Dwight Stevens acquired the building that formerly housed the Flomaton Auction Company.
(FLOMATON, Ala.) – Stevens Auction Company – already an auction powerhouse in the Southeast – is about to expand its presence in the region, having recently acquired the building in Flomaton that previously housed Flomaton Antique Auction, Inc. Stevens will conduct an inaugural sale at the facility on Saturday, Nov. 12, beginning at 10 a.m. (CST).
Flomaton (which locals pronounce “Flowmington”) is located near the Gulf Coast in Alabama, just north of the Florida panhandle. It is 64 miles northeast of Mobile and 42 miles north of Pensacola, Fla. For more than four decades, Flomaton Antique Auction, Inc., held regular auctions there, in a historic theater built in 1926. Before shutting down its operation last year, Flomaton Antique Auction, Inc., was the area’s premier facility for upscale estate sales.
“When I heard the building was for sale, I had to buy it,” said Dwight Stevens, the owner of Stevens Auction Company, which has been based in Aberdeen, Miss., since its founding in 1984. He added, “I’ve always loved the Gulf Coast and I own a second home in Mobile. I’ll be pretty much shuttling back and forth between Mobile and Aberdeen from this point forward.”
Mr. Stevens said he feels fortunate that Flomaton Antique Auction, Inc., earned a solid reputation as the area’s premier auction house. “We plan to pick up where they left off,” he said. “Their niche was upscale retirees and culturally refined residents of Mobile and the surrounding area. That will be our strategy as well. It’s a target audience that is right now underrepresented.”
The Flomaton auction house will go by the name Stevens at Flomaton. The Aberdeen business will continue to operate as Stevens Auction Company. The Nov. 12 inaugural auction in Flomaton will be packed with hundreds of quality antiques and collectibles, consigned by several prominent estates in the Southeast. Internet bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com.
Period American furniture will feature pieces by the finest names in furniture making. Examples include a rosewood rococo sofa by J.H. Belter in the Henry Clay pattern (circa 1850); a rosewood half tester plantation bed with custom mattress, signed C. Lee (circa 1860); and an R.J. Horner mahogany sofa with inlay across the back and arms and carved feet (circa 1895).
Also offered will be a stunning mahogany acanthus carved bedroom suite (circa 1880), consisting of a bed (88 inches tall), dressing table and chest of drawers; a rosewood Victorian secretary with pierced carved crown, 99 inches tall by 49 inches wide (circa 1850); and a rosewood Victorian breakfront with carved crown, 100 inches tall, 50 inches wide (circa 1860).
Empire pieces will feature a mahogany server with white marble top, rosewood banding, acanthus carved columns and feet, 60 inches tall (circa 1830); and a period mahogany vanity with three-drawer deck top and mirror and scroll feet, 76 inches tall (circa 1840). Also sold will be a lovely mahogany Victorian pedestal with marble top and carving on all sides (circa 1860).
Need to sit down in style? The auction will include a mahogany Empire love seat with claw feet and dolphin heads carved on the arms, and striped upholstery; and a straight-back mahogany settee with dolphins carved on the arms, attributed to Karpen (circa 1880). Also sold will be a gold Victorian over-the-mantel mirror with great carvings, 99 inches tall (circa 1860).
Decorative accessories will feature two pairs of Old Paris vases, one pair 15 inches tall with flowers painted on the side and gold trim, the other pair 18 inches tall (both circa 1880); a 9-piece porcelain fish set with 24-inch-long tray, signed “T.&V. France Limoges”; a pair of exra large Sheridan-style knife boxes; and an antique astral lamp with double-step base with marble.
Returning to furniture, other expected star lots will include a mahogany Empire banquet dining table, 10 feet 5 inches long with six leaves (circa 1880); a Federal mahogany acanthus carved game table with claw feet and solid carving on the base from top to bottom, 42 inches long; a large mahogany curved glass Empire china cabinet that matches to an 8-piece dining room suite (circa 1880); and a mahogany Empire marble-top dressing table with mirror in base.
Stevens’ next big sale after this one in Flomaton will be held on New Year’s Day (Jan. 1, 2012). Headlining the event will be a wonderful estate out of Baton Rouge, La., with impeccable provenance, plus other prominent estates from north Mississippi and north Georgia.
Stevens Auction Company was founded in 1984 by Dwight Stevens, who has had a lifelong interest in antiques and architecture. He turned these hobbies into a full-time profession, attending the Missouri Auction School, from which he graduated as a certified auctioneer. He joined the National Auctioneers Association and helped to establish a chapter in Mississippi.
In the early days, Stevens Auction Company sold anything and everything, from grocery stores to farm equipment. But over time, the firm specialized in the marketing and selling of antiques. It also organized and managed large estate auctions. Today, the company holds estate sales at some of the most prominent old homes throughout the South, not just in its galleries.
In June 2002, Stevens Auction Company purchased the historic Adams-French Mansion in Aberdeen, Miss., to be its premier auction facility. A fire gutted the mansion in June 2006, and since them Mr. Stevens has spent time and money restoring and refurbishing the home to its original splendor. Now with the work complete, Mr. Stevens lives there as his primary residence.
For more information about Stevens Auction Company and the firm’s calendar of upcoming events, to include the inaugural estate sale planned for Sat., Nov. 12, in Flomaton, Ala., at 10 a.m. (CST), please log on to www.stevensauction.com. Updates are posted frequently. Or, you may call the firm at (662) 369-2200, or e-mail them at [email protected]
