Auction raises $3.5M for Carter Center

Ex-president’s portrait of tenant farmer Rachel Clark sold for $600,000.

A pair of President Jimmy Carter’s old running shoes was valued at $1,500.

The autographed sneakers — along with a photo of Carter running — sold for $11,500. That amount was a drop in the nearly $3.5 million bucket of money raised during the annual Carter Center Weekend Auction last weekend.

More than 200 items were included in the auction, with the highest bid going to “Rachel and Cotton,” an original oil painting that Carter painted in April 2016. The portrait of Rachel Clark, a tenant farmer on Carter’s family farm and influential figure from Carter’s childhood, sold for $600,000.

“Rosalynn and I extend our deepest gratitude to all the supporters who contributed to this successful auction,” Carter said in a statement. “Their generosity enables The Carter Center to continue advancing peace and health globally.”

In addition to the $3,524,890 from the auction, which was held at Skamania Lodge in Washington State, other funds raised during the weekend brought the total to $4.2 million in proceeds.

Previous auctions for the nonprofit have netted money from a farm table and chairs handcrafted by Carter and another one of his oil paintings — $600,000 and $525,000, respectively. Other items that drew top bids:

■ A collection of images, some signed by Elvis Presley and Richard Nixon: $400,000

■ Memorabilia of Carter’s mother, Lillian Carter: $250,000

■ A guitar autographed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: $135,000

■ A handmade Appalachian ladder back rocking chair by woodworker Russ Filbeck: $100,000

■ A golf trip at the Olympic Club in San Francisco: $100,000

■ An original quill signature of President Abraham Lincoln withfamily lithograph: $95,000

■ A photo of five U.S. presidents signed by each: $90,000

THE CARTER CENTER / CONTRIBUTED A photo of five presidents signed by each went for $90,000.