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This 28-inch-high Steiff mohair bear still had its original Steiff button, sewn claws and red bandana; it soared past $1,5/2,500 estimate to achieve the sale’s highest price of $10,000.
Review by Carly Timpson
PLAINFIELD, N.H. — On October 16, William Smith Auctions conducted its 440-lot Country Americana sale, featuring lots from notable New Hampshire and Massachusetts estates as well as various other consignors, including a local collector of Steiff toys who consigned several lots that found success. Of these Steiff lots, Matt Zayatz, William Smith’s director of marketing shared, “the consignor had them her whole life, and I believe they were handed down generationally.” In total, the sale realized $217,000 and had a 94 percent sell-through rate.
The highest-achieving lot of the sale came from the private Steiff collection. At 28 inches high, the antique mohair bear was cataloged as “unusually large.” Its rich apricot- or cinnamon-colored fur showed some losses, but bidders liked the charming details, including its thread-sewn claws and red bandana. Importantly, the bear still had its original Steiff button and it was bid well beyond its $1,5/2,500 estimate to sell to a private collector in Oregon for $10,000.
From the same Steiff consignor came “a very fine and rare” early Twentieth Century skittle set. The set included nine Steiff velvet rabbit figures on wooden bases and a yellow and blue striped weighted ball which the auction house believed to be original to the set. The king pin rabbit measured 10 inches high and wore a red felt jacket and crown, while the other eight were without additional adornments and measured 9¼ inches high. All of the figures were missing their original ear buttons, but all but two of them retained the bells on their necks. A buyer in Virginia — likely a private collector according to Zayatz — scored the set for $8,125.
A Virginia buyer won this early Twentieth Century Steiff velvet rabbit skittle set with a 10-inch-high kingpin and likely original weighted ball for $8,125 ($3/5,000).
Other notable Steiff lots included a circa 1905-06 mohair teddy bear with sewn thread claws and nose and a blank button. This light apricot-colored bear had some minor sewn repairs and was bid to $4,480. An early Twentieth Century caricature Fireman doll made $3,440 despite discoloration and wear. The figure had a felt body, blonde wool hair and leather shoes. It retained its “Steiff” button in its left ear and was dressed in a fireman’s outfit. Cataloged as “very rare,” a circa 1904-05 velvet cat rattle figure with a striped body, glass eyes, red collar with bell and Steiff elephant logo button in its one intact ear was bid to $2,880. As Zayatz said, “All in all, the Steiff did extremely well!”
The second-highest achieving lot in the auction was also a toy item, though one that was unlikely to be called “cute.” Earning $9,375, more than doubling its $4,000 high estimate, was a Marklin Series II clockwork battleship, the USS New York. The 26½-inch-long battleship had twin propellers and hand-painted surfaces, including the vessel’s name on the bow. Presented on a wooden cradle, the ship was in good condition despite some areas of later repaint and scuffing from use. Zayatz shared, “This lot came to us from a local early toy and train collector and sold to a private collector in Switzerland.”
Making $5,000 was this set of eight Warren Chair Works dining chairs in green paint ($800-$1,200).
Leading the country furniture category was a set of eight Windsor-style dining chairs from Warren Chair Works (Warren, R.I.). The set, all in green paint, included six side chairs; surface abrasions and wear gave the set a rustic feel that bidders liked and they were pushed well beyond their $1,200 high estimate to finish at $5,000.
An early Nineteenth Century tall clock made by Noah Ranlet, which came from the Gilmanton, N.H., estate of Henry Page, went out at $4,200. With its original paint decoration and brass hardware, the clock was in working order and kept time when wound on Sundays, according to the auction catalog. The dial, which had red, green and gold painted details, was signed by Ranlet and it sold within its estimate range for $4,200.
Also achieving $4,200 was a vintage sterling silver hot beverage set of Mexican origin. The set comprised a 22-inch-wide handled tray and five other pieces, including a teapot, coffee pot, cream jug, sugar pot and waste bowl. Minor abrasions and wear did not deter bidders from taking the set above its $3,000 high estimate.
An antique carved and painted wood eagle in the style of John Haley Bellamy, paired with a scroll verse sold for $3,900 — far exceeding its $500 high estimate. The golden eagle was carved with its wings widespread, and head pointed upward to the left. The scroll, which was a separate piece, had Latin script that read “E pluribus unum” or “Out of many, one,” which is a traditional United States motto.
This antique carved and painted wood eagle in the manner of John Haley Bellamy, 44½ inches long, plus its separate 17½-inch-long wooden verse, sold together for $3,900 ($300/500).
Consigned from the estate of Jerilee Cain of Worthington, Mass., a circa 1800 tabletop writing desk was bid past its $400 high estimate to achieve $3,000. The desk had a natural surface and fitted interior with several storage compartments. Though it was missing its lock and consequently had a hole in the front, the desk retained early iron hinges, and its wear was appropriate for its age.
The highest-earning work of art in the auction was Lorentz Kleiser’s atmospheric “Rain at Twilight Road, Tennessee.” The oil on wood board work was initialed to the lower right and titled on the reverse. Fitted in a frame with a plaque, the rainy street scene brought $3,625 against a high estimate of $900.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.wsmithauction.com or 603-675-2549.
