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Past Sale Results for April 30, 2005 Highlights of our Annual Spring Cataloged 18th & 19th Century Glass and Lighting Auction Mt. Crawford, Virginia was again the place to be for glass collectors on April 30 as enthusiasts from across North America gathered at Green Valley Auctions for their annual spring cataloged sale of 18th & 19th century glass and lighting. This spring's event was of special note because the firm had secured the collection of the late Dr. Martin and Elizabeth Stohlman of Chevy Chase, MD. The Stohlmans were pioneering collectors and researchers of John Frederick Amelung's short-lived (1785-1795) New Bremen Glassmanufactory in Frederick County, MD. Living only 30 miles from the Amelung property, they spent many weekends in the 1930s and 1940s gathering and studying shards from the site. The collection that they assembled had been the focus of several publications including the October 1948 issue of Antiques Magazine, "Excavating and Collecting Amelung Glass" and the January 1964 issue of The Antiques Journal, "Amelung Glass-works", both of which were authored by the Stohlmans. In addition, numerous examples from the collection had been on loan to the Corning Museum of Glass and the Maryland Historical Society. Company president and senior auctioneer Jeffrey S. Evans and his knowledgeable staff produced a 956 lot full-color catalog for this sale which was both authoritative and very detailed, features for which the firm is well known. The sale began at 9:00am sharp with a good size in-house crowd, many of whom attended primarily for the Stohlman collection. Evans didn't let the large number of phone bidders or the 1700+ absentee bids slow down his legendary rapid fire pace as he averaged selling 140 lots per hour. Lot #1 was a circa 1790 pattern-molded pocket bottle in the Checkered Diamond pattern, a design long associated with Amelung. This particular example, which the Stohlmans had purchased in the 1940s from legendary dealer/collector George S. McKearin, was colorless with a brownish tint. It had been published in the October 1948 issue of Antiques Magazine and exhibited at the Maryland Historical Society in 1952, all of which helped push its final selling price to $5,500 (all prices include the 10% buyer's premium). The next lot to the block drew the most interest among the Stohlman collection and proved to be the highest selling piece in the sale. This free-blown candlestick in bubbly pale yellow green glass featured a deep cylindrical socket, hollow baluster-form shaft with lower gadroon decoration and circular domed foot with folded rim. This stick was one of the Stohlmans' favorite pieces and one of only three recorded examples. It quickly surpassed the $5,000 - $8,000 auction estimate, eventually selling to the phone for $20,900. Lot 122, a pale green jelly glass pattern molded with 18 ribs swirled to the right, was cataloged as late 18th or early 19th century American, possibly New Bremen. After a long battle between the phone and several floor bidders, it was knocked down at $4,620, demolishing its pre-auction estimate of $300-$500. Another lot which was obviously bolstered by the fact that it had been exhibited at Corning and published in the Antiques Magazine, along with its possibly Amelung attribution, was lot 170, a seemingly normal looking free-blown and molded square snuff bottle in a strong medium green. Standing a little under 5" high, it was undamaged with only a hint of wear, and quickly flew to $2,530 against a $200-$300 estimate. The collection of shards which the Stohlmans had gathered in the 1930s and 1940s at the Amelung factory site was strategically placed at the end of their portion of the catalog. Made up of 100s of colored and colorless fragments of tableware along with window and bottle glass, the lot drew both institutional and scholarly interest, eventually selling to the phone for $3,410. The remaining 775+ lots of the auction were made up of the Sydney S. Baker collection of Westfield, NY, selections from the collections of Sylvia Applebee Lyon & Ken Lyon and Ken Depew, along with lighting from the collection of C. Robin Turner of Chatham, MA and pieces deaccessioned by the Jones Museum of Glass & Ceramics. Three fine examples of American pattern-molded glass from the Lyon collection were the highlights of their category. Lot #242, a fine brilliant cobalt blue example of the always desirable paneled vase, circa 1840, was unusual because it featured 13 flutes instead of the usual 12. Evans could only locate one other example featuring this configuration. It stood 7 5/8" h and was undamaged except for a minute nick on the lower edge of the rim, which undoubtedly contributed to its final price of $6,050. A Midwestern attributed cobalt blue tall globular cruet with 16 vertical ribs and in pristine condition was next to the block. Featuring a bold applied hollow handle and original hollow stopper, it was quickly snapped up at a mid-estimate price of $2,640. Another Amelung attributed piece, lot 250, was strongly patterned in the Checkered Diamond design similar to lot #1 from the Stohlman collection. This deep cobalt blue salt was in brilliant proof condition and drew tremendous interest. After a heated battle it sold to an absentee bidder for an over-estimate $4,620, a testament to its great rarity. Leading the way in the free-blown category was lot #299, a fine lily-pad decorated quart jug in strong aquamarine from the Baker collection. This New York State attributed beauty was nearly identical to an example in the collection of the Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum. Mr. Baker had purchased this jug for $500 in 1956 from legendary dealers Abraham & May, and despite a very minor and hard to see annealing line beside the lower handle terminal, it proved an excellent investment when it sold to the phone for $11,000. A fine selection of early cut glass from the Pittsburgh District drew tremendous interest in this sale. Evans attributed the strong prices to the recent exhibit of Bakewell glass at Pittsburgh's Frick Art and Historical Center and the outstanding accompanying catalog by Arlene Palmer which instantly became a must-have reference. Headlining this section was lot 346, a Strawberry Diamonds and Fans kerosene lamp in two sections which Evans suggested may have been produced for Bakewell's exhibit at Philadelphia's Centennial Exposition in 1876; and lot 349, a Sheaf of Wheat three-pint jug, which also was probably a Bakewell product. Both lots were in outstanding condition and sold for $2,420 and $1,650 respectively. Colored flint pressed glass continues to be one of the hottest categories in the field and this sale contained two fiercely contested lots. An Elongated Loop with Bisecting Lines vase, lot 398, in an "Unrecorded and Possibly Unique" deep ruby with milky striations, was a recent bargain discovery for a New England picker. At 6 7/8" h this specimen was the largest size produced by the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company and other firms in the mid 19th century. It was in outstanding condition showing the normal interior annealing or cooling lines and proved that color is king when it sold to a New York City collector on the phone for an over-estimate $7,700. A pair of brilliant deep peacock green vases in the Bigler pattern comprised the next lot sold. This pair which stood slightly over 9" h had been recently discovered by an estate appraiser in a small Florida collection of "green glass." The family sent photos of the pair to Green Valley's Catalog Department head Karen Reed and was ecstatic when Reed offered an $8,000 - $12,000 estimate. After the sale Reed contacted the family and "needless to say they were very pleased with the final price of $10,650" paid by a Midwestern collector on the phone. A small grouping of flint Early American pattern glass from the Baker collection included an extremely rare Comet water pitcher (lot #502). Measuring an impressive 10" h overall, only a small number of these monumental pitchers are known, and this is the first recorded example with additional cut decoration on the neck panels. Probably a product of the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company, it was in perfect condition and sold for a well deserved $3,740 to the phone. The lighting portion of the sale was headlined by nine lamps deaccessioned by the Jones Museum, all which were formerly in the collection of the well known collector Dorothea Setzer. Two Boston & Sandwich cut overlay banquet lamps, both with double step marble bases, were offered first and both generated tremendous interest. Lot #539, a teal green to colorless example sold just above its low estimate at $6,050, and lot #540, a blue cut to colorless example, sold just over its high estimate at $9,900, both to the same phone bidder. Another lot from the Jones consignment which sold extremely well was a Boston & Sandwich Eaton or Onion lamp in a subtle but beautiful translucent heliotrope color which is identical to the example in the Sandwich Glass Museum. The market for this particular lamp has been somewhat soft over the last several years, but this example had no problem rocketing past its $1,500 - $2,500 estimate, selling to an in-house bidder for $5,060. The Turner collection featured many rare and desirable examples of lamps and burners from the whale oil to the early kerosene periods, many of which were complete with appropriate fittings. Two of the finest and most desired specimens were especially notable because of their outstanding and completely original condition. Lot #553, a Boston & Sandwich overlay featuring a deep cobalt blue cut to colorless font and stem, a very scarce double-step opaque white glass base, and correct burner, shade and chimney, sold to a collector on the phone for $3,410. Selling for the same price was a swirled Latticinio stripe font stand lamp with strong cobalt primary stripes, opaque white square base, and appropriate burner and chimney. The last sections of the catalog were made up of pressed glass including toys, lacy tableware, salts, and cup plates. The top toy lot was a Boston & Sandwich fiery opalescent Paneled ewer and basin which had made an appearance on Martha Stewart's television show in 2002. It was from the Ken Depew collection and in exceptional condition, selling to an absentee bidder for $3,850. The outstanding selection of over 130 lots of salts drew a huge number of absentee bids along with numerous serious phone bidders, one of whom was at a wedding! (those pesky cell phones). Here again rare colors where the driving force behind the strongest prices, two of which broke the $5,000 mark which was considered record territory prior to Green Valley's September 2004 sale of the Hollander salt collection. Leading the way at this sale was the second BF-1d (all ID numbers refer to Neal's "Pressed Glass Salt Dishes of the Lacy Period") Basket of Flowers salt in an unlisted color to be sold by the firm in the past year. This example from the Mrs. Elizabeth R. Clatterbuck collection, lot 796, was in a brilliant peacock green, which is an extremely rare color in the 1830-1840 period. It was in excellent condition and Evans believed that most of its losses occurred during manufacturing when it was removed from the mold. After a heated battle between two phone bidders it sold to the "Wedding Bidder" for $8,800, the second highest price ever paid for a lacy salt (see Green Valley's September 2004 catalog, lot #539, for the current record holder). Lot 821, a purple blue clamwater GA-2 Gothic Arch salt, was also in a color not listed by Neal. This Boston & Sandwich product was again in excellent condition and sold to the phone for $3,960. The second highest priced salt in the sale was lot 827, a light green JY-2a Jersey Glass Co., which was listed by Neal as unique because of its broken base lettering. After a heated battle between the phone and the floor, this example sold on the floor to dealers Gary and Diana Stradling for $6,325. Another salt that sold strongly because of its outstanding condition was lot #871, a beautiful opalescent to opaque mottled pale blue RP-2. Evans noted that this particular salt is normally found in horrid condition because of the unusually fragile and unstable nature of this color of glass. This example from the Lyon collection sold to an absentee bidder for $4,125. The sale ended with 32 cataloged lots of cup plates followed by over 500 lesser value plates which were sold in choice block lots. The top lot here was a Lee/Rose #619 "Benjamin Franklin" plate in emerald green, which had recently been found in a box lot at an onsite Midwestern auction. Despite the loss of three scallops and with several others tipped, its extreme rarity still demanded a final bid of $1,870. Even though there were only a handful of bidders remaining for the block lot session, Evans held an abundance of absentee bids and prices were surprisingly strong, with many plates selling in the $38.50 to $88 range. After the auction Jeff Evans expressed his pleasure with the strong interest in the sale, especially the Stohlman collection. "Bidders appreciated the Stohlmans' pioneering efforts and the prices realized proved that collectors are willing to pay a premium for material with a strong provenance" Evans observed. He added, "Our Catalog Department goes to great lengths to research and record all history & provenance with each lot, something commonly seen in the world of period furniture and folk art, but usually overlooked in the glass field." Evans reported that the auction grossed just over $400,000 and that several individual price records were set. He also reported that the firm sold more copies of this catalog than any in the past and that a very limited number of copies are still available. Green Valley's next glass auction will take place September 22 through 25. "We already have over 5000 pieces on hand for this sale including an extremely important cobalt blue with strong opaque white marbling Boston & Sandwich Tulip vase which was recently discovered in a New England thrift store for $15," Evans noted with a smile. He added, "I'm still amazed that finds like this are still available in the glass world. The secret is knowing where to buy and where to sell." We should all be so lucky!
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