: Carousel and folk art dealers and collectors created quite a bit
of excitement this past Saturday, April 3, as a rare giraffe
carousel figure became the center of attention at Nadeau's.
The figure, attributed to the shop of Gustav Dentzel, had traces
of the original paint showing through with the remaining areas in
a wonderful old dry crackled surface. Ten phone lines were active
as the lot crossed the auction block with auctioneer Ed Nadeau
asking for a $20,000 opening bid. One of the telephone bidders
offered a starter of $35,000 and the lot was off to the races.
Moving in $2,500 increments the lot advanced swiftly to the
$50,000 mark where Nadeau jumped the bids to $5,000. Action was
brisk between the telephones and a New Jersey carousel/folk art
collector in the back of the room that eventually claimed the lot
at a record price paid at auction of $116,250, including premium.
Other top lots included a Massachusetts Federal tall-case clock
signed by Daniel Munroe that had been found in an unclaimed
storage unit with it selling at $38,100, and a primitive hanging
apothecary cabinet that realized $24,150.
A complete review will appear in a future issue.
