COMPLIMENTARY COPY
An 18th-Century Yuletide At Rock Ford Plantation
FRIDAY DECEMBER 15, 2017 • VOL. 48, NO. 50
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates Hosts Successful Two-Day Americana And Fine Antiques Sale Pair Of American School Mason Family Folk Art Miniature Portraits Sells For $64,350
This pair of American School Mason family folk art miniature portraits sold to a private collector in New York City for $64,350. The Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates Americana and Fine Antiques Auction held Nov. 10 and 11 was a successful event and generated strong prices in multiple categories. The two-day format consisted of 1,167 lots of high-quality material, much of which was fresh to the market, and, in several cases, had descended directly in the families of the original owners. Bidding was intense throughout each day, with strong institutional interest and over 3,000 registered bidders participating in-house and online. Session one started the weekend off with a bang. The 299-lot offering featured a selection of high-grade coins and currency, antiquarian maps, books, and manuscripts, as well as early American firearms and accessories. The select grouping offered in the Friday session generated significant presale interest and produced strong results. The top lot was a Didier Robert de Vaugondy Atlas Universal, published in 1757 and nearly complete, which garnered $11,115. All prices include a 17 percent buyer’s premium. Other noteworthy results from this session
included a Thomas Jefferson signed 1781 Rockingham Co., Va., land grant at $4,095; a Patrick Henry signed letter, $3,159; and a New Market, Shenandoah Co., Va., Henkel family manuscript archive, selling for $4,387. The Henkel family material went to a Shenandoah Valley institution interested in augmenting its manuscript holdings. Session two consisted of the firm’s usual diverse selection of Americana and fine antiques. Several categories demonstrated signs of vigor in what can be an unpredictable market. Several surprises were in order, most notably a fine pair of American School folk art miniature portraits of a mother and daughter with their pets, one a gray cat and the other a white dove. Discovered in Western Pennsylvania, the sitters are believed to be members of the Mason family of Ohio and New York. Mary Jane Mason, the daughter, would go on to work as a de facto editor for Samuel Langhorne Clemens during the author’s famous journey to Europe and the Holy Land on board the Quaker City. The weekend’s top lot at $64,350, Continued on page 2
This Baltimore Federal inlaid mahogany huntboard/sideboard table sold for $10,530.
AAN Current News Volunteer Pamela Stoner presents the Twelfth Night Cake in the Rock Ford dining room during annual Yuletide tours. Rock Ford’s annual Yuletide tours provide a remedy for the postChristmas blues by offering a journey back in time to when Christmas day was only the beginning of the season. Candlelight, festive music, dancing, and holiday greenery will set the scene for an 18th-century Yuletide at Rock Ford Plantation during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. During the period when Gen. Hand and his family lived at Rock Ford, Christmas day was only the beginning of a festive season of 12 days of parties, dinners and dances. Visitors to Rock Ford’s Yuletide tours will learn about 18th-century traditions, enjoy watching period dancing by a volunteer dance group (candlelight tours only), listen to traditional holiday music by the musical group Seasons from Harrisburg, and watch preparations in the mansion’s kitchen by members of the Warm Hearth Club. Costumed volunteers will also be stationed in various rooms of the
mansion offering insight into Yuletide traditions. Candlelight tours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, Dec. 26, 27, and 28, from 4 to 8 p.m. Daylight tours are Friday, Dec. 29, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission will be $10 for adults and $8 for seniors 65 and over and children ages 6 to 12. Children age 5 and under will be admitted free of charge. All proceeds from this event support the educational programs and operations of Rock Ford Plantation, located in Lancaster, Pa. Built in 1794, Rock Ford was the home of Edward Hand and his family. Hand served as adjutant general to George Washington during the Revolutionary War. The historic property is open for tours each Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., from April to October. It is operated by the nonprofit Rock Ford Foundation. For more information, readers may call 717-392-7223 or visit www.rockfordplantation.org.
Jersey Cartoonist Keeps Collectors Laughing With New Book
Winter Antiques Show Announces New Exhibitors on page 6
Western Soda Bottles Dominate Top Lots on page 8
“The Lighter Side Of Collecting!” - The Perfect Gift For The Collector In Your Life New Jersey cartoonist John Stinger’s humorous book “The Lighter Side of Collecting!” is creating quite a stir with collectors nationally. His 6-by-9-inch paperback contains 200 full-page cartoons and 60 pages of quirky humor based on his experiences as a collector chasing vintage treasures for fun and profit for over three decades. His family-friendly wit and hand-drawn New Yorker-style cartoons appear weekly and monthly in leading publications serving collectors in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. This is his second book published by Tanner Publishing. It is $15.95 per copy ($3.95 shipping). To order, call 908-319-8957 or email the author at stinger fineart@yahoo.com. It is also available through Amazon.com.
Gold Remains The Standard At Heritage Auctions’ Nature And Science Auction on page 11
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 RESULTS: Cabin Fever Auctions- Nov. 19 in Douglassville, Pennsylvania - Page 2
AUCTIONEER DIRECTORY . . . . . on page 9 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . on page 11