FILE-In this Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2001 file photo shows Millie Benson holding up one of the Nancy Drew mystery books in Toledo, Ohio. Benson wrote more than 130 books, including the 1940s Penny Parker mystery series, but is best known for creating Nancy Drew, who inspired and captivated generations of girls. Typewriters and a desk from the home of Benson, who brought a young sleuth named Nancy Drew to life are going up for auction Sunday in Toledo, Ohio. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
December 07, 2013 - 8:07 AM
TOLEDO, Ohio - Typewriters and a desk from the home of the original author of the Nancy Drew mystery books are going up for auction in Ohio.
The auction Sunday in Toledo will feature a lifetime of keepsakes that belonged to Mildred Wirt Benson. She wrote 23 of the 30 original Nancy Drew stories using the pseudonym Carolyn Keene.
Benson died in 2002 and left her belongings to her daughter, who died this year.
The auction house handling the sale says many of the items, including autographed posters and awards, came from Benson's home office.
Few people knew Benson was the writer behind the early Nancy Drew stories until 1980 because she had signed a secrecy contract that wouldn't allow her to publicly reveal her identity. She was paid $125 per book.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013