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Earning the top spot in the sale was this 1947 Chris Craft boat with an accompanying trailer, which sailed to $5,291. The “beautifully restored” vessel was 17 feet long.
Review by Kiersten Busch
MYERSTOWN, PENN. — Kleinfelter’s Auction concluded its Online Summer Antique Extravaganza on August 10. The sale offered just over 400 diverse lots from local estates, and totaled $61,398 with a 100 percent sell-through rate. “We feel the sale did very well overall!” explained Serena Myers, chief operating officer at Kleinfelter’s. “There are still fresh to the market quality collectibles that our customers are searching for to add to their collections!”
“We sell worldwide, but the large majority was from Pennsylvania and the Great Lakes,” said Myers about the bidding pool in this sale. The top bidders from the auction were local to Myerstown. According to Myers, it was a mix of collectors, dealers and institutions who took something home.
Leading the sale was a Chris Craft boat from 1947. Described as “beautifully restored” in the auction catalog, the 17-foot-long boat was in overall good condition and had a running diesel engine, in excellent condition itself. Also included in the lot was a trailer, which was cleaned and included a clear title. The vintage boat and trailer earned $5,291.
A 1975 Porsche 914 was the second-highest selling lot of the sale, driving off at $4,734. The car had just under 57,000 miles on it and came from a single owner who worked on it in the winter of 1982. According to the auction catalog, the previous owner, a man from Nebraska and his brother, replaced the clutch and completely rebuilt the engine with Porsche parts. The battery was removed at Thanksgiving time in 1983, when the original owner went into the Air Force.
This 1975 Porsche 914, with just under 57,000 miles on it, drove to $4,734. It was from a single owner, who rebuilt the engine in 1982.
“The radio was great!” explained Myers, talking about a Spartan 409GL blue mirror radio from the 1930s, which rounded out the top three best-selling lots of the sale. Although it powered on — the tubes on its back lit up after doing so — it was not fully functional; there was no radio static or noise. The 7½-inch-tall radio sounded in at $3,342.
Timepieces of all shapes and sizes were popular with bidders, with two in particular standing out during the sale. Within the top five best-selling lots of the auction was The Rail Roader gold pocket watch, which came with its display case. The watch, marked with “Reading, Penn.,” was approximately two inches in diameter. Although it did not work, contained chips on the edge of its crystal face and appeared tarnished on the backing, bidders still wound the pocket watch up to $2,924.
A much larger clock, this one an 88-inch Nineteenth Century tallcase clock from Pennsylvania, sounded its chime at $627. Despite not having hinges on its face enclosure, the auction catalog noted that it “looks great cosmetically.”
Bidders were also drawn in by local Pennsylvania folk and fine art, with two signed three-dimensional works by Lancaster, Penn., native, Aaron Zook, heading to new homes for $1,810 and $1,392, respectively. The former, mounted on an octagonal wooden frame, depicted a road leading to a covered bridge. It was listed as in “good condition” by the auction catalog. The latter was a scene showing an Amish family with their horse and buggy.
“Edge of Field” a watercolor by Mildred Sands Kratz which measured 29½ by 22½ inches, earned $522.
A watercolor by Mildred Sands Kratz (Pottstown, Penn.), titled “Edge of Field,” made $522, despite some fraying and minor discoloration on the painting’s matte border. The auction catalog reported the 29½-by-22½-inch artwork to be “very good.”
The kitchen and home ware category was led by a 62-piece Southern Colonial sterling silver flatware set. Serving up a $1,810 finish, the set was labeled in the auction catalog as “excellent condition.” A lidded stoneware crock manufactured by the Pittsburgh, Penn., ceramic company, Cowden & Wilcox, closed its lid at $905. The 14-inch piece had a palm leaf design and was in “very good condition.” Earning $522 was an 18-piece wine and cordial glass set from Carlo Moretti. The tallest of the turquoise glasses stood at 9 inches.
The Chris Craft boat was not the only aquatic-themed lot that was popular with bidders. A set of seven folk art carved wood and metal fishing decoys swam to $1,532. The individual pieces, consisting of six different types of fish and one lobster, were in good condition with only some minor rusting.
An antique wrought iron ship anchor dug in at $522. It was noted to be “large and very heavy” and a “fine example of early nautical metalwork” in the auction catalog, despite its deterioration from age and use.
Digging in for $522 was this antique wrought iron ship anchor, which was noted as “large and very heavy” in the auction catalog. The 6-foot-4-inch long and 3-foot-9-inch-wide anchor was in good condition, despite some deterioration from age and use near the end which would have been connected to a boat’s chain.
Local ephemera was also a leading category in the sale. A selection of legal documents from Johannes Wolfensberger and Samuel Rex, both prominent Pennsylvania German residents of Schaefferstown, Penn., wrote in at $905. They were in good condition, with wear consistent to their age. Two other lots of Wolfensberger and Rex documents went for $696 and $557, respectively.
Also from the Lebanon, Penn., area was a house auction sign from 1856, written entirely in German, and a Nineteenth Century leather fire helmet. The auction catalog described the advertisement as in “good condition considering age.” In addition to that, the paper was reported to still be strong, which encouraged bidders to push the lot to $627. The 14-inch-tall fire helmet — described as “rare!” in the catalog — was in good condition with some wear. It bore a plaque reading “Perseverance” near its top. “The fire helmet was a shocker,” said Myers. “It came out of a 30-year-old collection.” Bidders showed perseverance as they heated up their bids to $2,089, when the fire was put out by the winning bid.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For additional information, 717-272-7078 or www.kleinfelters.com.
