- MT. CRAWFORD, VA, May 22, 2021 —- The Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates May 21-22 Auctions was a landmark event and produced robust prices – along with a few surprises – in multiple categories. The two-day format consisted of 1,099 lots of high-quality material, with Day One dedicated to glass and lighting, and Day Two dedicated to the Americana Collection of Nick Routson, Phoenix, Arizona. Bidding was intense throughout each day with thousands of registered bidders participating by phone and online in competition with a socially distanced gallery crowd eager to acquire something rare and desirable.
Session I on Friday featured a wide selection of 18th & 19th century glass and lighting, comprising free-blown, pattern-molded, and pillar-molded wares; Bakewell and other early cut; colored pressed flint glass; whale oil, fluid, and early kerosene lighting; pressed lacy including salts and cup plates; other open salts; flint EAPG; flasks; and bottles. The 625-lot session included consignments from Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, and produced consistently strong prices throughout the day. Top lot for Friday, one of several solid results over the weekend, was a rare Pittsburgh free-blown and engraved celery glass. The finely-detailed object, attributed to the glass firm of Bakewell, Page & Bakewell went to a private collector on the phone at $4,095 (Lot 1027 – all prices include 17% buyer’s premium). Other noteworthy results from Session I included a Pressed Lacy Gothic Arch and Heart covered dish with original tray at $3,159 (Lot 1309); a blown-molded GII-19 whale oil / fluid peg lamp at $2,574 (Lot 1136); and a Thomas Cains free-blown and pressed stand lamp at $2,574 (Lot 1204).
Session II on Saturday showcased part one of the Americana Collection of Nick Routson, Phoenix, Arizona. The centerpiece of Mr. Routson’s collection was English Staffordshire transfer-printed wares, featuring American views or subject matter. After four decades of amassing hundreds of pieces, including some of the rarest American Historical patterns and forms, Mr. Routson assembled one of the preeminent collections of transfer-printed historical Staffordshire in the United States. Saturday’s offerings in the single-owner Routson sale consisted of 18th & 19th century American and British needlework, early American furniture, folk art, quilts and coverlets, Shaker boxes, hooked rugs, and burls bowls. Top lot for the 474-lot session, and highest price for the weekend, was a Staffordshire transfer-printed Medallion Portrait Series platter, featuring bust portraits of Washington, Lafayette, Clinton, and Jefferson above a landscape of the Oatlands in Surrey with an Erie Canal inset vignette below, a combination of imagery that is thought to be unique. The rare platter was chased by phone and floor bidders before hammering to a private collector online at $18,720 (Lot 257). Other noteworthy results from Session II included a vibrant English five-color rainbow pattern spatterware bowl and pitcher at $11,115 (Lot 175); a rare Staffordshire transfer-printed covered soup tureen featuring views of the Pennsylvania Hospital, Brooklyn Ferry, and the Battle of Bunker Hill at $11,115 (Lot 260); an English Orphanage needlework sampler, the biggest surprise of the weekend, at $11,115 (Lot 20); and a New England painted maple chest on chest at $7,605 (Lot 94). Part Two of the Routson Collection, featuring spatterware and historical transferware, will take place November 15, 2021.
After the sale, company president and principal auctioneer, Jeffrey S. Evans, commented, “We were very pleased with the strong results in this auction. A key part of that success was the high quality of the material offered. It was an honor to work with the Routson Collection, and we certainly hope to continue to attract more like consignments as they come to market.” Evans added, “Our July 2-3, 2021 Americana auction will feature several important collections of early ceramics, folk art, painted furniture, Native American, historical objects, and other fine material from across the country, and we have a number of stellar collections in multiple collecting categories to showcase in the fall, so we are looking forward to an exciting year ahead of us.”
The firm is currently accepting consignments for upcoming auctions. Please email consign@jeffreysevans.com for a complimentary evaluation of your property. For complete auction results, a schedule of upcoming sales, or more information, visit jeffreysevans.com, email info@jeffreysevans.com, or call 540.434.3939.
Photo Captions
Photo 1: English Staffordshire Medallion Portrait series platter, Lot 257, $18,720.
Photo 2: Spatterware five-color rainbow pattern bowl and pitcher, Lot 175, $11,115.
Photo 3: English Staffordshire American view soup tureen with cover, Lot 260, $11,115.
Photo 4: English orphanage needlework sampler, Lot 20, $11,115.
Photo 5: New England painted maple chest on chest, Lot 94, $7,605.