The stars of Hollywood: They're just like us. When they die, somebody's got to do something with all their stuff. So when Frances Bavier passed away, there was the matter of what could be done with her substantial estate. Bavier, in her retirement, was a huge fan of public television, and so she willed the contents of her home to the University of North Carolina Center for Public Television Endowment Fund. 

Many of the items she left behind were then sold at auction in her adopted home state, with each price tag then benefitting the Fund.

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"This is what she lived in and what she sat on, what she ate out of, what she held and touched," said Priscilla Bratcher, director of Development and Community Relations for the Center. Bratcher also described Bavier as a bit of a pack rat.

Chris Allen, an antiques expert, who helped coordinate the sale, elaborated on what made the items special.

"I mean there's everything," said Allen. "Frances was just like every other person in the world. She had wonderful things, she had junky things, she had everything from kitchen things to linens and all that sort of thing — normal household things.

"The majority of her stuff does represent a 1920 to 1940s time frame," he said. "There's stuff earlier, there's stuff later, but she seemed to like the quality that existed during that particular time."

In addition to the household goods sold at the auction were the number of "cat items" that Bavier's 15 cats enjoyed during their time living with Aunt Bee.

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