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A Fine Chinese Vase Leads Locati’s Sale, Bringing $21,000 Pennsylvania Online Auction House Puts Together Monthly Sales FRIDAY JANUARY 22, 2021 • VOL. 52, NO. 3
Harry Wilder Estate In Elverson, Pa., Sold
Locati LLC of Maple Glen, Pa., presented its October online auction from Oct. 5 to Oct. 19 and its November online auction from Nov. 2 to 16. Every month, Locati LLC offers an eclectic assortment of antique furniture, fine art, silver, coins, jewelry, Asian art, and much more. Most of the lots come from estates and private collections.
Real Estate Changed Hands For $700,000 By Karl Pass On Dec. 5, onsite in Elverson, Pa., John Hess of the Hess Auction Group sold Harry Wilder’s estate. Wilder (1932-2020) was an antiques dealer in nearby Black Angus for several decades. Unlike many who left the co-op, some forced out of the trade due to market conditions, Wilder maintained a booth there up until his untimely passing several months ago due to COVID. He also had a shop in the old stone Knauer mill on his property. The mill, listed on the National A Keith Collis (1929-2020) painted and Register of Historic Places, his carved Virginville carver style bird on stand stone farm house, a barn, and sold to a collector for $160. stone mill keepers house, bidders using Live 31.6 acres in total, Auctioneers, an sold for $700,000 at 18-percent preminoon on auction um. Prices reportday. ed are hammer Wilder’s first prices and do not career was that of a include buyer’s chemical research premium. engineer. A kind, With the trade well-liked man, having no shortage Wilder is greatly of challenges, missed by family including limited and friends. He avenues to sell specialized in given many shows antique decoys, have not taken many of which were place, many dealMason Factory ers are cautious decoys. Guyette & investing capital in Deeter, a decoy inventory right speciality auction now. For colleccompany based in tors, many are St. Michaels, Md., holding onto dissold roughly 100 of posable income Wilder’s top decoys given uncertain job on Nov. 20 and 21. situations and Hess had a general economic large tent set up in uneasiness. The a field situated on overall market has the property, a contracted. With property suited to these factors, one hosting an auction. Successful onsite An antique wooden carved bear with can put forth an bidders were milk glass globe, “Cigars and Snuff,” argument that it is charged a 10-per- from a New Hampshire country store, a precarious time to sell. What cent buyer’s premi- brought $2,200. occured at the um, and online Wilder estate was just a buyer’s market opportunity. If you were furnishing an old farm house with respectable middle market furniture, this was your sale. Prices realized were very favorable to the entry level buyer. One positive spin on the state of the market is that the low to midThe large oil-on-canvas painting, “J.D. Sorver 1888,” level buyer that was of chickens, sold for $1,900. Continued on page 2
An American Chippendale ribbon back side chair sold for $3,500.
Of special interest in the October sale was an R. Lalique vase in the Formose pattern that sold for $1,100, four pieces of Murano glass that brought $750, a 14-carat Vacheron & Constantin gold pocket The antique Chinese watch selling Famille Verte vase realfor $1,100, and ized $21,000. a 19th-century Tiffany & Co. Sterling mug that sold for $2,200. In the November sale, a strand of pearls with a large sapphire went for $2,100, an Art Deco period bronze head of a Native American by Georges Garreau sold for $1,300, and a lot of two silver items by William Spratling brought $900. “The highest lot was a fine Chinese Famille verte vase that once belonged to the J.P. Morgan
AAN Current News
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Cowan’s American Historical Ephemera And Photography Auction Excels Quality Early Photography, Manuscript Archives Prove To Be In High Demand Cowan’s A m e r i c a n Historical Ephemera and Photography auction surpassed expectations, achieving a sales total of $701,849 against a presale estimate of $409,700$615,750. The Nov. 19 auction also saw 93 percent of the auction’s 414 lots A 1903 letter written and signed by William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody sell, with nearly describing the battle of Warbonnet Creek and the killing of Cheyenne a third selling Chief Yellow Hand (est. $12,000-$16,000) realized $13,125. above their presale estimates. “I am proud of all that the team archive featured over 300 items at Cowan’s and Hindman have detailing Indian Wars campaigns, accomplished in a year filled with including his interactions with so many unique challenges,” said Sitting Bull and Chief Joseph. The Katie Horstman, senior specialist of archive was consigned by a direct American Historical Ephemera and descendant of Miles, increasing its Photography. “This was the highest appeal and drawing a great deal of sell-through rate for a various- attention from prominent book and owner sale in my 13-year career; manuscript dealers from across the this is a great time to sell at country. Ultimately, the archive sold to a private collector for auction.” The top lot of the day was an $87,500 against an estimate of extensive archive of Medal of Honor $30,000-$50,000. Another archive of note from winner and Civil War hero Lt. Continued on page 6 General Nelson A. Miles. The Miles
Tiffany Lamps And Amphora Powered Morphy’s Glittering $4.3 Million Holiday Auction on page 3
Rare “Pokemon” Black Star Trading Card, One Of About 60 Made, Brings $50,600 on page 5
In This Issue SHOPS, SHOWS & MARKETS . . . . . . . . . . starting on page 3 SHOPS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . on page 4 EVENT & AUCTION CALENDAR . on page 4 AUCTION SALE BILLS . . . starting on page 5 AUCTIONEER DIRECTORY . . . . . on page 5
FEATURED RESULTS: Morphy’s Fine And Decorative Arts Auction - Page 3
CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . on page 7