The firm was started in 1945 by Milton James Woody (1911-1991) when he attended a church fundraiser where the auctioneer didn't show up. Milton was cajoled into being the auctioneer and thus began his tenure in farm sales.

Milton passed the company baton (or gavel) to his son John Milton Woody, who was born in 1942 and passed away in 2020. John conducted one of the country's first-ever carnival glass-only auctions in the early 1960s, in the community building in Douglass. The sale made national news because of some of the high prices realized.

During John's tenure, the company conducted antique auctions but also handled real estate sales, operating under the business name Woody Auction and Real Estate. John's son Jason Lee Woody, who was born in 1972, came aboard full-time in 1994 and took over the business fully in 2001, officially renaming it Woody Auction, LLC in 2007.

Jason has owned and operated the business ever since, also serving as its principal auctioneer. He said of the company's longevity and recent anniversary, ""For eighty years, Woody Auction has proudly operated from Douglass, Kansas, the only home our company has ever known. Our rural roots have been one of our greatest blessings, fostering a strong work ethic, genuine relationships, and a commitment to integrity that continues to define our business today. We are grateful to be part of a community that values these principles as much as we do."

For more information about Woody Auction and its calendar of upcoming auctions and events, please visit www.woodyauction.com or www.bid.woodyauction.com; or, call 316-747-2694.