Carved and gilded folk art fish vane, $7,480.
Nine by 14 foot pictorial Native American rug, $4,400.
SALT POINT, N.Y. — A large and enthusiastic crowd was on hand for the Tenth Annual Primitive, Rustic, Photo and Sporting Sale conducted by Hyde Park Country Auctions on November 2.
The sale, as the title suggests, offered a varied assortment of merchandise although the emphasis was most definitely geared to the outdoor-minded collector. Merchandise ranged from Adirondack-style furniture and decoys to Native American rugs and weathervanes.
Auctioneer Dominick Navarra commented after the auction that these sales have soared in popularity over the past decade.
Bidding from the standing room only crowd was active throughout the evening, accentuated by periodic phone bidding from determined clients and a host of absentee bids. The top lot of the sale came from the selection of weathervanes offered as a rare carved and gilded wooden folk art fish vane with applied metal tail was actively sought by many.
The rare weathervane attracted a great deal of interest prior to the auction, according to Navarra, which resulted in both serious telephone and absentee bids. A final bid of $7,480, including premium, captured the vane for a New York City folk art collector.
Native American carpets and blankets also attracted a great deal of attention with bids coming in from across the country. The highlight of this portion of the sale came as a rare 9- by 14-foot pictorial rug was offered. The rug sold after spirited bidding to a phone bidder from Arizona for $4,400. Numerous other rugs were sold with prices ranging between $165 and $825.
More than 20 early decoys were sold with prices ranging from $110 to $495, which was paid for a repainted Stratford, Conn., black duck by Reginald Culver. A large and primitive full bodied stick-up goose was the top lot among the decoys with it selling to a phone bidder for $2,200.
A group of Taconic swing handle baskets were sold with prices averaging in the $200 to $300 range, although one large and exceptionally nice example realized $440.
Other rdf_Descriptions sold included a half-plate daguerreotype depicting two ladies and a gentleman selling at $742, an 1862 albumen depicting the Naval Academy, $550, and a large folio of Lincoln and his Cabinet at $504. A Bennington stoneware crock with blue floral decoration was hammered down at $176, a pair of Andrew Jackson hickory chairs went for $357 each, a jelly cupboard in old green paint brought $907, and an early Parker shotgun that had been discovered in a closet of an estate sold at $2,090.
Prices include the ten percent buyers premium charged.
