Whats In Your Closet Gainesville? Finds Close to Home May Surprise You
By Linda Becnel (Reprinted with permission of the
author)
What makes up the menagerie? You never know. Perhaps an old painted carousel horse, a knight in shining armor guarding a rare Tiffany vase—the shiny, the carved, the big and small, the peculiar or just simple everyday stuff, overlooked by some, but highly coveted by others. Their destination is the landmark 1840s barn, moved from Ohio, to Turkey Creek Auctions in the bend of the road sitting up on the hill in Citra.
A new menagerie comes to life every third Saturday monthly, as bidders gather locally and globally online. While owner and auctioneer David Glynn buys or consigns items from around the world, the local Florida finds are just plain fun to read about.
Several years ago, Glynn spotted what an Ocala couple called “just an old painting” bound for the trash barrel. It turned out to be “Blue-Bonnets, Gray Day” a work by well-known Texas painter Julian Onderdonk. The painting fetched $170,500 from a collector in Texas.
Much closer to home, the painting “Rattlesnake Run” by well-known 19thcentury artist Herman Herzog brought $51,700 as ten phone lines buzzed along with the on-site bidders. Herzog’s son lived in Gainesville at the turn of the century, and Herzog frequently visited the area and painted several rarely seen Florida scenes. Glynn found the painting in the community of Beverly Hills near Inverness.
To another local consigner’s delight, a signed Florida Highwaymen painting by Al Black purchased at a garage sale for $6 sold for $900. A nearby Morriston estate produced an exceptional, highly desirable highboy dresser that originated from a Maine sea captain. With dealers flying and phoning in from every coast, the dresser finally sold for $55,000. Glynn sold a large collection belonging to Larry Roberts, a local expert on Florida memorabilia. The collection included a small souvenir alligator spoon that sold for $900.
Attending a Turkey Creek auction is like being at an episode of “The Antiques Road Show” and, akin to Forest Gump’s box of chocolates, “You never know what you’re going to get.” That’s what makes it so fun, whether you’re selling, bidding or just watching.
Not everything brings in the big bucks, however. Usually items bring what Glynn expects when he starts the bidding. A few things do surprise Glynn, but not often. Last year, to his and a New York collector’s delight, a small, signed Rene Lalique glass owl figurine sold for nearly $48,000, breaking the Christie’s Auction House record by $10,000.
“Market value usually depends on the item’s rarity, age, condition and popularity with collectors,” said Glynn. “If you can find 100 of them on E-Bay they’re not rare. If you have an item that's rare and highly collectible, sometimes original condition is everything. Then again just because something is in poor condition doesn't mean it's not valuable because things can be professionally restored.”
Is it a fun business? Yes for spectators, collectors, and bidders, but meticulous work for the staff that carefully handles, documents, photographs and catalogs everything that crosses the auction block. Glynn said, “Now that we’re on a global stage with the Internet, we attract bidders or collectors from Helsinki to Hong Kong calling us in Citra. It’s pretty amazing.”
Not every auction item is out of reach for regular buyers or collectors. You can usually find something you like for a modest price: a small table, an unusual vase or painting, a handmade quilt or an old toy that brings back childhood memories. Most of us collect what we love, and finding what we love, at a bargain, is priceless.
With the volume of business generated, Turkey Creek is one of the top five antique auction houses in Florida. After 40-plus years in the business, traveling from Maine to Florida, Glynn knows antiques and collectibles and has plenty of knowledge to share and stories to tell.
He began at age 12 with a Red Rider wagon collecting glass bottles and other treasures in Massachusetts, and had his license by age 16. His modes and methods have certainly changed but not his passion. Now he buys estates (from the famous to the notso- famous) and sells over a million dollars of merchandise a year from the barn on the hill.
Gainesville Today readers, look through your closets (keep the personal skeletons to yourself) and send us your questions and photos. If we choose your item, we’ll feature it in an upcoming issue along with Dave’s comments and recommendations.
Please send up to three photos of one item per person and any description that you have including history, markings, etc. Digital photos in .jpg format and at least 300 dpi can be sent to info@antiqueauctionsfl.com. For more information, visit www.antiqueauctionsfl.com.