This Nineteenth Century wooden Indian Native American chief cigar store figure on original iron wheelbase was the top lot of the sale and an extremely rare find. It measured 86 by 23 inches and found its new home with an excited internet buyer for $18,900 ($15/35,000).
Review by Jessica Kosinski; Photos Courtesy Forsythes’ Auctions
RUSSELLVILLE, OHIO — The auction of the Norman R. Ross estate took place at Forsythes’ Auctions on Wednesday, April 3. Ross, a resident of Butler County, Ohio, amassed a large collection of items over more than half a century. They included advertising signs, clocks, barber poles, early coffee grinders and folk art. All lots in the 571-lot sale sold and, according to auctioneer David Forsythe, the total realized was approximately $275,000.
Regarding participation, Forsythe commented, “We did have a lot of spirited bidding in-house. There were approximately 100 bidders in the room and close to 800 online.” He went on to explain that, despite international bidders participating, the top dozen lots all stayed within the United States. He did not provide specific information on buyers but confirmed that most items went to private collectors or dealers rather than institutions.
A Nineteenth Century wooden Indian chief cigar store figure took top honors. Perched atop its original iron wheelbase, the figure held cigars and a club while wearing a pouch around its waist and a bear pelt around its neck. Forsythe noted, “After revealing that it was Nineteenth Century, we knew it was something special.” He was clearly correct, since it sold for $18,900 via online bid, despite some cracks in the wood.
Measuring 48½ by 69 inches, this early Tennessee wagon sale sign was such a rare find that it took second place and received 27 bids from multiple competing bidders. Ultimately, it sold well above estimate for $7,245 ($2/5,000).
Second place went to one of several wooden signs sold, an early one advertising wagons by Foster & Hudelson. It received several competing bids from history enthusiasts before fetching $7,245. Third was an equally unusual John C. Dell & Son floor model coffee grinder that sold for $6,300 after a long battle between internet and floor bidders, ultimately going to a California internet buyer. The company produced several coffee grinders, but this one had a unique mirrored top with a roll-up door, making it extra attractive.
The top dozen lots also included three more signs, beginning with one featuring a gold leaf frame advertising Sunflower Baking Powder produced by the Fahnestock Baking Powder Co. of Pittsburgh, purchased by an online bidder for $5,850. A McConnelsville, Ohio, wooden furniture store sign that brought $3,780 from an Indiana internet buyer followed, and a rare Kirk & Co. Soap patriotic metal sign featuring an eagle and shield completed the trio. It sold for $3,402, more than ten times its $200/300 estimate.
Despite its broken clock mechanism, this 32-inch double-sided Art Deco clock featured green neon. It was produced by the popular Say-It-In-Neon Company of Buffalo and received 31 bids. A collector eventually took it home for $3,780 ($1/3,000).
Several neon clocks were auctioned, including four among the top dozen lots. Three sold for $3,780 each. First of these was a working red neon barber and beauty shop clock purchased by an online buyer. Next was a large double-sided green neon Art Deco clock by Say-It-In-Neon of Buffalo, N.Y., that captured bidders’ hearts with its unusual size and double-sided nature, receiving 31 bids despite not keeping time properly. Another was a functioning two-color spinner clock featuring the phrase “It’s Shore Dinnertime” by the Electric Neon Clock Co. of Cleveland, Ohio. The same company produced the fourth top-selling clock, a red and green example advertised the Reily Tree Farm. An internet buyer claimed it for $3,276.
According to Forsythe, “Most of the clocks and signs were sold to different bidders across the country.”
Closing out the top dozen were two more unique lots. One was a barber shop advertising thermometer produced by Dorfmann Bros that advertised a mentholatum salve, which sparked a short bidding battle before going to its new home for $3,024. Forsythe mentioned the thermometer was one of the top lots that surprised him most in terms of final sale price because its initial estimate was only $200/400. The other was a 1920s papier mache Statue of Liberty featuring its original green and gold paint and a tablet commemorating July 4, 1776, the date of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. It also sparked a short bidding battle before fetching $2,898 from a patriotic buyer.
One of the most unique items in the top dozen lots was this 1920s papier mache Statue of Liberty. Measuring 93 by 24 inches, it featured original green and gold paint and a tablet reading “July IV MDCCLXXVI” (July 4, 1776). After a battle between several American history enthusiasts, the winner purchased it for $2,898 ($1/2,000).
Forsythes’ Auctions’ next sale is scheduled to take place on April 28 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and will include country items, primitives, advertising and historical Civil War letters.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.forsythesauctions.com or 513-791-2323.
