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Barnes Foundation Presents “Elijah Pierce’s America” Major Retrospective Featuring Rarely Seen Works By A Virtuoso Woodcarver FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 • VOL. 51, NO. 38
Soulis To Hold No-Reserve Auction Of Exceptional 30-Year Jerry And Cathy Mueller Americana Collection Sept. 19 Sale Features 65 Weathervanes, Painted American Furniture And Accessories, Figural Trade Signs, And Patriotic Antiques A premier collection of Americana amassed over a 30-year period by Jerry and Cathy Mueller of Sioux City, Iowa, will be offered without reserve on Saturday, Sept. 19, in an outdoor country-style live auction event hosted by Soulis Auctions. All mandated health precautions will be observed, including the wearing of masks and social distancing. Limited tent seating and “drive-in” bidding spaces will be available to those who attend in person. Remote bidding options include absentee, phone or live online through a choice of three online platforms. “The late Jerry Mueller was already an enthusiastic collector networking with prominent dealers by the time he and Cathy got together. It became a shared interest for them and resulted in what I would describe as a small but mighty collection,” said Soulis Auctions’
windmill weights, barber poles, and an array of trade signs for optometrists, druggists, bootmakers, jewelers and watchmakers. The auction will open with a ca. 1880s tobacconist figure of a Native-American princess attributed to master carver Samuel Robb. This 19th-century tobacconist figure of Native-American princess, 69 inches high, carved and gessoed pine, attributed to Samuel Robb, will be estimated at $8,000-$12,000.
Although not signed, the 69-inch gessoed pine figure exhibits all of the characteristics typically associated with Robb. It is completely original and retains a considerable amount of its original paint. “Even the few touch-ups on it are old,” noted Soulis. Weathervanes comprise one of the largest specialty groupThe fine ca. 1876 folk art ings in the Mueller colFederal Shield, scroll-cut lection. There are 50 wood panel covered in lightning-rod types, canvas and painted in 14 larger copper red, white and blue with vanes, and one five13 applied wood stars in foot-long sheet-iron original silver paint, will be horse silhouette vane that estimated at $1,000-$2,000. was removed from a owner/auctionMichigan barn, eer Dirk Soulis. which displays a “There are 250 charming folky lots of select style. A m e r i c a n A 19th-centuantiques that ry weathervane reflect decades depicting the of well-informed famous American buying and trotter “Black upgrading.” Hawk” (1833-56) The collecis a spirited intertion’s contents pretation attribspan many popuuted to J.W. Fiske, lar subcategories New York City. of Americana, Measuring 25.5 such as weatherinches long, its This excellent Shenandoah Valley vanes, painted design consists of (Va.) pie safe in old green/blue paint furniture, includ- with punched-tin panels in heart and a hollow copper ing cupboards tulip pattern on doors and sides will be body with a and punched-tin- estimated at $2,000-$4,000. sheet-copper mane panel pie safes, and tail. accessories such as pantry boxes and Leading the figural lightning rod Continued on page 2 firkins, gameboards, old figural
The Barnes Foundation will present “Elijah Pierce’s America,” a landmark exhibition featuring the rich and varied sculpture of woodcarver Elijah Pierce (1892–1984). On view in the Roberts Gallery from Sunday, Sept. 27, through Jan. 10, 2021, this is the first major retrospective of Pierce’s work to be presented outside his home city of Columbus, Ohio, for more than 25 years. Co-curated by Dr. Nancy Ireson, deputy director for Collections and Exhibitions and Gund Family Chief Curator at the Barnes, and Dr. Zoé Whitley, director of Chisenhale Gallery in London, “Elijah Pierce’s America” features more than 100 rarely seen works created between 1923 and 1979, including painted bas-reliefs and freestanding carvings. A self-taught artist, Pierce used materials like wood, corrugated cardboard, crepe paper, house paint, aluminum foil, glitter, and rhinestones, to create extraordinary objects that expressed his faith, values, and perspective on the world. His art reflects the complexities of life in 20th-century America. Born on a farm in Baldwyn, Miss., Pierce joined the Great
AAN Current News Elijah Pierce’s (American, 1892–1984) “Love” (Martin Luther King Jr.), date unknown, paint, glitter, and varnish on wood, 19-by-16 inches, is from the collection of Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz and a promised gift to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Migration and settled in Columbus, Ohio, in 1924. After years spent working as a barber and preacher, in 1954 he opened his own barbershop, which became a social hub and functioned as his studio. Pierce created a unique body of work over the course of 50 years, producing
Shop The Best Of New England From Home: Antiques Dealers’ Association/Historic Deerfield Show Goes Online on page 5
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Michael Jordan 1986 Rookie Card Sells For World Record $420,000
Boxed Machine Man Robot And Civil War-Era Freedman’s Bank To Lead Strong Toy Auction Lineup on page 6
Card Sold At Heritage Auctions More Than Four Times The Previous Record Set Earlier This Summer A 1986 Michael Jordan rookie trading card set a world record on Aug. 30 when it sold for $420,000 at a public auction of sports memorabilia held by Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas. That smashes the previous record set just a couple months ago in May, when Heritage sold a 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan No. 57 PSA Gem Mint 10 for $96,000. The Jordan rookie that sold on Aug. 30 during the Summer Platinum Night Sports Collectibles event is the lone 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan No. 57 graded a Pristine 10 by SGC. The Gold Label card just became the gold standard. “The Michael Jordan rookie card came to us ungraded, and we knew it was special from the very first moment we saw its condition,” said Chris Ivy, Heritage’s director of Sports Auctions. “The SGC Pristine 10 Gold Label grade represents the best of the best, and that was reflected by the world-record price.” No doubt the endless streaming
of the documentary series “The Last Dance” continues to impact Jordan’s popularity and collectability, and if ever one needed proof that 2020 was, among many other things, the Year of MJ, look no further. In April, best-ever Jordan rookie cards were setting records merely by surpassing the $50,000 mark. A coveted card has become a golden ticket for some collectors. That was evident throughout the first night (and early morning) of this recent two-day special sale. A complete 132-card 1986 Fleer Basketball Cards complete set, each card graded PSA Gem Mint 10, sold for $186,000, far higher than the preauction $120,000 estimate. And a 1986-87 Fleer Basketball Wax Box with 36 original unopened packs, possibly including the sought-after MJ card, sold for $105,000. Jordan might have retired in 2003, but that hasn’t stopped him from racking up more titles in 2020. To learn more, www.HA.com.
Printed And Manuscript Americana At Swann Set For Sept. 24 on page 8
Renningers To Hold Antiques Extravaganza Shows In Kutztown And Adamstown on page 11
In This Issue SHOPS, SHOWS & MARKETS . . . . . . . . . . starting on page 3 SHOPS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . on page 4 EVENT & AUCTION CALENDAR . on page 5 AUCTION SALE BILLS . . . starting on page 6
FEATURED AUCTION: Morphy’s Auction - September 23 and 24 in Denver, Pennsylvania - Page 6
AUCTIONEER DIRECTORY . . . . . on page 5 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . on page 11