Linda Ketterling, Toledo, Ohio.
Battle for Delaware Valley Chair Results in a $25,300 Winning Bid at Wiederseim
CHESTER SPRINGS, PENN. – On February 16, Ted Wiederseim, auctioneer for Wiederseim Associates, Inc, conducted a cataloged antique auction at the Montgomery School.
The sale featured several estates most notably the estate of Anita Clothier Packard and the estate of Richard C. Bechtel. Offered was a large quantity of Oriental rugs, furniture, silver, porcelains and decorative objects.
The highlight of the sale was a Delaware Valley five-slat ladder back armchair found in an attic and generated a lot of presale interest. The chair retained its original crusty red painted surface.
With a standing room only crowd and four phone bidders, bidding soared quickly until it was between a gentleman in the room and a relentless phone bidder who finally took it for a wining bid of $25,300.
Another phone bidder, who was on vacation in Jamaica, was successful taking a North Shore, Mass., Hepplewhite secretary bookcase for $6,875, which had come from the Packard estate in nearby Phoenixville.
A cherry tall-case clock by Soloman Parke with a replaced dial still went to $8,470 while a New England Hepplewhite mahogany bow front chest with banded inlay and original brasses brought $5,775.
A Hepplewhite mahogany desk with string inlays and scalloped skirt sold for $3,410. A walnut Lancaster county dish-top tea table with birdcage support made $2,090 while an English mahogany wall table with pierced carved apron sold within estimate at $2,500 and a walnut blanket chest brought $1,650.
The sale started with more than 25 Oriental carpets, the best being a room-size blue Chinese carpet selling for $4,950 and another Chinese carpet for $3,960. A very worn Heriz did $3,800.
Decorative objects were also strong. A small continental marquetry inlaid storage box did very well, commanding a final bid of $2,750, a girandole mirror went to a phone bidder for $4,070, a French bisque head doll for $2,530, a Mettlach stein #1940 did $825 and two other Mettlach steins, #1786 and #2008, sold for $522 and $605 respectively. A coin silver teapot by Boston maker Thomas Emery, circa 1800, sold at $1,300 despite having a cracked handle.
Porcelain was offered throughout the sale. A colorful rose mandarin punch bowl brought $2,400, a rose mandarin meat platter $742 and a scalloped rimed Canton bowl went for $467.
Another surprise in the sale was an impressionist snow scene by local Chester Springs artist Albert Van ness Greene. Suffering from severe blistering and paint loss, it still attracted a lot of attention, bringing a strong $8,800.
Another impressionist snow scene of French Creek by John R. Peirce made $2,970 and a Western oil landscape with horses titled “Roamers” by A. Heinze went for $1,760.
A painting of a woman-riding sidesaddle in fox hunting attire with hounds by Cecil Boult brought $3,300.
