CINCINNATI, OHIO — The top lot at Hindman’s March 10-12 Americana sale was a labeled sand bottle by Andrew Clemens (American, 1857-1894) that had remained in the family of its original owner, Nicholas J. Goll (1840-1903), a railroad freight agent. Dated 1889, the bottle depicted a coal burning locomotive at a railroad station with freight cars stretching into the distance and featured a paper label inscribed “Pictured Rock Sand, Put Up By Andrew Clemens, Deaf-Mute, McGregor, Iowa.” Of the more than 100 bottles known to exist, it is one of only two to incorporate an eagle and shield in its design. Done within five years of Clemens’ death, the bottle amply demonstrated his mastery of his life’s work and was undoubtedly commissioned for Goll.

Clemens bottles have enjoyed tremendous popularity and high prices in recent years, with a small group of dedicated enthusiasts helping to boost prices and make these bottles among the hottest niche of American folk art. According to Hindman’s director of Americana, Ben Fisher, competition on the 10½-inch bottle was mostly on the phone, with a few new participants joining the fray. In the end, a phone bidder paid $800,000 against an estimate of $100/150,000.

Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house; a more extensive sale recap will appear in a future issue.