COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Auction Record Set For Abner Zook Diorama At Witman Auction Large Scene Of Conestoga Wagon Crossing Mountain Stream With Waterfalls Sells For $28,050 FRIDAY MARCH 16, 2018 • VOL. 49, NO. 11
Spring Antique Toy Auction Set For Pook & Pook Inc. With Noel Barrett Märklin Painted Tin Clockwork Musical Carousel Among Standout Lots In March 24 Auction
The military toy collection of Jose Chase, Portland, Ore., consists of 150 lots.
By Kaitlyn Julian On Saturday, March 24, Pook & Pook Inc. Auctioneers and Appraisers with Noel Barrett Antiques and Auctions Ltd. will host their fourth joint auction. Beginning at 10 a.m., the This scarce Märklin painted tin clockwork musical carousel, ca. 1910, retains its original cloth canopy with fringed tassel border.
backbone for this partnership. Similarly, Barrett’s smaller auction house benefits from Pook & Pook Inc.’s infrastructure and strong online and media presence. Continuing their proud tandem partnership, this year’s spring toy sale is certainly one that both companies can be proud of and is a great continuation of this collaboration. The sale will begin with a significant group of military figures from the collection of Jose Chase, a collector from Portland, Ore. Over 150 lots of painted composition wartime soldiers will cross the
session includes an array of military figures, clockwork toys, castiron vehicles, advertising signs, and a few other surprises. Years of hunting and dealing helped Noel Barrett build both a superior knowledge of his field and a loyal client base, things that made his eventual auction business a hot spot for collectors. Like Barrett, Ronald and Debra Pook started off as antique dealers and then started an auction firm, offer- The hand-propelled carved and painted horse velocipede, ca. 1870, ing some of the retaining the original blue and yellow surface, will be among 40 lots finest antique fur- of sleds, sleighs, scooters, and rockers from the collection of Lewis niture, fine art, and Sandra Little of Smithfield, Va. and decorative block, including Lineol and accessories on the market. Elastolin/Hausser brand Ron Pook is excited items. These lots include to continue to expand soldiers representing the Pook & Pook Inc.’s Revolutionary War, WWI scope to include more and WWII. The impressive speciality auctions of variety of military figures toys and related matewill include in-action solrial. A collaboration diers, seated soldiers, with Noel Barrett, whose those with gasmasks, decades of experience rifles, binoculars, as well as and reputation in the wounded men. Additional toy world are largely pieces will include other unmatched, provides the essential wartime characThis Hubley cast-iron and tin ferris ters such as nurses, dogs, wheel clockwork bank is a desirable musicians, and horses. version with cast-iron seats. Continued on page 4
Witman Auctioneers Inc. of Manheim, Pa., held a public auction on Feb. 17 at Encks Banquet and Conference Center in Manheim highlighted by setting a new auction record for an Abner Zook diorama. There were 183 registered bidders in attendance. The large Abner Zook threedimensional painting/diorama of a six-horse team pulling a Conestoga Wagon crossing a stream with waterfalls and mountains in the background sold for $28,050 to a private collector. Witman has developed a name for selling Zook artwork, and the market clearly has strength. The late Abner Zook (19212010) was from Newmanstown, Pa. His twin brother, Aaron, also created elaborate three-dimensional
AAN Current News dioramas. For those that wish to see a large assortment of these, visit the Shady Maple Smorgasbord buffetstyle restaurant in East Earl, Pa. Witman sold an Aaron Zook covered bridge and summer cottage scene for $1,100. Also in the sale was a watercolor ledger, which brought $660; a Towle flatware set, $660; a cast-iron mechanical bank, $616; a Goff’s two-drawer spool cabinet, $412; an oak three-door ice box, $358; and a leaded stain glass window, $231. For more information, readers may call 717-665-5735 or visit www.witmanauctioneers.com.
Sculptural Meteorites Defy Gravity At Christie’s 70-Pound Meteorite From Meteor Crater, Arizona, Fetches A Record $237,500 Science and natural history are growing categories in the marketplace. Meteorite prices skyrocketed at Christie’s recent online sale, “Deep Impact: Martian, Lunar and Other Rare Meteorites,” held from Feb. 7 to 14. Of the 44 lots available, 82 percent of the lots sold, and more than a dozen sold for more than their high estimate. The star of the sale was a meteorite from Meteor Crater, Ariz. Nearly 50,000 years ago it was part of a small asteroid that plowed into the Arizona desert with the force of more than 100 atomic bombs, creating the most famous and bestpreserved meteorite crater on Earth. Evocative of a Henry Moore sculpture, this 70-pound meteorite from the Macovich collection was estimated to sell for $150,000$250,000, and sold for $237,500. “While the world’s fascination with meteorites is roaring, the market for sculptural iron meteorites has exploded, and rightly so. Less than two percent of all meteorites are of the iron variety, and less than five percent of those are aesthetic and deservedly regarded as natural sculpture from outer space,” said
Hake’s To Offer Unprecedented Selection Of Pop Culture, Rare Comics, And Historical And Entertainment Memorabilia on page 2
Roosevelt House Acquires Arthur Schlesinger Jr. Collection Of Books On Presidential History on page 14
Models Of Classic 1950s British Saloons From Bradscars on page 16
Macovich curator Darryl Pitt. Estimated to sell for $10,000$15,000, an unusual, highly textured iron meteorite from Russia, whose appearance has more in common with a monolithic modern sculpture than a meteorite, went for $81,250. A captivating three-pound totemlike iron meteorite estimated to sell for $1,000-$1,500 sold for $10,625. A half-pound specimen of the planet Mars sold for $47,500, and, not to be outdone, a meteorite with extraterrestrial gemstones estimated at $1,200-$1,800 went for $5,250. The future of meteorites is bright. “The meteorite market is in its nascent stage,” said Pitt. “Highly aesthetic meteorites are penetrating the art market and will soon be selling for an order of magnitude more than what was seen today.” To learn more, readers may visit www.christies.com.
Michener Art Museum To Present Innovative Sculpture Exhibition on page 18
In This Issue SHOPS, SHOWS & MARKETS . . . . . . . . . . starting on page 3 SHOPS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . on page 5 EVENT & AUCTION CALENDAR . on page 7 AUCTION SALE BILLS . . . starting on page 7
FEATURED AUCTION: Jeffrey S. Evans and Associates - March 23 and 24 in Mt. Crawford, Virginia - Page 6
AUCTIONEER DIRECTORY . . . . . on page 8 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . on page 19