Braswell's at The Stamford
Auction Gallery sold this rare Chinese Export porcelain toddy
jug, late Eighteenth Century, featuring a portrait of George
Washington, for $165,000.
By David S. Smith, W.A. Demers and Carol Sims
With more than 75 auctions taking place during the two-week span
between this past year's holiday season and the week surrounding
New Year's, the action in the auction halls was hot and heavy. It
was an exciting time period with many strong prices achieved,
although a great number of bargains were also reported. The
following represent an overview of the vast majority of those
sales; they are listed by date.
Pine Bush Auction had a sale of 600 lots on December 28 in
Montgomery, N.Y. It was the firm's best sale of the year, with a
crowd of about 200. Pine Bush been doing a holiday sale for the
past 15 years. The top lot was "Castle Mill Dorking Surry" by
Albert Debrenski, Jr, $3,410. A Debrenski painting entitled "A
Summer Evening" sold for $3,300; a 1931 copy of Sir Thomas
Lawrence's "Calmoly Children" by Alvin Lee, $1,347; an unsigned
painting of a young lady holding a vase looking at art on a wall,
$1,925; and a Venetian fishing scene by Corsi, $1,100.
Bradford Galleries, Ltd, Sheffield, Mass., had its
traditional holiday antiques auction on Saturday, December 28. It
was a low key sale with estate items that attracted about 120
bidders with an eye for smalls, gifts and the unusual such as a
circa 1910 Brooks Brothers wicker picnic basket fully
accessorized for $364. The top lot was a Heriz carpet, $4,368. A
Hepplewhite three-part dining table brought $2,688; a
Audubon-Havell redwing bird print, $1,624; a Nineteenth Century
French four-drawer side table with fruitwood veneer, $1,288; and
a Gustav Stickley one-drawer stand, $1,176.
Duane Merrill & Company held an Americana auction
Saturday December 28 in Williston, Vt. It has been doing holiday
sales for about 35 years. "Attendance was overflowing," said
Duane Merrill. "My dad started in the business in 1939 as a
dealer." About 500 lots were offered. The top lot was Eighteenth
Century Rhode Island curly maple high chest, $11,550, without
hardware. Highlights include an Emile Gruppe 30- by 36-inch oil
on canvas entitled "Jeffersonville, Vt." $10,450; a T.H. Matteson
(born 1813) 22- by 27-inch oil on canvas painting "The New Home,"
which had never been cleaned, $9,900; a curly maple pipe box with
a heart cutout and one drawer, $9,625; and a William & Mary
red and black paint decorated four-drawer chest that had been
dry-scraped down to the original decoration, also $9,625.
Shamrock Auction Services has been hosting holiday
auctions for about ten years. On December 28, it conducted a
900-lot sale in Black Walnut, Penn., to a large turnout of about
150 attendees, and about 22 registered bidders. The top five lots
were: a large walnut marble-top hall table, $5,060; a carved
corner cupboard, $3,080; a walnut shell front design drop front
desk, $2,860; a carved vanity, $2530; and a sidelock,
seven-drawer dresser, $2,530.
Sprague Auctions' December 28 sale in Dummerston, Vt.,
marked the fifth such event for the firm, according to auctioneer
Bob Sprague. There were about 300 lots offered to a full house
crowd of between 250 and 300. The top five lots were: a Skittles
game, $8,800; a collection of butterflies and bugs, $990; a
Wallace Nutting Windsor chair, $907; an elk head, $715; and a
plantation desk, $660.
Rowley Auctions hosted an estate auction on Saturday,
December 28, in Rowley, Mass. Auctioneer Gardiner Wonson said he
resumed the holiday auctions a couple of years ago after a brief
hiatus. There were about 200 in attendance, a "good crowd," he
said, with about 150 registered bidders vying for the 550 lots
offered. The top five lots were: a Massachusetts birch slant lid
desk, $2,420; serpentine firescreen, circa 1840, $1,650; a pair
of New York andirons, $660; and a pair of Empire secretaries,
$1,430 each.
William A. Smith, Inc conducted a holiday estate auction
on December 28 featuring the Andrew J. Soule estate in
Charleston, N.H. Having conducted such sales for 35 years,
Smith's 2002 event offered 525 lots to a standing room crowd of
more than 450 people. The top five lots were: an oil on canvas of
a summer landscape with house, tree and figure, measuring 18 by
14 inches, signed "G. Inness," $52,250; a two-part Connecticut
Queen Anne highboy, $11,000; a 26-inch tiger maple Chippendale
slant lid desk, $6,050; an early Nineteenth Century two-part
corner cupboard, $4400; and a Centennial Chippendale bonnet-top,
chest-on-chest, $4,180.
Kaminski Auctioneers & Appraisers conducted a two-day
auction December 28-29 at the Sheraton Colonial Hotel in
Wakefield, Mass. Frank Kaminski, who has been hosting such sales
for about eight years, said there were 700 lots spread over the
two days. The second day of the sale, devoted to a bankruptcy
liquidation of memorabilia and ephemera belonging to Dehon Inc,
formerly Arthur D. Little, Inc, drew a specialized crowd of
former Arthur D. Little employees. The top five lots were: a
custom mahogany breakfront, $4,480; letters signed by various US
presidents, $2,900; a dining room table featuring banded inlay,
$1,900; oil painting of "Arthur Dehon Little," $5,100; and a silk
purse made from a sow's ear (including an affidavit from Wilson
& Co. certifying purchase of sow's ears gelatin to make the
silk purses), $3,400.
Gary R. Wallace Auctioneers hosted its annual "Bring in
the New Year" auction, a two-day event on December 28-29 in
Ossipee, N.H. Auctioneer Gary Wallace said he has been conducting
the sales for about six or seven years. Totaling 700 to 800 lots,
98 percent of which came from one estate, the two sessions
offered paintings and antiques on the first day and decoys and
related items on the next. Crowd size was between 300 to 350 on
the first day, between 100 and 110 for the second day's sale. The
top five lots over the two days were: an early Gustav Stickley
bookcase with mitered mullions, circa 1898-1902, $13,200; an oil
of a Civil War blockade ship signed "Carl Billie," $5,170; a box
lot of old glass sides featuring aviation themes, $4,620; oil
illustration of a duck hunter signed "William Harden Foster,"
$4,620; a decoy attributed to Nathan Cobb, $4,400; and a small
oil painting on board of a young girl by A.E. Crowell.
Carl W. Stinson, Inc held an auction Sunday, December 29,
in North Redding, Mass. Stinson has been holding sales during the
holidays for more than 30 years. A total of 714 lots were sold
without reserve to an enthusiastic group of more than 200
bidders. All of the items came from an untouched Winthrop, Mass.,
home. According to Carl Stinson, most of the lots dated prior to
1900, and, "It was a good solid sale -- like old times." The top
lot was a Victorian horn table, $7,000. A 1990 Cadillac, $3,000;
a 9'10" by 13'9" Heriz carpet, $4,750 to the trade; A. Stowell
& Sons Charlestown, Mass., banjo clock, $2,450; an assortment
of 1950s pin-up magazines sold separately brought a total of
about $2,500; and a circa 1900 library table, $1,400. A 1954
Lincoln Capri with 75,305 miles was a good buy at $950. It had
been garaged and not driven since 1975.
Bradford Galleries, Ltd, Sheffield, Mass., conducted its
18th annual "Bid of Madness" auction on Sunday, December 29; it
is a once a year event, no catalog, no estimates, no minimum
bids. Two auctioneers sell at the same time. There were 115
buyers. A box lot of camera accessories brought $375; a circular
Masons Old Fashioned Root Beer metal advertising sign, $320; a
Pygmy dugout canoe, $225; a box lot of puzzles and games, $170;
and a wooden castle sculpture, $170.
Outer Cape Art Auctions featured Cape Cod artists, past
and present, at its December 29 auction in Provincetown, Mass. In
his fourth year of conducting such holiday events, auctioneer
Terry Catalano characterized it as his personal best so far, 90
percent sold with 300 registered bidders and 30 absentee and
phone bidders vying for 275 lots. The top five lots were an oil
on canvas by Ross E. Moffett, $15,680; John Whorf's "Village in
Spring," $12,880; a John Whorf nude, $11,760; an oil on canvas,
"Rooster and Sunfish," $10,080; and a landscape by George Elmer
Brown, $7,840.
Savoia's December 29 holiday auction, in its 20th year,
drew a standing-room-only crowd of more than 200 to South Cairo,
N.Y., according to Rich Savoia, despite a snowstorm that made
parking a snarl. Among the 385 lots offered, the top lots were: a
French marble-top commode with ormolu mounts, $2,145; an inlaid
mixed wood etagere, $2,090; Renaissance Revival eight-piece
rosewood carved upholstered parlor set with matching sofas,
$1,925; Handel student lamp, $1,870; and a centennial American
flag with 13 stars, $1,045.
Slezik Auctions conducted a New Year's estate sale on
Sunday, December 29. Auctioneer Joe Slezik said he has been
hosting such events for 24 years. About 100 people attended the
sale to bid on 225 lots comprising the furnishings of a
250-year-old home in Harvard, Mass. The top five lots were: a
mahogany dining room table with three leaves and claw feet,
$3,300; a mahogany vitrine, $770; a Federal-style settee with
attached overhead cabinets, $770; an Art Deco floor lamp with
fringed shade, $467; and an oil on canvas landscape by C.L
Thompson, $440.
Finney's Auction had a December 30 sale of 375 lots in
Schodack, N.Y. This was only its second holiday sale. There were
115 bidding numbers with a crowd of about 175. The top lot was
Victor type P Victoria & Columbia Gramophone BWN, $990. An
oak cash register desk sold for $522; French repeater carriage
clock, $605; Buddy L airplane $440; and a dentist's chair with
fancy cast-iron claw feet, $374.
TW Conroy hosted its tenth annual New Year's Eve auction
on December 31 in Baldwinsville, N.Y. A crowd of 200 attended to
vie for about 450 lots. The top five lots were: a signed "Wagner"
Vienna portrait plate with beehive mark, $1,430; an enameled
cameo glass vase with sterling mounts, $1,210; Seeburg
Select-o-matic jukebox in working condition, $2,860; a "Pace"
five-cent slot machine with oak case, $1,210; and a carved dining
room set, $2,090.
Nadeau's Auction Gallery, Inc conducted its New Year's Day
auction on Wednesday, January 1, in Windsor, Conn. Auctioneer Ed
Nadeau said his firm has been hosting such sales for about 13 or
14 years. The auction offered about 350 lots, and accommodated a
crowd of between 450 and 500 attendees. The top five lots were: a
signed oil on canvas winter landscape by Connecticut artist N.A.
Moore, $30,000; a Regina music box with changer (not in working
condition), $16,500; Margolis lowboy, $13,000 (with buyer's
premium, the final price of $14,950 set a world record for a
single piece of Margolis furniture); Margolis dining room set
with six chairs, table and sideboard, $12,000; and a rosewood
center, marble top table, $9,500.
Stephenson's Auction's Antiques and Decorative Arts sale
on Wednesday, January 1, was both live and online through eBay
and icollector.com. For the 425 lots offered, there were more
than 400 registered bidders on the floor in Southampton, Penn.
Stephenson's has been conducting New Year's Day auctions for
about 12 years. The top five lots in this sale were: a rosewood
Victorian hall rack with carved lion head crest from a funeral
home in Germantown, Penn., $4,400; a wave crest letter box,
$3,300; an oil on canvas moonlight landscape signed by H.V.B.
Magonigle, $3,300; a six-foot French porcelain over concrete
palace vase, $2,475; a Gorham Art Deco sterling six-piece coffee
and tea service with swing kettle and tray, $2,475.
Braswell's at The Stamford Auction Gallery had its 15th
annual New Year's auction on Wednesday, January 1, with about 400
in attendance and 600 registered bidders. More than 1,000 lots
were offered, including a blockbuster rare Chinese export
porcelain toddy jug, late Eighteenth Century, featuring a
portrait of George Washington. The jug blew through its $5/$8,000
presale estimate to hammer down at $110,000, and with a 15
percent buyer's premium, it achieved $165,000. Rounding out the
top five were: an oil on canvas by Aloysius C. Kelley of a French
market scene, $39,100; a pair of palace-size lidded urns on
pedestals, $14,950; a diamond bracelet with 160 brilliant cut
diamonds, approximately 35 carats, $18,400; and an oil on canvas
by Zygmund Menkes, $6,900.
Shoreline Auction of West Haven, Conn., conducted its
second holiday sale on Wednesday, January 1, with 300 lots, 64
registered bidders and more than 100 people in attendance. The
top five lots were: a Hubley red no. 1 cast-iron race car, $297;
a switcher diesel, $231; a 275-watt transformer, $170; a no 204
engine and tender, $176; and a Wyandotte 15-inch stake truck with
electric lights, $165.
Time & Again Auction Gallery hosted its fifth annual
New Year's Day estate auction on Wednesday, January 1 in Linden,
N.J. Offering 753 lots to an "enormous" crowd of more than 200 --
about 150 registered bidders -- the sale' s five top lots were: a
Victorian triple tete-a-tete, $5,320; Edwardian rosewood etagere,
$4,792; a pair of enameled plaques, $3,584; a Mount Joy enameled
vase, $2,240; and a JP Seeburg player piano, $1,400.
Garth Millet Auctions, Inc presented its 12th annual New
Year's Day auction on Wednesday, January 1, in Concord, N.H.
About 450 lots were offered to a crowd numbering 220. The top
five lots were: a J.M. Young Morris mission chair, $2,255;
Stanley no. 1 plane (without box), $1,320; a jug from Taunton,
Mass., with bird decoration, $1,430; and a pair of Tiffany lamp
bases, $742. In general, silver, whether sterling or
silver-plated, items were hot, such as a set of silver-plated
napkin rings with dog motif that sold for $269.
A.G.A. Sales Auction Service in Claverack, N.Y., had its
fifth annual estate antique auction on Wednesday, January 1.
Approximately 300 lots were offered to a crowd of about 300. The
top five lots were: a Parker shotgun, $2,035; a 16-gauge Fox
Sterling Worth double barrel shotgun, $1,150; an early two-door
cupboard, $625; a Pairpoint metal base hand painted kerosene
lamp, $410; and a dome-top trunk, $465.
Auctions by Cameron had a January 1 auction in Vernon,
Conn., about the tenth such sale, according to auctioneer Joe
Cameron. Approximately 350 lots were offered and the crowd
numbered more than 200. The top five lots were: Edward S. Curtis
"Vanishing Race," 1904 gold-tone signed picture, $4,600; a Handel
lamp with base and shade signed, $3,000; a Patek Philippe watch,
1882, $2,300; a Handel lamp with base signed only, $1,800; and an
unsigned Stickley Morris chair, $1,600.
Cheney Auction Company hosted a New Year's Day auction in
Bangor, Maine, for the seventh time, according to John Cheney.
Featured were about 310 lots and the crowd was in excess of the
200 that can usually be seated. The top five lots were: an Inuit
Osuitok Ipeelee stone sculpture of polar bears, $3,500; an Inuit
Lucy Qinnuaayuak owl print, $730; a first edition of Uncle
Tom's Cabin, $750; a wood carving of an owl, $660; and a
bronze sculpture by a Maine artist, $550.
Pioneer Auction held a sale of 550 lots on Wednesday,
January 1, in Sunderland, Mass. It was its 40th annual New Year's
auction. Owner Bruce Smebakken said the attendance was "standing
room only. We always have a real good New Year's Day Sale --
attendance is always good for us so it was a typical year." The
top lot was a $4,400 Sheraton sideboard. Next was the Wilkinson
leaded glass table lamp, $3,025. Also, a pair of unsigned circa
1830/40 portraits, $1,540; a Quezal vase with bronze base,
$1,760; a Sheraton canopy bed with tester, $2,310; and a banjo
clock with an Aaron Willard face $2,475. An anonymous Hudson
River oil brought $2,860.
Hutcheson Auction Company had a sale on Wednesday, January
1, in Boydton, Va. The firm has been conducting holiday sales for
about 30 years. There were 200 bidders with 350 people in
attendance vying for 540 lots, of which 460 sold. The top lot was
walnut Victorian two-door bookcase with lion heads, $4,620. A
monumental walnut Victorian sideboard with carved winged
pheasants standing 8'2" tall sold for $3,850; a 7'10" walnut
Victorian etagere, $3,520; a Hepplewhite four-drawer walnut chest
from Virginia or North Carolina, circa 1790-1810, $3,190; and a
Federal mahogany claw foot sofa with winged baskets of fruit,
$3,090.
A Nineteenth Century Soap Hollow chest went for $22,000 at
Copake.
Jay Anderson, Laumeyer Auction Company had a New Year's
Day sale of 276 lots in Stillwater, Minn. The top lot was a
J&JW Meeks love seat in the Henry Ford pattern that went for
$8,250. A carved walnut armoire with claw feet sold for $5,280; a
reverse painted Pairpoint lamp, $4,620; a hand-tied Sarouk carpet
18'6" by 10'3", $2,970; and a 54-inch mahogany claw foot
extension table, $2,200.
Copake Auction, Inc had its 23rd annual New Year's Day
auction in Copake, N.Y., offering 675 lots. There were about 300
in attendance, a packed house, however some people left early as
the weather turned wintry. There were a large number of left bids
for this sale. The top lot was an Eighteenth Century highboy from
Connecticut, $23,100. A Nineteenth Century Soap Hollow signed and
dated chest sold for $22,000; a Martin Shreiner tall-case clock
from Lancaster, Penn., $10,560; and a majolica tea set, $9,350.
Cold Spring Galleries, Inc had a New Year's Day sale in
Beacon, N.Y., of 750 lots. A capacity crowd included 250 bidders
and more than 70 bidders left bids or purchased by phone. Cold
Spring has been doing New Year's Day sales since 1983, with a
couple of exceptions. The top lot was a pair of chandeliers
measuring about six feet in height, $14,025. A John Singer
Sargent watercolor brought $6,050; a Morris chair by Gustav
Stickley $3,300; a Limbert bookcase, $2,200; and Iraqui artist
Dhia Al Azzawi's abstract oil on canvas, 36 by 32 inches, $3,575.
Frederick M. MacPhail Auction Gallery had its 19th annual
New Year's Day sale in West Swanzey, N.H. Weekly sales normally
attract about 100 people, but 150 came to this sale. The top lot
was a Vermont sampler that was unadvertised, $6,600. An
unadvertised horse weathervane brought $2,200; a toy museum from
South Lancaster, Mass., purchased a dollhouse with furniture for
$2,200. A pine cupboard in gray paint brought $990 and a sawbuck
table $770.
Meissner Auction Service had a New Year's Day auction with
350 lots in New Lebanon, N.Y. The firm has been conducting New
Year's Day sales for about 12 years. There were 300-400 people in
attendance. The top five lots for January 1 were: a rare Norton
& Co. four-gallon stoneware crock with a pecking chicken,
$7,480; a rare E&LP Norton Bennington stoneware butter churn
with blue bird decoration, $3,080; a Shaker 12-drawer sewing
desk, $2,550; a Chippendale Nineteenth Century drop front desk,
$2,310; and a Chippendale chest of drawers $2,300.
Lakeview Antiques & Auctions in South Grafton, Mass.,
had a New Year's Day sale for the second year in a row. More than
100 bidding numbers were issued with a crowd of about 200 in
attendance. The sale was primarily comprised of Heywood Wakefield
modern furniture from a Gardner, Mass., home. The top lot was a
Heywood Wakefield dining room set, table six chairs and sideboard
for $1,017. A Heywood Wakefield three-piece sectional sofa, $550;
a Wakefield vanity $440; a vanity stool, $120. A girl's blue
Firestone bike from the 1950s sold for $220.
Brzostek's Auction Service Inc had a New Year's Sale of
588 lots to 320 registered bidders in Phoenix, N.Y. The top lot
was a 1966 Jaguar XKE, $11,550. A 1949 Jaguar brought $10,175;
L&JG Stickley dining room set $5,060; Gustav Becker oak
tall-case clock $1,155; Dutch marquetry four-drawer drop front
desk/cabinet $1,045.
Granny's Attic, Hohokus, N.J., had their first ever New
Year's Day sale with standing room only and a crowd of about 200
in its new auction facility. Mostly local people shopped the
auction for decorative items. A complimentary buffet was offered.
A dining room set in country mahogany with eight country chairs
brought $2,750. A Howard Miller tall-case clock, $1,815; a pair
of bronze garden urns $1,045; a mahogany bookcase with claw feet,
$935; and an American Empire bookcase, $715.
Fratianni Auction Gallery, Vail Mills, N.Y., offered about
300 lots on New Year's Day to a crowd of about 300, with standing
room only. This is the tenth year it has had a New Year's Day
sale. The top lot was a bookcase that brought $1,650. A walnut
cylinder desk sold for $1,540; a china cabinet, $1,320;a
side-by-side desk and bookcase, $1,100; and cupboard, $1,100.
Quinn's Auction Galleries held its annual New Year's Day
Auction at its gallery in Falls Church, Va. The top lot was a set
of eight Philadelphia Centennial Chippendale-style ball and claw
foot dining chairs, circa 1910 that sold for $3,740. An American
Nineteenth Century Empire-Federal transitional step back library
bookcase, $3,520; a Regency Rosewood sofa table with twin D-shape
drop leaves over drawers, $2,970; a circa 1770 Georgian chest,
crotch mahogany veneered with oak secondary woods $1,760;
American salesman's sample chest, $1,045; a collection of 28
one-gallon oyster cans sold for a combined total of $2,101.
Thos Cornell Galleries, Ltd, Patchogue Village, N.Y., has
had New Year's Day sales for at least 25 years. This year's sale
featured 599 lots to a packed auction floor with standing room
only and upwards of 350 people. Two paintings tied for top lot:
an oil on canvas, "Mountain Landscape," signed "E. Jeanmarie," 23
by 147/8 inches, $8,625, and an oil on canvas entitled "Bord de
la Riviere" signed "F. de Mesgriny," 143/8 by 22¼ inches, $8,625.
A Baccarat chandelier, 45 inches high, reached $8,050;
"Primevere" bronze by Maturin Moreau, 31 inches high, $5,750; a
three-piece Louis XVI-style paint decorated bedroom suite,
$6,750; Admission was $10, refunded with any purchase. A
champagne brunch was served.
Lakeview Auctions, Eddington, Maine, had a January 2
catered auction of 650 unreserved lots to a crowd of about 300.
Lakeview holds sales the first and third Thursday of every month
except December. Since this was the first sale in about six
weeks, the crowd was hungry to buy. The top lot was a pair of
ornate carved eagle armchairs, $4,180. A marquetry curio cabinet
brought $1,375; box lot of 19 harbor charts, $770; an oak hall
tree, $1,265; and a three-piece oak bedroom set, $1,320.
Estates Unlimited opened up its gallery in Cranston, R.I.,
on January 2 to conduct its first ever holiday sale. Auctioneers
Steve Fusco and Kevin Bruneau are glad they did, as a standing
room only crowd of about 130 attended to bid on 245 lots,
according to Fusco. The top five lots were: a mahogany bedroom
set, $1,870; a silver gilt pheasant mounted on board (signed
"Dubuchand"), $1,050; a 1920s secretary bookcase, $935; an
Eighteenth Century corner cupboard, $715; and a Lalique vase,
$685.
Clearing House Auction Galleries Inc, Wethersfield, Conn.,
had a book and manuscript sale on January 3 in spite of inclement
weather. About 175 people attended and of those about 125 were
bidding. All 510 cataloged lots were sold, unreserved. The top
lot was Finnegan's Wake by James Joyce, a first edition
book signed by the author, $5,720. Winnie the Pooh by A.A.
Milne, also a first edition book, sold for $3,520; "Tableaux de
Paris" 20 full page original lithographs from 1927, $2,860; a
chromolithograph diecut advertising show card exhorting "Drink
Moxie," $2,035; a Yale/Harvard football figural cotton applique
quilt, $1,815; and Mexican War Texas and Arkansas travel letters
1846-1848, $1,430.
Flomaton Antique Auction, Flomaton, Ala., had a sale
January 3-4 of 626 lots. This was its 31st holiday sale and
attendance was about 250 each day. The top lot was a pair of
rosewood dressers, $17,600. A carpet brought $13,750; a 1830
Empire sideboard "Journeyman, Baltimore," $11,550; an Empire
18-foot banquet table $11,550; eight laminated J.H. Belter
chairs, $11,000; and a J.H. Belter meridienne, Tuthill King
variant, $9,350.
Theriault's presented an extraordinary weekend for doll
and toy lovers with five different auctions conducted over three
days in Newport Beach, Calif. "Lady Dolls of the Nineteenth
Century and the Costumes They Wore," offered 173 lots to about
115 onsite bidders, plus absentee and phone bidders on Friday.
"Dolls, A Moveable Feast," on Saturday presented 278 lots to 130
on-site bidders. Two sales on Sunday, "Toy Stoves" and "Vintage
Alexander" offered 177 and 236 lots, respectively, with about 140
attending the toy stove auction and 50 people showing up for the
vintage Alexanders. A "Discovery Sale" was included with the toy
stove auction on Sunday. Among the top lots in each of the sales
were: a French poupee with painted teeth,$80,000; a French bisque
bebe, $28,000; an American salesman's sample Home Comfort stove,
circa 1940, $9,000; and a hard plastic cherie from "Me and My
Shadow" series, $3,300.
Garth's Auctions, Inc had a catalog sale with 525 lots on
January 4. In addition to the 250-plus crowd, there were about
1,000 left bids, 475 registered bidders on eBay and phone sales.
A Queen Anne highboy was the top lot at $33,000. An early
portrait of a small child brought $20,350; a candle box made by a
gunsmith from Bedford County, Penn., ($6/8,000) sold for $18,000;
a redware pie plate with slip decoration $15,125; and a Queen
Anne walnut drop leaf table $7,150.
New Windsor Auction Gallery, New Windsor, Conn., had a
sale on January 4. The crowd was about 200 people with 125
bidding numbers. The top lot was an A.T. Bricher oil landscape,
"Autumn Stroll," $30,250. A Reginald Marsh watercolor, "Coney
Island," made $6,600; a Handel table lamp with floral shade,
$8,140; a carved walnut sideboard with lions heads, $3,300; and a
Russian bronze signed "Gretchev," $2,640.
Meissner Auction Service, New Lebanon, N.Y., also had
January 4 sale of 350 lots. About 250 to 300 people attended the
sale. The top five lots for January 4 were: an 1840s medical
officer marine hospital presentation sword, $357; a three-door
oak ice box, $660; a New York Stoneware Fort Edward one-gallon
jug with stylized bluebird, $412; an H. Tyler, Albany N.Y.,
stoneware ovoid crock with incised bands and handles, $467; and a
crotch mahogany 1840s three-drawer sewing stand, $467.
MV Auctions had a sale of 273 lots on January 4 in
Hyannis, Mass. This was the first holiday sale the firm has done
in a number of years and it drew a crowd of more than 175. The
top five lots were: an Anton Mauve painting of chickens
discovered to be a Mauve the day before the sale, $3,910; a
French tankard marked 1782, $3,680; Prickett candlesticks $603;
an apple form tea caddy $603; and a Weller Pottery frog $402.
Castner's, Branchville, N.J., had a January 4 Americana
auction of 269 lots to 120 bidders. The top lot was a 20-pane
pine corner cupboard that sold for $3,190. A mahogany Sheraton
slant front desk brought $2,970; a 12-pane pine corner cabinet,
$2,860; an Eighteenth Century ladder back armchair, $2,860; and a
mahogany Chippendale side chair $1,320.
Robert L. Foster Auction Company, Newcastle, Maine, had an
auction on January 4 with 600 lots. The firm has been doing early
January sales for the past four or five years. There was a crowd
of about 350 bidders and 100 absentee bidders. The top lot was a
Hepplewhite card table attributed to William Lloyd of
Springfield, Mass., circa 1780-1800, $14,300. A German toy
collection of more than 300 tin soldiers and vehicles brought
$9,700; a Federal mahogany inlaid four-drawer French foot bureau,
$6,600; a carved golden oak sideboard with dolphins and griffins,
$5,300; and a mahogany Sheraton Massachusetts card table, $3,000.
Nest Egg Auctions, Meriden, Conn., had a January 4
unreserved sale of 325 lots to a capacity crowd of 175 people
with more than 100 registered bidders. Nest Egg has been in the
auction business for three years and this was its first
holiday-time auction. The top lot was 600 linen/real photo post
cards that brought $577. An oak bureau with mirror fetched $209;
a pressed steel toy airplane, $198; a bamboo fly rod in case,
$192; and a walnut veneer china closet $176.
Richard Pompeo reported that people from Connecticut and
Maine braved the alternating rain, ice and snow to attend his
January 4 auction in Braintree, Mass. About 90 people attended,
with 75 registered bidders, for a 200-lot auction. He has been
conducting holiday sales since 1975. The top lots were: a
Scottish tall clock, $1,760; a Seth Thomas Lincoln clock, $1,320;
a John Sawin banjo clock, circa 1822, $1,540; and a soldier
stein, $550. A pair of Hummel figurines, Umbrella Girl and
Photographer, sold for $220 and $83, respectively.
Fairfield Auction of Newtown, Conn., conducted its first
ever holiday auction on January 4, with more than 300 lots
offered to 290 registered bidders and a full house. The top five
lots were: an Italian Baroque secretary, circa 1720, $4,600; a
Regency card table in rosewood, $3450; six Regency dining room
chairs; $3,450; an oil on canvas portrait of a girl by Emile
Papp, $3,450; and a Tabriz pictorial carpet with hunting scene,
$3,450.
DeCaro Auction Sales, Inc. hosted a holiday auction on
January 4 sale in Newark, Del., continuing a 25-year tradition of
conducting such sales. There were 550 lots offered to a crowd of
between 300 and 400. The top five lots were: a large oil on
canvas of an Eighteenth Century gentleman by Thomas Hudson,
$11,500; a New England, probably Boston, Chippendale lulling
chair, $11,500; a Queen Anne flat-top cherry two-part
pinwheel-carved high boy, $7,762; an Eighteenth Century dressing
table, $9,775; and a tiger maple stand, $1,610.
Vintage Manor of Gloversville, N.Y., faced similar
challenges with the snow but posted strong results at its January
4 evening auction. About 310 lots were offered to 138 registered
bidders, and the crowd size was between 160 and 170. The top five
lots were: a gentleman's mahogany wardrobe, $1,350; Stieff
sterling silver cutlery, $825; five Victorian hanging kerosene
lamps, ranging from $600 to $650; and a McKinley political flag,
$550.
Golden Gavel Auctions has been hosting holiday auctions
for about five years. Its January 4 sale in East Windsor, Conn.,
offered antique country and Victorian items, along with glass and
smalls. The bad weather did not deter about 200 people from
showing up for the approximately 300 lots offered. The top five
lots were: an Eighteenth Century tiger maple slant front desk,
$5,775 ; an oak breakfront china cabinet, $2,750; a mandolin
expressive quatuor music box, $5,225; an F. Barbbedienne bronze
tazza, $770; and a Stephen Dohanos painting $495.
Brunk Auctions of Asheville, N.C., conducted a sale
January 4-5. Brunk has been in business for 17 years. There were
850 registered bidders and 1,279 lots. The top five lots were: a
carved marble figure of Psyche, $27,500; 12 Empire chairs,
American early Nineteenth Century, $27,500; two nine- by
seven-inch watercolor on card portraits by Miss Maria Howard
Weeden, Huntsville, Ala., (1847-1905), $20,900; a signed oil on
canvas by Guy Wiggins, "5th Avenue snowstorm...1929," $59,400;
and an unsigned oil on canvas of seated artist painting in
landscape accompanied by dog, distant figure on horse, British
school, Eighteenth Century, $41,800.
This classical Navajo blanket, circa 1850, was the top lot at
Cobbs Auctioneers when it sold for $125,000.
The Cobbs Auctioneers LLC, Peterborough, N.H., had a sale
January 4-5 offering a total of 470 lots to 343 registered
bidders. An enormous crowd showed up in spite of wintry weather.
Cobbs has been having a sale on the first Saturday of the year
for about six years. The top lot was a classical Navajo blanket,
circa 1850, that sold for $126,500. A 12-gauge Parker DHE skeet
gun brought $19,500; a bronze figural sculpture by Jo Davidson,
$17,250; a dog with snipe painting signed "Tate" believed to be
after A.F. Tate, $11,500; an 1851 Colt Navy Richards-Mason
conversion pistol $9,775; and a walnut sugar chest circa 1800,
$9,200.
Knotty Pine Auction Service, West Swanzey, N.H., offered
536 lots on January 5 and has been conducting first Sunday of the
New Year auctions since it started auctions nine years ago. There
was a crowd of 400 people in addition to phone and left bids. The
top lot was a Chippendale six-drawer tall chest for $4,400. A
Pairpoint puffy lamp with melon-ribbed shade brought $3,850; a
Amoskeag signed litho broadside, $3,740; a Little Duke slot
machine, $3,520; a folk carved 7½ inch prisoner, $3,080; and a
Nineteenth Century zinc running horse weathervane, $2,805.
Barry S. Slosberg, Inc's Gallery Auction on January 5 in
Philadelphia featured four auctioneers selling to 542 registered
bidders and more than 1,000 in attendance. Slosberg, who has been
auctioning for more than 25 years, has always had sales during
the holidays. The top five lots were: a Triton Pro X 88-key
keyboard, $1,100; a gilt metal 4'7" by 13'9" dragon on stands,
$1,800; a Chinese carved and giltwood 5'10" warrior statue, $950;
pair of 60- by 60-inch Chinese carved and giltwood dragons, $900
each; and a scrapbook with vintage signed Sinatra letters, $625.
Wm Barron Galleries, Inc conducted an estate auction on
January 5 at its galleries in Asbury Park, N.J. The auction
offered 500 lots to 175 registered bidders and a gallery crowd of
about 250. The top lots were: a pair of diamond earrings, $5,500;
a 1925 Herschede grandfathers clock, $2,800; and a Tiffany
sterling dresser set, $1,500.
Waukewan Auction Service's January 5 auction at the
Laconia, N.H., Elks Club Hall was the firm's second annual New
Year's auction. About 120 bidders were registered and about 200
people attended to witness the bidding on 570 lots. The top five
lots were: 24 TWA posters designed by Klein, $1,155; a Federal
period desk, as found, $495; an 1817 ledger, $495; an 1857 diary,
$440; and a Recording King electric guitar, $385.
