It had all the trappings of a typical garage sale.

There were tables covered with old books, appliances, dishes and stuffed animals from donors hoping someone might want to give their items a new home.

But the posters stole the show.

On Friday and Saturday the Docent Council of the Arizona Historical Society museum held its annual White Elephant Sale to help raise money for its educational programs in the community.

The museum's docents are volunteers on the museum's staff who give guided, interpretive tours of the exhibits and are also in charge of fundraising.

The highlight of this year's event was a collection called "Posters from the Past," a visual history of some of the museum's special exhibits over the years.

"Most of the posters were made in conjunction with an event we had here," said Betty Cirivello, one of the volunteer docents.

One poster depicted President Teddy Roosevelt on horseback along with the group of Arizona Rough Riders, men who served with him in Cuba during the Spanish-American War in 1898.

Another poster showed a group of cowboys with a colorful Navajo rug behind them, which represented the setting sun.

The posters were made available by the museum. Church groups, people who are moving and others who wanted to help in the docents' fundraising efforts donated the other items to be sold.

Members of the Docent Council said they were pleased with the results.

"It's been very good. We're delighted with it," said Patricia Rondelli, president of the Docent Council.

Rondelli said with the statewide budget cuts in educational programs, fundraising is crucial.

She said the sale usually raises about $4,000 for its educational programs.

This year marked the 24th year of the museum's annual White Elephant Sale.