Pieces of history sat on tables outside the Dartmouth Historical and Arts Society headquarters June 26, waiting to be sold to help preserve the town’s history.

Vendors paid $10 for a space to sell their wares. Offerings included old books, vintage postcards and various collectibles. The booth charge benefits the society.

“It’s fun,’’ said Kathy Plant, a board member of the Dartmouth Historical and Arts Society. “We all get to talk with each other.’’

She was selling items from her aunt’s estate, which focused on British history memorabilia, including a ceramic bell commemorating the 1981 marriage of Lady Diana Spencer to Prince Charles. 

“She was a saver of everything,’’ she said. 

Kathy Pickering-Souza was drawn to the sale by its location at the society building, just in front of Alderbrook Farm. When the farm was open to the public, she often visited the farm animals with her granddaughter, she said.

“This is my favorite area in Dartmouth, to see all the animals and to see Alderbrook.’’

When her adult children left home, they left behind things that she decided to sell, she said. She said she is looking to “simplify’’ her life.

But items at other tables draw her in, she said, and soon she is “getting more stuff.’’

Earlier in the day, she bought two flamingo nicknacks and already knows where she is going to place them in her home. “I love flamingos,’’ she said.

At an event hosted by an historical organization, vintage postcards attracted some interest.

People often collect postcards related to specific themes, such as Halloween or Santa, said Jack Lowney, a postcard dealer from Westport. Depictions of classic locations within small towns such as Dartmouth also are popular, he said, since they elicit a sense of nostalgia.

“People will say, “My mother got married in this church’ or “I went to this school’ ‘’ he said.

Elsie Haskell, a former librarian at Southworth Library, was looking at images of her former workplace. She has a collection of postcards, she said, although she was vague about how many she owns.

“More than two,’’ she said.

Her interest in postcards reflects her library work, which involved a lot of collecting and cataloguing, her daughter Dr. Mary Lou Frias said as she and her mother flipped through a selection of postcards.

In addition to memorabilia, the yard sale also welcomed community organizations.

One booth was offering Hope signs for sale. These signs, seen in yards across town, raise funds for Dartmouth United Outreach.

The grassroots organization was formed in response to the pandemic to provide food for those in need. Weekly food distribution is offered at Smith Mills Congregational Church.

“Our m.o. Is to provide hope for people,’’ said Lyn Dillies, director of Dartmouth United Outreach. “We’re providing more than food, we’re providing hope and love.’’

Like so many people, Dillies lost her regular job during the pandemic. The popular area illusionist, who performs as Magic by Lyn, saw her bookings disappear. 

So she decided to make a different kind of magic. 

“We’re providing more than food,’’ she said. “We’re providing hope and love.’’