Two paintings by Edouard Cortes (French, 1882-1969) will headline Cordier Antiques & Auctions’ Spring Auction on May 21 – 22 in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Entitled “The Sunny Bank” and “Byway In Normandy”, the paintings are estimated at $20,000 to $30,000 each. Other auction highlights include a fine pair of John Bennett pottery vases and the first US Beatles record of My Bonnie by Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers. Also to be included is the Charles D. Morris Ice Cream Collection and the late Raymond A. Farr Nautical Collection. The 750 plus lot sale will be held over two days in Camp Hill, across the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg.
Thursday’s sale will feature the 50 year ice cream and soda fountain collection of Charles D. Morris of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Over 250 lots will be offered including ice cream dippers, trays, signs, freezers, milk shake mixers and more. The over 500 ice cream dippers in the collection include several rare examples such as the Manos Novelty Co. dipper. With its unusual heart shaped bowl, the Manos dipper is considered to be one of the rarest and most desirable of all dippers and is estimated at $5,000 to $7,000. It was used to fill special heart shaped dishes, two of which will be offered in Thursday’s sale. Other dippers of note include White Rapid, Eureka, Bohlig, Mosteller and several novelty banana split and ice cream sandwich dippers. Other highlights include an ice cream parlor table and chair circa 1900 to 1910 and a reverse painted Dolly Madison ice cream counter sign.
Friday’s session will begin with numismatics. Among many gold pieces is a 1906 Liberty Head $10, a 1908 Saint-Gaudens $20 and an 1882-S Liberty Head $5. Several Carson City silver dollars will also be offered including an 1892. Books and documents will follow and will include an unusual 1918 copy of the Proceedings of the American Society for Psychical Research exploring the Smead Case by James H. Hyslop. The Smead case concerned Dr. Hyslop’s work with a Mrs. Smead who received communications from Martians. This Editor’s Copy, estimated at $400 to $600, includes original tipped in drawings by Mrs. Smead showing Martian embroidery, a Martian boat and curtains used in a Martian house. Autographs will also be offered including a Winston Churchill signed photograph estimated at $1,000 to $2,000.
An interesting collection of World War II German medals will highlight weapons and military. Obtained by the consignor in Oberursel, Germany in the summer of 1945, the set of fifteen medals was assembled and sold by a local townsman. The set remains attached to the original card in the original shipping box. Three Japanese swords will be offered including a katana samurai sword attributed to Senjuin Shigehiro. Estimated at $2,000 to $4,000, the sword is housed in a wood storage case signed by a previous owner.
A definite highlight in the collectibles category will be a rare 45 record of Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers. Recognized as the very first US record to include the Beatles, the record features the songs My Bonnie and The Saints and is estimated at $5,000 to $10,000. Another first in this category will be the 1935 Whitman Publishing Donald Duck comic #978, considered to be the first comic book devoted to Donald Duck. Among several coin-operated pieces will be a penny arcade peep show of Wally Wales (Pathe Star) in “Cheyenne Charlie and the Road Agent” from the original penny arcade at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Estimated at $1,250 to $1,750, the piece is in working condition. Another highlight in this category will be a 19th century apothecary hanging show jar featuring an egg shaped glass jar encased in an ornately cast metal frame.
Toys is set to offer several fine lots including a circa 1910 Lionel 202 Electric Rapid Transit summer trolley. Estimated at $1,000 to $2,000, the piece retains a rubber stamp under the base for the previous owner James McFarland, a charter member of the Train Collectors Association. Other lots of note include a Dayton pressed steel friction Roadster (estimate $500 to $700) and a small and unusual clockwork Ferris wheel toy found in Carlisle, Pennsylvania (estimate $600 to $800). A large selection of tin lithographed wind-ups will be offered, including Strauss, Marx and Lehmann, in addition to cast iron toys and dolls.
Two circa 17th century brass alms dishes will head decorative arts. Featuring central fluted roundels surrounded by a row of Gothic inscriptions, the dishes are estimated at $400 to $600 and are two of several pieces in the auction reported to be from the Estate of Baron Cassel van Doorn, the celebrated Belgian collector. Several lots of early 20th century local folk art by Levier Van Nasdale will be offered including log cabins and a cement casting of an Indian. Mr. Van Nasdale was a resident of Lemoyne, Pennsylvania and worked with photography, painting and carving, incorporating the local Susquehanna Valley area.
A fine pair of John Bennett pottery vases will headline ceramics. Estimated at $6,000 to $8,000, the signed and dated vases feature yellow flowers and red berries on a green ground and are in excellent condition. A good selection of stoneware will be offered including Cowden and Wilcox and Jas. Hamilton as well as a Southern pottery jug by Georgia potter James Yaughn (1846/49-1925). A complete set of twelve Copeland Spode game plates will be offered as will several lots of Mottahedeh design transferware and a pair of Gaudy strawberry cups and saucers.
Asian and ethnographic arts will offer several lots of interest. A key lot in Asian arts will be a Chinese Ming Dynasty bronze wine vessel or lei with silver inlay estimated at $1,500 to $3,000. A Ming Dynasty bronze censer and vase will also be offered. Song, Qing, Tang and Han Dynasty ceramics will be sold including a Qing Dynasty celadon covered vase with crackle glaze and a Song Dynasty qingbai cosmetic box. Among ethnographic arts will be Hopi pottery olla by Frog Woman. Featuring traditional geometric designs and signed under the base with the frog mark, the olla is estimated at $400 to $600. Another item of note is a prehistoric Native American slate bird stone found in 1938 on a mountain near Sinnemahoning, Cameron County, Pennsylvania.
A key lot in the glass category will be a Hoffman enameled glass perfume bottle. Marked with the intaglio Hoffman butterfly mark, the blue glass bottle is housed in an enameled and gilt metal base and features a lady and Cupid blowing bubbles to the stopper. Among several lots of Steuben and Lalique glass is a signed Steuben Verre De Soie vase. With a diamond patterned body and blue glass threading to the rim, the vase is estimated at $200 to $400.
Silver is set to offer a variety of sterling and silver plated pieces. Of note is a fine Victorian silver plated epergne with cut glass bowls and a cased set of Peter L. Krider sterling silver salts and spoons. Included in the silver category is a Mark J. Scearce 14K gold Presidential julep cup. Marked under the base “LBJ” for Lyndon B. Johnson, the cup is housed in its original fitted case and carries an estimate of $3,000 to $5,000. 14K gold versions of the Scearce julep cup were made for stables and this cup was awarded to the consignor’s husband at the West Shore Country Club (Camp Hill, Pennsylvania) circa 1970.
Over 70 lots of fine antique and estate jewelry will be sold. Several diamond solitaires will be offered including a 2.64 carat estimated at $7,500 to $10,000 and a 1.37 carat at $1,200 to $2,200. Other diamond jewelry includes a 1.43 ctw diamond Art Deco ring, a pair of 1.56 ctw diamond stud earrings, a 6.72 ctw diamond tennis bracelet and a 1 ctw diamond wide band ring. A 19th century onyx, diamond and ruby pendant necklace with enamel will be offered as will an 18” black pearl necklace and a 4.69 carat opal ring with diamonds. A highlight of the jewelry offerings will be a collection of contemporary Native American silver jewelry including pieces by Curtis Pete, Danny Romero and Bryon Yellowhorse.
Fine art is set to offer several key lots, most notably two landscapes by Edouard Cortes (French, 1882-1969). Entitled “The Sunny Bank” and “Byway In Normandy”, the paintings are estimated at $20,000 to $30,000 each and were purchased by the consignor’s parents at Findlay Galleries, Chicago, Illinois in 1956. Another key lot, and another piece from the Estate of Baron Cassel van Doorn, is a painting of a yawning puppy by John Henry Dolph (American, 1835-1903). Active in New York, Dolph was known for his small animal paintings. Other paintings of note include a portrait of a child by Raoul du Gardier (French, 1871-1953), a portrait of Mrs. McCaw attributed to Thomas Sully (Pennsylvania, 1783-1872) and a landscape by Edward Gay (New York, 1837-1928).
In addition to paintings, several prints will be offered including a Currier & Ives small folio lithograph “American Railroad Scene” estimated at $200 to $400 and a John James Audubon handcolored lithograph of Bullock’s Troopial, Plate 218, No. 44 from the First Royal Octavo Edition of the Birds of American estimated at $100 to $300. A Norman Rockwell Artist’s Proof of “America Marches Ahead” will also be offered.
Over ten coverlets will offered in textiles in Friday’s sale including ones from Lebanon, Allentown, Mt. Joy, Dauphin County and Hanover, Pennsylvania. A late Empire needlepoint sampler wrought by Rebecca Weston, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania in 1859 will be offered as well. Estimated at $250 to $500 it features unusual hair work wreaths flanking a central monument at the bottom of the work.
Clocks, lighting, rugs and furniture will include several highlights. In clocks, a French black slate crystal regulator by L. Marti et Cie for Tiffany will be offered as will a Le Coultre illuminated globe timepiece and a Howard No. 70 Regulator. A key lot in lighting will be a large and heavy cast bronze chandelier from the Pennsylvania Capitol Building. Originally hung in the original Telephone Room of the Ante Room in the Senate, it was removed during alterations to the space in 1967.
A fine Louis XV marquetry bureau plat estimated at $5,000 to $7,500 will head up furniture. Other highlights of furniture include a Pennsylvania two part corner cupboard at $2,000 to $3,000 and an early paneled blanket chest, probably Welsh, circa 1675 at $750 to $1,500. Several pieces of Chinese furniture will be offered including a set of four rosewood nesting tables circa 1900 to 1910. Featuring profuse carvings of dragons and foliage, the set is estimated at $400 to $800. Among several rugs will be featured an Imperial Kerman palace size rug estimated at $10,000 to $20,000 that was originally purchased in the 1950’s by the George B. Zaloon Company for a family who resided in a Baltimore mansion.
Friday’s sale will finish up with the nautical collection of the late Raymond A. Farr of Hummelstown, Pennsylvania. Mr. Farr was an avid collector of nautical antiques and collectibles throughout the 1970’s and mid 1980’s. He collected all over the country with many items obtained in Nova Scotia and Maine. Frank O. Braynard, the noted author, artist and maritime historian, used Mr. Farr’s collection and reference archive in several of his maritime books during this time period.
The collection offers a variety of nautical collectibles including ship advertising prints, lanterns, and photographs. The star lot of the collection is a porthole relic from the USS Maine. The sinking of the Maine on February 15, 1898 precipitated the Spanish-American War though the exact cause of why it sank remains a mystery. The porthole appears to have been cut directly from the hull with a 28” square section. Mounted in a fitted wood case with metal display stand, the piece bears a plaque reading “1898 1912 Air-port Relic USS Maine Secured for Cols. Camp 49 United Spanish War Veterans through the efforts of M.C. Edw. L. Taylor Jr.”. It is estimated at $3,000 to $5,000.
Other lots of note include a deck bench from the SS Saint Thomas, a pub table from the RMS Queen Mary, a ship’s wheel from the King Hathaway, a Carlisle and Finch spotlight and two cannonballs reported to be from the Spanish ship Atocha. Mr. Farr’s complete reference archive will also be sold in several lots.
A full online catalogue of the two day auction is available by visiting www.CordierAntiques.com. Questions can be directed to Cordier Antiques & Auctions at [email protected] or by calling 717-731-8662.
