WHITE’S AUCTIONS CLOSES OUT 2016

WITH TWO EXCITING & SUCCESSFUL AUCTIONS

White’s Auctions has been very busy with the opening of their new gallery in June followed by four auctions in just six months, three of which were on-line as well as in-house.  The new space has been working very well for the auction house, consignors and customers as well. The gallery is spacious, well lit and comfortable and includes a custom loading dock and warehouse space.

Both the October 2^nd and November 20^th sales attracted over 2,000 on-line bidders from around the country and the world, a large number of phone and absentee bidders, as well as attracting standing room only crowds in-house.

White’s October 2^nd sale featured a life collection of American Art Pottery, items from the Tom Thumb collection including General Tom Thumb's piano from his house in Middleboro, several jewelry, coin and currency lots and some early and rare toys.

The mid 1800’s rosewood piano was Square Grand piano scaled to size believed to have been specially made by Chickering, Boston and given to the General and his bride, Lavinia as a wedding gift 1863. It was consigned by the family who lived in the Tom Thumb house in Middleboro, MA. Tom Thumb was born Charles Sherwood Stratton (January 4, 1838 - July 15, 1883), better known by his stage name "General Tom Thumb". He was a midget who achieved great fame as a performer under circus pioneer P.T. Barnum.  Tom Thumb died in 1883 at the age of 46 and Lavinia remarried to Count Magri. Magri held an auction at the house in Middleboro in October 1920, about a year after Lavinia’s death to raise money to return to his native Italy. The piano was sold for $2,990 to an on-line bidder in France. An unusual size Louis Vuitton shirt trunk sold to another European on- line bidder for $6,210 and was shipped to London.

Early toys did well and included a rare cast iron mechanical bank “The Initiating Bank First Degree” manufactured by Mechanical Novelty Works, New Britain, CT, designed by George W. Eddy and patented 1880. It was in good original paint and condition selling to a determined phone bidder for $11,500. Another scarce cast iron mechanical bank by J & E Stevens Co. ca 1902, was the battle ship “OREGON” in excellent original white, red and green paint sold for $3,220 in active floor bidding competition. The bank was one of a series made commemorating the “Great White Fleet”, the popular nickname for the United States Navy battle fleet that completed a circumnavigation of the globe from December 16, 1907, to February 22, 1909, by order of United States President Theodore Roosevelt.

An early “autoperipatikos” walking doll, ca 1862, went up for bid as well. The doll had papier mache shoulders and head with molded painted hair in typical Civil War era style and leather arms and hands and brass feet. She wore an original hand sewn chiffon and rick rack trimmed dress. The base bore the original paper label marked “Patented July 15^th, 1862, also in England.” This doll won First Prize at The Doll Collectors of American, Inc Annual Meeting 1994 and was sold with the Blue Ribbon. An autoperipatikos walking doll is a doll that walks by means of a clockwork mechanism (originally patented by Enoch Rice Morrison on July 15, 1862) which causes her feet, usually made of pressed metal, to move back and forth. These types of dolls were made in Germany, France and America. They are supposedly the first mechanical toys patented in America from which there is still an existing example. The doll sold for $1,092 to an internet bidder.

Jewelry did well at the sale with a platinum and diamond engagement ring selling for $14, 375 to a woman who attended the auction for one reason only and was determined to not go home without it. The ring had a center prong set marquise cut diamond approximately 3.5 cts., complimented on either side by one small tapered baguette cut diamond, approximately .15ct.

One of several coin and currency lots proved to be a surprise to everyone in- house, including the auctioneer. The lot consisted of Panama District or Spanish/Columbian “uncut” Bank Notes. Estado Soberano de Panama Lei 1865. The uncut sheet, mounted between two pieces of Plexiglas consisted of 4 notes “UNO” “TRES” “TRES” and “DIEZ PESOS” dated 1865. After its independence from Spain on November 28, 1821, modern-day Panama became a part of the Republic of Gran Columbia which consists of today's Columbia,Venezuela, Panama, and Ecuador. The Panama–Colombia separation was formalized on November 3, 1903, with the establishment of the Republic of Panama from the Republic of Colombia. It was said after the sale that it is believed to be one of only three existing pieces and sold to a first time in-house customer for $10,062.

An antique palace size Oushak Oriental carpet, ca 1900 with a directional design, wide borders and geometric and stylized floral designs sold on the floor for $5,290. The carpet came from the family household of  Nicholas M. Salgo, Ambassador to Hungary under President Ronald Reagan.

The November 20^th sale at White’s had some of its own highlights and surprises. This sale featured a large selection of 18^th and early 19^th century Shagreen pieces from the personal collection of Nicholas M. Salgo, a Hungarian immigrant who became a principal in the financing, development and construction of the Watergate Complex built in the mid-1960’s and was chairman of the Watergate Companies until 1983. He served as Ambassador to Hungary under Ronald Reagan followed by many years as a State Department special negotiator on international property issues including sites for embassies. As ambassador to Hungary, he privately commissioned the sculptor Imre Varga to create a bronze and granite monument to Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews from the Nazis before disappearing into Soviet captivity. The statue was dedicated in Budapest in 1987. White’s also picked up a large life size early carved wooden horse from the summer retreat of Nicolas Salgo and his family at the Hempstead Gould-Guggenheim Estate (Sands Point Preserve) at Sands Point, New York. The horse sold to a local dealer for $3,795. Mr. Salgo’s exceptional collection of Hungarian silver is the subject of a book and is on exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

This sale included approximately seventy pieces of this important and perhaps one of the largest collections of these elegant “necessaries” or traveling necessities in existence. These Shagreen covered fitted cases included scientific instruments, drafting tool sets, spy glasses, sewing items, eye glasses, scissors, inkwells and writing instruments, optical instruments, scent and smelling salt bottles, cutlery sets, daggers and more. Many of the items in these cases were made of sterling silver, ivory and gold, including gold eye glasses, scissors, thimbles, pens and rulers.

Shagreen is made from the skin or sharks and rays. Largely unknown today, it was used during the 18^th  and early 19^th centuries in Europe, primarily England, France and to a lesser degree Holland in the creation of a variety of decorative  Shagreen covered fitted cases. The skins were often polished and dyed in various colors including green, red or purple. Shagreen was first popularized in Europe by Jean-Claude Galluchat, a master leatherworker in the court of Louis XV of France. It grew in popularity among French aristocracy and spread throughout Europe. The taste for “green shagreen fashion” was popular both in England and France  and at the time covered a variety of objects in fitted wood and metal cases, most of which were designed to be carried.

Many in-house bidders were surprised at the immense interest and high prices for these items as so many had no idea of what they were or of their value. Those that knew of these pieces only rarely have seen them and never in such quantity. More than half of these lots were sold to the European market. A few choice pieces sold to in house and or US bidders. The lots sold well with prices ranging from several hundred each to several thousand dollars each.

Another important collection included in this November sale was a fine selection of early 19^th and 20^th century very finely detailed ship models. The pieces were in storage for many years after the death of a noted Fall River, MA nautical antique dealer. The largest of these measures 10 feet long by 6 1/2 feet tall. It is a mid 19^th century built model of a three masthead square rigged ship, a replica of the sister ship of the “USS Constitution”, named the “Constellation”. The ship did not sell, perhaps due to a limited marketability and its massive size. Nearly all of the eight more models sold including a late 19^th century model of an American whaling ship  fitted with three whaling boats and an early 20^th century replica of the 1820 American Naval warship “USS Niagara”, commonly called the Flagship Niagara which served as the relief flagship for Oliver Hazard Perry in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. The Niagara is one of the last remaining ships from the War of 1812, and is usually docked behind the Erie Maritime Museum in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania as an outdoor exhibit for the museum. Each of these models measured approximately three to five feet and sold in the $300-$400 range. Of additional note was an early 19^th century carved wooden ship’s figurehead of a British Dragoon in full uniform, said to be a War of 1812 “capture”. This heavy piece measured 4 ½ feet by approximately two feet. It sold to a phone bidder from Illinois for $2,875.

While the American Art Pottery market seems to have gone the way the furniture market has gone, a few pieces sold well including a Pewabic Pottery Exhibition vase, ca 1903-1905 bearing an early Maple Leaf mark with paper exhibition number selling to an avid Pewabic collector in Michigan for $1,150.  A large signed Marblehead Pottery vase decorated by Arthur Baggs sold to a floor bidder for $6,555. Arthur Eugene Baggs (1886-1947) established Marblehead Pottery in Marblehead, Massachusetts in 1904/05 and designed vessels there until it closed in 1936. A Grueby Faience Art Pottery vase, ca 1900-1925 by Artist Annie Lingley sold to a New York collector for $2,990. An early Chelsea Keramic 5 ½” tall bottle vase in matte yellow brought $718 to an internet bidder from Texas. A 3 ½” tall Experimental vase marked only “DP” sold for $489 to a Massachusetts collector on the phone and an Experimental Dedham Pottery 4 ¾” bowl for $575 to another phone bidder.

Finally, a fine English 16 string Dital Harp or Harp-Lute made by Edward Light, London ca 1815 rounded out the sale. It was signed and marked Patent Dital Harp No. #13. Edward Light (1747-1832) invented this instrument in 1798. The entire instrument was Rosewood grain painted and extensively decorated with foliage and gilt accent designs. This lovely piece sold to an internet bidder from Australia for $2475.

White’s is already working on upcoming sales in 2017 with dates to be announced. Check out www.whitesauctions.com, www.auctionzip.com (ID#7546), the Antiques and the Arts Weekly, The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles and the Maine Antique Digest for updates, photos and information. Consignments are being accepted for future sales. Please call (508) 947-9281.