English walnut partners’ desk, $11,000.
Girandole mirror, $3,300.
On Saturday, February 14, Wiederseim Associates, Inc conducted a one-day sale comprising 550 lots of Oriental rugs, silver, accessories, furniture, guns and pewter. The highlight of the sale was the gun and pewter collection of Joseph O. Reese of Havertown.
Illustrated on the front cover of the catalog was a Philadelphia Queen Anne-form pewter teapot, circa 1752, bearing the touch mark of Cornelius Bradford. Standing just seven inches high and cataloged as having a replaced lid, it far exceeded its presale estimate of $7/10,000 when it sold for $18,700.
Reese was a WWII naval officer, Civil War reenactor, and an enthusiastic member of the Pewter Collectors Club. In all, more than 30 percussion and flintlocks were sold from his collection. The most sought-after was a Brown Bess flintlock rifle with original bayonet, which brought $2,860. A Colt Civil War percussion musket dated 1863 sold for $1,980; a rare percussion target rifle with brass scope and heavy octagonal barrel signed “E.S. Sweet”brought $2,530; and a flintlock full stock rifle signed “Sharpe” with set trigger and brass patch box realized $4,070. An Army Colt pistol circa 1860 went to $880 and a better example sold for $1,540. A US army ammo chest marked, “J.C. Stowell, Pittsburg, 1864” sold for $1,300 and a brass line throwing gun with carriage brought $2,310.
An Eighteenth Century quart pewter tankard possibly by Thomas Byles brought $8,250. A John Townsend teapot, circa 1780, sold for $4,125; an early Chester County pewter porringer by Simon Pennock, $3,850; a massive English charger, $1,210; a Rosewell & Gleason pitcher, $1,045; a spire flagon by Thomas Carpender, $935; a Boardman & Hall teapot, circa 1845, $1,430; a monogrammed English quart tankard, $770; and an English quart tulip tankard, circa 1780, $2,420.
A sterling silver Francis I pattern water pitcher knocked down to a left bid for $4,070. A gigantic lobster taxidermy mounted on an oval board and surrounded with nautical rope and seashells sold for $1,210. An early brass chandelier, possibly Dutch, $2,860. A gilt girandole mirror with carved eagle crest did $3,300 while another carved mirror probably of Italian origin sold for $1,320.
Wiederseim’s addendum included a two-part Victorian secretary desk that brought $1,540 while a secretary abattant did $1,980. A pair of early fruitwood fauteuils made $1,210. The sale offered some very high-end decorative pieces to include a fabulous pair of Queen Anne-style walnut standing bookshelves with leather bound book decoration, which brought $5,170, a Kittenger sofa made $1,320 and a set of ten benchmade Queen Anne-style chairs went to a left bid for $4,730.
All prices include the ten percent buyer’s premium.
