Rare 1782 American Bible has the last word at William Bunch Auctions, earning $78,975

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: May 12, 2010

‘Old guard’ of antiques trade buys from late dealer Fred Peech’s cream of the crop

CHADDS FORD, Pa. – On a day when a trio of high-profile consignments brought outstanding prices at William Bunch Auctions’ April 13, 2010 sale, friends and former customers of the late Fred Peech showed their respect for the longtime antique dealer from Marmora, N.J., with strong bidding for the best pieces from his home.

“It was just a nice sale where a lot of I’ll say ‘the old guard’ of the antique business came together to pay homage to Fred,” said auction house owner William Bunch. He was a nice guy, very humble fellow, very well liked, who had a lot of product knowledge.”

The top piece of furniture was an early 18th-century walnut William & Mary stretcher-base tavern table with one full drawer. This Pennsylvania piece sold for $21,060. (All prices quoted in this report are inclusive of 20% buyer’s premium.)

Exhibiting a crusty finish, a small walnut stretcher-base joint stool measuring 16 1/2 inches by 10 1/2 inches by 20 1/2 inches high rose to $9,945.

“A good Philadelphia dish-top tea table with a single-board top had a little repair to it, but brought a respectable $9,300,” said Bunch. 

“It was the typical sale one has today where the brown furniture that has a few apologies doesn’t do as well as you’d like it do,” said Bunch, “but the things that are sweet, that are still charming, still attract a lot of attention and command a lot of competition … and good prices as well.”

Three separate consignments performed particularly well at the sale, starting with a Bible printed in Philadelphia by Robert Aitken during the American Revolution. With its cover detached, the well-worn volume looked much like any other old family Bible that might have been found in an attic. 

“It was literally contained in a one-gallon baggie. It was a humble-looking book, just octavo size, which is 6 or 7 inches,” said Bunch, who quickly learned the Bible was rare and valuable.

Of the 10,000 printed in 1782, significantly fewer than 100 remain, with only a handful in private hands. It is significant in that it is the first Bible containing both the Old and New Testaments ever printed in English in America. It was sanctioned and supported by the U.S. government. George Washington said of the Bible, “It would have pleased me well, if Congress had been pleased to make such an important present (a copy of the Aitken Bible) to the brave fellows, who have done so much for the security of their Country's rights and establishment.”

Only one of Aitken’s Bibles has surfaced in recent years at auction, bringing $57,000 in 2008. Bunch assigned an estimate of $40,000 to $60,000 on this copy.

“It has some potential to bring into five figures,” he had told the consignor, who is a descendant of the original owner.

Bunch, who was hoping to attract several interested parties to make the bidding competitive, was surprised by the broad response. “I landed eight phone lines, three active bidders on LiveAuctioneers … and I had three people in the room who that had looked at the Bible and were seriously interested. And I had an absentee bid in the neighborhood of $50,000,” said Bunch. 

It finally came to a battle between two phone bidders, with a rare book dealer winning the Bible for $78,975.

“It’s hard to say if he was bidding for a client. I didn’t ask and they don’t like to say,” said Bunch.

The top painting at Bunch’s auction was an impressive work by Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson (1889-1946), an English-born artist who studied at the Academie Julien in Paris. He was interested in Cubism and Futurism, styles that are evoked in the painting titled Canal at Ghent, a 30-inch by 22-inch oil on canvas.

The painting was consigned by a grandson of Charles Hovey Pepper, 1864-1950, who was an American artist trained in New York and Paris and was a member of “The Four Boston Painters,” founded in 1913 by Carl Gordon Cutler and including Maurice Prendergast and E. Ambrose Webster, all Academie Julian graduates. Pepper was also an avid collector, and his grandson has consigned works to Bunch in recent years that were collected by Pepper.

After discussing the painting with a British art scholar who had written books on Nevinson, Bunch estimated the painting at $60,000 to $90,000.

“I had a lot of interest from London, but they were scared off a little by my estimate,” said Bunch. “I didn’t think I was too high; maybe I was a little optimistic.”

After a collector from the West Coast and a London gallery chased the painting to $55,000, one of Bunch’s regular customers in the gallery jumped into the fray and trumped them with a bid of $70,200.

“She buys expensive things but surprised me by buying that particular painting, but I’m glad she did,” said Bunch.

The third major consignment of the sale was what Bunch described as a “rare survivor” – an all-original 1958 Ford Custom 300 two-door sedan in like-new condition.

The original owner purchased the car from Keyser & Miller Ford in Pottstown, Pa., on July 30, 1958.

“The story goes he and his wife took a trip to Florida. She didn’t like the car, so the fellow parked it and didn’t drive it much after that,” said Bunch. 

The consignor’s father purchased the car from the original owner in 1973, but drove it little and kept it garaged.

“It wasn’t the most desirable model as ’50s and ’60s cars go – you’d rather see a convertible or a hardtop – but to find a car with barely 5,000 miles on it of any model is rare and unusual,” said Bunch. “Other than a little peeling paint on the engine block it was in beautiful showroom condition.”

A man from Georgia bought the classic Ford for $25,740. 

For additional information contact William Bunch by calling 610-558-1800 or e-mailing info@williambunchauctions.com.

Captions:

Lot 276

The cover of “The Holy Bible” printed by Robert Aitken was detached, but its condition did not deter a rare book dealer from buying the 1782 volume for $78,975.

 

Lot 276 (alternate view)

The title page of Robert Aitken’s Bible, which was printed in Philadelphia.

 

Lot 270

Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson (English, 1889-1946) painted this oil on canvas titled Canal at Ghent about 1912. The 30-inch by 22-inch work sold for $70,200.

 

Lot 300

All original, this 1958 Ford Custom 300 Custom had only 5,333 actual miles on the odometer. The two-door sedan was equipped with a straight-six engine and standard transmission. A Georgia bidder paid $25,740.

 

 

Lot 148

The Patented Parlor Putter was combination cast-iron ashtray stand and parlor game made by Wellington-Stone in Chicago, circa 1925. With the three original putters, the device parred the low estimate, selling for $1,404.

 

Lot 152

A sweet piece from the Fred Peech estate was this walnut William & Mary stretcher-base tavern table with one full drawer. Made in Pennsylvania in the early 18th century, the table sold for $21,060.

Lot 155

A crusty finish covered this walnut stretcher-base joint stool, which rose to $9,945. It stood 16 1/2 inches by 10 1/2 inches by 20 1/2 inches high.

Lot 219

A 15-star American Flag flutters from the stern of the ocean-going Sea Lark, depicted in a mid-19th-century watercolor attributed to English marine painter Duncan MacFarlane. The 16-inch by 34-inch work in a gold painted frame dropped anchor at $6,435. 

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FINE ART, ANTIQUES AND MID-CENTURY MODERN LEAD THE WAY FOR AUSTION AUCTION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: April 28, 2010

The hip furniture designs of Mid-century master Paul Evans took top honors in Austin Auction’s April 18 sale.

AUSTIN, Texas – Austin Auction Gallery chalked up a solid $260,000 total with its April 18, 2010 Important Spring Estates Auction, led by a keenly pursued selection of Mid-century dining room furniture designed by Paul Evans (American, 1931-1987).

The 10-piece sculpted-bronze dining suite consisted of a large ‘Stalagmite’ glass-top table, eight chairs upholstered in purple micro-suede, and a long, sculpted-bronze server set with two slate slabs. The consignor had purchased the suite in 1970, from the Chicago showroom of Directional Furniture, for whom Evans designed.

The Evans set was offered in three lots with a total estimate of $17,000-$23,000, but bidders knew an opportunity when they saw one and pushed the aggregate price to $59,225. The table made $10,925, while the coveted complete set of chairs soared to $29,900. Completing the ensemble, the sideboard closed at $18,400. All prices quoted in this report are inclusive of 15% buyer’s premium.

“We had nine or ten phone bidders, from all over the country, who were interested in the Paul Evans set,” said Austin Auction associate Chris Featherston, “but amazingly, it all went to a buyer from our own hometown here in Texas. One of the phone bidders, who was from New York, was surprised that he had been outbid by someone from Austin.”

An 18th-century, Louis XV-style marble-top carved console from the same estate that produced the Paul Evans furniture also met with success in the sale. Heavy phone participation boosted its closing price to $8,625.

The fine-art section of the sale included a special collection of eight artworks by John Strevens (British, 1902-1990). Strevens exhibited regularly at the British Royal Academy, Royal Society of British Arts, the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, and the Paris Salon.

“The owner of the paintings had her portrait painted by Strevens and bought additional works by the artist,” Featherston explained. “The eight paintings sold for a total of $26,996, with individual prices ranging from $1,150 to $5,463.”

A category that garnered considerable interest was Asian art. “Since we have been online with our sales, we have gained quite a few buyers out of China,” said Featherston. “Last year many of those buyers were conspicuously absent from our sales. This year the Chinese buyers were back in force, especially for the red coral pieces in the sale.”

Featherston explained that because of over-harvesting and polluted ocean waters, raw red coral has become a scarce commodity. “Even 20th-century pieces like some that we auctioned attracted a lot of attention,” he said.

A group of four small red coral snuff bottles representing a woman, an urn with a relief image of a deer, and two eggplant forms with beetles in relief sold for $1,725 (estimate $200-$400); while a diminutive (4¼-inch-tall) red coral figure on an elephant made $1,265 (estimate $300-$500). Yet another example of Asian art that surpassed estimate was the 2½-inch-tall hornbill snuff bottle with dipper that garnered $1,725 against expectations of $200-$400.

Fashionistas swarmed to bid on the 13 lots of designer clothing by such notable names as Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass and Richilene New York. In total, the wardrobe of classics earned $7,619.

Featherston said he was disappointed that the sale’s star lot – an opal, diamond and pearl necklace that reputedly belonged to America’s first interior designer, Elsie de Wolfe – did not find a new owner. “The necklace didn’t sell, but it made a lot of people aware of us and the level of quality we offer in our sales,” said Featherston.

Austin Auction Gallery will hold its next cataloged Estates Auction on May 22-23. For additional information, call 512-258-5479 or e-mail info@austinauction.com. Visit Austin Auction Gallery’s Web site at www.AustinAuction.com.

Captions:

Paul Evans (American, 1931-1987) 10-piece sculpted bronze dining suite, made in 1970 featuring Stalagmite glass-top dining table, set of eight dining chairs with purple micro-suede seats and backrest; sideboard with two slate tablets and bi-fold doors concealing interior shelves. Signed “PE 70.” Offered as three lots, total selling price: $59,225. Austin Auction image.

A selection of couture ensembles and evening gowns was offered, including designs by Halston, Oscar De La Renta, Richilene and others. In all, the clothing made $7,619. Austin Auction image.

Evening Party, one of 11 artworks by John Strevens (British, 1902-1990) sold by Austin Auction Gallery on April 18. Signed and titled, measuring 40 inches by 50 inches (sight), it hammered $5,463. Austin Auction image.

A Chinese carved red coral figure of a young beauty seated atop an elephant, 4¼ inches inclusive of stand, likely 19th century, realized $1,265. Austin Auction image.
















Carved in the Rococo taste with trails of flowering vines, an 18th-century, Louis XV marble-top console table features an opulent pierced and carved base. It sold for $8,625 against an estimate of $3,000-$5,000. Austin Auction image.

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Fine Bronzes, Railroad Rarities, Mr. Peanut costume headline Stephenson’s April 16th Auction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: April 2, 2010
Contact: Stephenson’s Auctioneers and Appraisers
             610-373-5959

The sale includes several other large collections of unusual items that are new to the market including antique furniture, jewelry, art and Native American artifacts.

SOUTHAMPTON, Pa. – Stephenson’s Auctioneers and Appraisers of Southampton (Greater Philadelphia), Pa., will present a Spring 2010 Antique and Decorative Arts Auction on Friday, April 16 that is so large and diverse, selling will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern, two hours earlier than usual.

Rather then picking a handful of highlights, Stephenson’s owner and auctioneer Cindy Stephenson noted the interesting and unusual collections that are included in the quarterly specialty sale.

“We have one estate of a railroad collector and somewhat of a hoarder,” said Stephenson. The collection includes telegraph senders and receivers, advertising, railroad locks, lanterns, badges and uniform buttons. There’s even a set of Deagan plate chimes for use in a railroad dining car.

Of interest to automobilia collectors is a selection of colorful, early enameled-porcelain license plates.

Many of the antiques in the sale are from the four-story Pottstown, Pa., home of a doctor, whose unmarried daughters are now also deceased. Included are several nice Pennsylvania cupboards and approximately 15 Persian carpets.

Bronzes include a 19th-century French bronze statue of a woman, sculpted by Emile Pinedo (est. $1,000-$2,000); and a French bronze and ivory figure of a child puppeteer, by Omerth (est. $800-$1,200).

The auction will include approximately 50 lots of artwork, many by listed artists. More than 100 lots of fine jewelry will also be sold.

A collection of cut glass has been consigned by a Bucks County, Pa., collector who is downsizing, said Stephenson.

Christ Home for Children, a longtime Philadelphia charity, is among several consignors of Native American artifacts, which include a Zuni bear figure fetish, Joseph Lone Wolf seed jar, a double gourd pot and two display boards (about 4 by 6 feet each) mounted with numerous items including a purse belong to a Cheyenne chief’s wife.

Among the unusual collectibles to be auctioned are a 1950s-vintage Mr. Peanut costume worn on the Atlantic City Boardwalk to promote Planters nuts, and a collection of more than 200 German tobacco trading cards from the 1930s, all bearing Nazi propaganda. The cards are in very good condition.

The April 16 auction will be conducted at Stephenson’s auction facility at 1005 Industrial Blvd., Southampton, Pennsylvania. Preview inspections are scheduled for Thursday, April 15, from 1-5 p.m.; and Friday prior to the sale from noon till 2 p.m.

For details on any item in the upcoming auction, call Cindy Stephenson at 215-322-6182 or e-mail info@StephensonsAuction.com. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com

Visit Stephenson’s Web site at www.stephensonsauction.com

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Caption:

The Mr. Peanut character was invented by a Virginia schoolboy who submitted a drawing to a 1916 competition sponsored by the Planters company, but this authentic Mr. Peanut costume representing the enduring American icon was worn on the Atlantic City Boardwalk in the 1950s. Image by Stephenson’s Auctioneers.

OPAL AND DIAMOND NECKLACE REPUTEDLY FROM COLLECTION OF DESIGN DOYENNE ELSIE DE WOLFE THE CENTERPIECE OF AUSTIN AUCTION'S APRIL 18TH SALE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: March 26, 2010

45-carat Art Nouveau dazzler starred on Keno brothers’ TV show Find!

AUSTIN, Texas – A superb circa-1900 gold necklace laden with 45 carats of fine Australian fire opals, diamonds and freshwater pearls – said to have been the property of legendary interior designer Elsie de Wolfe – leads an exceptional lineup of fine and decorative art and furniture to be sold April 18 at Austin Auction Gallery. The crown jewel of the company’s 430-lot Important Spring Estates Auction was purchased by the consignor in 1976, at an antiques show in Hillsborough, California. At that time, it was represented as having been de Wolfe’s personal jewelry.

“While we cannot prove that the necklace belonged to Ms. De Wolfe, it certainly exhibits the quality that a woman of her social position would have demanded,” said Ross Featherston, president of Austin Auction Gallery. Elsie de Wolfe (1865-1950) was America’s first interior decorator to the rich and famous. Her high-profile clients included The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, as well as members of the Vanderbilt, Morgan and Frick families in New York. Aside from her success as a designer, de Wolfe was, herself, a pillar of high society. Upon her marriage to British diplomat Sir Charles Mendl, she became better known as “Lady Mendl.”

The English Art Nouveau necklace attributed to the collection of Lady Mendl, which will be offered in Austin Auction Gallery’s April sale with an opening bid of $30,000, was featured in an episode of Leigh and Leslie Keno’s television show Find! The Keno brothers felt the necklace was so exceptional – with or without the de Wolfe attribution – that they called in jewelry expert Peter Shemonsky for a specialist appraisal. Shemonsky shone a light on the opals, each of which revealed the fiery-red flash seen only in Australian opals. Summarizing his opinion, Shemonsky stated that the necklace of 23 opals, 52 diamonds and 19 freshwater pearls was “unique” and would be “very difficult” to replace. He assigned an insurance value of $60,000-$80,000 on the necklace. A video of the TV show appraisal can be viewed on Austin Auction Gallery’s Web site (http://austinauction.com/articles/031710/art-nouveau-necklace-auction.htm).

Another rarity to be auctioned is an early Paul Evans (American, 1931-1987) 10-piece sculpted-bronze dining suite comprised of a large ‘Stalagmite’ glass-top table, eight chairs upholstered in purple micro-suede, and a long, sculpted-bronze server set with two slate slabs. The consignor purchased the suite in 1970 in Chicago, from the Directional Showroom. The set will be offered in three lots with a total estimate of $17,000-$23,000.

An avant-garde 1985 Art Deco-style television cabinet created by the celebrated New York designer Dakota Jackson is made of cherry-finished mahogany and bird’s-eye maple, accented by eau de nil trim and interior. Standing 60 inches tall, its trapezoidal shape and precision-matched wood grains are a perfect blend of edgy style and time-honored quality of construction. It is expected to realize $3,000-$5,000.

Four thin, ultra-modern bentwood barstools designed by Karri Monni for La Palma feature stainless steel construction with molded swivel seats. A gas-spring mechanism enables the seats to be raised and lowered easily. Estimate: $1,500-$2,500.

The more-traditional furnishings in the sale include a monumental 99-inch-tall French carved-oak chateau cabinet with elaborate relief carving and distinguished provenance from the Chateau de Caen, Normandy, France ($8,000-$12,000); a large four-door bookcase from northern Spain, and a mid-19th century English cellaret of oak and burlwood with Black Forest-style carved leaf-and-grape motif ($4,000-$6,000).

The fine art section of the sale includes a special collection of 11 artworks by John Strevens (British, 1902-1990). Strevens exhibited regularly at the British Royal Academy, Royal Society of British Arts, the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, and the Paris Salon. The paintings were collected and consigned by a single source. “The owner of the paintings had her portrait painted by Strevens and bought additional works by the artist,” Featherston explained. “Strevens is known for his Impressionist style and portraits. The collection includes several large paintings, with one titled Evening Party that measures 40 inches by 50 inches (sight). It is estimated at $4,000 to $6,000.”

Additionally, the auction will include antiques from a number of quality estates. Among the offerings are American coin and sterling silver flatware, marble garden statuary, Japanese and Chinese ivories and porcelain; Confederate Civil War letters and slave receipts; an 18K gold, platinum and diamond ring accompanied by a GIA report (diamond is ‘F’ in color, VVS1 clarity); and a selection of couture ensembles and evening gowns by such designers as Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Richilene and others. A circa-1860 Spanish carved Madonna with glass eyes and serene expression, 53½ inches tall, carries a presale estimate of $2,000-$4,000.

All forms of bidding will be available for the April 18 auction, including live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information, call 512-258-5479 or e-mail info@austinauction.com. View the fully illustrated catalog online and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com. Visit Austin Auction Gallery’s Web site at www.AustinAuction.com.

Caption:

Important circa-1900 Art Nouveau necklace reputed to have once belonged to iconic American interior designer Elsie de Wolfe (a k a Lady Mendl, 1865-1950), comprised of more than 45 carats of cabochon, oval-cut and teardrop-shape Australian fire opals, 23 in all. Additional accents include 19 freshwater pearls and 52 single-cut diamonds. Retains original heart-shape leather case. Featured on Leigh and Leslie Keno’s TV show Find! Estimate $60,000-$80,000.