A newly discovered painting by artist Paul Feiler (German/English, B 1918) sold for $31,000 in Cordier Auctions’ Fall Two Day Antique & Fine Art Auction on November 10 and 11. Other highlights of the sale included a 48 light Baccarat chandelier at $26,000, an 1891 English sterling nef at $12,000 and an 18th century Chinese Hu cloisonné vase at $9,000. The 881 lot auction was held in Cordier Auctions’ salesroom located at 1500 Paxton Street in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Paul Feiler (German-English, B. 1918) $31,000
The multi-consignor sale featured items from over one hundred and fifty consignors including estates and collectors. Over 400 people were in attendance during the two days in addition to phone and absentee bidders while more than 1,700 bidders were pre-registered to bid via the internet. Prices quoted are hammer prices.
Saturday’s sale included books and paper, collectibles, toys silver, jewelry, porcelain and glass. The highlight of the books and paper category was a collection of Pennsylvania governor’s signatures. The single owner collection comprised sixty documents signed by governors provincial to modern, all professionally framed in identical frames, and included such notables as William Markham and Thomas and John Penn. The collection sold to a local collector just above high estimate at $5,500.
Collectibles and toys offered a wide range of items that did well overall. A Regina disc music box that included 59 discs and its original stand sold to the Internet just above low estimate at $2,750 while an antique full size floor model Jumbo Dice Wheel by H.C. Evans of Chicago sold under low estimate at $1,300. A highlight among toys was a Hubley Harley Davison cast iron motorcycle. Estimated at $200 to $400, the toy saw strong bidding on the Internet and floor before selling to a bidder in the room for $1,000.
A 1925 Ford Model T “C” cab pickup truck was one of two vehicles offered in Saturday’s session. The truck had undergone a restoration/modification in 2003 and was estimated at $5,000 to $10,000. It sold to a collector in the room within estimate at $8,500. The second vehicle was an Arrow Development amusement park ride car styled after a Model T type touring sedan that had been decommissioned from Hersheypark in 1974. It sold within estimate at $3,500 to a phone bidder in New Jersey.
Over fifty lots of sterling were offered including flatware sets, tea sets, French serving pieces and more and prices were strong. The highlight of this category, and the top lot of Saturday’s session, was a large 24” English sterling nef. Hallmarked for Edwin Thomson Bryant of London circa 1891, the piece sailed past its $5,000 to $7,000 estimate to hammer down at $12,000 to a phone bidder from Massachusetts.
Saturday’s session continued with over 100 lots of fine jewelry and watches. Of note was a figural diamond sword pin set with 4.74 total carats of clear, yellow and brown natural diamonds set in 18K gold and platinum which sold for $5,600 (estimate $3,000 to $6,000) as did a 2.03 ctw diamond filigree ring (estimate $2,200 to $3,200). Among watches, a man’s 18K Omega Constellation wristwatch realized its high estimate of $4,000, going to an online bidder.
Saturday’s sale concluded with porcelain and glass including dinner sets, stemware and more. Of note was a pair of Sevres covered urns signed “A. Daret” that realized $1,800 (estimate $1,000 to $2,000).
Sunday’s session of the two day auction included furniture and rugs, lighting, clocks and fine, Asian, and ethnographic art. Furniture saw strong prices on many pieces especially contemporary pieces. A set of twelve Henkel Harris dining chairs realized $5,000 (estimate $1,500 to $3,000) while a pair of Henkel Harris sideboards sold for $1,700 each (estimates $1,000 to $2,000 each). Two Kindel Winterthur Reproduction low boys went well past their estimates of $500 to $1,000 with one selling for $2,400 and the other for $2,900, while a Kindel Winterthur Reproduction bombe chest realized $5,000 on an estimate of $1,500 to $3,000. A surprise of the furniture category came in the form of six Middle Eastern high chests. Carrying estimates of $350 to $700 each, each sold to an Internet bidder for $1,000 to $2,750 each.
Asian arts continued to show strong results with over 140 lots offered. An 18th century Chinese Hu cloisonné vase became the top lot of this category, opening at $3,250 on the Internet. After spirited bidding between the Internet and a phone bidder in London, the phone bidder came away with the vase at $9,000, well past its $150 to $300 estimate. A Chinese underglazed red footed vase also soared well past its $200 to $400 estimate to sell to the floor at $1,900. Other highlights included a Chinese carved ivory figural group at $2,250 (estimate $800 to $1,000), a Ming Dynasty soapstone foo dog at $1,000 (estimate $150 to $300), and a Chinese carved jadeite covered vase at $2,000 (estimate $800 to $1,000).
Over 120 lots of fine art produced several strong results including the top lot of the two day auction – a newly discovered painting by artist Paul Feiler (German/English, B. 1918) entitled “Cornish Landscape” (estimate $10,000 to $20,000). The painting was discovered by a young couple at a local retirement home rummage sale and brought in to Cordier’s Open Appraisal Day where they were pleasantly surprised to find out its potential value. With the painting subsequently consigned to Cordier’s Fall catalog auction, it engendered international interest and bidding opened online at $15,000. Bidding was strong between the Internet and a bidder in the room with the online bidder coming away the winner at $31,000. A pleasant surprise in this category was a sculpture of a hunter marked for the Roman Bronze Works in New York. Estimated at $500 to $700, the piece saw bidding entirely online, hammering down at $6,000.
Clocks and lighting concluded Sunday’s session. A Hershede No. 122 nine tube tall case clock did quite well, realizing $7,000 on an estimate of $2,000 to $4,000 while a Victorian banquet lamp with a base in the form of a dragon sold for $1,600 on an estimate of $250 to $500. The highlights of lighting were three Baccarat Zenith chandeliers, two 12 light and one 48 light, all selling to the same Internet bidder. The 48 light realized $26,000 while the two 12 lights saw $8,500 and $9,500 respectively.
Consignments for Cordier’s Spring catalog auction are currently being accepted. Information on Cordier Auctions & Appraisals can be found at www.CordierAntiques.com. Questions can be directed to Cordier Auctions & Appraisals at [email protected] or by calling 717-731-8662.
