The surprise of the sale, these two sets of coins, one with 70 US pennies in a frame marked “1848 Frank Tibbitt 1918” and “Penna. R.R. Co.,” and another with four Silver Dollars as well as other foreign and domestic coins, were the highest earning lot, crossing the block for $3,000 ($75-$125).
Review by Carly Timpson
PINE BUSH, N.Y. — The August 31 Estate Antiques Auction brought 406 lots of stoneware, art, dolls, toys, tools, signage, furniture, collectibles and other antiques across the block at Roberson’s Auctions. In total, the sale realized around $46,000 and co-owner Del Roberson shared, “We were quite surprised by a few lots. Generally speaking, we did have a good crowd in our hall as well as around 450 bidders active online. We have somebody who serves good food so that helps!”
The top lot of the sale, which was claimed by an online buyer for $3,000 — well above its $75-$125 estimate — included two collections of coins. One of the collections had four Silver Dollars and 20 other domestic and foreign coins bore into a piece of wooden board. The other was a collection of pennies in a frame that read “1848 Frank Tibbitt 1918” across the top and “Retired April 1st 1918 Penna. R.R. Co.,” across the bottom. Following the sale, Roberson told us, “In the frame there were seventy 1917 pennies and apparently, those are rare. It was a retirement gift to Frank Tibbitt, who retired from the Pennsylvania Railroad Company… but there was something about these 1917 pennies that caught bidders’ attention. It was sold with another lot of coins, but it wasn’t those that people cared about.” A few days later we followed up and she was able to tell us a little more: “The gentleman who bought them said they were uncirculated.”
The next two lots in price were both oil paintings. Making $1,800 was an oil on canvas seascape signed “Bricher” to the lower right. The seaside scene featured a cliff and large rock formation on the left side with waves rolling in and boats on the horizon. The auction catalog noted that the framed canvas was on a “nice old stretcher” and it sold to a local, in-house buyer. The other top painting, also relating to the sea, was a small, framed portrait of a sloop on the water. This one, done by George Nemethy and initialed in the lower right corner, was on a wood panel and sold to a Florida-based buyer for $1,750.
This 7-by-15-inch framed oil on canvas seascape with large rock formation was signed “Bricher” and was in very good condition; it sold for $1,800 ($1,8/2,200).
Silver always draws interest, and the two sterling flatware services in this sale were no exception. Achieving $1,320 was a 48-piece service, for eight place settings. This service was in the King Cedric pattern, made popular by Oneida Silver. The other sterling silver set was an assorted lot of 52 pieces in various patterns. According to the catalog, some of them were “fancy.” The lot, which was predominantly spoons, brought $960. Both sterling silver flatware sets were sold to in-house buyers.
While most Louis Vuitton steamer trunks are commonly recognized by the company’s repeating monogram pattern, a refinished example with wooden sides was less conspicuous. Upon closer inspection, one would notice that all of the trunk’s iron hardware was marked with the company’s stamp and a label was affixed inside the lid, which was quilted. After bringing $1,375 from an online buyer, Roberson thought the trunk would make a nice coffee table.
Shipping to Minnesota after selling for $1,063 was an 1889 Colt Model Pocket Revolver. The gun’s 4-inch octagonal barrel bore a maker’s mark, “Sam Colt, N.Y.C.,” to its top and it had a five-shot decorated cylinder and round trigger guard. “Colts Patent” and a serial number were etched onto the cylinder.
Coveted by collectors of antique tools and hardware, the Number One Stanley plane offered in this auction was sold to an online buyer for $1,063. In good condition, the 6-inch-long by 3½-inch high plane was cataloged as “rare.”
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, 845-283-1587 or www.robersonsauctions.com.
