MT. CRAWFORD, VA, June 25, 2024 —- The Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates June 19-22 Premier Americana Auction was an exciting event and produced robust prices in multiple categories, along with a few noteworthy surprises. The four-day format consisted of just over 2,200 lots of high-quality material and generated very strong levels of participation for the firm, a solid indication of continued vigor in the diverse Americana marketplace. With a busy gallery on each day, competition was intense throughout each session with nearly 4,000 actual registered bidders participating online, by phone, in house, and through absentee.
Day One on Wednesday featured property from a New York, NY private collection; the Matthew T. Hardesty Collection; the Jim and Sandra Hirzel Collection, Reynoldsburg, OH; the collection of Julia Rowe, Alexandria, VA; an Ohio private collection; items deaccessioned by the Bennington Museum, Bennington, VT; the Thomas Jefferson Foundation; and Wilton House Museum, Richmond, VA, to benefit collections care, preservations, and future acquisitions; plus others. The day’s offerings included a good selection of free-blown and mold-blown wares; bottles and flasks; utilitarian wares, such as milk pans and bowls; a collection of cup plates; rare colored vases and candlesticks; a fine selection of Sandwich pressed toy articles; plus more. Top lot for the day was an important GII-18 blown-molded diminutive pedestal candlestick. The rare form, probably made at the Boston & Sandwich Glass Co. around 1830, generated much pre-sale interest from private individuals and the trade, ultimately selling to a collector on the phone at $15,600 (Lot 92 – all prices include the 20% buyer’s premium). Other highlights from the day included an extremely rare pressed-lacy creamer, marked for R. B. Curling & Sons of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at $7,200 (Lot 228); a very rare Lancaster, New York blown glass pitcher at $5,700 (Lot 74); and an A. Bininger & Son, New York applied seal black glass wine / spirits bottle at $4,800 (Lot 47).
Day Two on Thursday featured property from the Larry DeCan estate; the Lee Winborne estate collection, Roanoke, VA; the collection of Julia Roe, Arlington, VA; as well as items deaccessioned by the Bennington Museum, Bennington, VT. The day’s offerings included banquet and other cut-overlay lighting, as well as astral, solar, and argand examples; plus an outstanding selection of primitive lighting, including lanterns, rush lights, wrought-iron, tin, and a good selection of early burners and chimneys; to be immediately followed by a selection of American silver, including a collection of Kentucky coin silver; a fine selection of textiles, including needlework, samplers, quilts, and coverlets; British and Continental ceramics, highlighted by a transferware collection featuring Indian Sporting Scenes and Arctic views. Top lot for the day was fine Philadelphia, Pennsylvania presentation-type needlework sampler in outstanding condition, which sparked strong pre-sale interest. Ultimately, it was a private collector bidding online who prevailed, pushing the final price to $11,400 (Lot 884). Other highlights from Day Two included a rare cut-overlay punty banquet stand lamp at $7,800 (Lot 525); an extremely rare late 18th-century Rockbridge Co., Shenandoah Valley of Virginia embroidered coverlet at $6,600 (Lot 857); and an important English Delft French and Indian War earthenware punch bowl at $6,600 (Lot 984).
Day Three on Saturday featured the single-owner collection of Katharine “Kitty Sue” Pease of Los Angeles, California. The Pease Collection included a fine selection of American folk carvings, including several cigar store trade figures and carousel-related material; textiles, including rare needlework and a large selection of quilts and coverlets; trade signs and an excellent selection of folk art, including rare fraktur-related drawings and several Bathing Beauty carvings; American furniture, including paint-decorated examples and several unique forms; a large selection of folk paintings, including several nautical scenes and a fine portrait of a boy attributed to William Matthew Prior; Native American material, including jewelry, baskets, and an excellent selection of beaded articles; early toys, doorstops, and other cast-iron; American scrimshaw; and a good selection of folk art canes and walking sticks. The Pease Collection was immediately followed by the outstanding spatterware collection of Julia Roe, Arlington, VA. Top lot of the day was a fine carved and painted Native American tobacco / cigar store trade figure, likely made in New York during the fourth quarter of the 19th century. The rare form captivated bidders, including a figure from the trade on the floor, who pushed the final price to $19,200 (Lot 1085). Other noteworthy results from Day Three included an important Pennsylvania Schwenkfelder fraktur-style folk art drawing at $18,000 (Lot 1121); a fine carved and painted ship’s figurehead / nautical figure at $15,300 (lot 1101); an outstanding American folk art portrait of a black cat at $12,000 (Lot 1130); and a rare British spatterware pineapple motif ceramic cup and saucer at $5,100 (lot 1399).
Day Four on Saturday featured property from the collection of Diane and Dr. Robert Marsh, Lawrenceville, GA; the estate of Mary R. Nagel, Nazareth, PA; the collection of Malcolm Bradley, Richmond, VA; the collection of Julie Roe, Arlington, VA; the Higgs-Chope Collection, Williamsburg, VA; the Lee Winborne estate collection, Roanoke, VA; as well as institutional deaccessions from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; the Thomas Jefferson Foundation; the Bennington Museum, Bennington, Vermont; the Wilton House Museum, Richmond, VA; plus others. The day’s offerings will include our usual fine selection of rare Virginia & other Southern material, including Shenandoah Valley stoneware and other folk pottery; trade signs and an excellent selection of folk art, including an outstanding Frank Finney bird tree; 18th & 19th century formal and country furniture, including several examples from Boston and Philadelphia, as well as important Virginia and Southern pieces; Native American material, including rugs and blankets; 19th and early 20th century photography and related material, highlighted by a collection of Doris Ullman photographs; American fine & decorative art, including several important examples of early Southern portraiture; country accessories, including baskets and treen; Civil War, firearms, and other historical material. Top lot for the day was an important Rockingham Co., Shenandoah Valley of Virginia cobalt-decorated salt-glazed stoneware sugar bowl. The rare form, made at the pottery of Andrew Coffman (1795-1853) around 1845, generated much pre-sale interest from private individuals and institutions, ultimately selling to a private collector on the floor at $34,500 (Lot 2004). Other highlights from the day included a fine Tidewater Virginia Chippendale walnut bottle case / cellaret at $22,800 (Lot 2285); a rare Baltimore or Annapolis, Maryland Federal inlaid mahogany valuables box at $20,400 (Lot 2322); and a rare John James Trumbull Arnold (1812-1865) portrait of Mary C. Barnes (b.1844) of Somerset, Co., Pennsylvania at $15,600 (Lot 2108).
After the auction, company president and principal auctioneer Jeffrey S. Evans commented, “This sale generated robust interest across the board, from bidders near and far. The caliber of the material offered across multiple categories was very appealing to a broad swath of collectors. The overall excitement and strong sales results reflect the freshness and high quality of the merchandise offered. Furthermore, the Pease Collection was a hit and drew in large numbers of new customers for us.” Evans added, “We have strong auctions lined up for the remainder of 2024, including Americana in August and November, both of which should be exciting sales.”
The firm is currently accepting consignments for upcoming auctions. For additional auction results, a schedule of upcoming sales, or more information, visit www.jeffreysevans.com, email info@jeffreysevans.com, or call 540.434.3939.