“It was a little gem with a lot of charm,” noted Derin Bray about the sale’s top lot, this American “make-do” mirror, Eighteenth or Nineteenth Century, 7¾ by 3½ inches, that was in all original condition. A Southern collector prevailed against a lot of competition, paying the top price of $5,727 ($150/250).
Review by Madelia Hickman Ring; Photos Courtesy Bray & Co.
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Following on the heels of its inaugural sale on September 24, 2023, when Bray & Co. offered more than 200 lots of tattoo, circus, sideshow and curiosities, the newly minted firm presented its Spring Discovery Sale on April 13. On offer were nearly 200 lots of art, antiques and collectibles from New England estates and collections. All but one lot sold in the online-only event, and company owner Derin Bray was in good spirits when we caught up with him after the sale closed.
“I’m really pleased with the results. Overall prices were strong. Because of the variety and type of material — a nice selection of New Hampshire items — we attracted a lot more dealers and local collectors than with our first sale.”
Earning the biggest price was one of the smallest lots in the sale, an Eighteenth or early Nineteenth Century “make-do” mirror that was in untouched original condition and measured just 7 ¾ by 3 ½ inches. Featuring an original striped cloth hanger and notched bottom, Bray said it attracted a lot of interest prior to the sale. A Southern collector won it for $5,727, more than 20 times its high estimate.
Unsigned but thought to be by Edward Rufus Hill (American, 1851-1908), this oil on canvas painting of Echo Lake and Franconia Notch measured 24 by 31 inches in its giltwood frame. Bidders took it to $4,920 (300/500).
Earning $4,920 and a second-place finish was a painting of Echo Lake and Franconia Notch, cataloged as late Nineteenth Century. After the sale, Bray said it was “almost certainly by Edward Rufus Hill and is one of the better examples of his work.”
A piece of New Hampshire history was present in the form of a Federal tall clock, made in Concord, N.H., circa 1800, by Timothy Chandler. A local collector, who Bray said would “return it to Concord,” won it for $1,722.
Bray was enthusiastic about a group of more than a dozen maps that got the sale off to a strong start. “The maps were a fun discovery. I was on a local house call and toward the end of my visit the homeowner casually mentioned there was a pile of old prints and maps under the guest room bed; they didn’t think much of it. Mixed in a group was a nice collection of Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century maps. Needless to say, the consignor is pleased!”
Two of these maps: a 1720 map of London and an 1846 map of Florida, were among the highest prices, achieving $3,690 and $2,460, respectively.
The State of Florida Compiled in the Bureau of Topographical Engineers from the Best Authorities, an engraved two-sheet map drawn by Joseph Goldsborough Bruff and published in 1846 in Washington, DC, had an institutional stamp on its reverse and measured 47½ by 44 inches. It found a buyer at $2,460 ($200/400).
The lot that Bray said attracted the most attention was a large collection of baseball cards. Approximately 570 cards were housed in a 64-page binder and featured ones largely from the 1950s through the 1980s and included those of Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Yogi Berra, Ted Williams, Warren Spahn, Willy Mays, the rookie card for Carl Yastrzemski, Bob Clemente, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, an autographed print of Roger Maris; a Baseball Card Society membership certification signed by Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra and Bob Gibson; and a small assortment of football, basketball and hockey cards. A baseball card collector in Texas had the home-run winning bid of $2,768.
Silver was in plentiful supply, either as decorative art or as coins. Leading the former was a 90-piece sterling silver flatware service by Reed & Barton, in the Hampton Court pattern, that exceeded its high estimate and sold for $2,091. It was followed by a four-piece coin silver tea or coffee service by Jones, Ball & Co of Boston, circa 1855, that topped off at $1,722. The same price was realized by a lot of 36 Morgan silver dollar coins bound in a green collector’s album; it was the highest price paid for about 50 lots of coins — dollars, half dollars, quarters and assorted US and international coinage — were also in the sale.
In June, Bray & Co. will sell a large single-owner collection of American folk art, advertising, history and technology. Following New Hampshire Antiques Week, the house will sell Americana (still accepting consignments) and will end the summer with Round Two of Tattoo, Circus & Sideshow, which Bray said is “shaping up to be bigger and better than the first one.”
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, 603-427-8281, info@brayco.com or www.brayco.com.
