These four South African Krugerrands, including 1 troy ounce of gold each, dated 1975 (two), 1977 and 1978, sold for the auction’s highest price of $17,220 ($10/15,000).
Review by Carly Timpson
CHEVY CHASE, MD. — Historically, auction houses would slow down or go on hiatus altogether in the summer months when weather is hot and travel plans are aplenty. With the added access from online bidding, such is not the case any longer. Bids can be placed in minutes while sitting in a beach chair or from the comfort of one’s own air-conditioned home.
Stephanie Kenyon, owner of Sloans & Kenyon, reported that her firm’s August 6 estate auction was a steady success. “It did very well; we’re pleased,” she said. “It was steady. A lot of auctioneers don’t have sales in August, and for a long time we didn’t either. But this sale did well — it’s been a really busy season this summer.”
On the docket for the nearly 730-lot August Estate Catalogue Auction was a selection of fine art, furniture, decorative arts, jewelry, gold and silver, Asian art and antiques, coins, books and much more.
To lead the diverse selection, four South African gold Krugerrands sold together for $17,220. First minted in 1967, the Krugerrand, named for Paul Kruger, the first president of the South African Republic, was the first modern gold bullion coin, and it created waves across the world, appealing to investors for its value in gold and collectors for its historic relevance. With exactly one troy ounce of gold in each coin, the four in this lot included two dated 1975, one from 1977 and one from 1978.
This 12-piece S. Kirk & Son sterling silver tea and coffee service, totaling 202.6 troy ounces, contained desirable extras like salt and pepper shakers and a tea caddy; it brought $9,840 ($7/9,000).
Kenyon said that the firm always does well with gold coins and added that this sale was especially strong in the precious metals given the current market prices for gold and silver. However, she made sure to note that pieces with great artistry still perform even better than their by-weight value.
As such, an S. Kirk & Son sterling silver tea and coffee service was raised beyond its $7/9,000 estimate, finding a buyer at $9,840. Not only did this service exhibit great craftsmanship, Kenyon noted that there is still a strong collecting base for S. Kirk and this was an especially large service having the additional draw of salt and pepper shakers and overall has “lovely workmanship.” The 12-piece service also included a pair of matching footed open salts and a tea caddy in addition to the expected teapot, hot water kettle with burner stand, creamer and sugar bowl, all with delicate scrolling leaf and flower decoration.
“There was also a set of matching candlesticks with that service that we sold separately,” Kenyon shared. With the same delicate etching, the four weighted sterling S. Kirk & Son candlesticks had elongated urn-form supports and separate bobeches. They went out at $615.
Additional gold highlights included an 18K yellow gold panel-link bracelet with Cuban pesos ($8,303) and a ladies’ Bueche-Girod watch with a horizontal channel of 16 round brilliant-cut diamonds across the case and face ($7,380).
With six gold panels centering Cuban five-peso coins from 1915, this 18K yellow gold panel-link bracelet, 14 pennyweights, was claimed for $8,303 ($4/6,000).
Another strong performance was that of black stone stele depicting Shiva and Parvati seated in the Uma–Maheshvara pose. Both deities wore tall conical crowns, heavy jewelry and were seated on a lotus throne above a base with the sacred bull Nandi and attendants. The fragmentary stele, from Northern India, dated to the Pala period, circa Eleventh Century. The consignor’s father purchased the piece in Bangladesh in 1975, though no earlier history was known. Kenyon explained that it “was a really early carving,” adding that “those tend to do well because they’re rare.” Mounted on a custom wooden stand, the dark gray-black stele was sold for $9,840.
Paintings also did well, led at $7,688 by Arthur Clifton Goodwin’s oil on canvas harbor view with a distant church tower. Signed to the lower right, the Impressionist scene showed a bustling waterfront with boats and dockworkers. “It was a really attractive scene,” Kenyon said. “With American art, any fresh-to-market works tend to do well, and really pretty views do well. This had both. People want attractive scenes and fresh-to-market works.”
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.sloansandkenyon.com or 301-634-2330.
