Ever since Pook & Pook announced the sale of the personal collection of Mr and Mrs James Grievo, collectors and dealers have eagerly awaited Saturday, May 5. Extra chairs were brought into the gallery last Saturday morning to accommodate those at the sale, a bank of eight phones was set up, and many absentee bids had been sorted out. When all was said and done, the sale had grossed $2,002,649, including buyer’s premium, and all lots were sold as there were no reserves.

“There were some surprises and some disappointments, but in the end the sale was just about what I had hoped for,” Jim Grievo said, adding, “There were some crazy prices, and some good buys, but that is what an auction is all about.” He praised the job Ron Pook and his staff did from the very start, noting the catalog, advertising and publicity, and commented, “Now I am just going to concentrate on being a dealer and not try to build another collection.”

The top lot of the sale, as anticipated, was the New Haven, Conn., incised stoneware jug, circa 1825‱830, by Absalom Stedman, with spread-winged American eagle with shield breast holding an American flag in one talon and arrows in the other. It sold for $340,000 hammer, $402,900 with the buyer’s premium.

The provenance of this jug lists Preston Basset Collection, Barry Cohen, David Schorsch, Fred Giampietro and Joel and Kate Kopp. Ron Pook would say only that the jug was bought by a dealer for a client and it would not go far away.

A complete review of the auction will be published shortly.