COMPLIMENTARY COPY
“American Weathervanes: The Art Of The Winds” Rizzoli Electa, In Association With The American Folk Art Museum, Publish Exciting New Book
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2021 • VOL. 52, NO. 8
Roadside America: End Of An Era, Part II Renaissance Auction Group Liquidates Shartlesville, Pa., Landmark
A 48-by-96-inch oil or acrylic on board mural depicting Laurence and Paul Gieringer as children standing atop Mt. Penn in June 1903, looking out over Reading and the Summit Hotel in the background, sold for $3,215.
By Karl Pass
several other states. “Many items went to people who strongly identified with Roadside
“As an auctioneer, we love to have an estate and have five or six of the relatives show up and bid. Well, this was like having 500 or 600 relatives show up and bid,” stated Bill Howze after the online sale of Roadside America. A network of devoted people who wanted a piece of it stepped up, something the prices realized validates. “We had 1,300 registered bidders and 363 successful bidders. It exceeded expectations, and yet I knew it was going to be a stellar event,” said Howze. This 8.25-by-8.25-inch early Roadside America souWinning bidders were venir plate with Pennsylvania German polychrome from California, motifs of a couple in period dress, distlefinks, tulips, Washington, Nevada, Texas, hearts, and other floral design, in very good condition, Maine, Massachusetts, no chips, cracks, realized $1,888. Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, America,” said Howze. “I’d say Virginia, and Illinois, among about 70 percent went to buyers here in the Mid-Atlantic.” National travel magazines covered the destination in the 1950s and ’60s. And while the visitation ceased, and the decision to call it quits was finialized, a lot of nostagic collectors wanted something to own from the once popular iconic stop. Material sold from both Roadside America and the PA Dutch Gift Haus included more than the deconstructed handcrafted scale model Another 25.5 inch diameter hand-painted Welcome hex buildings, bridges, tracks, sign displayed from 1950s to 2010s, reading “Wilkum To and accessories. Painted Roadside America Shartlesville, PA”, blue, red and gold on scenic panels, signs, diswhite ground, good condition overall, some age related play cabinets, counters, weathering, sold for $1,917. Continued on page 2
“American Weathervanes: The Art of the Winds,” published to coincide with an exhibition at the American Folk Art Museum, reveals the beauty, historical significance, and technical virtuosity of American vanes fashioned between the late 17th and early 20th centuries. This American art form has long been an enduring part of the country’s skylines. Early church steeples were graced with weathercocks, following a European tradition that dates to the Middle Ages. America’s first documented vane maker, metalsmith Shem Drowne of Boston, Mass., crafted a number of surviv-
“American Weathervanes: The Art of the Winds” by Robert Shaw is courtesy Rizzoli Electa in association with The American Folk Art Museum, 2021.
The Touring Car and Driver weathervane by W. A. Snow Iron Works, Boston, Mass., ca. 1910, is molded copper with traces of gilt, from bottom of wheels measures 18 inches high and 33 inches in length, in the collection of Susan and Jerry Lauren, photograph by Adam Reich.
ing vanes, including the iconic golden grasshopper that has topped the city’s Faneuil Hall since 1742. Farmers, blacksmiths, and other craftsmen proudly fashioned roosters, cows, horses, and other forms for country barns, and as the tradition and public demand expanded over the course of the 19th century, so did the diversity of forms, which grew to fill the mail order catalogs
Quality Brings Results At Nearly $2 Million Sale on page 3
Continued on page 2
Iowa City Postcard/Stamp/Paper Show Planned For April 9 And 10 16th Annual Event To Be Held At Johnson County 4-H Fairgrounds Herb and Mary Staub are happy to announce the Iowa City Postcard/Stamp/Paper Show will be held at the Johnson County 4-H Fairgrounds at 4261 Oak Crest Hill Road NE, Iowa City, Iowa, on Friday and Saturday, April 9 and 10. The fairgrounds are located a quarter mile east of the airport exit off U.S. 218, south of the I-80/I-380 interchange. Iowa’s Premier Postcard Show is marking its 16th year. Hours will be from noon to 6 p.m. on day one and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on day two. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the 15th annual show in 2020 was cancelled. This year, precautions and protocols will be used. Several new dealers will be exhibiting.
AAN Current News
Roan’s Holds Big Two-Day Sale on page 4
Longtime Winterthur Leaders Honored With Emeriti Status on page 6
Among returning dealers are Kevin Lunn of Jewell, Iowa, selling U.S. and foreign stamps and coins. The show promoters expect 10 to 12 dealers with 50 to 60 tables of postcards/photos/stamps/paper goods and other collectibles. The 2019 Iowa City Show had 16 dealers set up with over 60 tables. In addition to the regional customers that have become a standard, there are buyers from other parts of the country who attend this event. Ralph Bowman of The Paper Gallery, Valley Center, Calif.; Allen Cottrell of Crows Nest Postcards in Boise, Idaho; and Susan Brown Nickolson of Chicago, Ill., are regulars. This show has free admission, and parking is free. Many of the dealers do not exhibit at any other show. The building is handicapped accessible and well lit. For further information, call Herb Staub at 319-400-6498 or email herbiniowa@mchsi.com.
First Auction Of Artists Of The WPA At Swann Establishes Four Records on page 7
In This Issue SHOPS, SHOWS & MARKETS . . . . . . . . . . starting on page 3 SHOPS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . on page 5 EVENT & AUCTION CALENDAR . on page 5 AUCTIONEER DIRECTORY . . . . . on page 5
FEATURE RESULTS: Pook & Pook - Jan. 28 & 29 Auction - Page 3
AUCTION SALE BILLS . . . starting on page 6 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . on page 7