At $38,675, this Minton majolica boar’s head tureen, complete with its matching fitted tray, was the “rarest of all Minton majolica game tureens” and, sold during the Majolica auction, it led all five sales ($20/30,000).

Review by Kiersten Busch

WOLCOTTVILLE, IND. — Strawser Auction Group conducted a five-auction series spanning five days in the last two weeks of May. With more than 2,600 lots offered across all auctions, bidders were able to a choose from a diverse array of items at various price points, from antique dollhouse furniture to Majolica fountains.

“The auction was a great success,” shared president Michael G. Strawser. “We had over 3,400 bidders online, a good crowd in attendance and a number of absentee and phone bidders. We sold 100 percent of all items all five days. Every day exceeded our high estimate projection.”

Antiques

The first of the five sales was an antique auction on May 21, which offered 517 lots of furniture, glass candy containers, cast iron salesman sample stoves, cast iron toys and doll furniture, Griswold cast iron, sterling silver and more.

The top three lots of the day were swept by the doll furniture and accessories category, led by a group of 15 dollhouse accessories and furnishings made of cast iron, which earned $4,460. The lot included nine different tables, two pairs of chairs, a bench and a bed frame, with the pieces ranging in size from 1½ to 3 inches high. The second-highest price, $2,600, was earned by a cast iron dollhouse or child’s laundry set by Arcade, which came with some original boxes. The set included a wringer, washer, laundry tray with a double sink, ironer, hot point heater and copper boiler. Making the third-highest price was a lot of four cast iron, metal and wooden doll sleds — one marked “Santa Claus” and another “Lily Dale.” The sleds rode off for $2,380.

Leading the Antique auction at $4,460 was this lot of 15 cast iron dollhouse accessories and furnishings, ranging in height from 1½ to 3 inches ($100/150).

The first lot to cross the block was a three-piece Gorham Midcentury Modern sterling silver coffee service, which earned $2,142. Designed by Donald H. Colflesh, the set included a coffee pot, creamer and sugar basin, which came with its original string tag. Sterling silver continued to attract attention from bidders, as 34 additional lots from the category found new homes, ranging in price from $48 for a framed box of Victorian button hooks with sterling silver handles to $1,666 for a lot of 16 assorted sterling silver pieces.

Bidders were also attracted to the 19 lots of cast iron cookware by Erie, Penn., manufacturer Griswold, all of which sold. The group was led by a No. 0 waffle iron, which was marked “Patd. Dec. 1908” on its face. Surpassing its $200/300 estimate by more than seven times, the waffle iron cooked up a delicious $2,142 finish. Three cake molds by Griswold were some unique offerings from the grouping and included a “Hello Kiddies” Santa mold ($298), a rabbit ($101) and a lamb ($77).

Staffordshire

May 23 was the firm’s Staffordshire auction, which saw 397 lots of Staffordshire figures and trinket boxes cross the block. Commanding the lead for the day was a figure of a Naval officer, which shot far past its $400/600 estimate to achieve $4,950. It was cataloged as “monumental” due to its size, standing 23½ inches tall.

This Staffordshire figure of a Naval officer sailed past its $400/600 estimate to achieve $4,950, the highest price in the Staffordshire auction.

Nearly 140 lots of Staffordshire figures were offered, with bidders also taking keen interest in “Ridley and Latimer,” a circa 1851 figure of the bishops Ridley and Latimer burning at the stake. It had an inscription beneath its title, but craquelure and paint loss made the inscription difficult to decipher. The figure burned away its $40/80 estimate to earn a scorching $1,012.

Spaniels were a popular subject by Staffordshire makers, and 74 lots of these dogs found new homes, with prices ranging from $54 for a pair of 10-inch-tall white spaniels to $1,190 for a pair of white spaniels with flower baskets. “Flower basket spaniels,” as the figures were cataloged, took up five more lots in the sale, with prices as low as $476 and as high as $952.

While man’s best friend attracted a lot of bidder attention, other animals also got the chance to shine, including a pair of gilded rabbits eating lettuce ($2,640) and a pair of leopard spill vases ($1,309), among others.

Ten lots of stirrup cups found new homes, led by a rare example in the shape of a bulldog with its collar, which barked to the third-highest price of the day: $1,785. Eight of the additional nine stirrup cups depicted other animals — foxes, foxhounds and a rabbit — the only outlier was a novelty anticatholic cup, which stared down bidders for $238.

Majolica

A 668-lot majolica auction was conducted May 24 and Minton majolica earned many of the highest prices of the day. Of the 83 lots of Minton offered, a boar’s head tureen with its matching fitted tray came out on top, realizing $38,675, the highest price of all five sales. According to catalog notes, this example was “the rarest of all Minton majolica game tureens, very few are known to exist.” A twin to the one in this sale is part of the collection at MAAS Powerhouse Museum in Australia.

This Minton majolica tripod table jardiniere modelled by Baron Marochetti, 1858, 40 inches high, had mythological mask reliefs and was bid to $27,500 ($15/20,000).

A Minton tripod table jardiniere and cistern, both designed by Baron Marochetti, were bid to $27,500 and $19,040, respectively. The former, which was impressed with the date code for 1858, had mythological masks in high relief at the top of each of its legs, while the latter, which had double entwined snake handles on each end, was decorated with leaf and trailing foliage designs. A Minton fountain in the form of an acanthus leaf with a floral base that had provenance to the Marilyn Karmason collection spouted to $18,700.

George Jones was represented by 89 lots, with prices ranging from $48 for a pond lily low compote to $7,700 for a pelican sardine box cover and stand. Holdcroft’s 28 lots were led by a cobalt lobster pate box which crawled to $5,950, while a Wedgwood cobalt plate designed with a monkey climbing a tree led the British maker’s 64 lots.

Antique Glass, Rose Bowls & Miniature Lamps

May 28 saw 626 lots of fine glass — including Tiffany, Quezal, Durand, Fenton, Steuben, rose bowls, miniature oil lamps and more — cross the block during the Antique Glass, Rose Bowls and Miniature Lamps Auction.

Two miniature oil lamps cataloged as “rare” because of their designs earned prices high enough to place in the top three highest selling lots of the sale. A Consolidated Lamp & Gass Company miniature oil lamp in the shape of Santa Claus earned $2,750, surpassing its $1,5/2,000 estimate to lead the sale. The other rarity, a bisque example in the shape of a figural skeleton with green eyes, sold for a bone rattling $2,200.

Ready to decorate for Halloween early? This miniature bisque figural skeleton oil lamp, 5½ inches, could do the trick for $2,200 ($1,2/1,500).

A miniature Vaseline oil lamp with clear glass feet led a group of 12 uranium glass lots at $2,750, the second highest price of the sale. The additional 11 lots ranged in price from $101 for a 15-inch-tall green trumpet vase, to $952 for a lot of eight covered dishes, including ones shaped like a hen on it nest, an owl, swirl candy, moon and star candy, a turtle, Santa in a sleigh, a cat and a young girl.

Cranberry glass from various manufacturers — Clark’s, Hobbs, Fenton and more — made up 109 lots of the sale, ranging in price from $36 for a four-piece condiment set to $1,190 for a cameo bottle vase with butterfly and flower decorations by Webb.

Fenton Art Glass was well-represented, with 93 lots of the Williamstown, W.Va., based glass manufacturer’s pieces changing hands throughout the sale. The group was led by a rib optic wheel-cut stretch glass pitcher and five handled tumblers in the Wisteria pattern, which earned approximately four times the high end of its $80-$120 estimate at $476.

Pottery & Ceramics

Pottery, porcelain, figurines and more were front and center in the 416-lot Pottery and Ceramics Auction on May 29.

These two small Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre bowls led the Pottery and Ceramics auction for an enchanting $2,023 ($300/500).

A lot of two Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre bowls, measuring 4 inches and 3¾ inches in diameter respectively, earned top lot status, spreading their magic for $2,023 against a $300/500 estimate. The bowls were each decorated with small fairies and stars. While not Fairyland Lustre, a lot of eight small Wedgwood luster bowls in various other patterns crossed the block at $1,428, the second highest price of the sale. Another 10 lots of Wedgwood pottery found new homes throughout the sale, ranging in price from $48 for a blue Jasperware sugar shaker to $238 for both a Dragon Lustre bowl and a Lustre bowl with butterflies.

Prices ranging from $18 for a cup and saucer to $1,120 for a 10-inch plate reflected broad interest in the 74 lots of Dedham Pottery in the sale. Individual patterned Dedham plates made up approximately 62 percent of the Dedham offerings, or 46 lots, with other notable prices including $952 for an 8-inch plate with grouse decoration, $833 for an 8-inch plate with mushrooms and $774 for an 8-inch plate with an image of the Fairbanks House on its center with rabbits decorating the lip.

Yellowware Mocha pottery also made a splash with bidders; the 10-lot group was led by a lot of nine mugs with various nature-inspired patterns on their bands; they sipped down a $774 finish, more than doubling their $200/300 estimate. Mugs were not the only form of yellowware Mocha offered, as a few pitchers ($327-$476), a covered jar ($226) and two missing bowls ($131, $107) also found new homes.

Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, 260-854-2859 or www.strawserauctions.com.