Plains Indian quirt, circa 1870, sold for $36,800.
:An outstanding collection of Native American items, plus an important group of paintings and coins, were among the highlights of Thomaston Place Auction Galleries' first sale of 2009, on January 31 and February 1.
Many Native American items greatly exceeded presale estimates, including a Plains Indian quirt, circa 1870, estimated at $1,8/2,400, that climbed to $36,800; a Nineteenth Century Sioux beadwork saddle bag that brought $9,775, more than twice its high estimate; and a Central Plains Indian pipe bag, circa 1880, that sold for $5,750.
Thomaston Place owner and auctioneer Kaja Veilleux noted: "The Native American pieces were collected by a man doing survey work among various plains tribes in the late Nineteenth Century. These items had been stored under a bed in Liberty, Maine. Who would have imagined that a cardboard box full of Native American relics would fetch that kind of money?"
The sale also featured many excellent paintings, including a Jack Lorimer Gray (1927–1981) oil on canvas of two fisherman that was bid up to $46,000; an Adirondack Valley landscape by William Louis Sonntag Sr (1822–1900), $25,300; a stream scene with man fishing by George Hetzel (1826-–1899), $13,800; "Autumn" by Charles Warren Eaton (1857–1937), $11,500; and "Dark Forest," an oil painting by William Bliss Baker (1859–1886), $6,900.
This Jack Lorimer Gray (1927–1981) painting of two fisherman realized $46,000.
A selection of coins also generated strong bidder interest, including an 1867-S Seated Liberty silver quarter that sold for $13,800; a grouping of six 1915 Austrian 100 corona gold coins, $5,635; a $20 gold Liberty Head coin, 1895, $1,725; and a $5 Liberty Head, 1837, gold coin, $1,725.
Other high performing items included a late Seventeenth to early Eighteenth Century Indo Persian dagger that brought $12,650 and a large metal horse head trade sign that sold for $4,600.
Several jewelry lots also created bidder excitement, among them a platinum lady's ring featuring a 14.05-carat yellow sapphire flanked by two 1.75-carat diamonds that realized $24,150; a rare black and white hardstone cameo brooch, circa 1860, depicting a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I set with 15 mine-cut diamonds that brought $9,200; and a necklace featuring a strand of graduated silver-gray South Sea pearls and a gold and pave-set diamond clasp that sold for $8,740.
Indo Persian dagger from the late Seventeenth–early Eighteenth Century brought $12,650.
A nine-piece collection of art pottery by Brother Thomas Bezanson (1929–2007) was another highlight of the sale. Every piece sold at or above its pre-auction estimate. A tall vase with rich oxblood glaze, bold shoulder and wide flared rim sold for $6,613, and a footed flask form vase with raised neck and wide flared rim brought $4,313.
Prices given include the 15 percent buyer's premium.
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries is on US Route 1. For information, 207-354-8141 or
www.thomastonauction.com
.
