'Highlights FWiw Unusual Two-Day
HATFIELD (Bucks Co.)
The Alderfer Auction Company
offered its bidders more than
1,000 lots of fine merchandise
over the course of their two-day
auction recently. The auction
house hosted more than 800 bid
ders over the two days as well as
more than 1000 registered bid
ders on www.ebayliveauction
s.com.
Comprised of many lots cover
ing almost every collecting cat
egory, the diverse auction gar
nered an auction total just shy of
$1 million. Session One held on
March 5 included a coin collec
tion, estate jewelry and fine art.
Session Two offered decorative
accessories, textiles, ephemera,
furniture, oriental rugs, a paper
weight collection and a stein col
lection.
Session One of the auction fea
tured coins from the ships Ato
cha and Santa Margarita that
sank off of the coast of Florida in
1622. The fleet of ships was leav
ing Havana, bound for Spain and
encountered a hurricane as it en
tered the straights of Florida.
Eight out of twenty eight ships
sank in this storm just off the
coast of the Florida Keys. The
Atocha and Santa Margarita
were two of these eight. The Ato
cha was loaded with 24 tons of
[silver ingots, 180,000 silver coins,
582 copper ingots and 125 gold
bars. In 1969, the quest to salvage
Winter landscape with village houses with figures sled
ding on street, oil on canvas, 30x36-inches by John E.
Berninger, Pa., sold for $22,500.
this treasure began. By 1980, Mel
Fisher and his crew had found a
significant portion of the Santa
Margarita. On July 20, 1985,
Fisher’s son found the Atocha’s
cargo. Alderfer’s sold a two hun
dred-piece collection on March 5.
This collection featured one of
the rare gold bars that were noted
in the Atocha’s inventory. This
top priced lot sold to a live bidder
on the Internet for $lB,OOO.
(NOTE: Prices given do not re
flect the buyer’s premium.) The
bar measured 5 ” long, 1” wide,
and Vh” thick.
Other noteworthy pieces sold
were two very large silver bars.
One bar weighed in at 74 pounds;
Lancaster
it sold for $7,500. The other silver
bar weighed 71 pounds and it
sold for $5,000. The remainder of
the items from the ships were sil
ver coins. These sold for a wide
range of prices from $6O to $BOO
depending on weight and condi
tion; most fell in the $2OO-300
price range.
Following the coins was the es
tate jewelry. Highlighting this
grouping was a collection of Art
Deco diamond and sapphire jew
elry. These pieces came to Alderf
er’s from an estate in the Allen
town, PA area. The magnificent
platinum bracelet was laden with
nearly 8 carats of diamonds and
about 2 carats of sapphires. This
wonderful piece sold to a collec
tor at the auction center for
$5,750. A similar bar pin of dia
monds, sapphires and platinum
sold for $1,200. A jewel encrusted
platinum wristwatch sold for
$1,600. Two of the diamond en
gagement rings in the auction
sold for $3,500 and $3,000; both
featured round brilliant cut
stones set in platinum. A man’s
Rolex watch in 18K yellow gold
with a mother-of-pearl face with
sapphire number indicators sold
for $7,500. A rare collection of
Dudley "Masonic Pocket Watches
and Masonic watch fobs was also
on hand at Alderfer’s. Five of the
Lancaster-made pieces crossed
the auction block, the top lot
being a model one having a 14K
white gold case. It sold for
$3,000. Another Dudley Masonic
watch, also model one, in a 14K
yellow gold case sold for $2,750.
A fine Masonic 3-part fob that
contained a .40-carat diamond
sold for $375. Other fobs brought,
$250, $225, & $2OO.
The auction gallery held over
200 paintings and works of art.
The pieces spanned many time
periods and styles. Several paint
ings set auction records.
One record setting work was
the painting titled “South Seas”
by New Hope artist Joseph
Meierhans. The gilt frame also
hand-crafted by the artist com
plemented this full-bodied piece.
The painting measured
V:
£ , *
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Mount Washington Glass Sugar Shaker is fig shaped
with metal top and hand-painted floral decoration is of
Burmese glass. Sold for $l,BOO.
32x40-inches. It sold to a phone
bidder for $14,000. The John E.
Beminger painting that was sold
also set a new auction record for
his work. The painting measured
30x36-inch and depicted a winter
landscape with village houses
and figures sledding. The oil on
canvas painting sold to a bidder
on the phone for $22,500. Bucks
County artist Arthur Meltzer
painted the top Pennsylvania
scene in the auction. This piece
was featured on the front cover of
the catalog and it depicted a
stone house and bridge in a
wooded landscape. It was dated
1925 and it measured
20x24-inches. This wonderful
piece sold for $40,000 to a collec
tor of Pennsylvania art who was
bidding on the auction floor. An
other small painting by Meltzer
titled “Pennsylvania Farm” sold
for $B,OOO.
There were 12 paintings in the
auction by Walter E. Baum. The
top painting by Baum in the sale
was titled “The Brook- Zero.” It
sold for $32,500. This piece mea
sured 20x24-inches and was
dated 1928. The Sellersville artist
also had many small works in the
auction including a winter land
scape that measured 4x6-inches;
it sold for $2,500. A 6xB-inch
painting titled “The River”
brought $3,250 and a 12x 14-inch
work of a mill and stream sold
for $15,000. Baum’s “Berks Co.
Brook” measured Bxlo-inch and
sold for $4,750.
The back cover lot was a street
cafe scene with figures and build
ings by Francois Gailliard. The
oil on canvas piece was dated
1884. The painting sold to a
phone bidder in London for
$40,000. A small painting by
Hudson River Valley artist
Thomas Doughty was included
in Alderfer’s auction as well. This
painting depicted a river valley
landscape with a house, figures,
and animals; it measured
13xl8-inches. The painting sold
to a Southern collector for
$ll,OOO. William Trego’s paint
ing of a weary soldier sold for
$9,500. The North Wales, PA art
ist’s work measured
21x17-inches.
Session Two on March 6,
started out with a diverse group
of decorative accessories includ
ing a grouping of Mount Wash
ington sugar shakers. One was of
cranberry colored glass with
enameled decoration. This fig
shaped shaker in excellent condi
tion sold for $3,500. Another fig
shaker was of white glass with
blue paint decoration and enam
eled floral design. This shaker
sold for $l,BOO. A Handel lamp
with an 18” reverse painted
shade with a chipped ice finish
came to Alderfer’s from a Norris
town estate. This lamp with
much presale interest was
knocked down to an Internet bid
der for $4,250. The shade was de
corated with a landscape scene
with ruins and palm trees.
A large Grueby pottery floor
vase sold for $12,000. This balus
ter form vase in a matte green
glaze with applied and tooled
leaves measured 23” tall. This
large piece of art pottery came to
Alderfer’s from a local house.
Another fascinating piece that re-
Diamond and sapphire bracelet from the 1930 s sold
for $5,750.
ceived much of the presale atten
tion was a hand-painted KPM
porcelain plaque. This large rec
tangular plaque depicted
“Psyche”. The nymph figure was
seated at the water’s edge. The
plaque remained in a gilt gesso
frame. Eight phone bidders vied
with the floor bidders and Intern
et bidders. After much competi
tion the top phone bidder won
out and bought the piece for
$5,500.
Topping the furniture lots in
the auction was a Sheraton ban
quet table. This beautiful mahog
any table comprised of three sec
tions all with reeded legs; it sold
to a bidder in the audience for
$12,000. Other highlights of fur
niture in the auction included a
New England barrel back comer
cupboard that sold for $4,250; a
miniature Sheraton chest of
drawers that brought $1,600; a
Hepplewhite chest of drawers
that sold for $2,500; and a cen
tennial Chippendale comer cup
board that brought $3,750. There
were several mgs in the auction.
The 8’ 11” x 12’ 6” Antique Heriz
sold for $4,000. A Karaja Heriz
sold for $3,500 as did a Karaja
Serapi mg.
Ending out the day at Alderf
er’s was a stein collection fol
lowed by a paperweight collec
tion. The two were highly sought
after with bidding competition
from the floor, phone bank, and
Internet. The stein collection was
mainly Mettlach pieces with
some regimental steins. The Met
tlach pieces ranged in price from
$lOO to $6OO, while the two high
est priced regimental steins sold
for $375 & $350. The paper
weight collection was highlighted
by a Kaziun weight that sold for
$B5O. It was amethyst in color
and contained a silhouette por
trait of a woman in a bonnet with
flowers. The other Kaziun weight
in the auction was the top lot. It
was a pedestal form paperweight
with a yellow rose having green
leaves. This lot sold for $1,200. A
grouping of two weights sold for
$1,700. Included in this lot was
an older French weight of swirled
turquoise and white glass with a
center floral design.
The Alderfer Auction Compa
ny is located at 501 Fairgrounds
Road in Hatfield, PA 19440, and
can be contacted by phone (215)
393-3000 and by fax: (215)
368-9055. Alderfer’s website is
www.alderferauction.com.
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