Leading the sale was this tin two-sided, five-color RCA Victor Radio flange sign, complete with a “His Master’s Voice” Nipper logo; it measured 18 by 22 inches and crossed the block for $3,105 ($1/2,000).
Review by Kiersten Busch
BROOKSTON, IND. — On October 15, Davies Auctions conducted an online-only Estate and Americana Auction, which featured the estate of Susie Hannum of Terre Haute, Ind., and the sign collection of Al Baker of Zionsville, Ind. Other additions included early American country furniture and accessories, stoneware, authentic porcelain and tin signs, paintings, political items and Christmas and Halloween holiday items. Doug Davies, owner of Davies Auctions, reported that the sale’s sell-through rate was just shy of 100 percent.
Leading the sale was a two-sided tin RCA Victor Radio five color flange sign, which earned $3,105. It included a “His Master’s Voice” logo, featuring Nipper the dog. The 18-by-22-inch sign was in very good condition, with only a few minor scratches.
RCA Victor “His Master’s Voice” signs proved popular in the sale, with two other examples landing in the top 10 best-selling lots. Posting a $2,760 finish, the third highest of the sale, was a porcelain “His Master’s Voice” sign, also including a Nipper logo. The four-color rectangular sign was 72 inches tall and included “some dings along the edge and at bottom,” according to the auction catalog.
Advertising a $1,955 finish, this two-sided porcelain RCA Victor “Globe Trotter” radio sign came in blue, with yellow and white lettering; it included a Nipper logo and measured 20 by 30 inches ($1,5/3,000).
Another example was a porcelain RCA Victor “Globe Trotter” sign, this one two-sided and primarily in blue, with white and yellow lettering and a small Nipper logo in the bottom left corner. Measuring 20 inches high and 30 inches wide, the auction catalog noted of the sign’s condition: “One side is very clean, the other has dings and fading.” Despite some minor condition issues, the sign still sold within its $1,5/3,000 estimate, at $1,955.
Racing to a second-place finish in the sale was a painting of the standardbred horse Second Jewel by William Theodore Eilerts from the late Nineteenth Century. The auction catalog noted that Second Jewel was “foaled in 1881 and owned by W.N. Franklin of Glascow, Ky.” With provenance to the estate of Susie Hannum in Terre Haute, Ind., the painting trotted its way to $2,990.
Leading silver flatware was an 89-piece Towle Old Colonial flatware set, which set the table for $2,070, just surpassing its $1,5/2,000 estimate. The set included knives, teaspoons and tablespoons, various forks, iced teas, ladles and various spoons and knives. The set also had provenance to the Hannum estate.
Setting the table for $2,070 was this 89-piece Towle Old Colonial sterling flatware set ($1,5/2,000).
Furniture was topped by a 98-inch early Nineteenth Century tiger maple tall case clock, which struck its winning bid at $2,070. The clock, hailing from the eastern Pennsylvania region and the Hannum estate, had an eight-day brass weight-driven movement with a moon dial and original French feet with a scalloped apron. The auction catalog noted its “nice tiger striping.”
Stoneware was also represented in the sale, with a 5-gallon jar from Havana, N.Y., attributed to the Alfred O. Whittemore Pottery, filling up to $1,955 against a $600/800 estimate. A three-story house with a cupola, flanked by pine trees and a fence decorated the side in cobalt blue; there was restoration done to the back of the jar.
Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house.
For additional information, www.daviesauctions.net or 765-491-2018.
