ABERDEEN, Miss – A pair of important on-site estate auctions are on tap for October by Stevens Auction Company, based in Aberdeen, Miss. The first one, on Saturday, Oct. 9, beginning at 10 a.m., will feature the estate of the late Sarah B. Robbs (1921-2010). It will be held at the Robbs’ Greek Revival mansion, located at 502 East Street South in Talladega, Ala.
Then, the following weekend, on Saturday, Oct. 16, also with a 10 a.m. start time, an auction featuring over 2,000 Coca-Cola items will be conducted on-site in Philadelphia, Miss. Fans of Coke collectibles will have a field day, as clocks, dolls, coolers, dispensers, signs, trays, Christmas items, toys and games, vintage toy cars and trucks, bottles and more will all be sold.
Ms. Robbs is a descendant of Benjamin Fitzpatrick, who served as the 11th governor of Alabama (1841-1845) and was a U.S. Senator from 1848-1849 and 1853-1861. The Robbs home was built in 1833 and bricked in 1922. It is packed with antique furniture, original artwork, fine porcelains, hand-made rugs, beautiful lamps, china, silver, crystal, a collection of Talladega Raceway programs (from the first original printing to the last) and more. All of it will be offered.
“The Robb estate sale is certain to be one of the best we’ll have this year, and it will be held on-site at a truly gorgeous and historic home,” said Dwight Stevens of Stevens Auction Company. “The auction in Philadelphia the following weekend will be a different kind of a sale, but no less important to collectors of Coca-Cola items. That collection is huge and impressive.”
Period furniture from the Robbs estate will include a round marble-top mahogany Empire center table with scroll feet, made around 1840; a rococo rosewood curio cabinet with white Alabama original marble (90 inches tall by 56 inches wide, circa 1850); and an Alabama hunt board with tapered legs and backsplash, and two drawers (40 inches tall by 43 inches wide).
Additional furniture items will feature an acanthus carved Federal love seat, black with fleur de lis upholstery; an oversized mahogany Empire china cabinet with Gothic doors and scrolled feet (5 feet 5 inches wide by 6 feet 9 inches tall); and a Victorian rococo gilt marble-top console with white marble and cupid decorations (4 feet 4 inches wide by 8 feet 10 inches tall).
Artwork will include an oil on canvas portrait of a lady with white hair by Alabama artist J. Kelly Fitzpatrick (1888-1953), measuring 30 inches by 38 inches and given to Mrs. Robbs by the artist. Also, an example of Rookwood art pottery – a vellum glaze porcelain tile, decorated by Edward Timothy Hurley, made around 1942 and housed in am oak frame – will also be sold.
Vintage timepieces will include a Meissen figural porcelain clock in perfect condition and made around 1880 (20 inches tall by 13 inches wide). Silver and decorative accessories will feature a limited edition (#4 of 25) silver gilt Magie Spyre by Stuart Devlin (London, 1981), commemorating the Royal Wedding that year to Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.
Rounding out the day’s expected top lots will be a Victorian rococo oversized over-the-mantel mirror, with the original mirror (5 feet 7 inches wide by 7 feet 2 inches tall); a French bronze crystal chandelier with five lights, from the Robbs dining room; and a pair of pink and red Old Paris vases. Photos of most lots may be viewed online, at www.stevensauction.com.
An open house preview for the Robbs estate sale will be held on Friday, Oct. 8, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Saturday, Oct. 9, the date of auction, from 8 a.m.until the first gavel comes down at 10 a.m. (CST). There will be no Internet bidding for this sale, but phone and absentee bids will be accepted (with advances arrangements). Refreshments will be available auction day.
Stevens Auction Company has yet another big on-site estate sale planned, for November 6 in Brookhaven, Miss. It is the largest private dwelling in all of Brookhaven — an estate called Edgewood, and it’s packed with rare antique furniture by names like Meeks and Mallard, plus glassware, statues, estate jewelry, rugs and original works of art. Watch the website for details.
Stevens Auction Company is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign a single item, an estate or collection, you may call them directly, at (662) 369-2200; or, you can e-mail them at [email protected].
To learn more about Stevens Auction Company and the Oct. 9 and Oct. 16 on-site auctions, please log on to www.stevensauction.com