Nye & Co’s Charles S. Shultz Auction
November 17th, 10am
Online Preview/Pre-Bid starting on Nov. 3.
Public Exhibition at Bloomfield Gallery:
Nov. 8-12 and Nov. 15-16, 10am to 4pm.
Online at nyeandcompany.com,

BLOOMFIELD, N.J. — Nye & Company Auctioneers’ online auction of the Charles S. Shultz collection on Wednesday, November 17, is certain to delight collectors, dealers, scientific and literary enthusiasts alike. The Estate Treasures auction, starting at 10 am Eastern time, includes the scientific and travel library from Charles. S. Shultz, the noted Nineteenth Century financier and past president of the American Microscopical Society and the New York Microscopical Society. Also included are scientific instruments, minerals, Geissler tubes and Nineteenth and Twentieth Century ephemera.
The auction of objects and books is being deaccessioned from the Charles Shultz House to benefit the collections fund of Montclair History Center in Montclair, N.J.
Shultz House, also known as Evergreens, was built by Charles Shultz in 1896. The large, stately home was occupied by three generations of the Shultz family. From Charles to his granddaughter Molly, the home was owned by this single family for 100 years. These were inquisitive people with many interests: they were scientists, inventors, tinkerers, woodworkers, craftspeople, outdoor sports enthusiasts, gardeners, naturalists, travelers and readers. “Time capsule” best describes the home, the contents of which are endlessly intriguing for their breadth and variety.

The property was bequeathed to the nonprofit Montclair History Center (MHC) in 1996 and was opened as a house museum until 2019. Despite a deep love and respect for the house, and due to substantial maintenance costs, MHC is deaccessioning the property, including the contents of both the main house and the carriage house. Some items have been retained by the MHC to tell the story of the Shultz family and Montclair history; others have been passed along to Shultz family members.
Nye & Company will be offering the complete contents of Charles Shultz’s comprehensive late Victorian science library, together with an interesting and unusual array of scientific experiments and equipment.

Highlights include three mid- and late Nineteenth Century microscopes, including a Bausch & Lomb “Continental” microscope, a Spencer microscope and a Charles Collins binocular microscope, as well as a selection of objective lenses, including a rare H.R. Spencer half-inch 100 degree lens. Charles Shultz’s particular area of interest was microscopic diatoms; this is one of the largest collections of slides and books relating to this subject to come to market in recent years.
One of the highlights of the collection is a large array of minerals, rocks and gems, many of them cataloged by Shultz himself in the early Twentieth Century. Included within those samples are a group of azurite and malachite specimens, fluorescent minerals from the Franklin and Sterling mines and more.
Additionally, the collection also includes a group of turn-of-the-century electrical experiments, including spark generators, Geissler tubes and other unusual objects. There is a collection of mid- and late Nineteenth Century microscopic slides prepared by some of the leading microscopists of the day.
Also on offer is a unique selection of Nineteenth Century books, photography and ephemera relating to microscopy, astronomy, natural history and other sciences. The library also contains a significant number of volumes relating to travel, history and literature. Many of these works have been sealed in airtight bookcases for more than 125 years and are in an unusual state of preservation.

Shultz, a well-traveled man, also acquired decorative objects from around the world. A few of these items are also included in the sale, such as several early Chinese jade seals, a rock crystal Chinese seal, Japanese lacquerware, a rare piece of English pottery shown at the St Louis Exposition in 1904, Austrian cold-painted bronzes by Franz Bergman and other objects.
Another piece being offered is an oil on canvas of a mother and her children, with one on horseback, by Hamilton Hamilton (1847-1928). The artist captures the quintessential atmospheric summer day at dusk. His use of color and gentle brush strokes transport the viewer back in time to a perfect summer day.
The sale will feature real time online and absentee bidding. Telephone bidding is available on a limited basis.
An online preview is being conducted through November 16.

The public is also welcome to preview the collection in person at the Nye & Company galleries located at 20 Beach Street, Monday through Friday, from 10 am to 4 pm Eastern time, from now until November 16. Covid protocols will be strictly enforced.
For information, 973-984-6900 or www.nyeandcompany.com.invaluable.com, bidsquare.com and liveauctioneers.com.
Property from the 19th Century Financier and Past President American
Microscopical Society and New York Microscopical Society
nyeandcompany.com • 973.984.6900