A superbly colorful and remarkably well-preserved American hand carved cigar store Indian, which had been in a Washington, D.C.-area basement for at least 20 years, brought a world record public auction price of $203,150 on May 22 as the top lot in Heritage Auction Galleries’ Grand Format Political and Americana auction. The auction realized more than $1.25 million in total.
The carving was consigned by 78-year-old Nancy Wischnowski, whose husband was an Americana collector until his death in 1989. “This item was purchased in the 1960s or earlier,” she said, “before we were married.”
While Wischnowski knew the Indian was “valuable,” she never dreamed it would sell for this kind of money. “We expected a great response to this outstanding example,” said Tom Slater, director of Heritage Americana Auctions, “but this was really amazing. I was watching the action, and saw at least four different bidders actually enter bids at or above the $75,000 level.”
“Its overall originality was definitely key to bidder enthusiasm,” said Slater. “Most cigar store Indians have been restored and repainted to the point where they don’t even convey a sense of age. This example, with its seemingly untouched original patina, clearly appealed tremendously to serious collectors.”
In a new category for Heritage †the first major auction house to enter the fray †53 vintage Nevada casino chips were offered, and 51 sold for a total of $106,702. The high chip was a rare 1950s Sands Casino issue featuring the classic “cowgirl leaning on an hourglass” design, which brought $26,290.
Another revival came in the form of Western Americana with some 150 diverse lots in the category. The top seller was a rare “Pony Express Bible,” which sold for $20,315.
“One of the partners in the firm behind the Pony Express, Russell, Majors, & Waddell, was a deeply religious man,” said Slater, “and the company provided one of these Bibles to each of its riders. Only perhaps a dozen or so copies are believed to have survived.”
The auction also included a fine selection of historical photography. A three-quarter plate tinted daguerreotype of a Shakespearean actor drew spirited bidding, selling for $13,145; a number of Nineteenth Century Western images by William Henry Jackson also inspired competitive bidding, with a photo of Sitting Crow bringing $4,183 and a superb circa 1871 expedition photo of the Colorado River by T.H. O’Sullivan realizing $9,560, trouncing its $800․1,500 estimate.
An important offering of 13 Nineteenth Century Charleston slave hire badges also drew much attention, including considerable institutional bidding. The highest price was achieved by a badge dated 1800 and marked “Fisher,” which almost tripled its estimate to finish at $14,340. The year 1800 was the first year for these badges and “Fisher” is one of the rarest occupations. This example also bears what is believed to be the second-lowest number from that year’s issue.
Another high point of the auction was an important selection of Nineteenth Century political textiles, led by an Abraham Lincoln campaign flag and an 1840 William Henry Harrison flag, each of which realized $33,460.
Political campaign memorabilia continued to be a major draw for collectors. The highest priced pin-back button was a rare 1924 John W. Davis variety, which brought $4,481. The top-selling item in the political section, however, was a rare and colorful 1900 McKinley campaign poster that achieved 50 percent above estimate at $17,925.
All prices include 19½ percent buyer’s premium.
The next comprehensive Americana sale at Heritage is planned for November. For information, www.ha.com or 800-872-6467.
