HARRISBURG, PENN. — How many lollipops does it take to get to the center of a sugar chest? Cordier Auctions February 10-11 sale put forth an answer when an elaborate Nineteenth Century Southern sugar chest with polychrome paint decorated lollipops trimming the backboard and skirt blew past a $1/1,500 estimate to bring $263,250 including the buyer’s premium.
The auction house said five phone lines competed against interest from the floor and the internet, encompassing both private and institutional bidders. A phone bidder emerged as the victor and the auction house has yet to disclose where the piece is headed.
[UPDATE] Cordier said that New Oxford, Penn., dealer Kelly Kinzle was the winning bidder. “Obviously I’m super happy,” Kinzle said following the auction. “Just blown away, honestly. I knew it was going to be tough to get.”The chest was catalogued as likely from Kentucky, with provenance stating that is was handed down to the consignor’s mother who lived in Bardstown, Ky., by her grandparents who lived in Indiana across the border from Louisville, Ky.
A full report will follow.
