Stories for September '22
(Fragment)U.S. Files for Forfeiture of Marksmanship Medals
On July 8 the United States Attorney’s Office in Boston filed a civil forfeiture action in U.S. District Court seeking to reclaim 24 marksmanship medals from the 1880s and 1890s believed to have been unlawfully removed several decades ago from the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts, a National Historic site.
Several of the Bull marksmanship medals.
One of ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Defeating the Hoard
Beneath the Surface
What’s on your summer reading list? We wonder who these people are who have additional time to read in the summer. They are not people with yards and gardens and summer camps and 4-H projects! We admit that we are probably not the beach-read target audience. (What? Doesn’t ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)MFA Appoints Inaugural Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), has appointed Michael J. Bramwell as the inaugural Joyce Linde Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art. The creation of the new position is part of an initiative designed to reanimate and reimagine the MFA’s folk-art collection for 21st-century audiences. The initiative is supported ... (Read More)
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(Book Review)A Reassessment of John Kane
A Book Review
This reassessment of the life and art of John Kane (1860-1934) sets a new standard for art scholarship. Kane was a steelworker, coal miner, bridge builder, street paver, carpenter, railcar and house painter, boxer, brawler, wanderer, heavy drinker, and “husband from hell” who late in life (age 67) ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Hanging with Sandy Jacobs
A seasoned dealer of folk art and early Americana, Sandy Jacobs fills her house in Swampscott, Massachusetts, with objects of good form and good style from any time period.
In the business since high school, when she would look after a neighbor’s antiques store and did some buying of jewelry and ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Letter from London, September 2022
Things very old, very odd, and in many instances very, very costly indeed find their place in this month’s “Letter” and range in size from an extraordinary and exquisitely carved little “prayer nut” of 16th-century origin to a very early harpsichord with a striking landscape painted to the interior of ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Fifty Years a Bookseller: Clarence Wolf’s Memoir
A Book Review
The antiquarian book business has changed drastically in the last half-century. Clarence Wolf’s entertaining memoir Fifty Years a Bookseller: or, The Wolf at Your Door chronicles the old days and tells good stories about dealers and collectors in pursuit of great books.
Fifty Years a Bookseller: or, The Wolf ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Old York Historical Society Buys Weare Chest
The Old York Historical Society (OYHS) in York, Maine, has announced the purchase of a rare Boston chest of drawers made between 1680 and 1700 that descended in the Weare family of Cape Neddick, Maine. It is attributed to the shop of Ralph Mason (1599-1679) and Henry Messinger (d. 1681), ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Auction Prices Realized, September 2022
Here are a few notable prices of antiques sold recently at auction, as provided by press releases. All prices include the buyer’s premium when charged. We’re always looking for news of prices realized at auctions, particularly unusual or top lots. Send pictures, complete descriptions, and information to A.P.R., Maine Antique ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Some Thoughts on Being a “Collector”
Who am I? That seems an odd way to begin, I admit, but it is the one question that keeps cropping up most of our lives. Right now I am a collector, a student, an interpreter, an observer, and a fond owner of antique Americana. But “collector” seems slippery, excessively ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)American Furniture 2020
A Book Review
American Furniture 2020, the Chipstone journal, delayed by COVID-19, arrived in spring 2022 (American Furniture 2021 was promised for July). Whenever it arrives, for 28 years this journal has given hours of pleasure to those who enjoy reading about the art of the woodworking trades.
The 2020 volume is ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Tolland Antiques Show Date Change
After a three-year COVID-19 hiatus, the Tolland Antiques Show was scheduled to return April 2, 2023. Since this was announced, another antiques show in Connecticut announced its return and scheduled its date for April 1, 2023.
According to the show promoters John and Elizabeth DeSimone of Goosefare Antiques & Promotions, the ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Arader Donates $1.75 Million Botanical Watercolors to American Philosophical Society
Five rare botanical watercolors, valued at $1.75 million, are now part of the collections of the American Philosophical Society (APS). The watercolors were donated by Graham Arader and Lori Cohen. The plants illustrated by Jacques le Moyne de Morgues circa 1565 were included in one of the earliest collections of ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Bringing Art to the People
Visitors to Scarborough Beach State Park in Scarborough, Maine, will find a sandy beach, a cresting Atlantic Ocean, and wildlife. They will also see a reproduction of Antonio Jacobsen’s 1891 oil on canvas portrait, 24½" x 38", of the ill-fated steamboat The Portland.
The Portland isn’t the only picture at Scarborough ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Bodrero’s Polo Players
In the case of the many weathervane designs of Wilhelm Hunt Diederich (1884-1953) floating around, not all that glitters is gold. For almost 50 years, a particular weathervane of two polo players engaged in a spirited chase has been exhibited, sold, and editorialized about. Spoiler alert: it’s not by Diederich.
... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Amelia Jeffers Returns to the Auction Podium
Be it producing Sophisticated Living, a glossy magazine touting Ohio’s elegant lifestyle; helping clients find their dream home as a Realtor; or pulling together and—with gavel in hand—conducting auctions of antiques or luxury items, Amelia Jeffers of Columbus, Ohio, is one busy woman.
Although she enjoys the many hats she wears, ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Exhibitions, September 2022
Jules Chéret, Bal du Moulin Rouge, 1889, color lithograph, 48 7/8" x 34¾" (sheet size). The James and Susee Wiechmann Collection, M2021.60. Photo by John R. Glembin.
—Through October 16 —Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Known as the father of the poster, Jules Chéret (French, 1836-1932) caused a sensation when he brought colorful, large-scale advertisements ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Bomb Squad Handles Antique Explosive Device
On July 7 at approximately 9:10 p.m. troopers Scott Irish and Steve Sicard from the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad responded to a home on Charlene Drive in Mansfield after a suspicious object was found by family members at the residence.
When they arrived they visually examined the object, which had ... (Read More)
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(Auction)A Throwback Sale
Farrin’s Country Auctions, Randolph, Maine
On June 29 Rusty Farrin of Farrin’s Country Auctions held a small Americana auction in his comfortable facility in Randolph, Maine. It was an old-fashioned auction in every sense of the word—no Internet bidding, no list or catalog, no prescribed order of lots, no video screens, ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Glass, Transferware, and Portraiture Lead at Americana Sales
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates, Mt. Crawford, Virginia
Photos courtesy Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates held a series of three Americana auctions June 23-25 at its gallery in Mt. Crawford, Virginia. The sales offered more than 1200 lots, divided between a single-day sale of 18th- and 19th-century ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Sale of G.W. “Bill” Samaha’s Collection
CRN Auctions, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy CRN Auctions
“Barnburner” leapt to mind as the second part of the collection of G.W. “Bill” Samaha Jr. was auctioned June 19 at CRN Auctions in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The sale fetched just shy of $2.5 million. Bidders really wanted objects from the collection of the universally ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Summer Shaker Sale
Willis Henry Auctions, Duxbury, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Willis Henry Auctions
It had been three years since Willis Henry Auctions’ last Shaker auction, and collectors, dealers, and auction house staff were buoyant to see one other when they met June 18. The chance to acquire one or more of the Shaker works up ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Eldred’s Single-Owner Jewelry Auction
Antique Jewelry & Gemology
Photos courtesy Eldred’s
All 301 lots in Eldred’s June 15 single-owner jewelry auction in East Dennis, Massachusetts, had no reserve, and all were sold. I got the lowdown from Cheryl Stewart, head of marketing and catalog production, after the sale. “We were really thrilled with the results, and ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Sale of Historical Americana
Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas
Photos courtesy Heritage Auctions
An extraordinary remnant of Colonial American history fetched the highest price at Heritage Auctions’ June 11 and 12 sale of Americana and political memorabilia, which was highlighted by items dating back to the earliest period in the country’s history. The auction resulted in total ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Blue is the Color of Southern Furniture at Winstead’s Sale
Winstead’s Auction, Yanceyville, North Carolina
Photos courtesy Winstead’s Auction
Catherine and Marvin Winstead needed three full days (June 10-12) to disperse the antiques acquired by George Robert “Bob” Jean Jr. (1940-2019). Bob and his wife, Bernice Johnson Jean (1947-2021), owned Staunton River Antiques in Brookneal, Virginia. The shop was open by chance ... (Read More)
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(Auction)On the Way Back to Normality: Leland Little’s Signature Sale
Leland Little Auctions, Hillsborough, North Carolina
Photos courtesy Leland Little Auctions
On June 11 auctioneer Leland Little welcomed 20 potential bidders to his first in-person sale in 27 months. He broke out the sparkling wine two hours into his 283-lot Signature sale. Little and the audience celebrated not only the return to ... (Read More)
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(Show)Second Annual MADA Spring Antiques Show
Topsham, Maine
Thirty dealers who are members of the Maine Antiques Dealers Association (MADA) set up at the second annual MADA Spring Antiques Show at the fairgrounds in Topsham, Maine, Saturday, June 11. The show is an easy one for dealers to do. It’s inexpensive—booth rent is only $125—and it’s just ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Tiffany from the Garden Museum
Christie’s, New York City
Photos courtesy Christie’s
Christie’s offered 44 lots of Tiffany Studios lamps, vases, windows, furniture, tools, ledgers, and fine art by Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) in a dedicated live auction the afternoon of June 10 during the house’s week of design auctions.
The sale, titled “Tiffany Masterworks from the Garden ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Coffees’ Americana Auction
Cultivate Collectors’ Services, Columbus, Ohio
Photos courtesy Cultivate Collectors’ Services
When the family of longtime buyers at Garth’s Auctions approached Amelia Jeffers early this year to create a legacy appraisal, she was all in. “Roy and Jo Ann Coffee of Ashley, Ohio, which is just outside of Delaware, were wonderful collectors and ... (Read More)
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(Show)Heartland Antiques Show
Richmond, Indiana
When the Heartland Antiques Show opened on the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Richmond, Indiana, June 4, there was something unexpected outside the Tom Raper Center. As the crowd formed in front of that venue, in a line stretching down the sidewalk and across the drive, those gathered faced massive ... (Read More)
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(Show)Primitives Show Moves into the Mid-Atlantic
Early Settlers Antique Show, Frederick, Maryland
The one-day Early Settlers Antique Show was held at the Frederick Fairgrounds in Frederick, Maryland, June 4. This was the second installment of what is envisioned as an annual destination event, tentatively scheduled to repeat the first Saturday of June each year. The show is ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 2022 Penn Dry Goods Market
Pennsburg, Pennsylvania
Since 2013 the Penn Dry Goods Market at the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, has been the place where the textile cognoscenti have convened. They come to shop at a show offering all kinds of textiles, quilts, coverlets, samplers, lace, rugs, vintage clothing including shoes, sewing ... (Read More)
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(Show)Alice in Wonderland and Dorothy in Oz
Antiques at Rhinebeck, Rhinebeck, New York
If I were to ask you what antiques show you have visited the most in all your collecting adventures, what would you say? I would reply the twice-a-year Rhinebeck, New York, event, currently under Frank Gaglio’s Barn Star Productions team.
For how long? About 30-plus years.
Why? ... (Read More)
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(Show)Holiday Show Is Festive Any Time of Year
Midwest Holiday Antique Show, Canfield, Ohio
Holidays might roll around once a year, but if you are a collector of festive items, every day is Christmas or Easter or Halloween. Nowhere was this more evident than the Midwest Holiday Antique Show held at the Canfield Event Center in Canfield, Ohio, May ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Private Collection of William Reese
Christie’s, New York City
Photos courtesy Christie’s Friends and colleagues called William “Bill” Reese (1955-2018) the foremost dealer-scholar of antiquarian books of his generation. He founded the William Reese Company in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1975 and left an indelible impact on the book trade and on the nation’s institutional ... (Read More)
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(Auction)American Art at Bonhams Skinner
Bonhams Skinner, Marlborough, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Bonhams Skinner
A Fairy Tale by Samuel Isham (1855-1914), which the artist signed and dated 1901, achieved an auction record price for the artist when it sold for $40,625 against the $4000/6000 estimate. The subject is a woman feeding a deer from a white dish decorated ... (Read More)
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(Show)Another Landmark Day at Fishersville
Fishersville Antiques Expo, Fishersville, Virginia
The 68th semiannual Fishersville Antiques Expo was held May 20 and 21 at the Augusta Expo Event Center in Fishersville, Virginia. The show continues its successful staging by Heritage Promotions of Lynchburg, Virginia, a firm co-owned by Ray and Martha Stokes and their daughter, Lesley Bartram.
Tom ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Americana Auction at Garth’s
Garth’s Auctioneers & Appraisers, Columbus, Ohio
Photos courtesy Garth’s Auctioneers & Appraisers
Wilhelm Schimmel (1817-1890) of Cumberland Valley, Pennsylvania, rooster in pine with original polychrome paint, 9" high, ex-Jess Pavey, $42,500 (est. $7500/15,000).
A carved and painted rooster by Wilhelm Schimmel (1817-1890) of Pennsylvania brought the top price during the Americana sale held ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Art Sales Lead to Hindman’s Most Successful Week Ever
Hindman Auctions, Chicago, Illinois
Photos courtesy Hindman Auctions
Weeks before three days of fine art sales held May 10-12 at Hindman Auctions in Chicago, the expectations of potential bidders were already at a fever pitch. Presale publicity from the Chicago auction house was rife with details, including that a prime Renoir from ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Furniture, Decorative Art, and Ceramics Auctions Total $1 Million
Toomey & Co., Oak Park, Illinois
Photos courtesy Toomey & Co.
Judging from recent sales, activity must be perking at Toomey & Co. We’re not saying that whiplash is involved, but here’s an example: following the notable white-glove sale April 27 of goods from Chicago private collector Ira Simon, the Oak Park, ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Tiffany Studios Poppy Lamp Brings $541,200
Tiffany Studios table lamp with a 20" conical leaded-glass shade in the Poppy motif and a rare base with 16 iridescent Favrile glass balls as supports for the telescoping stem. There are Tiffany stamps to both the shade and base. It sold for $541,200 (est. $350,000/450,000). According to Morphy Auctions, ... (Read More)
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