Diana and Andrij Onyshkewych launched Brookfield Auction Service with a spring sale. Here, they are shown during preview with the top lot, a pair of Georg Jensen candlesticks that sold for $3,162.
:Brookfield Auction Service officially launched its auction house with its first sale, May 30, at the Litchfield Fire House.
Co-owners Diana and Andrij Onyshkewych said the 450-plus-lot auction featured "fresh merch" with consignments that are estate-driven, rather than trade-driven.
Good smalls dominated the standouts, with the top lot of the sale being a pair of two-arm Georg Jensen candlesticks, circa 1930s, sterling, measuring 6¼ inches high and fetching $3,162 from the phones. Three phone bidders and an absentee bidder chased this lot.
Coming in second was a 12-by-12-inch oil on board by American artist Alex Levy that attracted good interest and brought $1,840.
"We were happy with the results," Diana Onyshkewych said after the sale. While noting some lots sold below expectation and bargains abounded, particularly among the vintage and designer women's clothing, she said both the house and the consignor were pleased. The auction was heavily advertised as well as thoroughly photographed and documented on the company's website.
Taking the podium inside the firehouse after an hour of selling mostly group lots outside, Onyshkewych quickly outlined the bidding specifics and welcomed all to their first auction. She joked that the most common question from people in the last few weeks has not been about a piece of merchandise but, "How do you pronounce your name?" The answer is "On-a-ske-vich."
This oil on board by Alex Levy had three phone bidders chasing it until one claimed it for $1,840.
Aside from the candlesticks, sterling overall performed well and bore out a fair market value with a Gorham Strasbourg flatware set, comprising 67 pieces, selling for $1,035, and a lot of assorted sterling frames bringing $316.
An Ebenezer Coker sterling salver, 1766, 21 troy ounces, sold to the floor for $1,380, while a Reed & Barton Francis I flatware set had several phones on it and went out at $1,725. Other sterling offerings included a Whiting 15-inch punch ladle with gold wash selling to the phones for $287, and a Witing 13-inch ladle going to a floor bidder for $316.
A large part of the auction was the estate of Erik and Mary Champ Nielsen, the latter a New York City fashion designer, including many vintage women's gowns and clothing as well as a veritable closetful of shoes. Lots were offered individually and in groups with an Erte three-piece outfit (skirt, top and cardigan) fetching more than $400, while an incomplete lot of 1950s Jewdwin's of Utah suits and accessories brought $195.
Furniture highlights included a Flint and Horner Sheraton-style server that was a steal at $115, a mirrored three-panel dressing screen with tooled leather for $632 and a pair of French tall cabinets at $805.
An English sterling salver on three pad feet, Ebenezer Coker, 1766, fetched $1,380 from an in-house bidder.
All five Wurlitzer jukeboxes offered sold with prices ranging from $250 to $575, while a wrought-iron two-tiered, candle chandelier that has been electrified with 12 arms below and six arms above took $805.
All prices reported include a 15 percent buyer's premium. The auction house charges 15 percent in-house and 18 percent for phone and absentee bidders to spur greater floor participation. "I can tell you for sure, we had people attend that weren't going to," Diana Onyshkewych said.
An October 3 auction is planned at the same location with auctions tentatively scheduled every few months, as estate material comes in. For more information,
www.brookfieldauction.com
or 203-448-8652.
