Some of George Washington's surveying instruments and an assortment of other personal items sold this month at auction for more than $167,000.  George Washington used the instruments when he served as a County Surveyor. 

The items were passed down through generations of Washington's family. Tom Slater, Heritage Auctions' director of Americana, said that while items related to Washington aren't rare, it is unusual to have pieces up for auction that have been kept in the family for so long.

The highest bid value was for George Washington's compass, which sold for $59,750.  A Gunter's Scale (a 24-inch wooden ruler that was a precursor to the slide rule) brought nearly $42,000. Both items sold for more than expected.  The auction company said the buyers asked to remain anonymous.

An archive of hundreds of Washington family papers dating from 1662 through 1835 brought $50,788, and several pieces of Washington's original coffin, including a handle, brought more than $12,000 total.  Family members said parting with the collection of papers will be most difficult.

"People can read these to get a sense of the times: There's a recipe for making cement," said Tom Washington, 62, a career counselor in Kirkland, Wash and a descendent of George Washington's brother, John Augustine Washington. He said his father, Nat Washington, a longtime state senator in Washington who died in 2007, had said in his will that he wanted the items sold.