Record-Setting Southern Sampler Leads Evans Sale

Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates, Mount Crawford, Virginia

by Walter C. Newman

Photos courtesy Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates

Jeffrey Evans has settled into his new auction facility in Mount Crawford, Virginia. With one auction already in the books, and with most of the logistical wrinkles ironed out, he and his staff are becoming comfortable with the new building and their new auction systems. Evans seemed relaxed as he opened the July 25 sale to a standing-room-only crowd. The auction featured a broad selection of southern decorative arts, Americana, and other fine antiques.

Commenting after the sale, Evans stated, "We are very pleased with the way our new facility is working. I was a little concerned that it might be too small, but I think it is going to be very adequate now that we can have monthly catalog sales of a more manageable size."

He went on to state that he is particularly happy with his new on-line catalog and absentee bidding platform. Prospective bidders now have two ways to bid via computer. They may go directly to the Evans Web site, view an electronic version of the printed catalog, and enter their absentee bids directly into Evans's system. As the sale progresses, that system sends an e-mail to the bidder that indicates whether he is successful or informs him that he has been outbid by another absentee. For those who prefer to participate in real time, traditional on-line bidding is handled through Artfact Live.

The high lot of the sale was not unexpected, but it did generate head-turning excitement. A rare and exceptionally well-preserved silk-on-linen sampler stitched by Sarah Ann Gibbons in 1834 in nearby Harrisonburg, Virginia, was everything that the catalog suggested. Auction brochures and Internet photographs did not do justice to the sampler. Its colors were bright and clear, and the stitching was extremely complex.

Bidding opened at $9000 and quickly moved past the $20,000/30,000 published estimate. Telephone, Internet, and absentee bidders eventually gave up, and Evans brought the hammer down at $48,875 (includes buyer's premium), setting an auction record for a southern sampler. The winning bidder was Charlottesville, Virginia, collector Anna Marie Witmer, whose husband, David, was bidding in her absence.

Witmer was also the successful bidder at $10,925 (est. $4000/6000) on the next lot, a sampler stitched by Rebecca Davis at Northumberland Academy in eastern Virginia, near Heathsville, dated 1822. Following his second purchase, David Witmer telephoned his wife to give her the good news. Referring to the Northumberland sampler, he commented, "That one was almost as good [as the Gibbons sampler]. It was a very good buy."

The remainder of the auction moved along pretty much as expected. The furniture category offered no real surprises, but it does warrant some comment. A fine group of seven pieces of Sheraton tiger maple furniture crossed the block. Two drop-leaf stands with drawers in very good condition sold for $2070 and $1092.50, at the low end of their estimates, and a small single-drawer stand brought only $460 (est. $800/1200). A 19th-century Wythe County, Virginia, painted poplar pie safe with some restoration managed only $920 against a $1000/1500 estimate. A very nice Empire inlaid walnut butler's desk sold for $316.25, just three-fourths of its low estimate.

That said, there was a bright spot that could be interpreted as an indication that there is life in the furniture category. For more than a year, the performance of furniture items such as those noted here has been lackluster, to say the least, and often "depressed" is a better description. With the exception of a handful of individual pieces, prices remained near their low levels at this sale, but what was very encouraging was the fact that there were multiple active bidders for most of the furniture lots.

At many recent sales furniture lots have tended to be a quick sale with rarely more than two bidders competing for any item. At the Evans sale, virtually every furniture lot saw multiple bidders in house as well as Internet and absentee bids. Overall, prices were not driven up significantly, and bargains in fine furniture still appear to be everywhere, but it is encouraging to see active bidding from several individuals on virtually every furniture item. Perhaps we have seen a bottom, and bidders are testing the furniture waters again.

For additional information, contact Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates at (540) 434-3939 or on the Web at (www.jeffreysevans.com).

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