In the last few years, locally at least, Alderfer Auction and Appraisal of Hatfield has assumed a dominant position in the field of militaria, notably the 2007 sale of items from the estate of the late Gen. Lyman Lemnitzer, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

On Wednesday, it will broaden that reputation with a sale of military items featuring the World War II collection of James Mountain, owner of James Mountain Antiques in Ashburnham, Mass.

"This is a very important collection that we're honored to be offering," Alderfer associate Lon Klemmer said.

The nearly 200 lots focus on materials related to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) during World War II. They include documents, flags, equipment, and uniforms, notably Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower's famed 1945 "Ike" jacket with insignia. The uniforms are expected to bring the top prices at this sale. The Ike jacket, custom tailored by Clipper Craft Clothes, has a minimum bid of $15,000.

The sale, which begins at 6 p.m. at the gallery at 501 Fairgrounds Rd. and also is being conducted online at www.artfact.com, also features a collection of Nathan Starr swords dating to the turn of the 19th century.

The documents include an extremely rare grouping of D-Day plans for the British 6th Airborne Division designated "Most Secret Top Secret." The 14 file folders, each copy-numbered, carry a minimum bid of $2,000, according to the online artfact catalog.

Other documents of note and their minimum bids include a grouping of Invade Mecum (Invade with Me) map books developed for use by small-unit commanders in the field ($300).

The flags include a 27-by-43-inch silk World War II Japanese flag captured by the 18th Navy Construction Battalion (Seabee). It has a minimum bid of $500.

In addition to the Ike jacket, other uniforms are interesting - and pricey - in their own right. A uniform and related materials belonging to Brig. Gen. Arthur S. Nevins, a SHAEF officer who later was manager of Eisenhower's Gettysburg farm, has a minimum bid of $5,000.

Another uniform was that of a U.S. banker named Alex Cherry, who, according to the catalog description, was one of the few Americans ever to command a British ship during World War II and one of only nine U.S. citizens who became British naval officers during the conflict. It has a minimum bid of $3,000.

The collection also features an English-made silver presentation humidor given to Lt. Gen. Walter Bedell Smith, Eisenhower's chief of staff and later director of the CIA. It has a minimum bid of $4,000.

The dozen or more swords that will open the sale are from the collection of Stanley B. Smullen 3d. They include a stirrup-hilted saber marked "N. Starr" and dated 1799 that carries a minimum bid of $1,300.

Wednesday's auction is the first of three that Alderfer will conduct next week. Beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday, it will offer silver, Americana decorative arts furniture, and jewelry. And beginning at 4 p.m. next Friday, it will offer 250 lots of U.S. and European paintings.

Previews are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, 9 a.m. to noon tomorrow, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday. For more information, call 215-393-3023.

Pook and Pook variety sale. Pook and Pook Inc. will end its summer break next week with a two-day, 1,200-lot variety auction beginning at 1 p.m. Thursday and resuming at 9 a.m. next Friday at the gallery at 463 E. Lancaster Ave. The downloadable auction catalog, with estimated values, is accessible at www.pookandpook.com. Most lots are expected to bring two-figure to low-three-figure prices.

Thursday's 500-lot session includes carpets and Far Eastern items, notably a 19th-century Chinese bronze incense burner ($1,000 to $1,500). Furniture includes a 19th-century Freehold, N.J., walnut secretary desk ($300 to $500) and a J.B. Van Sciver Federal-style mahogany dining room suite ($1,500 to $2,500).

Next Friday's session offers more furniture, including an 18th-century Georgian mahogany tea table ($200 to $300); a pair of cast-iron gargoyles ($400 to $700); and an early-20th-century American carved and painted carousel horse ($800 to $1,200), as well as African masks, kachina dolls, and duck decoys.

Previews are from noon to 5 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m. to sale time Thursday, and 8 a.m. to sale time next Friday. For more information, call 610-269-4040.

Toys in Southampton. At 5 p.m. today, Stephenson's Auction, 1005 Industrial Blvd., Southampton, will offer a large quantity of toys; model trains, including a rare Lionel standard-gauge derrick car; and still and mechanical banks.

Preview is from 3 p.m. to sale time. For more information, call 215-322-6182.

Contact David Iams at daiams@comcast.net.