PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — The collection of Shaker basket scholar Martha Wetherbee came under the gavel on August 23, when Bray & Co sold 85 lots from her collection. Earning top-lot honors at $9,840, including buyer’s premium was an early and rare leather-lined Shaker tobacco basket from New Lebanon, N.Y., that dated to circa 1800 and was estimated at $800-$1,200. The catalog entry for the lot, which had been included in Wetherbee’s 1988 book Shaker Baskets, noted Wetherbee as saying “I acquired this basket in the late 1970s and have never seen another example. The contoured outside notch on its handle dictates its Mount Lebanon origin. The leather lining may indicate its use as a tobacco basket. A hint of tobacco odor is still evident if moisture is applied to its surface.” Derin Bray noted it was purchased by a private collector in New England. More highlights from this white-glove sale will appear in an upcoming issue.