Withington Outstanding Country Estate Auction
Wednesday, December 29, 2021 at 1PM
Featuring a Collection of Joanna Makon & others,
www.withingtonauction.com
PREVIEWS: 41B Main Street,
Goffstown, New Hampshire
December 18, 27 and 28 from 10AM – 4PM

GOFFSTOWN, N.H. — Country auctions were a staple of the Dick Withington auction business, especially in the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s. Those days are back but with a new twist as Withington Auctions presents a live country auction but with online-only bidding on December 29, featuring large collections of samplers, mochaware, early boxes and baskets, primitive lighting, early furniture and other collectibles. Withington will present the estate of the late Joanna Makon of Springfield, Vt., and Bow, N.H. Makon was a keen collector of early Americana and gathered an impressive collection of samplers, early boxes of all types — wall, ballot and document, as well as mochaware.

Mocha or mochaware is a slip-decorated, lathe-turned, utilitarian pottery adorned with tree-like branching (dendritic) markings resembling the markings on moss agate, known as “mocha stone.” The stone was imported from Arabia through the port of Mocha, hence giving the name to the pottery. The earliest examples of the pottery date to the 1790s. Manufactured by potteries throughout North America, mocha was the cheapest decorated tableware available and was used in homes, from slave quarters to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. The North American product was based entirely on yellow or buff-colored bodies banded in black with broad white slip bands on which the dendritic markings appeared. Makon’s collection of more than three dozen mocha items includes a number of pitchers and bowls as well as more utilitarian items such as cups and mugs.

Whether made in boarding schools, orphanages or indentured work, the sampler was a teaching tool for girls in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. The alphabet, numbers and sewing skills, as well as religious piety and civic virtue through verse, were taught using the sampler. These beloved textiles were often framed and displayed on walls as cherished family heirlooms. With more than two dozen samplers available, from the basic alphabet and numbers to more elaborate designs, many signed and dated, this auction should delight collectors.

The auction will include some early, original painted furniture, including a Queen Anne button-foot table in original blue paint and two early tavern tables. Along with the tables, an early untouched cupboard in original reddish-brown paint and an early grain-painted tall clock with a rare eight-day wooden movement will be offered. Every household in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century had a number of boxes and baskets to store valuables, documents and basic items. A few dozen untouched boxes and buttocks baskets from the Makon estate will be auctioned.

The auction will also be offering around 50 lots of primitive lighting, including lamps, fire devices and spare lamp parts. But of extreme interest is a collection of campaign torches. Abraham Lincoln’s 1860 campaign encouraged the use of massive, emotionally charged political parades using torch lights.
The tradition continued throughout the remaining political campaigns of the Nineteenth Century. Withington will present a number of these campaign torches, including some rare examples used during President Grant’s presidential campaigns. A Ulysses S. Grant paper lantern and a campaign torch mounted on a beaver hat represent the quality of the unusual lighting items for auction.

Although this will be a live auction, due to the recent surge in Covid, bidding will not be in person. Bidding through Live Auctioneers and Invaluable, as well as absentee and phone bidding, will be made available. Previews will be conducted December 18, 27 and 28 from 10 am to 4 pm or by appointment in the firm’s facility at 41B Main Street. With approximately 200 lots from the Makon estate augmented with 50 lots of primitive lighting and 50 discovery lots, this auction should satisfy both the experienced and beginning collector. For more information, www.withingtonauction.com, 603-680-1676 or 603-491-7136.
Due to Covid-19 considerations, the auction will be posted on LiveAuctioneers and Invaluable as well as phone and absentee bidding
www.withingtonauction.com
WITHINGTON AUCTION INC. 41 B Main Street, Goffstown, NH 03045
Approximately 200 lots from Joanna Makon Estate, 50 lots of early lighting and
50 discovery lots of country furniture and collectibles will be auctioned unreserved.
Bidding done on LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable, phone or absentee bids.
Call Ken Labnon at 603-680-1676 or Gary Yeaton at 603-491-7136. NH Auctioneer License #4041
Presented by NEW HAMPSHIRE AUCTIONS AND APPRAISALS, LLC
Nice Selection of Mochaware
Nice Selection of Mochaware Pitchers
Early Wall and Ballot Boxes
Some Selected Items From The Sale
Large Collection of Samplers
Extensive Collection of Samplers
Rare Mochaware Mug
Rare Campaign Torch With Hat
Early Rocking Horse Wheeled Horse Toy
Collection of Lighting and Fire Devices
Queen Anne Button-foot Table in Original Paint
Early Tavern Table – Untouched Condition
Large Selection of Early Document and Wall Boxes
Collection of Blue Decorated Crocks and Jugs
Wonderfully Carved Wooden Pig
Papier Mache Cow In Original Paint
18th C. Candle Mold Rack
Early Untouched Cupboard In Original Reddish Brown Paint
Early Grain-Painted Tall Clock With Rare 8 Day Movement
Kitchen Butcher Block
Rare Campaign Torch
U.S. Grant Paper Lantern