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Locati Holds Two Online Sales To Close Out 2019 Calendar Year Antique German Christmas Ornaments Excel
FRIDAY JANUARY 31, 2020 • VOL. 51, NO. 5
Horst Begins New Year With Bullish Sale Results Tintype Photo Of Joseph Lehn Goes For $4,800
The small yellow painted wooden box attributed to Jonas Weber, ca. 1835-55, with tin hasp, sold for $19,500.
By Karl Pass “If you want to collect antiques, buy what you like, what you enjoy, and want to live with,” stated historian, collector, and author Clarence Spohn following Horst Auction Center’s two-day catalog sale. Clarence and wife, Marcia, of Lititz, Pa., consigned a large portion of their collections to the sale. “Don’t look at each item individually; look at the overall sale as a whole. I’m very happy with the outcome. Horst did a nice job, and I’m not just saying that because I worked there. We considered other possibilities,” furthered Spohn. Two other main consignments also made up the sale, those of Dr. Steven Homyack and Joseph and Elizabeth Statler. The Jan. 10 and 11 sale consisting of 742 lots grossed $261,465. Horst does not charge a buyer’s premium to in-house bidders. There is a 10-percent premium for online and absentee bids. “Sara Musselman used to tell me, ‘There comes a time to pass these things on,’” mentioned Spohn, who recently moved into slightly smaller quarters. Musselman is a name anyone in Ephrata and familiar with antiques is aware of. The family were legendary dealers in northern Lancaster County.
If anyone nodded off for a few minutes during the sale, they were awoken when this Pennsylvania German wooden carved sewing clamp came across the block. With initials “F.P.W.,” the very early relief carved work with wrought-iron clamp and screw sold for $9,800.
Locati LLC of Maple Glen, Pa., presented two December onlineonly auctions that garnered strong results. The firm typically holds one sale a month. The first took place from Dec. 2 to 16 and included vintage estate jewelry, fine 19th-century gilt bronze French clocks, Boehm bird These two German cat Christmas ornaments brought $900. figures, fine art, sterling silver and more. Also featured was a single-owner collection of turn-of-the20th century German Christmas ornaments. “The wonderful group of ornaments came in from a woman who attended one of our Saturday morning appraisals,” said Michael Locati. “The ornaments did very well, and we had many collectors travel from hours These Centennial Exposition stereoviews, guides, and away to preview the sale.” brochures sold for $1,100. Among the highlights were a lot of four German paper Christmas ornaments, which sold for $1,400. A pair of Burmese monk figures went
A hand modeled redware standing dog on oval base, likely Pennsylvania origin, ca. 1860, with some restoration, sold to the trade for $1,300. It brought $715 on May 14, 2005, at Conestoga’s sale for Richard and Rosemarie Machmer. Among the stars of the auction was a tintype photograph in a daguerreotype case of folk artist Joseph Lehn (1798-1892) once belonging to Josephine Hilton, the great granddaughter of Lehn, selling for $4,800. The buyer was Carolyn Wenger, the curator at the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society. Lehn is known for his paint-decorated wooden ware, often termed “Lehnware.” He had a 20-acre farm on Clay/Lititz Road in Elizabeth Township, by the border with Clay, and attended nearby Hammer Creek Mennonite Church. This is in northern Lancaster County, very close to Horst Auction Center. Josephine Hilton had a large collection of lehnware, the photograph and Lehn’s account/day book. Downsizing, she consigned these things to Horst, and they were sold Dec. 5 and 6, 1997. Clarence and Marcia Spohn bought the photograph at that sale for $1,100. The account book dating from 1856-76 sold to the Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley, which published it in 1999 (Vol. XXIV). The highly specialized market for early printed broadsides is strong. A rare New Year’s greeting broadside, ca. 1822, printed by Continued on page 2
for $1,200, and an Art Deco diamond and sapphire cocktail ring sold for $2,300. Continued on page 3
AAN Current News
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Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Appoints Cliff Fleet President And CEO The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has appointed Cliff Fleet, current president and CEO of 22nd Century Group, business professor at William & Mary, and former president and CEO of Philip Morris USA, to serve as its ninth president and CEO effective Jan. 1. Fleet has strong ties to the Williamsburg community. He has served as president of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation since 2014 and as a board member since 2009. He also serves as vice chair for development strategy on the board of trustees of the William & Mary Foundation. Fleet earned a bachelor’s degree in history and religion and graduate degrees in history, business administration and law from William & Mary. “Cliff brings a lifelong passion for Colonial Williamsburg’s mission and its importance to the national debate about America’s revolutionary principles. That, combined with his demonstrated leadership and business success, makes him uniquely qualified to build on Colonial Williamsburg’s reputation as a leading voice in the story of America’s beginning,” said Thurston R. Moore, chairman of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Board of Trustees. Fleet joins Colonial Williamsburg as the 93-year-old institution seeks to connect modern society with the men and women of the 18th century who committed themselves and their lives to the idea of freedom. He
Rare Cassin’s Grape Brandy Bitters Bottle, Bluish-Teal, Soars To $155,000 In Part One Of Ken Fee Collection Sale on page 7
will elevate the foundation’s mission to share America’s enduring story with new and diverse audiences while improving its financial health through philanthropy, visitation and commercial profitability. “I am honored to accept the position of president and CEO of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. I have long admired its leadership role in the commonwealth and across America as it educates all of us on our nation’s founding principles,” said Fleet. “Colonial Williamsburg’s future is bright, with compelling opportunities to pursue our core educational mission and expand our reach as we lead up to the nation’s 250th anniversary and the foundation’s centennial in 2026,” added Continued on page 5
The Met Announces Celebrations For Its 150th Anniversary Year In 2020 on page 10
In This Issue SHOPS, SHOWS & MARKETS . . . . . . . . . . starting on page 3 SHOPS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . on page 4 EVENT & AUCTION CALENDAR . on page 6 AUCTION SALE BILLS . . . starting on page 6
FEATURED AUCTION RESULTS: American Bottle Auctions #67 - Page 7
AUCTIONEER DIRECTORY . . . . . on page 8 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . on page 11