Episode 44 | Secrets from Alamance County and the Pick of a Lifetime

Matt sits down with his dad, the infamous Wade Ledbetter, inside the auction gallery for a story Wade admits might be risky to even share. What starts as a quiet memory from rural Alamance County quickly turns into a mystery about a ten foot clock, a fifty thousand dollar offer from Henry Ford’s museum team, and a farmhouse fire that erased everything. Wade takes Matt back to the days when he delivered milk to the Krauss family and explains why the story of that clock stayed with him for more than fifty years. That secret leads Matt to share a story of his own. At twenty five, he walked into a house in Virginia that changed everything for him as a picker. A house filled with museum tagged antiques, rare crystal, first edition books, and paintings he was not yet experienced enough to understand. It was the pick of a lifetime, the kind that teaches you more in a day than years of picking can. Two stories from two Ledbetters. One about a clock that vanished. One about a house that should never have been lost. 00:00 | Wade Introduces the Krauss Family and the Mysterious Clock 06:40 | Henry Ford’s Buyers and the Fifty Thousand Dollar Offer 13:50 | The House Fire, the Surviving Clock Weight, and Wade’s Milk Route 18:50 | Why Wade Believes the Clock Story Still Matters 25:30 | Wade’s Attic Finds and Early Picking Lessons 29:01 | Wade’s Unexpected Friendship with Mickey Mantle 38:28 | Matt Heads North and Walks Into a Once in a Lifetime House 45:20 | The Crystal, Paintings, and Museum Tagged Pieces Inside Phil’s Home 52:00 | Matt’s Big Scores and the Things He Missed 58:20 | Phil Passes Away and the House Is Emptied 01:00:40 | Closing Thoughts with Matt and Wade As the conversation winds down, Matt and Wade reflect on the stories that shape a picker’s life. From a vanished Alamance County clock to the house that launched Matt’s career, these moments remind us that the best finds are often the ones you cannot plan for. Every attic, every basement, and every back road has a secret waiting on the other side of the door. Do you know a folk artist or have a picking story worth sharing [email protected] (919) 410 8002 Leave your name and where you are from and you might hear yourself on the next episode. Follow @houseoffolkart for more stories, field trips, and upcoming auction dates at LedbetterAuctions.com.