COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
VOL. 44, NO. 26 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
On-Site Breininger Sale Offers Berks County Finds By Karl Pass
C
onestoga Auction Company of Manheim, Pennsylvania, held a well-attended onsite sale for the Breininger family at their residence, just outside the rural Berks County town of Robesonia, on May 25. Locally, the twenty-room house, built in the late nineteenth-century, is known as Taylor Mansion. The original owner was George Taylor, an iron foundry magnate. If you’ve heard of the Breininger family, it is most likely because of its patriarch, the late Lester Breininger. A renowned antiques collector, local historian, teacher and potter, Breininger (1935-2011) was Here are two large round sandstone slip Used to grind clay for making slip, born in Tilden Township and mills. these potter tools are very hard to find. The was the son of Lester and one with its top sold for $3,900 and the one Mamie (Hunsicker) without, $3,500. Local dealer Greg Kramer Breininger of Shartlesville. bought both. “They are rarities in sandA graduate of Kutztown stone,” said Kramer. “This is a good old University, he went on to country sale.” teach high school biology at Breininger residence last September, Conrad Weiser High School. consisting of a mix of contemporary Fascinated by all things concern- Breininger (LB) pottery and eclectic, ing Pennsylvania German arts and general-line antiques, mostly from culture, he and his wife, Barbara, the garage and other amassed a vast collection of outbuildings. antiques and artifacts. A nearly In the vein of Pennsylvania 1,000-lot sale of the Breininger German revivalist arts, Breininger collection, held at Pook & Pook on produced reproduction redware November 11 to 12, 2011, grossed using traditional potting, decoratroughly $2.1 million. Conestoga ing and glazing techniques. The held an on-site sale at the former work often incorporated the typical
motifs used by the early potters of the Southeastern Pennsylvania region. Although the business formally began in 1970, the first piece of Breininger pottery was made by Lester in 1965. Many individuals have been employed and otherwise associated with the operation since the beginning. Scott Madeira, along with his two stepsons Curt Pearson and Thilo (TJ) Schmitz, had long produced the bulk of the output of pottery bearing the Breininger name. An annual event held every August, known as the Porch Show, took place for 42 years, where collectors gathered at the residence on its large wraparound porch to purchase Breininger pottery. Some of the LB pottery in the sale was left over from porch shows over the years. Other pieces were early examples used in the shop or shelf pieces not intended for resale. There was a wide mix, dating from the 1970s up to the recent past. Influenced by nostal-
A wide assortment of LB (Lester Breininger) contemporary redware pottery was sold throughout the allday sale on May 25.
gia and rarity, the prices realized were considerably higher than typically seen in this specialized market. The consensus was that later material, even plain dishes and plates, held up well. An early LB plate with a fish motif sold for $275, a large vase sold for $625 and a figural giraffe sold for $400. The market for the general line antiques did not show quite as much strength as the LB pottery, but did fine. Furniture, which lined The former Breininger residence, known locally as Taylor Mansion, was a the wrap-around porch, was sold at perfect place for an on-site sale. At noon assorted furniture was sold, which noon. No sales tax or buyer’s prelined the wrap-around porch. mium was charged. It was a fun
A photo print of local potter Joseph Feeg and his wife is held by family descendant and Feeg pottery collector Eric Lynn. Lynn is a great-greatgrandson of the potter. Feeg is buried in St. Daniel’s Cemetery, down the road from the auction site.
day in what was the perfect setting for an on-site sale. The crowd set up lawn chairs in the yard under the tent and had free rein to inspect material packed in the garage during the sale, which was set up on and under tables. It was the type of country sale Lester would attend every weekend. This sale was better attended than the first, partly due to the amount of advertising done. Although it was a local sale, prospective bidders from 18 states and Canada were present. There were 310 total registered bidders. Local advertising items such as postcards, cigar boxes, pins, and glassware were sold. Many signed tools such as axes, hammers and sickles were in the sale. There was ironstone, agateware, prints, frames, early photographs, baskets, ironware, woodenware, and assorted holiday material, to name a few categories. Highlights included a carved wooden butter print signed Cadari M. Haag and dated 1843, which sold to the trade for $2,300. A Jerry Martin double-arm wrought iron tabletop candlestand sold for $375. A well-known tinsmith, Martin no longer works in iron. A Thomas Stahl redware jar with twisted handles and dated 1937 sold for $1,000. It was in excellent condition. A Peter Derr pewter flask sold for $850 as did a wrought iron dough scraper stamped BLS. A dough scraper with an old, yet well-done repair was made by Benjamin Logan Sebastian (1824-1887), a local Berks County metalsmith. His
work seldom comes to market. A German belsnickel sold for $575. A bucket bench sold for $1,700; a Daniel Oyster tall-clock, $3,750; a walnut farm table, $825; and a grained paint-decorated dry sink sold for $1,200. Shelves in the garage were full of utilitarian redware crocks and jars, and most had some form of damage. Many were unglazed and plain, but stamped by their makers. Potter Joseph Feeg (1821-1891) worked in nearby Womelsdolf. Joseph worked in partnership with his brother, Daniel. For a period, Willoughby Smith worked with the brothers. Eventually, Smith bought the operation. Feeg redware is very scarce, and when it does come to the open market, descendants of the potter who still live in the area snatch it up. A redware crock
Jeff DeHart of Conestoga Auction is shown here, selling a floral embroidered quilt dated 1895 along with a photograph of the maker. It sold for $525.
with an unglazed exterior, stamped on the bottom J. FEEG, sold to the potter’s great-greatgrandson for $675. Other family members were in attendance and bought up the rest of the Feeg material, which included a damaged pie plate that sold for $800 and another stamped crock with unglazed exterior, also for $800. “The next sale will take place October 26th,” announced Conestoga Auction’s Jeff DeHart from the podium midway into the all-day sale. It is supposed to include ephemera such as early indentures and patriotic material, among other categories. To contact Conestoga Auction Company, call (717) 898-7284. The website is www.conestoga auction.com.
New Auction Record For Breininger Pottery By Karl Pass
An unusual Lester Breininger redware face pitcher sold for $3,600 (including buyer’s premium) on May 25 at Morphy’s Auction in Denver, Pa., establishing a new auction record for the maker. Standing 9 3/4” high, the pitcher depicting Lester Breininger’s life-size head was estimated at $800-$1200. Signed under the base, “The Potters Pitcher/L Breininger Robesonia Pa./April 1975,” this is the only example of the form to have been painted and then
glazed. The consignor used to be the secretary at Conrad Weiser High School where Breininger taught biology. The mold was sculpted by an art student at Conrad Weiser in the early seventies. It is believed that 12 of these face pitchers were made around the period of 19741977 and that the mold is in private hands. Lester Breininger (1935-2011) produced reproduction redware in the Pennsylvania German tradition in the Berks County town of Robesonia. Potters
he employed produced the material bearing the Breininger Pottery name for a period of over forty years. They used traditional potting, decorating and glazing techniques. Production ended around 2010. On September 29, 2012, an identical face pitcher dated 1976 sold for $1,900 at Conestoga Auction Company’s on-site sale for the Breininger family. That pitcher personally belonged to Lester and had a lead glaze with manganese splotches, Breininger redware face pitcher dated 1975. which is the treatment typically used. Image courtesy of Morphy’s Auction Company.