Driving off for $42,000, this 1970 International Scout 800A SR-2 was one of the sale’s top lots ($30/50,000).
Review by Carly Timpson
PLAINFIELD, N.H. — William Smith Auctions’ annual Post-Memorial Day Live Auction was conducted on May 27 this year and comprised more than 630 lots from estates in New England, Scottsdale, Ariz., and Sarasota, Fla. Matt Zayatz, William Smith’s director of marketing shared, “The auction was very well attended with over 100 bidders in house and over 7,500 registered bidders total. Overall, the auction was better attended than typical auctions.” A strong social media campaign ahead of the sale helped drive interest, and the increased in-person turnout may have been a result. Either way, the sale was a success, boasting a 95 percent sell-through rate and realizing about $1.37 million.
When the checkered flag waved, a 1970 International Scout 800A SR-2 crossed the finish line for $42,000. This particular “Goldies” model was one of just 1,975 made in the distinctive burnished gold paint. Restored in 2022 by Vintage Iron and Restoration in Scottsdale, the Scout had a 304cc 5.0L V8 engine, title and extensive maintenance and restoration documentation. “The Scout was obviously beautiful and I wanted it, so I was happy for the consigner and sad I wasn’t the new owner,” Zayatz joked.
This 8¼-inch-tall Baltimore Glass Works Washington/Taylor flask and 6¾-inch-tall “Success To The Railroad” flask sold together for the sale’s top price of $42,000 ($300/500).
Also finishing at $42,000, the result for a pair of Nineteenth Century flasks stunned Smith employees and other bidders, as it “went to a floor bidder, to the amazement of everyone who attended.” Estimated at just $300/500, the hand-blown flasks were in a moss green color and had pictorial embossing. The larger of the two, at 8¼ inches tall, featured portraits of Washington and Taylor on opposing sides, with Washington centered beneath arched text that read “Baltimore Glass Works.” At 6¾ inches tall, the other bottle had a depiction of a horse and cart and “Success To The Railroad” on either side. While the maker of this example was not known, similar flasks featuring this pattern were made by Keene Marlboro Street Glassworks (Keene, N.H.), Mount Vernon Glass Works (Vernon, N.Y.) and Coventry Glass Works (Coventry, Conn.).
Another hit was Mahonri Mackintosh Young’s “Right To The Jaw.” The 1926 wax-loss bronze sculpture depicted a pair of boxers, one landing a punch to the other’s jaw. Signed “Mahonri” to the base, the piece also had a foundry mark from Roman Bronze Works. Zyatz explained, “Finding the foundry mark on the Mahonri Young was an exciting discovery, as it verified an antemortem casting, resulting in a strong hammer price.” Since it was produced antemortem, Young, who was the grandson of Brigham Young, would have overseen its creation. A similar example is in the Brigham Young University Museum of Art (Provo, Utah), but this one, which had provenance to the Ziegler estate in Darien, Conn., was knocked out for $39,000, heading to Illinois.
Mahonri Mackintosh Young’s (American, 1877-1957) bronze “Right To The Jaw,” 1926, 14 inches tall by 23½ inches wide by 7½ inches deep, was cast at Roman Bronze Works and finished for $39,000 ($40/60,000).
The Ziegler mansion on Great Island in Darien was originally owned by William Ziegler, co-founder of Royal Baking Powder Company, philanthropist and patron of polar exploration. Leading paintings was John Martin Tracy’s sporting scene titled “Taking Wind.” The wooded scene showed a hunter with two dogs, and it likewise came from the Ziegler estate. Framed with a title and artist plaque, the signed work had a label from Mortimer Brandt Gallery, New York City, and was in its original state of preservation. It was taken to $33,000.
Nikola Tanev’s “Courtyard” was another painting to do well, more than doubling its high estimate. The sunny oil on canvas, painted in 1928, depicted the tree-shaded and flower-lined yard outside a red-roofed home in the central Bulgarian town of Karlovo. Despite multiple repaired tears, bidders pushed the work to $30,000. Zayatz noted that this work elicited “so many bidders, new bidder approvals, from Bulgaria. It is going back home there, selling to someone with an absentee bid.”
A watercolor “Flying Woodcock” painted by Aiden Lassell Ripley ($22,140) and a wintry Vermont landscape in oils by Aldro Hibbard ($16,250) also finished above estimate. Max Weber’s oil on canvas “The Storm” reached $12,000, landing within estimate and selling to a bidder from Abu Dhabi.
“Flying Woodcock” by Aiden Lassell Ripley (American, 1896-1969), watercolor, 20 by 30 inches (image), made $22,140 ($15/20,000).
Jewelry and accessories were topped by an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch with a royal blue dial and having an aftermarket diamond bezel. A gift from singer Justin Timberlake to his New York City-based attorney, the steel wristwatch was engraved “Justifiably, The Best Team Ever! Thanks, Justin.” Complete with its original wooden box and packer, guarantee and instruction booklet, the watch said “Bye Bye Bye” for $30,000, won by a Vermont-based bidder.
A sapphire and diamond ring, set in platinum, earned $22,800. The central stone, weighing 8.1 carats, was a transparent medium blue to violet cushion-cut sapphire from Sri Lanka. It was flanked by just under a carat’s worth of round brilliant and pear-shaped diamonds that tested as natural mined specimens.
Bringing $14,400 from a Florida bidder was a French marble-top commode with extensive parquetry and ormolu mounts. From the François Linke workshop, the case was stamped “H. Bieder / 1926” for workshop foreman Hans Bieder, who joined the company in 1922. In the catalog note, Smith added that the foreman’s father “Oskar Bieder (1861-1959) worked for François Linke’s furniture shop in Paris from 1888-1892. He then moved back to Switzerland and started his own workshop in Liestal.” However, the gilt bronze mounts on the commode were signed “O. Bieder, Liestal,” which was a curious feature given that Linke was known for his own bronze mounts that set him apart from his contemporaries.
An English sterling silver salver, measuring 24 inches in diameter and weighing 161 troy ounces, was bid to $13,750. The salver had elaborate chased designs and a central coat of arms featuring the motto “Au Bon Droit,” which, according to the catalog, was associated with the Dalling and Egremont families.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For more information, www.wsmithauction.com or 603-675-2549.
