Applebrook Auction’s January 8 sale offering the Adesman collection from Washington, Conn., saw its fair share of surprises.
Auctioneer Mitchell Borenstein described the sale he conducted at the Southbury Firehouse as a good sale, reminiscent of sales just a few years ago with a standing-room-only crowd and enthusiastic bidding.
The top lot of the sale was not much of a surprise, however; a rare orotone by Edward Curtis, “At the Old Well at Acoma,” in its original Curtis Studio frame, attained $4,485.
A surprise came early in the sale when a lot of three vintage Italian glass pieces that opened at $300 was chased by two phone bidders and a floor bidder. The lot finished at $3,737.
The big surprise of the night was a metal folk art trolley estimated at $600/800. “Three people fell in love with it,” Borenstein said of the turn-of-the-century trolley in yellow paint that fetched $4,025.
Folk art performed well at the sale, including a folky metal top hat in red paint that fetched $1,027 from an absentee bidder and an antique painted folk art snake that brought $1,897.
Leading furniture offerings was a signed Karl Springer Lucite coffee table that went for $2,300, while a tall case clock, signed English, realized $1,897.
A rare metal and gilt pocket watch trade sign, 25 inches tall, with chain, brought $2,127 from an in-house bidder.
Rounding out the auction was a Federal convex mirror with eagle and candle sconces that sold for $2,990, a drawing of Benjamin Franklin in a gilt frame for $1,150 and a signed Joseph Solomon painting of “Paul, a young boy” for $1,150.
All prices reported include the 15 percent buyer’s premium.
For more information, www.applebrookauctions.com or 203-740-0944.
