Naturalistically modeled, this Delphin Massier elephant floor jardiniere, circa 1880, measured 30½ inches in height and brought $8,800 from a long-standing Strawser private collector to lead the majolica sale ($4/6,000).

Review by Madelia Hickman Ring

WOLCOTTVILLE, IND. — “We had some reserves, but not many,” acknowledged Michael G. Straswer, commenting on the high sell-through rate achieved by the six sales the Strawser Auction Group handily dispatched across 10 days, October 15-25. That’s a noteworthy feat when one considers that more than 1,250 lots were gaveled down with all but six finding new homes, and four of the auctions — Pottery on October 15, Staffordshire on October 17, Antique Glass on October 24 and Ceramics on October 25 — were all white glove sales.

Pottery

The first sale in Strawser’s lineup was a 392-lot Pottery Auction that featured Roseville, Hull, Rookwood, Weller, Shawnee, juicers and reamers and a collection of Holt Howard Pixieware. The highest price of the day — $2,200 — was earned by a 21½-tall copper clad pottery floor vase made by Clewell. It was one of six lots by Clewell that earned from $143 for a bowl, to $495 for a six-sided vase.

Other highlights of the day were a honey jar and instant coffee jar, both made by Holt Howard that finished at $660 and $468, respectively.

The highest-selling of a half-dozen lots of copper-clad pottery by Clewell was this pottery floor vase that led the Pottery auction with a $2,200 result ($1,5/2,000).

Staffordshire

The first of two specialized ceramics sales followed two days later, with 378 lots of Staffordshire, all of which sold. The bulk of the sale — Straswer thought between 80 and 85 percent — was from the collection of Elinor Penna, the founder of the Staffordshire Figure Association. It was the fourth sale from Penna’s collection, and Strawser noted “we have another two sales to go.”

A trade buyer bought both of the top lots: a pair of spill vases with recumbent dog bases for $2,750, and a group of four hens on nests for $2,090.

“The hens on nests were a surprise,” Strawser told us. “We had some that had egg holders on the inside, which is quite unusual.” One of these, sold individually for $385.

Most of the items in the Staffordshire sale were offered in groups, but lots of individual items included a figure of a lion and tiger ($825) and a pearlware Prattware figure of Nicodemus ($440).

Topping the Staffordshire sale with a $2,750 return was this pair of 10½-inch-tall spill vases with dog bases ($200/300).

Majolica

Strawser has built a strong reputation selling majolica — he founded the Majolica International Society — and the highest prices of the week were found in the 547-lot sale that focused solely on the category; only one lot did not sell.

“We’ve seen some new buyers enter the market in the past couple of years, buying from the top to the bottom end,” he shared. Clients he had worked with previously acquired most of the day’s top lots, including a circa 1880 Delphin Massier elephant floor jardiniere that stood 30½ inches tall and achieved $8,800. The same buyer won for $8,250 a 40-inch-wide Minton majolica shell-form centerpiece that featured mermaids at both ends, as well as a rare Minton majolica jardiniere in the form of a running pheasant, for $5,225.

Approximately 50 lots were made by George Jones, led at $6,600 by a turquoise garden seat with birds, dragonflies, a water lily and cattails. It was followed by a 10-inch-tall compote with a base modeled to show a fox peering down a rabbit hole ($6,050) and a dresser tray decorated with butterflies and irises ($3,025).

Works by other makers included a Grapes pitcher by TC Brown, Westhead & Moore of large size ($4,950), a majolica mushroom-form garden seat by Choisy-le-Roi ($4,675), a pair of monumental trumpet vases decorated with birds and leaves by Sarreguemines ($4,675) and a rare fern holder, decorated with foxes and ducks, by Hugo Lonitz ($4,400).

Professional repairs to both the mermaids and base of this Minton majolica shell-form centerpiece did not discourage bidders from taking it to $8,250 ($4/6,000).

Antiques

The largest sale of the week was the 618-lot Antiques Auction, in which all but five lots gaveled down successfully. Proving the attraction of gold, a 14K yellow gold necklace and bracelet that weighed in at 44.9 grams led the sale, at $3,025. Silver, which started the auction with a dozen lots of flatware and hollowware, reached its apex with a Reed & Barton Francis First sterling silver flatware service for eight, at $1,760.

Among more unusual items were a 57-inch-tall Mozard Grand parlor stove by F.L. Kahn Bros of Hamilton, Ohio ($2,750), a 1905 Letzte Auszeichnungen oak salesman sample wringer washer ($880) and a wooden sled ornamented with a lady masthead and side panels painted with a deer and a cottage ($660).

The top lot in the firm’s Antiques auction was this nearly 45-gram 14K yellow gold necklace and bracelet set, that achieved $3,025 ($1,2/1,500).

Antique Glass

All 390 lots in the Glass auction sold, with two pieces by Steuben — a spiral sculpture with engraved butterflies, and a mushroom with engraved elf — topping the sale at $1,430 and $1,320, respectively. In third place, at $825 and falling just short of its high estimate, was a collection of 27 pin boxes with enamel decoration, by Moser and other makers.

Carnival glass topped off at $770 with a Northwood opalescent Arabian Nights water pitcher and a $660 blue carnival glass plate with rose, also by Northwood.

Besting nearly 400 other lots of antique and vintage glass, this Steuben crystal spire sculpture had engraved butterflies and came with a fitted case. At $1,430, it led the Glass auction ($800-$1,200).

Ceramics

The week concluded with a white-glove 435-lot Ceramics Auction. Achieving primacy was a circa 1850 monumental KPM Royal Berlin ewer and stand. “Having the matching undertray was quite rare; usually those got separated. The detail was also outstanding,” Strawser told us. A private collector in California won it for $2,310. The same price was achieved for a Satsuma palace urn that, at 36 inches tall, was described as “monumental-massive”; it also sold to a private collector.

For $1,540, a buyer won a 67-piece group of Spode abone china in the crimson Lancaster pattern, just ahead of the $1,430 realized by a Wedgwood Bird in a Hoop Flame Fairyland Lustre Imperial bowl, circa 1925, designed by Daisy Makeig-Jones.

Surviving with its stand, this circa 1850 KPM Royal Berlin ewer was decorated with cherubs, dragons and grapes. It topped the October 25 Ceramics auction at $2,310 ($1/1,500).

A large and distinctive component of the day’s offering were a group of figural humidors and tobacco jars — nearly 200 lots — many of which were illustrated in Joe Horowitz’s Figural Humidors (Baltimore, 1997). Several fell under the Black Americana category, including the section’s highest-selling lot, one made by J. Maresch of a man with a straw hat smoking a cigar. “That was about half the collection; the rest will be offered in our May 2026 auction,” Strawser confirmed.

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