: - Royka's recent summer auction was deemed a success for the new
auction gallery, 21 Main Street, with a capacity crowd on hand.
Royka's offered 350-plus lots in a variety of categories,
including rare books, Americana, militaria, fine art, art
pottery, art glass, ceramics and vintage toys.
"I think we are really finding our niche in the $1,000 to $20,000
market," commented auction gallery owner Paul Royka. "The big
auction houses take these items for granted and we make sure to
go the extra mile to get great prices for our clients on these
consignments."
Royka's sends free catalogs for its auctions all over the United
States and provides absentee, phone and online bidding.
Tombstone hat plate with eagle, $8,050.
Paul Royka is author of Fireworks: New England Art
Pottery, Schiffer Publishing. Therefore, it was no surprise
that the top lot of the sale was an exceptional piece of pottery --
a five-inch-tall Newcomb Pottery vase with a crawfish decoration
that sold for $15,525.
Another highlight of the sale was a fresh group of Massachusetts
militia items from the estate of William Crawford Jr. He was the
Brigadier General of the First Brigade of the Sixth Division.
There were broadsides, letters and a rare tombstone hat plate
with eagle fetching $8,050 dollars.
Other items of interest included an early English silver chamber
stick, $1,725; a Nineteenth Century oil on canvas of warring
vessels; $2,875; an early edition of Gentlemen's
Recreation, $3,450; an early tilt-top table, $2,070; and a
whirligig push toy $1,150.
Results include the 15 percent buyer's premium.
