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TURKEY CREEK AUCTIONS
Citra, FL
June 21, 2008
CONTACT: David Glynn
(800) 648-7523
The lifetime collections of art, antiques, jewelry, silver and famous
name shotguns from two outstanding estates will cross the block at Turkey
Creek Auctions in Citra, FL on June 21.
(CITRA, FL) – Turkey Creek Auctions owner in Citra, FL, Charles David Glynn,
has been a busy fellow recently. He secured the consignment of the estate of
Mrs. Edward F. Timmons, from upper crust Boston family, to cross the block
the same time as the Camp/McKay estate, Florida’s early upper crust, from
Ocala, FL. In the 1950s and 1960s Mrs. Timmons lectured on samplers,
antiques and jewelry and the romance and customs of American Colonies,
focusing on the role of Colonial women, while indulging her passion for
collecting. Her acquisitions included Boston, Irish, Scottish and English
silver, paintings, boxes and fans. The Camp family, one of Florida’s
wealthiest families, with holdings in mining and state wide business
interests, has a selection of fine silver purchased at Tiffany’s, excellent
examples of Rookwood pottery and fine furniture acquired while on the Grand
Tour through Europe as wealthy families of the early twentieth century often
did. The Camp’s also had a taste for fine guns including Parker and L.C.
Smith shotguns.
The Timmons estate has contributed some significant art for this sale
including two paintings by Impressionist painter Abbott Fuller Graves
(American 1859-1936), a work by Barbizon painter Charles Francois Daubigny
(French 1817-1878), a miniature on ivory self portrait by Sarah Goodrich
(American 1788-1853), a miniature on ivory of Madame de Poirabebie by Herbin
and large O/C of a mother and child signed “Bornazi, Paris.”
This sale contains over 100 pounds of silver items, most from the Camp
estate. Of special note is a hand hammered martini shaker with twelve
glasses and tray by William Waldo Dodge, Jr. of Asheville, NC. There is also
a heavy six piece Gorham tea set with tray, Tiffany candlesticks, English
and Dutch silver boxes, water pitchers, compotes, trays, plates, bowls,, a
Boston coin silver tea caddy, chatelaines, an English silver perfume horn
form, Scottish snuff mulls and silver egg shaped nutmeg grinder and much
more.
Furniture will include two column front china closets with mirrored backs,
an Art Deco iron planter, a Belgian carved dining set, a Spanish style
bedroom set three matching mahogany bookcases and a pair of custom made
demilune cabinets.
On the accessory rack can be found a Roycroft copper bowl, Rookwood pottery,
a French marble lyre clock, some fine Baccarat and a seven inch blue
decorated stoneware pitcher. The shotguns include a rare 28 gauge Parker
double barrel, circa 1910, in good condition and a custom made LC Smith in
excellent condition, circa 1920.
Turkey Creek Auctions has been in Central Florida for over twenty years and
conducts twelve regular monthly auctions each year in addition to special
events. Auction owner Charles David Glynn will be accepting absentee bids
for this sale which begins at 6:00PM on Saturday June 21. Preview will be
Friday June 20 from 4:00-8:00PM and Saturday Noon to 6:00PM at the Auction
facility. Turkey Creek Auctions is located at 13939 N. Hwy 441 in Citra, FL
32113, 13 miles north of Ocala. Visit the website at antiqueauctionsfl.com
for directions and more information or call David Glynn at (800) 648-7523
for details.
written by: Fred Taylor
http://www.furnituredetective.com
800-387-6377
 In
The News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 28, 2007
Turkey Creek Auctions
Sale November 17, 2007
Citra, FL
LITTLE OWL GIVES A BIG HOOT IN CENTRAL FLORIDA PRE THANKSGIVING SALE
A René Lalique owl figure, used as either a hood ornament or a paperweight
sold for $47,300 at Turkey Creek Auctions.
The estate of E. Edgar Hoover Bankard, President B&O Railroad around the
turn of the 20th century provided a number of outstanding lots for November
17 Turkey Creek Auctions sale in Citra, FL. The highlight of the sale was a
four inch tall art glass owl signed by René Lalique. Beginning in 1925
Lalique began to produce a limited number of glass automobile “mascots” as
hood ornaments were then called. The first mascot was commissioned by
Citroen. As they gained in popularity Lalique engaged the Breves Gallery in
Knightsbridge to supply and install mounting hardware for them. But the
mascots could also be used as exquisite paperweights for office use by
leaving off the mount. The actual number of mascots produced is unknown
today due to a lack of records but a large number of the less expensive
models such as the falcon, boar, St. Christopher and the most common, a
small cock were produced. Significantly fewer of the more expensive models,
including the owl, the fox and the comet, were made.
Auction owner Charles David Glynn said he expected the owl, estimated to be
from the late 1920s, to sell in the $1,000 range. He was pleasantly
surprised when a leading Lalique expert from New York appeared in the
audience and led the bidding. After a brief floor and phone battle the New
Yorker took home the owl for $47,300. Other art glass in the sale included a
19th century Victorian cranberry glass epergne, $660 and three pieces of
blue Stuben, an Aurene bowl, $495, a frog, $121 and a ruffle-top vase, $413.
The Bankard estate provided another treasure in the sale in the form of a
19th century framed oil on large mahogany panel entitled "Maternity," signed
Cesare Dell Acqua, dated 1867, in overall good condition with some
restoration in the upper field. Cesare Felix Georges dell’ Acqua was an
Italian, 1821-1904, specializing in historical scenes. Bidding commenced
with three bidders from London on the phones and one floor bidder. The floor
bidder, a local collector, stood his ground and won the prize for $39,600.
An oil on canvas landscape signed “F. DeHaven” (Franklin Benjamin DeHaven,
American 1856-1934) with original frame, entitled "Oaks and Clouds
Afternoon--Oct. Near Willington, Connecticut” sold to a Florida dealer in
the room for $4,290 and another DeHaven landscape, "Swimming hole, Granby,
Connecticut”, went to the same buyer for $2,475 and yet another oil on
canvas landscape in the original frame "Indian Summer" by Gustav Adolf
Wiegand (German-American 1870-1957), with the artist’s history on back also
went to the dealer for $2,640. Florida Highwaymen art from five of the
original artists crossed the block selling for between $800 -$1,300.
Silver found a comfortable place with a Georg Jensen heavy 14in handled tray
in floral blossom design, 583 grams, reaching $1,430 and a Russian silver
cigarette box with enamel and inset stones, bearing a Fabrege hallmark sold
for $770.
Antique banks were available to pick up any loose change. A 19th century
Tammany mechanical bank made $220, a 19th century still bank with smiling
black face "Smile and Save Money" brought $248, a 19th century cast iron ice
cream churn bank made $165 and a 19th century Santa cast iron mechanical
bank earned the most at $633.
Pottery covered the field. A Japanese cloisonné vase with crane decorations
sold for $825, a rare salt glazed umbrella stand with raised alligator,
probably Whites Utica, showing a chip to the rim, $1,265, a Florida stein
with an alligator handle, $1,210, a variety of face jugs (A.V. Smith, Harold
& Grace Nell Hewell, Albert Hodge, Patton, Charlie Moore, Reggie Meaders,
Nussba, etc.) ranged from $60 to $200 and blue decorated crocks, salt glaze,
sponge ware, various sizes and styles went from $25 to $1,000.
A little history also did well. A presentation sword belonging to Lieutenant
Guth from the Hudson County Artillery, Union Hill Station, dated January 1,
1863 sold for $4,840.
Turkey Creek Auctions is located at 13939 N. Highway 441, Citra, FL 32113.
Regular antiques auctions are held on the third Saturday of each month. For
more information visit the website at www.antiqueauctionsfl.com or call
(800) 648-7523.
By Fred and Gail
Taylor, www.furnituredetective.com,
1-800-387-6377.
Winter 2007
SALE OF A MAJOR FLORIDA SOUVENIR COLLECTION BRINGS OUTSTANDING RESULTS,
Cotton & Quail, March, 2007, By Fred Taylor
CITRA, FL - The pearly gates swung
wide open for collectors and dealers interested in Florida souvenirs and
postcards on March 3, 2007. The occasion was the dispersal, under court
order, of the personal collection of Larry Roberts, the acknowledged guru on
the subject and the author of “The Golden Age of Florida Souvenirs
1890-1930” published in 2001 by University Press of Florida. The court
order which included the inventory of his retail store, resulted from a
divorce decree that required Roberts to dispose of all items in the
collection acquired since his marriage but by agreement he was allowed to
bid on individual items.
And there were a lot of individual
items. The collection numbered between 25,000 and 30,000 smalls and between
50,000 and 60,000 postcards from all over the world. This created the
opportunity for what amounted to two separate sales but Roberts consigned
the entire task to Charles David Glynn, owner of Turkey Creek Auctions in
Citra, FL, who felt there could be a lot of carryover of interest between
the sales so he combined them onto one large event and his intuition turned
out to be correct.
Turkey Creek holds regular monthly
antiques auctions in Citra and has a familiar crew of bidder faces and
names. However, this was not the usual auction and this was not the usual
crowd. Most had never been to a Turkey Creek auction and did not know
exactly what to expect. Glynn quickly educated the newcomers on his method
and caught their attention with two statements immediately prior to the
sale. The preview had been held in the barn on the premises of Turkey Creek
but as always the auction was in the big tent outside. As starting time
approached Glynn sternly reminded bidders that the preview was over when the
bidding began and everyone had to be out of the barn. At the designated
starting time of 4:30PM Glynn warned the audience, “This is going to move
very fast so pay close attention.” And he was a man of his word to the
delight of the 300 members of the audience as the 1,000 lot marathon began.
The postcards, all offered at the
beginning of the sale, had been separated into approximately 240 box lots
containing anywhere from 151 to 5,000 cards. The smallest box of 151 holiday
cards including Halloween and New Year, sold for $335 resulting in the
highest per card cost of any lot at $2.21 including the ten percent buyer’s
premium. Several serious dealers quickly emerged as the major bidders but
smaller dealers still had plenty of room and collectors were definitely in
the fray. One of the dealers turned out to be a mother/daughter team of
Internet dealers from St. Petersburg, FL. They had been conspicuous at the
preview with their purple gloves, intense pace and copious notes. They
jumped heavily into the Florida cards, often just holding the bid card aloft
until their number was called. At one point they acquired nine of seventeen
consecutive Florida lots, accumulating around 7,000 cards for $3,768.
Norma King of King Antique Shows in
Orange Park, Fl had her eye on some choice lots, acquiring three lots with
Southern themes including a box of 619 Georgia cards for $192, 1059 scenes
of North Carolina for $137 and 1035 from Louisiana and Mississippi for $220.
She was also a player in the souvenir portion of the sale bringing home four
lots of china. After the sale King, a first timer at Turkey Creek, said it
was a “good sale with a good auctioneer” and she will be back.
Glynn charged through the 240 lot
postcard section in 1:45 and immediately started the souvenir portion of the
sale. While about twenty percent of the audience left at that point, the
remainder proved Glynn’s hypothesis about carryover interest.
Dealers still remained major players
in this section but it was individual collectors who had come to buy and
they played a hard game. Steve Hess a collector in Deland, FL thought prices
were very high and noted “This is a group of advanced collectors.” He also
said the sale was well organized and check out was very efficient. J.R.
Angevine, a silver dealer in Deland, FL, had come to buy silver souvenir
spoons for resale but he was shocked at the prices. Dedicated collectors
priced him out of the individual silver spoon market and he left with a few
multi spoon lots including a set of three sterling spoons with alligator
handles, $275 and a lot of eight sterling spoons with enameled highlights
for $495. A single sterling silver spoon with an enameled bowl featuring
Oliver W, Jr., an ostrich from the Florida Ostrich Farm pulling a wagon sold
for $605 including premium and a silver spoon with an engraving in the bowl
of the Royal Poinciana Hotel in West Palm brought $577. The heavy hitter of
the individual spoons was a full figure alligator with an enameled bowl that
brought $935.
Top lot of the sale was a 6½in high
“cameona” porcelain polychrome plaque by Olive Commons. Commons was a
Virginia native who moved to Florida in 1908. Its wild beauty inspired her
to create hand painted porcelain works of art. This plaque, from the 1920s,
was estimated to sell for $3,000/$5,000. It was won on the floor by Roberts’
former wife who had originally found it for the collection. She was willing
to part with $8,800 to bring it back. And no Florida sale is complete
without a Highwayman painting and a Seminole doll. This one had a 2003 work
of a royal poinciana tree by J. Daniels that brought $2,035 and a pair of
carved and painted Seminole dolls, male and female, made $1,210.
After the sale Glynn was very pleased
with the results. He said, “It was good experience all the way around. The
crew did a flawless job juggling so many lots.” He also was very pleased
with the gross, which exceeded his highest estimate by “a substantial
margin” and Larry Roberts was happy to report that he is now back in
business.
For more information visit the Turkey
Creek website at
http://antiqueauctionsfl.com or call (800) 648-7523.
PHOTO CAPTIONS
 Beauty
– This bathing beauty, complete with kicking leg and waving fan, was
irresistible for $60.00
 Commons
– Top lot of the sale was a polychrome porcelain “cameona” by Olive Commons.
It brought a winner of $8,800 including premium.
 Gator
band – This ensemble of musical gators will play a new tune for $440.
 Gator
spoon – The top spoon of the sale was this full figure gator handle with a
Seminole in the enameled bowl. It brought $935.
 Highwayman
– A brightly colored royal poinciana tree as depicted by Highwayman Johnny
Daniels in 2003 sold for $2035.
Johnny – One of the main importers of
Florida souvenirs, Greenleaf & Crosby, adopted the likeness of their local
paperboy, Johnny Griffin, as a their logo. It sold on the phone for $1,980.
 Match
safes – These two sterling silver match safes were the pick of the litter.
The one on the left with the gator head flip top made $505 and the gator
Florida scene on the right, pictured in the book, went for $825.
 Stein
– A wooden stein carved from solid orangewood with a gator crawling on the
outside brought $825.
 Uncle
Sam – This political ashtray shows Uncle Sam fighting with a Cuban over the
cigar trade, also pictured in the book. It sold for a politically correct
winner of $880.
Antique Week, March 26, 2007, By Fred Taylor
One of the largest collections of
Florida souvenirs and memorabilia crossed the block at Turkey Creek Auctions
in Citra on March 3. The owner of the collection, Larry Roberts, was the
author of the authoritative 2001 book “The Golden Age of Florida
Souvenirs 1890-1930.” Roberts had been ordered to dispose of the
collection and the inventory of his retail shop as part of a divorce decree.
Turkey Creek Auction owner David
Glynn, working in concert with Roberts, packaged the 25,000 smalls and
50,000 – 60,000 postcards into 1,000 lots and divided the sale into two
consecutive portions, postcards and souvenirs. While Glynn has a familiar
crowd of antiques buffs at his regular monthly sales, this event brought an
entirely new set of faces to the auction.
The 240 box lots of postcards crossed
the block first bringing some eye opening bids. The top postcard lot was a
box of 495 Florida location cards. The winning bid was $990 including the
ten percent buyer’s premium offered by Roberts himself who was allowed by
agreement to bid. A mother/daughter team of Internet dealers had carefully
staked out some lots in the preview and aggressively pursued them at bidding
time. At one point they won nine of seventeen consecutive Florida lots,
acquiring over 7,000 cards for $3,768 in that run.
Glynn was done with postcards in 1:45
and moved directly into the souvenir sale that continued the price runup but
in this section it was hardnosed collectors who fueled the fires. A single
sterling silver spoon with a full bodied alligator handle and an enameled
bowl with a Seminole figure brought $935, pricing most dealers out of that
lot. A porcelain ashtray featuring Uncle Sam and a Cuban fighting over a
cigar brought $880 and a Highwayman painting by Johnny Daniels maintained
the momentum in that category bringing in $2,035. The top lot of the sale
was a hand painted polychrome porcelain “cameona” by Olive Commons, 6½in
high in the frame, estimated at $3,000/$5,000. It brought a winner of
$8,800.
Many of the newcomers to Turkey Creek
commented on how well the auction was run and they looked forward to coming
back. Glynn had high praise for his crew who handled the large sale
flawlessly, never breaking the rhythm established by Glynn at the outset.
And Larry Roberts was happy to announce that he is back in business at his
shop in Micanopy.
http://antiqueauctionsfl.com (800)
648-7523
PHOTO CAPTIONS
Prices include ten percent buyer’s
premium.
Commons
– This polychrome porcelain plaque by Olive Commons was top lot of the sale
at $8,800.
 Beauties
– This box lot of bathing beauty postcards sold for $357 for the 245 cards.
 Dolls
– This pair of wooden Seminole Indian dolls brought $1,210.
Highwayman
– A poinciana tree by Johnny Daniels sold for $2,035
 Johnny – The painting of Johnny
Griffin, a local paperboy who became the logo for Florida souvenir importer
Greenleaf & Crosby, sold for $1,980.
 Nekrassoff
– This enameled still life on a hammered metal tray was done by Sergei
Nekrassoff, a Russian metalsmith who settled in Florida. It sold for $660.
 Pottery
– This two piece vase set of Silver Springs pottery was a bargain at $77.
 Spoons
– Souvenir silver spoons were a big hit. This set of individual spoons sold
as consecutive lots totaling $2,882. The top spoon of the sale is the second
from the right. It brought $935.
 LEADING AUTHORITY ON VINTAGE FLORIDA
SOUVENIRS AND MEMORABILIA SET TO SELL PERSONAL COLLECTION
Larry
Roberts, author of “Florida’s Golden Age of Souvenirs 1890-1930” will offer most
of his personal collection of Florida souvenirs at Turkey Creek Auctions in
Citra, FL on March 3.
For
collectors of vintage Florida souvenirs, memorabilia and collectibles, the
pearly gates are about to swing wide open. Larry Roberts, the acknowledged guru
on the subject and the author of “Florida’s Golden Age of Souvenirs 1890-1930”
and a consultant for the Florida History Museum in Tallahassee, has engaged
Turkey Creek Auctions to dispose of the bulk of his personal collection as well
as the inventory of his retail shop in Micanopy, FL. This once in a lifetime
opportunity will start Saturday March 3 at 4:30PM beginning with the postcard
collection. It will be held in the Turkey Creek Auctions barn in Citra, FL, 13
miles north of Ocala on U.S. Highway 441.
The sale of Roberts’ collection with no
additions will consist of around 25,000 – 30,000 smalls that will be offered in
selected groupings and between 50,000 and 60,000 vintage postcards, also to be
offered in groups in addition to the larger single items.
Virtually all of the items pictured in
Roberts’ book will be included in the inventory. Of special interest is the
large polychrome plaque by Florida artist Olive Commons. The plaque, one of
Commons’ largest works, is featured on the inside cover of the book. It is
conservatively estimated to sell in the $3,000/$5000 range. Other works by
Commons from the 1920s and 1930s will include Florida art, jewelry and
porcelain. Special creations by Stuart, FL metal smith and artist Serge
Nekrassoff, including some of his trademark large pins will cross the block.
Many of these items were acquired by Roberts directly from the Nekrassoff
family. Also being offered is a large collection of Florida pottery including
works from Merritt Island Pottery, founded in 1937, Floramics from the 1940s
and Silver Springs pottery from the 1930s as well as hand colored photos and
prints by early 20th century Florida photographers and artists
William J. Harris and Esmond G. Barnhill including many of their prints shown in
the book. The auction inventory additionally will include vintage Florida
fishing tackle, Indian artifacts, Seminole dolls, Florida ephemera and Florida
themed shield ware.
Robert’s collection was hand selected by
him from all over the country through the years as he traveled the country,
buying and bartering to augment his inventory which today includes several rare
alligator steins that are expected to sell in the $400-$800 range, selected
alligator carvings ranging from the 1870s to the 1920s, some very rare Florida
spoons in the $200-$400 range and souvenir Florida china found in nooks and
crannies all over the United States. Roberts’ authoritative book is currently
available on Amazon.com with free shipping and can be found at selected
bookstores.
Turkey Creek Auctions has been in
Central Florida for over twenty years and conducts twelve regular monthly
auctions each year in addition to special events like the Larry Roberts sale.
Auction owner Charles David Glynn will be accepting absentee bids for this sale.
Preview for the sale will be Friday March 2 from 5:00PM to 8:00PM at the Auction
facility. Turkey Creek Auctions is located at 13939 N. Hwy 441 in Citra, 13
miles north of Ocala. Visit the website at antiqueauctionsfl.com for directions
and more information or call David Glynn at (800) 648-7523 for details.--
compliments Fred Taylor
Printed with the permission of the author
Fred Taylor for
Antique Week.
In the late spring of May in Central Florida, before the rains start,
the afternoons can be a little sultry and the air very still. But the bids
were flying at Turkey Creek Auctions late in the afternoon on May 20 under
the big tent outside the red barn. The object of the most interest was a
painting by Edmund Henry Osthaus (1858-1928) a German born artist who came
to America in 1883. He became the principal of the Toledo Academy of Fine
Arts in Toledo, Ohio and later devoted his life to his painting,
specializing in sporting dogs.
His O/C “Hunting Dog” circa 1900, descended in the family of the
original buyer, was hotly competed in the tent and on the phone. The phone
bidder was a sporting club in Washington, DC but it could not quite match
the desire of the local bidder from Tampa. This dog did hunt for $29,000
plus the 10 percent buyer’s premium. That bid placed it among the top five
or six realized prices for an Osthaus in recent years. The high was $57,360
at Christie’s, New York in 2002. On a more local level, a bucolic Florida
riverscape by Florida Highwayman Al Black sold for $900. The consignor was
happy. She had acquired it at a yard sale recently for $6!
After the art came the furniture. An elaborately carved seven piece
mahogany bedroom set, circa 1900, consisted of a bed, a tall chest with
mirror, a low chest with mirror, a vanity with mirror, two chairs and a
rocker. Very much in the manner of R. J. Horner but unsigned, the set went
for $6,500 to a dealer from Ohio. A mid 19th century step back cupboard with
a provenance from a Louisiana plantation, featuring two six pane doors over
nine lower drawers brought $2,300 and a Federal one drawer stand, tiger
maple and birdseye maple reached $1,200. A nice mahogany Pembroke table by
noted Colonial Revival maker Charak of Boston made $400.
A pair of clocks sold slightly under the money. A Gustave Becker tall
clock in a dark walnut case, circa 1910, with a glass front sold for $1,200
and a long drop regulator by Earl Fernbach reached $700.
Auctioneer Profile, Antique Week, by Starr Shuppert. 5/11/06
 TURKEY
CREEK AUCTION, Citra, FL, May 21, 2005
by Fred Taylor,
Antique Trader (June 7th)
and July edition of Cotton and Quail
The third week of May is normally the height of the dry
season in Central Florida and dead summer has not yet set in so outdoor
activities flourish throughout the area, including auctions. While David
Glynn, owner of Turkey Creek Auction in Citra, just north of Ocala, doesn’t
exactly conduct his sales outside, there is a definite outdoor flavor to the
events since they are held under a large circus type tent. But the weather
in Florida has been anything but normal for the last year or so, with four
hurricanes last year followed by an unusually warm winter. So it was not a
complete surprise when the skies opened up an hour before the May 21 sale
and as Glynn said. “It just came down by the bucketload for the next hour.”
But in the long run it didn’t deter the more than 250 die hard auction fans
who were on site for another of Glynn’s eclectic presentations.
This time around Glynn had assembled over 500 lots
mostly from local estates in the Gainesville and Ocala area and came up with
some fine 19th century lots. One such example came from the estate of the
Turpin family in Gainesville. Family ancestors had been active in the
settling of California and a pair of scrimshaw articles showed scenes from
the era. A polychrome powder horn, circa 1845, depicted hunting scenes using
a bow and arrow and several figures of men dressed appropriately for the
period in long coats, top hats and high riding boots. The central figure on
the powder horn was the eagle from the Great Seal of the United States,
created in 1782, bearing the crest on his chest, clutching the olive branch
in his right talon, lightning bolts in the left and a flowing ribbon bearing
the inscription “E pluribus unum” in his beak. Since California was not
admitted to the Union until 1850 this may have been an attempt to hasten the
event. Five phone bidders fiercely competed for the patriotic artifact with
the winner from Virginia bidding $8,500 plus the 10 percent buyer’s premium.
A companion lot, a wooden cup, was obviously decorated by the same hand. It
bore the likeness of an Indian maiden surrounded by native flora, a striding
American male in high waisted jacket with tails and centrally featured the
same eagle from the Great Seal, as did the powder horn. Below the eagle were
the initials “D.R.T.”, presumably those of the Turpin ancestor. This family
heirloom was also competed mostly on the phone, being won by a bidder from
Ohio for $8,400 plus the premium.
Another 19th century family heirloom also was of great
interest to bidders. This was a Renaissance Revival 10ft tall half tester
bed made of walnut. It originally was purchased by famous Civil War diarist
Judge Felix Pierre Poche of Convent, LA who built a plantation house on a
186 acre sugar plantation in 1867. The house was built in the Renaissance
style of the day and his furnishings were ordered to match. Judge Poche
lived on the plantation until 1880 when he moved to New Orleans and used the
house as his summer home. He sold the house and furnishings in 1892 to Judge
Henry Himel. The Himel family sold the house in the 1960s to the Irwin
family who eventually retired to Live Oak, FL and consigned the bed to
Turkey Creek. The bed was signed on the rear of the headboard with the
initials “JA”, presumably the cabinetmaker in New Orleans who made the bed
and the matching armoire. The nearly queen size custom bed will require a
custom made mattress to fit but since the winner paid $6,000 for the bed,
the mattress should not be a problem. The two door armoire with two lower
drawers sold to a different buyer for $2,300. A final representative of the
Renaissance Revival style of the third quarter of the 19th century was a
marble top sideboard with a tall architectural crest above the high shelf
that shaded the oval mirror. Below the marble top, which had cookie corners,
were two drawers with acorn pulls above two panel doors with concentric
circles in the center. This interpretive example of the style sold for
$3,500.
The last part of the 19th century was also certainly
well represented. An eight piece continental salon suite, consisting of a
marble top console table, pair of marble top stands with cherub’s heads, a
settee, a pair of fauteuils and a pair of bergeres, was ornately carved and
painted with gilt accents and polychrome floral decorations. The suite was
broken into its components before crossing the block. The big winner of the
set was the elaborate console table, selling for $2,100. The pair of marble
top stands made $1,700 and the pair of fauteuils brought $1,600. In all, the
components of the suite sold for $6,700. Another lot from the same period,
this one from France or Belgium, a small carved curio cabinet with bowed
glass in the door, sold for $1,100 and a similarly styled lift top sewing
table was a good buy at $300.
American oak from the turn of the century held its own.
A 60in s-roll top desk with ten drawers and a prospect door in the fitted
interior and total of nine drawers in the pedestals rose to $2,100 and a
smaller single bank s-roll version with raised panels brought $600. A press
back office chair with cane seat and wheels that would have gone well with
either desk sold for a surprising $500 bid and a four drawer oak file
cabinet with a very nice original finish completed the office setting for
someone for $450. On the home front an unusual hooded oak hall seat with
coat hooks and a mirror was a star with a winner of $1,200. A combination
oak china/server with curved leaded glass in the door and two beveled
mirrors in the server was also an excellent buy at $1,200 and a curved glass
china in nicely done tiger oak with carved feet received a respectable $900
top bid.
Other highlights of the sale included a 17th century
walnut Italian cassone that had been deaccessioned from the Ringling Museum
in Sarasota which sold for $1,200, a Limoge set of nine plates and a serving
platter with game animal scenes went to a New Hampshire collector for $1,850
and a large Florida Highwayman beach scene by deceased artist Alfred Hair
sold for $1,400.
Printed with permission of the author
Fred Taylor, P.O. Box 215, Crystal
River, FL 34423, 800-387-6377.
 Highwaymen and a harbor scene take the day at Turkey Creek
by
Fred Taylor, Auction Highlights, Antique Trader,
March 16, 2005
Art was the interest of the day for many bidders at
Turkey Creek Antique Auctions' February 19 sale. Every third Saturday of
every month, weather permitting, Turkey Creek Auction owner Charles David
Glynn sets up his big striped tent in front of his red barn on US Highway
441, about 13 miles north of Ocala, Florida near the small town of Citra.
And the weather usually permits. For the February 19 edition of Turkey Creek
Auctions, while Boston hovered around the freezing mark and Minneapolis
shivered at 20 degrees near the 6PM auction start time, Citra basked in
Florida mid winter balm with the temp hanging out in the mid 70s. By the
time the big tent was packed with over 300 bidders Glynn had to raise the
sides to cool it down.
The 200 house chairs had quickly filled up and there
were more than 100 people standing. After the sides were raised they could
mill around outside and change positions for a better view. It also allowed
better access to the food. Turkey Creek’s regular vendor, Gram’s Mobile
Snack Cart owned by Jenny Rosselot, was on the scene to fuel hungry bidders
with soda, hamburgers, hot dogs, Philly cheese steak and assorted goodies
like fries, cheesecake and fresh strawberries.
Glynn noted that the “usual crowd of doctors, lawyers
and Indian chiefs” showed for the event but there was an unusually large
number of new bidders trying to register before the sale and it turns out
many of them came to buy. A surprising number of bidders stayed until the
11:45PM end when the last of the 515 lots crossed the block.
Art was the interest of the day for many bidders. Works
from the 1950s and 1960s by the group of black Florida artists known by the
name of “Highwaymen” have enjoyed a revival in recent years. Their
landscapes and seascapes have preserved scenes of undisturbed Florida now
hard to find in the rapidly growing state. Two modest examples of work by
deceased artist Livingston Roberts each sold for a bargain $500 plus the 10
percent buyer’s premium. But the real bargain in Highwaymen art was the
large work by Mary Ann Carroll, the only female member of the famous group.
Ms. Carroll is still active in her art and her work is highly sought after.
A Florida buyer in the room took home the scene of crashing waves on Florida
rocks and sand for $400.
The most interest was generated by a harbor scene, oil
on canvas laid on board, executed in the late 1940s by Australian born
artist Hayley Lever (1876-1958). Born in Adelaide, Lever was educated in
London where he was influenced by the Impressionist and Fauvist movements.
Encouraged by his friend Ernest Lawson, an American Impressionist painter,
he immigrated to New York in 1911 where he was well received, becoming the
Director of the Studio Art Club and was an instructor at the Art Students
League from 1919 - 1931. The best showing by a Lever work was at Doyle New
York in 2003 when his “Impression of London Bridge” sold for $40,000. The
recent average for Lever sales has been in the $5,000 range. His 16in X 30in
depiction of “Tanker Ships, Port of Newark, New Jersey”, in overall good
condition, was hotly contested both in the room and on the phone. The winner
was a phone bidder from New York who parted with $6,500 plus premium.
The outstanding art bargain buy of the day may turn out
to be an oil on canvas of a woman and child by Percival DeLuce (1847-1914).
The late 19th century painting of a female child sitting in her mother’s lap
reading from a book had some condition problems but it sold on the phone to
a dealer in South Florida for $3,000. Skillful restoration no doubt will add
to the value of the work.
But art is not found only in oil on canvas. To some,
jukeboxes from the 1940s and 1950s are works of art in themselves. One
bidder thought the Wurlitzer Model 1100 “Arch Top” from 1948 or 1949 was
such a fine piece of art that he spent $2,000 to take it home. The Wurlitzer
Model 1250 was the first by the company to handle the new 45rpm records.
Introduced in 1950 it changed the course of jukebox history. This one sold
for $1,000, as did a Seeburg “Bubble-Front”, circa 1953. From slightly later
“The pause that refreshes” was available from a tall red and white vending
machine that demanded a dime for an ice cold Coke in 1960. But this time the
price was $1,500 for the entire machine. An example of another genre of art
was the Inaba cloisonné vase in pale blue with a striking carp on the side.
This vase, found in Inverness, Florida, belonged to a man sent to China
during World War II as the chief meteorologist assisting Gen. Chiang Kai-shek
in his battle with Mao Se Tung. This vase accompanied the man home after
many years spent in the Orient. It sold for $2,500.
Furniture was not completely abandoned for this sale. A
simple honest three piece oak or elm bedroom set in faint Eastlake styling
from the late 19th century, tall headboard, dresser with cheval mirror and
dry sink with towel rack, went for $1,100 and a stately mirrored hall seat
with applied carving and four double hooks, from the same period, made $800.
Another fairly plain piece, a poplar open top, step back cupboard with two
double blind panel doors, late 19th century, did very well at $1,100 as did
a Colonial Revival breakfront with bubble glass in the four upper doors
above the secretary pull out. An English glazed two door bookcase from the
Renaissance Revival period, in ebonized wood with gilt incising, may have
been missing the two lower original wooden panels in the doors. Modern glass
apparently had replaced them. That question held down the price to $700. One
slight disappointment was seen in a set of six George III upholstered side
chairs. In good condition with acanthus carved knees, the set could muster
only $300. Glynn said the consignor had paid $250 each chair about twenty
years ago and commented “Chairs are under appreciated in this country.”
by Fred Taylor, Antique Week,
Eastern Edition 12/27/04
CITRA, Fla.-- In preparation for the annual overindulgence this time
of the year, Turkey Creek Auction owner Charles David Glynn spread a mighty
feast of more than 550 lots for his 16th annual pre-Thanksgiving auction on
Nov. 20. The Florida weather cooperated and the big white tent outside the
Turkey Creek Auction red barn was packed with around 275 bidders. Unlike
many recent auctions at the auction site, the inventory for this event did
not come from New England but was found mostly in Florida.
The big fish in the sale was a landscape by Herman Herzog. It was
signed on the back Rattlesnake Run, Pike Co Penn 1884 H Herzog and depicted
a small sunlit clearing littered with fallen trees in a heavily wooded area.
Herzog was born in Bremen, Germany, in 1832 and attended the Dusseldorf
Academy where he established quite a name for himself. His patrons included
Queen Victoria and the Grand Duke Alexander of Russia, as well as a growing
band of admirers in the United States.
After winning Honorable Mention at the Paris Salon in 1863 and 1864 he
relocated to Philadelphia. He adapted readily to his new country, winning a
bronze medal at the Centennial Exhibition in 1876, but his real passion was
to see the entire country, border to border and coast to coast and to paint
as much of it as possible. He left a pictorial legacy of the unspoiled
American landscape of the 19th century. Late in the century, when Herzog's
son lived in Gainesville, Herzog made frequent trips to the area, completing
a body of work consisting of more than 250 Florida scenes before his death
in 1932. This painting, though not one of the Florida works, was found in
the community of Beverly Hills near Inverness, Fla.
When Rattlesnake Run crossed the block there was an onslaught of phone
activity with 10 lines in action. The winner was a private collector in
Texas who called in with the winning number of $47,000 plus the 10 percent
buyer's premium.
But no art sale in Florida is complete without some Highwaymen
paintings and this sale had two by Harold Newton. The Highwaymen is the name
given the group of 26 African American artists working around Fort Pierce,
Fla., in the mid 1950's. Influenced by A. E. "Beanie" Backus (1906-1990),
the artists sold their landscape and seascape renditions out of their cars
Along Florida roads. Highwaymen art has enjoyed a renewed popularity in the
last decade after years of oblivion. There are now a number of galleries and
dealers, mostly in Florida, who specialize in the subject. One of Newton's
oil on board, a portrait oriented scene of a palm tree and shoreline sold
for $2,800 plus premium. The other, a sedate river scene, reached $1,500.
The best art buy of the sale was probably a portrait of a woman signed
D.V. Bond Detroit 1853. Charles V. Bond, American, 1825-1864, was a portrait
and landscape painter from Livingston County, Mich., whose work today
generally sells in the $650-$1,000 range. This pre-Civil War portrait went
for $400.
Furniture was soft in spots but good pieces did well. A very
impressive Eastlake tall sideboard had a marble deck above five drawers and
a raised panel door and a mid-rise shelf supported by turned columns below a
dome-top mirror. In walnut with walnut burl accents on major flat panels,
this 120-year-old dining room piece sold for $1,600. A late 19th century oak
baker's cabinet with a dry sink in the main surface featured three chip
carved blind panel doors and three small drawers in the top section and two
drawers, two blind panel doors and a pullout flour bin below. It looked
sufficiently mellow but still crisp in a refinish, rising to $1,500. An
elegant three-piece oak bedroom set from the turn of the century was
encrusted with applied molding and carving. The 7ft tall headboard was
topped by a crown panel of what appeared to be a nautical theme. The dry
sink and the dresser each had the same top panel above their mirrors. This
set was a very good buy at $1,300.
Oak seemed to be the wood of the day in general. A nice quarter sawn
oak china server with curved glass panels below and a beveled mirror above,
with a top shelf supported by lion's paw columns, sold for $900. An oak 60in
S-roll top desk, with raised panels, a spacious fitted interior and seven
drawers plus a file drawer, in an old refinish, hung in there for the same
price, and an oak china cabinet with curved side glass, a beveled and leaded
glass door and lion's head columns crossed at $800.
Several English pieces of furniture did surprisingly well. A George
III mahogany chest three over three with string inlay on the drawer fronts
with ring pull hardware, standing on French feet, sold for $700 as did
another mahogany George III chest, two over three, on a bracket base. A
rosewood tea poy, circa 1840, brought $350.
Pairpoint lamps are generally well received, especially those with
puffy shades. The example at Turkey creek had a base with a gold wash and 14
in shade with a rose and butterfly theme. The lamp had a late Art Nouveau
feeling to it, dating from around 1910. It felt like a $6,000 lamp to a
local bidder in the tent.
Jewelry was also on several bidders' shopping lists. A Victorian gold
slide bracelet with carved stones and gems made $1,300 and a lady's cocktail
ring with 3.08 carats of emerald and diamonds sold for $900.
Printed with permission of the author Fred Taylor, P.O. Box 215, Crystal
River, FL 34423, 800-387-6377.
|
David Glynn, auctioneer at the Turkey Creek
Auctions, Citra, takes the painting "Blue-Bonnets, Gray Day" off
the wall after its auction, above. Below is the signature of the
late artist Julian Onderdonk of Texas. The painting was formerly
owned by Hubert Krantz of Ocala.
JANNET
WALSH/STAR-BANNER |
Visible treasure
Published October 03, 2004 7:30AM, by
SUSAN LATHAM CARR, Staff Writer CITRA - The oil painting, "Blue-Bonnets, Gray Day," by Texas artist
Julian Onderdonk, sold for $155,000 at Turkey Creek Auctions in Citra on
Saturday night.
"I think it's wonderful," said Hubert Krantz, who was selling the
painting.
"I am shocked," said his wife, Jane. "We were guessing earlier in the
day -- tops $10,000."
Hubert Krantz said the 25-by-30-inch canvas, which depicts a field of
wild bluebonnet flowers fading into a background of trees and hills, has
been in his family for at least 60 years. He has no idea who bought the
painting or where they bought it, but said he remembers that the painting
hung in his mother's apartment in Jackson Heights, Queens, N.Y., for as long
as he can remember.
"I don't ever remember not having it," Krantz said. "It was always
there."
His sister, Keith Ann Krantz, lived with his mother. His mother died,
and, when Keith Ann retired about 14 years ago, she moved to Chambrel at
Pinecastle, an assisted living facility in southeast Ocala. She brought the
furniture and the painting, which is signed by the artist in the lower
left-hand corner of the artwork, with her to Chambrel. She recently moved
into a nursing home and the family was selling the furniture.
"I didn't know it was valuable," Hubert Krantz said about the
painting. "I didn't have a clue."
On the back of the painting is written "Blue-Bonnets, Gray Day,"
followed by "near San Antonio" and the dates "1919-21."
Hubert Krantz's son-in-law, Ken Jones, said the painting's auctioning
reminded him of the Antique Road Show on television.
"Nobody wanted it," Jones said. "We almost tossed it. It's just an old
painting."
But auctioneer David Glynn of Turkey Creek knew the painting had
value. He had two absentee bidders for the artwork and about 10 people who
planned to bid by phone on Saturday.
Glynn started the bidding at $75,000. Jane Krantz and her daughter,
Pat Jones, who sat in the first row, kept giggling and looking at each other
in disbelief as the price climbed higher and higher.
"It did exactly what I was hoping it would do," Glynn said. In
addition to the $155,000 bid, the buyer must pay Glynn an additional 10
percent for his services, making the total cost of the painting $170,500.
Larry Jackson, owner of Jackson Uptown Art and Antiques in
Fredericksburg, Texas, was the successful bidder. He placed the winning bid
by phone. He was acting as agent for a "friend" and was happy with the
price, he said in a telephone conversation from Texas. He said the painting
will be hung in a private collection in a place not far from San Antonio,
where the artist painted.
"It's going into a really nice art collection," Jackson said. "They
have other art, but no other Onderdonk. They have been holding out for the
great one, and this is that very, very great one."
Fredericksburg is about 60 miles from San Antonio.
"We live probably very close in the hill country where this scene was
painted," Jackson said. "It actually looks exactly the same. The bluebonnets
and hill country haven't changed in a long time. Our whole part of the state
looks like that every spring."
Onderdonk, who died in 1922 at the age of 40, is one of Texas' most
renowned artists of the early 20th Century, according to information from
the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Handbook of Texas
Online. He was born in San Antonio in 1882, the son Robert Jenkins Onderdonk,
also a landscape artist.
Julian Onderdonk painted impressionistic landscapes. He preferred
painting in the open spaces rather than in a studio, as was customary at the
time.
At 18, he studied at New York's Art Students League under the tutelage
of William Merritt Chase, Frank Vincent DuMond and Kenyon Cox.
Onderdonk married Gertrude Shipman in 1902. Two years later, he moved
with his wife and baby daughter to the borough of Staten Island in New York
and opened a painting school. His wife also gave birth to his son.
Onderdonk often was in debt but still was able to sell his works
through several dealers.
From 1906 to his death, Onderdonk organized art exhibits for the
Dallas State Fair, one of the Southwest's major art shows.
He returned home to San Antonio in 1909. By then, Onderdonk's
paintings had begun to sell well, with his paintings of bluebonnets becoming
the most popular.
In 1913, two of his landscapes were accepted for exhibition at the
National Academy of Design in New York. During World War I, he tried
unsuccessfully to join the United States Army's Camouflage Service.
Onderdonk's death following a routine operation was sudden and
unexpected. His works hang in a number of Texas art museums as well as
others throughout the nation.
Susan Latham Carr may be reached at 867-4156 or susan.carr@starbanner.com
by Catherine Saunders-Watson, Antique Week 12/06/04
CITRA, FLA.-- The owners of an early 20th century
painting of a field of wild bluebonnets are thanking their lucky stars the
artwork didn't end up in the trash, but rather at an auction house that
spotted its potential. On Oct. 2, Turkey Creek Auctions in Citra sold
a previously unwanted 25 by 30in oil which they identified as being the work
of renowned Texas artist Robert Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922), for $170, 500.
Co-consignor Hubert Krantz said the painting,
Blue-Bonnets Gray Day, had hung in his mother's apartment in New York City
for at least 60 years. After his mother's death, Krantz's sister who
had lived in the same apartment, relocated to an assisted living facility in
Florida. When she moved again, to a nursing home, family members
decided to dispose of the New York apartment's furnishings, which had been
transported to Florida many years ago.
Among the stored possessions was the painting, which no
one in the family wanted. "We almost tossed it," Krantz's son-in-law
told the Ocala (Fla.) Star Banner. "It's just an old painting."
Fortunately, the landscape ended up in the hands of
aucti9oneer David Glyn, at Turkey Creek, who recognized it as a painting of
considerable value. By auction day,10 phone bidders were lined up to vie for
the artwork against several live and absentee competitors.
The lot opened at $75,000 and, within minutes, had sold
over the phone to Larry Jackson, owner of Jackson Uptown Art and Antiques in
Fredericksburg, Texas. Jackson later revealed the painting had been
bought on behalf of a private collector who lives near San Antonio, where
Onderdonk was born and did much of his work.
At one time, the most famous artist in Texas, Onderdonk
was known to overpaint canvases that didn't meet his lofty expectations.
His quest for perfection led him to New York, where he studied under several
distinguished painters. It was only in the last decade of his brief
life, which ended unexpectedly after routine surgery, that is panoramic
views of the Texas countryside gained popularity. Today his works are
held in many museums worldwide.
 Turkey Creek November
Auction
by
Fred Taylor, Antique Week, December 2002
On the main road north of Ocala on the way to Gainesville sits a big
red barn on a hill in the middle of a large field. The entrance road is
deeply rutted indicating that there is some major activity going on up there
at some point. That activity occurs when Turkey Creek owner David Glynn sets
up his big white tent and throws an auction.
Saturday November 23, 2002 was such an event under the big top. The
2,000 square foot tent, warmed by propane heaters with turbo blowers, was
filled to capacity in spite of the unseasonably cool Florida fall evening.
Roughly 200 people took seats in chairs provided by the house, another 20 or
30 brought their own and everybody else stood for the 500+ lot sale.
The eclectic inventory featured a variety of items, ranging from rugs
to jewelry to furniture to art to glass and even included a horse drawn
sleigh - at a Florida sale no less. Sale lots came from an estate in
Jacksonville, FL, one in Inverness, FL and one in Taunton, MA.
The tone for the evening was country casual. Almost everybody in the
audience had been there before. Glynn said that new faces account for about
10% of the audience each sale. He kept up a running commentary with old
friends and new and was not afraid to "speak right up". At one point a
member of the stage crew tilted a large marble top table so the top could be
seen. As the marble started to slide Glynn remarked "I can see the headlines
in Antique Week now - 'Crowd Crushed by Falling Marble!' ".
The top lot of the evening was a diminutive, elaborately carved oak
china cabinet from the Inverness estate, attributed to R. J. Horner of New
York. Initial inspection of the carving revealed a lack of the
sophistication seen in much of Horner's work but the presence of the correct
label in the right place left little doubt as to its authenticity. Spirited
action worked its way up to the winning bid of $2300 plus the 12% buyer's
premium. The winner was a local area dealer who specializes in ornate, turn
of the century oak. Mr. Glynn speculated that the piece would have sold for
much more "up North".
Also generating a very spirited bidding bout was a small bird - a cut
glass and enamel lamp in the shape of a parrot to be exact. It had been
appraised by the estate at around $200. David Glynn felt it would bring
between $500 and $800 because of the exceptional quality of the workmanship.
He believed the piece was European from the 1920's, possibly
Czechoslovakian, possibly Moser. The enameled parrot was ensconced on a cut
glass perch, decorated with draped glass beads, all supported by a cut glass
base. Offers by ten bidders, including one on the phone from Minnesota,
pushed the top bid to $1900 plus premium, from another local dealer who made
several excellent purchases during the sale including an unusual Art Nouveau
lamp with children's figures on a brass base for $250.
The watchword of the evening for the large selection of rugs was
"bargain." The top lot of the rugs was a 9ft X 12ft needlepoint at $600
followed by an 8ft X 10ft 7in Heriz which brought $550 and an 8ft X 10ft 2in
Bidjar at $500. After that the prices dropped off sharply with most lots
falling in the $75 to $300 range but with some, such as a 3ft X 5ft Dhurry,
making only $20 - $25.
Brian Wilson, not the one from the Beach Boys but from Odyssey
Antiques in Gainesville, FL was cherry picking case goods. He saw the long
term value in an unusually tall Eastlake styled chest that needed some TLC
and was willing to part with $275 for it. He also recognized the opportunity
in a late 18th C. slant front walnut desk with tiger maple fitted interior
and fluted corner quarter columns. The feet were a little short and the
hardware needed some refinement but it was a very good buy at $1025. He also
packed up a large 3rd quarter 19th C two over three chest with walnut burl
panels and beveled mirror for $400.
Other late 19th century notables included a three piece M/T bedroom
suite, unattributed, for $1500, a fairly plain Eastlake three piece walnut
parlor set, in non-matching upholstery, $300, an Eastlake table with
chocolate marble top with cookie corners, $350 and a sturdily constructed,
solid cherry S curved roll top desk with raised panels and smoothly working
tambour, in original finish, $1000.
Some 18th and early to mid 19th century pieces included a late 1700's
pine blanket chest with three graduated drawers and nicely cut apron. In
spite of recent refinishing and some doubt about the top, it brought $700.
An Empire chest in finely figured flame mahogany, with two over cantilevered
top drawer over three, flanked by round tapering columns supported by square
plinths on paw feet had a mirror with mahogany and tiger maple frame
supported between two columns capped by urn finials. The original single
hole drawer hardware had been replaced with double drillings making the
refitting of the earlier style more difficult. It went to a new home in
North Carolina at $800.
A very clean Empire game table in flame mahogany with ogee skirt,
square column and under turned C scroll feet made a bargain $305 and a
mahogany swan carved slipper chair settled at $125 to a dealer from nearby
Micanopy.
The early 20th century was well represented by an oak side by side
with original curved glass in the door, two beveled mirrors and fitted
interior. Nicely repaired and refinished it fetched $850 from the buyer of
the swan carved chair. An oak partners desk with good carvings, a gadrooned
top, early three ply drawer bottoms and an overall William and Mary taste to
it found a new partner at $600. A tall oak and quarter cut oak veneer bed
with applied carvings pushed to $450.
One early model for the current version of the CD player was present
in the form of an Edison Model C19 (Chippendale) Diamond Disc Phonograph.
Known as the "Official Laboratory Model", introduced around after World War
I, this model utilized a diamond stylus to play a specially designed ¼in
thick phenol resin disk that was not interchangeable with the more popular
Victrolas of the period even though the fidelity of the Edison recordings
was superior. This one, in need of some cosmetic attention but in working
order, made the expected $300. A more sought after music maker was a Swiss
made, metal disc player, designed for the British market. Carrying a
"Britannia Silver Star Depot" brand name but also the identification "Ste
Croix, Switzerland", it had painted doors with zebra stripe edge banding.
The box sold for $1100 to a collecting couple from Raleigh, NC who made the
trip to Florida just for this item,. While they were here they picked up the
next musical lot, a circa 1920 unmarked disc player in a plain walnut case,
for $900.
Good art glass, pottery and porcelain brought good prices. An elegant
Victorian blown, four stem, green opalescent epergne rose to $550. A
Roseville "Rosezane" jardinière on stand, circa 1915, competed on two phone
lines and in the room. The lady in the room stood her ground and took it
home for $775. A Royal Vienna plate, with a woman and cupid, in ornate
gilded frame reached $575 and a pair of Dresden vases with elaborate floral
band went on the phone at $850.
While David Glynn was generally very pleased with the results of the
sale he noted several soft spots, especially the rugs, small jewelry and mid
20th century furniture. He said the mix of merchandise at this sale was
about the typical mix for his auctions. He feels that his tightly focused
mailing list is largely responsible for a good buying audience, attracting
people like the North Carolina couple for specific items. Sale results
indicated an almost equal mix of buying from dealers and private collectors.
He also indicated that good food is essential to night auctions and he has a
very good vendor on site. The food people were serving generous portions at
very reasonable prices and there was always a line, indicating lots of
people, including me, liked the food. By the way, the sleigh made $400 and
will be ready for our next snowstorm.
Antique Week, December 2002. Printed with permission of the author
Fred Taylor, P.O. Box 215, Crystal River, FL 34423, 800-387-6377.
 Turkey Creek Auctions, Citra, Florida, May 17, 2003
by Fred Taylor,
Antique Shoppe, July 2003
Turkey Creek Auction owner Charles David Glynn
had a full house on hand for his Saturday evening sale on May 17. Or rather
he had a full tent. Glynn provides 250 seats in his spacious 70' X 30'
auction tent but there were at least 100 more people standing or seated
outside for the sale at the auction facility on US 301 between Ocala and
Gainesville.
Most of the 490 lots in the inventory for the event came from
a local estate "just down the road" and the eclectic selection made for some
interesting bidding, some good buys and some good prices on selected items.
Top lot of the sale was an oil on canvas by the
German/American painter Paul Weber (1823 - 1916). Although he is categorized
as being of the Hudson River school of painting this particular painting had
to do with cows. According to Glynn the art market is not that enthralled
with cows, preferring other animals such as sheep and goats. Nevertheless,
this 39" X 57" signed original work made $6000 plus 10% buyer's premium. It
went to a local dealer with New York connections.
Another Weber original oil on canvas, 23" X 37½", this one by
British painter Theodore Weber (1838? - 1907?), had runner up honors at
$5500 plus premium going to a South Florida dealer. An offering of three
signed prints by famed Art Deco era French artist Louis Icart, "Venus in the
Waves," "Smoke," and "Sound of the Sea" brought local interest. The more
common of the lot, "Smoke" hammered at $1200 while "Sound" made $1700 and
the enchanting "Venus" surfed to a new home for $2200.
An Art Deco hood ornament from a Pierce Arrow, featuring a
nude archer, signed "R. Lalique" brought an eyebrow raising $2800,
benefiting from a small two-way bidding war in the tent but a large
contemporary re-strike of Remington's 1903 bronze, "Coming through the Rye"
was a bargain at $1300. A bronze of a man on a horse by Morris gathered in
$500.
Furniture and accessories were a little soft in spots but
there were highlights. An oak Tantalus with cut glass decanters in a fitted
interior, complete with secret compartment closed at $1000. An American
cased tall clock with an English movement by London clock maker Elliot
brought a very nice $4100 winning bid. Two elaborately carved oak pieces
were offered. An elegant desk, supported on sphinx columns, from a New
Orleans estate, circa 1900, commanded $1000 and a late 19th century
bookcase, having two leaded glass doors in a floral pattern brought the same
price. A turn of the century cheval dresser, in excellent original finish
and with original hardware was a good buy at $700.
Printed with permission of
the author Fred Taylor, P.O. Box
215, Crystal River, FL 34423, 800-387-6377.
October 13, 2003--Reprinted from Antique
Week National Section, by Fred Taylor
Citra, Fla--The rolling countryside of
central Florida around Ocala, in Marion County, is home to many of the
state's horse farms specializing in raising thoroughbreds, hunter/jumpers
and polo mounts. The main house on Oak Lane Farm and Polo Club, just north
of Ocala, is also about to be the subject of razing. Since the 4,000 square
foot stone and brick, Spanish-themed house, circa 1970 sites in the ideal
location to appreciate the 450-acre panorama, it is about to be demolished
and replaced with a country French villa featuring modern conveniences. When
the owners, retired business executives from Ohio, asked David Glynn owner
of nearby Turkey Creek Auctions in Citra, to conduct a sale of the contents
and fixtures of the house, he gladly obliged and sweetened the pot with some
additional treasures from an estate in historic Duxbury, Mass., which also
had been consigned to Turkey Creek, and a few individual lots from other
consignors.
The Sept. 20th sale, conducted in the front
yard of the Oak Lane house under Glynn's famous yellow-and-white tent,
attracted more than 275 registered bitters from all over the US, and
accumulated an uncounted pile of absentee and left bids just before the sale
began. Due to the rural nature of the location, Glynn enlisted the help of
many auction regulars who volunteered their cell phones for use in
contacting phone bidders. The effort paid off handsomely.
The top lot for the sale was a rare 19th
century Pennsylvania sampler, silk on silk, featuring a young girl walking
among flowers and animals, wearing an ankle-length white dress with a high
bodice. The notation "Inocense" (sic) appears in the lower right corner. The
signature in the left corner reads "E. McClinkick." Miss McClintick was born
in 1812 and died in 1896 in Bedford, Pa. She produced this work around 1826.
Still in the original mahogany frame with silk ribbon border, the 13 by 17
inch piece, in excellent original condition, was fiercely competed among six
phone bidders, primarily from the Northeast. The winners were renowned
antique sampler and needlework dealers, Steve and Carol Huber of Old
Saybrook, Connecticut, who parted with $26,000 plus the 10 percent buyer's
premium. Mrs. Huber said this early needlework of silk thread on a silk
background was actually classified as a "silk embroidered picture," a very
expensive and difficult project, generally executed only by privileged young
girls attending the finest schools. "This work is very special," she added.
The overall excellent condition and the quality of the graphics made it even
more appealing. The weeping willow tree is frequently seen in silk
embroidered memorials, but since this is not a memorial piece, Huber
suspects it will attract a broader audience.
While there was some reference before the
sale to the picture's possibly being from what author Betty Ring called the
"Towering Ladies of Lebanon," a small group of samplers made between 1822
and 1835 in Pennsylvania, Mrs. Huber noted the work was more refined and
pictorial and was probably more closely aligned with the Buchanan school of
needlework. She also suggested that the inspiration for the work might have
been an early print source, which resulted in the misspelling of
"innocence." The consignor was from the northern Florida town of Lake City.
The same consignor also had listed in the sale a heavy 9 inch sterling
Tiffany bowl which brought $325.
But there was a much more important Tiffany
piece in the sale. From the Duxbury estate came a 4 1/2 inch tall lava glass
vase signed "LCTiffany, Favrile 8426K." Glynn had photos from the estate
dating from the 1920's which shoed the blue and silver vase sitting on a
table in the house. This time, the competition on the phone narrowed quickly
to only three bidders, but the result was nearly as dramatic. The winner,
well-known art glass dealer, Reyne Gallery of Cincinnati, had the winning
number of $24,000. Gallery owner Reyne Haines said it was a fair price,
considering the last time a comparable Tiffany lava glass vase had gone to
market in 1999 it sold for $29,000 at Sotheby's. "They seldom come up for
sale and if you want one, you had better open your purse and buy it when you
see it," Haines said.
Also from around the turn of the 20th
century was an oak Arts & Crafts bookcase with double doors and 12 panes of
what appeared to be original glass. It had come from an estate in the
Gainesville, Florida area. Casters had been added to the bottom of the
cabinet, and one ring pull had been replaced, but that didn't seem to matter
to much to the bidders. The famous Stickley red mark, the cabinetmaker's
compass enclosing "Als Ik Kan" above the Stickley signature in the
rectangle, identified the bookcase as being from 1920-1903, probably a no.
542 in Gustav's model book, with mitered mullions and iron hardware. Four
phone bidders competed among themselves, as well as against bidders in the
room. The winner was in Titusville, Florida at the hammer price of $8,500
with the underbid coming from Orlando, Florida. Another Stickley Arts &
Crafts piece, a rocker marked by Gustav's brothers, L & JG (Leopold and John
George Stickley) also did well at $750, while an unmarked Arts & Crafts
style oak library desk went for $300 to a bidder who had dropped out of the
rocker bidding.
Signatures brought good prices. One such
signature was not a maker's mark, but an owner's claim. A late 18th century
mahogany slant-front desk with fan inlaid interior central drawer and very
nice oxbow-shaped front, all over claw-and-ball feet, had the owner's name
on the bottom of another interior drawer. The inscription read in part,
"Plymouth, September 2, John Attwood and his wife..." John Attwood was born
in 1776 and the desk descended through the Spencer family of Duxbury. Even
with replaced brasses, the desk was strongly competed on the phone and in
the room, eventually being won inside for $6,000. Also with replaced brasses
was an 18th century Pennsylvania walnut tall chest, three over two over
three, on an applied bracket base, which made $5,000 in the tent.
Several lots of art were well received. An
oil-on-board landscape in an Arts & Crafts gilded frame by Pennsylvania
artist Henry Asbury Rand (1886-?), painted in 1936, had four bidders going
on the phone. Originally purchased from Rand in 1936 by the consigning
family for $40, "Tulip Poplars in October" was pushed to $4,100 by a bidder
in New Jersey, very near the top of the range for a Rand work. Another
landscape signed T.B. Griffin, (Thomas Bradley Griffin?, 1858-1918), sold on
the phone for $2,600. A serene seascape, oil on upsom board, by one of the
original Florida Highwaymen, Sam Newton, had previously been seen at the
Appleton Museum of Art in a 2002 Highwaymen exhibition. This time it was
acquired for $2,200 by a left bid. An 18th century watercolor of Swedish
ships, with some slight water damage, sailed out for $700.
Seventeen lots of Eskimo ivory and scrimshaw
ranged from a miscellaneous lot comprised of three ivory buttons and two
ivory letter openers, $25; to a seldom-seen baleen and scrimshawed
ivory-covered box topped by a seal effigy, 5 1/2 by 4 inches, $1,000. Other
lots included an Eskimo drawing on hide, mounted in a paperweight setted and
signed by George Ahgupuk, $150; two pieces of scrimshaw jewelry signed by
Howard Weyahok, $125; and an ivory pen holder with a carved polar bear on a
carved fossil base, $85.
Cut glass was a bargain all day. One lot
consisting of five hand-blown and cut pieces--compote, two master sales and
two wine glasses--all circa 1820, went to an Americana dealer for $140. An 8
inch diameter cut glass bowl signed "Hawkes" made $130, a tall cut pitcher
with applied handle, 10 1/2 inches high, $110; and 8 inch Brilliant Period
bowl, $65; and another Brilliant 8-inch bowl with a heart motif, $125.
The auction staff saved a real treasure
while organizing the sale. While sorting out lots from the Oak Lane house
between those for the sale and those to be sent to the Salvation Army Thrift
Store, a pair of sharp eyes spotted an inconspicuous oval box headed for
charity. It turned out to be a 19th century Shaker piece with four-finger
construction. The 10 3/8 inch long box was rough in spots and had a scratch
in the top, but it sold for $1,100. A Shaker armed rocker, Mount Lebanon,
with original tape seat and label, made $600. Another hidden treasure from
the house was a decorative suit of full medieval armor. Even though it was
only around 30 years old, it brought a surprising high bid of $600.
Several lots of early 19th century furniture
were affordable, considering their quality. A Federal flip-top game table
with a crisply carved acanthus pedestal and well-figured single boards in
the mahogany tops, in excellent condition, garnered $1,050 from a
Gainesville, Florida dealer. The same dealer took home a tilt-top stand with
porringer corners for $875. An Empire secretary with inlaid knobs, missing a
few minor pieces of dentil molding, was an excellent acquisition at $700, as
was the Duncan Phyfe-style drop-leaf table, 42 inches long with two drawers,
circa 1830, signed "Jacob Stearns," at $500. A fairly plain Empire
four-drawer mahogany chest with tall splashboard circa 1840, went out at
$400, and an Empire bed with crotch mahogany paneled headboard and tall
octagonal posts sold for $700. A delicate looking Sheraton step-down
mahogany dressing table with an elaborate splash and crisply turned legs
brought $900.
The late century also had its share of good
buys. A quarter-cut oak tall shaving stand with shelf and an oval mirror was
hammered down at $800. A tall clock with a Chippendale-style mahogany case,
signed on the face by Boston Luxury jeweler, "Shreve, Crump and Low," had
been presented to E. Bertrams Sampson by the Boston and Philadelphia
Steamship Company on the occasion of his retirement after 48 years of
service in 1902. After 101 years, it sold again for $1,500. A late century
drop-leaf sewing stand in Federal Revival style with ornate carvings made
$350, and an elaborately inlaid Centennial kneehole desk, circa 1880,
reached $800.
By the end of the day, the owner of the
property was pleased, most of the winning bidders were happy, and Glynn was
making jokes. Be he wasn't joking when he said, "Go to garage sales and look
for Shaker boxes, Tiffany vases, and samplers." He also probably wasn't
joking when he said that Citra, Florida is going to be known as the new home
of Americana in the South.
Printed with permission
of the author Fred Taylor, P.O. Box
215, Crystal River, FL 34423, 800-387-6377. |
Just an old painting of bluebonnets is surprise winner in Turkey Creek sale
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