This 258-piece Wallace sterling silver flatware service in the Rose Point pattern was in excellent condition and achieved the sale’s highest price of $10,000.

Review by Carly Timpson

CANAAN, N.Y. — Ralph Fontaine’s Heritage Auctions celebrated its 30th business anniversary with a 534-lot auction on October 26. Following the close of the sale, owner Ralph Fontaine said, “You know, it’s been 30 years, almost to the date. October 28, 1995, was our first auction.” Though he did not wish to disclose a sale total, Fontaine shared, “It was a really great sale. There were about 60 people in house, which is good for these days, and we had 60,000 views on LiveAuctioneers, over 2,000 registered to bid online and lots of phone bids and left bids as well. There were bidders from 17 or 18 different countries.” Fontaine added that there were strong collections of musical instruments, weapons, gold and silver, noting that the latter did the best overall, and nearly all lots were sourced from several estates around the area.

Celebrating the sale’s highest price was a sterling silver flatware set by Wallace in the Rose Point pattern. Cataloged as “the best,” this set had no monograms and was in excellent condition. Comprising 258 pieces with a weighable total of 215 ounces, plus 48 weighted pieces, the service sold to an online bidder for $10,000.

Finishing at $7,500 was a 20-inch-tall bronze sculpture of a nude woman by Harriet Whitney Frishmuth. Signed and dated “1918,” the figure was further marked “Gorham Co Founders Q505” and numbered “#239.” Estate fresh, the statue stood atop a marble base with a slight crack to it, though that did not deter interested bidders. Another bronze sculpture to see success was Alexander Phimister Proctor’s 1898 “Warrior.” Cataloged as both “huge” and “monumental,” this regal horseback rider stood 42 inches tall and weighed more than 100 pounds as mounted on its marble base. According to the catalog, “Warrior” earned the gold medal at the Paris Exposition in 1900 and a similar edition was sold at Sotheby’s in 2023, achieving a six-figure price. This example may have been the steal of the day, finishing for $5,000.

Weighing more than 100 pounds, this bronze “Warrior” sculpture by Alexander Phimister Proctor (American, 1860-1950), 42 inches tall by 29 inches wide by 11 inches deep, rode off for $5,000.

Another notable lot that Fontaine said was neat was a Julius Bien lithograph of “War and Union.” This piece came out of an estate near Albany, N.Y., and was nicely framed and matted. Done in 1861, the image used John Audubon’s “White Headed Eagle” as the primary subject, depicting the bird standing atop allegorical symbols for America during the Civil War, including a flag, a document marked “Constitution,” arrows, a sword, a ball and chain and a shield. After lots of back-and-forth bidding, an online bidder claimed the print for $6,875.

Eagles were also featured prominently on many of the top gold lots, namely the 1924 Double Eagle $20 coin, three of which earned top 10 prices. Interestingly, it was the one ungraded coin that achieved the highest price of the three. However, the catalog noted that this coin was “estate fresh in nice condition” after having “been put away for years.” It rose to $4,688. The others, one graded MS62 by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) and the other graded MS63 by the Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC), were also estate fresh and achieved $4,375 and $4,063, respectively.

Also finishing for $4,063 was an antique Nantucket basket with a swing handle. Signed “Jose Formoso Reyes” to its bottom, this estate-fresh example had a carved whale on its top and measured 10 inches tall by 8 inches wide.

Leading the furniture offerings was this highly carved Renaissance revival cabinet with a mirror back and glass shelves, 102 inches tall by 52 inches wide by 23 inches deep; it brought $4,375.

Furniture offerings were led by a Renaissance revival cabinet with full carved Atlas supports, a three-dimensional spread-wing eagle and Cupid crest and various additional adornments all over. It finished at $4,375 and was followed at $3,125 by a Horner dining room table in oak with carved standing winged griffins on each leg.

Two somewhat opposing pieces tied for the high price of $3,750 out of the selection of musical instruments. One, a classic Gibson Les Paul, purchased by its original owner with a case and amp, which were included with the lot, in 1957, and the other a 4/4 cello with a tiger maple back and sides. The cello, made by Italian master Leonardo Genaro, was modeled after an original by Antonius Stradivarius, and its body measured 30 inches in length.

Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.fontaineheritage.com or 518-781-3650.