The walnut, cherry, pine and poplar workstand, attributed to Orren Haskins of the Mount Lebanon Shaker community in New York, brought a world record $491,400. It came from the Ed Clerk collection and sold to David Schorsch. The revolver chair that Clerk used with the workstand, shown left, a maple, pine and hickory example with eight spindles, went to another buyer for $10,530.

Sale previewers stood around a Mount Lebanon Shaker workstand like acolytes at an altar at the Willis Henry Shaker sale last month where it sped to a world record $491,400. Bidding opened at $50,000 and flitted between the phone and the room, finally selling to Woodbury, Conn., dealer David A. Schorsch, who outlasted all comers while speaking into a cell phone. Bidding nearly ended at a $400,000 hammer price when the last competing phone bidder hesitated, but he or she gave it one more go at $410,000 and then relinquished it.

The workstand, made of walnut, cherry, pine and poplar, is open between the work surface and the upper section of six drawers. Attributed to Orren Haskins of the Mount Lebanon community in New York, it is simply a gem. As Christian Goodwillie, curator of collections at Hancock Shaker Village put it, “That’s the Rolls Royce!” It has been widely exhibited and was included in “Making His Mark, The Work of Shaker Craftsman Orren Haskins” that was on view in 1997 and 1998 at Mount Lebanon.

The workstand came from the Ed Clerk collection, and as auctioneer Will Henry offered the piece, he noted that it was “Ed’s pride and joy.” Clerk had purchased it from Ed and Celeste Koster in the 1970s.

The revolver chair that Clerk used with the workstand, a maple, pine and hickory example with eight spindles, went to another buyer for $10,530.

The sale included a few choice pieces from Clerk’s collection, which, except for those few pieces, remains largely intact. Clerk busies himself nowadays with photography and the teaching of same.

A chrome yellow oval carrier in maple and pine had it all and brought a most impressive $105,300.

Even though it was well accepted that a superb chrome yellow oval carrier was exceptional, the saleroom fell still when Bob Wilkins took it for a record $105,300 after a flurry of bidding. The maple and pine piece, which came from a New Hampshire collector only a few weeks before the catalog was complete, had an elegant carved handle, three exquisitely formed fingers with meticulously placed copper nails that had turned green. Unvarnished and perfectly dry, the carrier looked as if it had been kept under glass since it was made between 1830 and 1835. Speaking after the sale, Henry called it “the best I’d ever seen.” He said it was the finest piece he had sold in 15 years. Referring to its feather weight, he added, “An angel could pick it up.” Although its origins are unknown, some suggested Mount Lebanon.

When a butternut and poplar cupboard over six drawers brought $93,600, it became clear that auctioneer Henry had a million-dollar sale on his hands. The cupboard, which was signed twice “J. Munson” of Mount Lebanon, had descended in the family of the original purchaser. None of the bidders were deterred by the “Victorianized” latches on the cupboard doors, an easily remediable embellishment. It went to South Salem, N.Y., dealer John Keith Russell, who was active throughout the sale. The Very Reverend Malcolm W. Eckel, who had been headmaster of the Shaker-founded Darrow School in New Lebanon, N.Y., had purchased it from the Shakers and it came from his family.

The auction room was filled with every Shaker collector of note – the few exceptions were on the phone. Henry reminded bidders that his first auction was in the same location in Pittsfield some 24 years ago. Back then, he said, he sold the cupboard to Clerk for $16,000, a staggering sum at the time. Many of the same collectors were present for this sale where some of Clerk’s pieces were the all-stars. Henry described those dedicated collectors as “Born-again Shakers.”

He was spelled as auctioneer throughout the sale by C. David Glynn of Turkey Creek Auctions in Citrus, Fla.

A sewing table made in the Enfield, N.H., community around 1840 of birch with secondary pine sold for $30,420. Its rare form comprised a generous 6-inch overhang on both sides with pegged drawer supports and turned and tapered legs. It had come from the collection of dealer and collector Pat Hatch of Harvard, Mass.

A Union Village, Ohio, walnut and poplar storage chest that was made between 1840 and 1850 realized $10,530.

Lots of people expressed interest in a butternut and poplar cupboard over six drawers that was signed twice by “J. Munson” of Mount Lebanon that brought $93,600. The piece had descended in the family of the original purchaser.

An elder’s rocking chair that Henry proclaimed “the best chair we have ever sold, bar none,” was made for the ministry at the Harvard (Mass.) Shaker community. It opened at $10,000 and went easily to $28,080. The chair retained the original walnut brown finish and the original rush seat that had traces of the chrome yellow paint was characteristic of the Harvard community. It, too, came from the Hatch collection and went to a New York state dealer.

Bidding on a walnut sewing box with an elaborate spool tray that had all the bells and whistles opened at $11,000 and only ended at $23,400, including premium. The dovetailed box had seven interior sections fitted with steel spool pegs and included 45 maple spools, two maple darning mushrooms, tomato pincushions, strawberry emeries, braid needle hooks, a leather case for scissors and other sewing necessities. The same buyer paid $4,329 for a two-tier cherry spool holder with 13 turned spools and a tag reading, “Betsey Hastings, Born Nov. 3 1804, Admitted Oct. 28 1828, Died May 15, 1844.” It also came from the Clerk collection.

A fancywork ash sewing basket in kittenhead form had an openwork bottom and pink silk bows contained a tomato pincushion, a needlecase, beeswax and a strawberry emery. Made in Watervliet or New Lebanon, N.Y., from splint supplied by Elder Daniel Boler, the basket brought $2,691. A pretty ash fancywork fan with a quatrefoil center brought $1,989.

A pine cupboard over drawers with a single centered molded cupboard door with an inset panel sold for $18,720. The cupboard was made at the Mount Lebanon or Watervliet, N.Y., Shaker communities.

A butternut and cherry workstand with secondary pine retaining the original varnish brought $16,380 from a phone bidder. It had unusual turned legs with swell and taper and was inscribed in pencil beneath the drawer, “This table is from Jonas Nutting dressing room in the Shirley Shakers Brick Office. Bought by Mr Crum Oct 8, 1908.”

A circa 1840 pine, maple and birch trestle table that was assumed to have been shortened from a community table was $15,210. It stood on a nicely proportioned arched base.

A small sewing desk in butternut, walnut, birch and pine retaining the varnish finish was made in about 1870 and attributed to Elder Henry Clay Blinn of the Canterbury community. It sold for $15,210. The desk exhibited the characteristics of the later Nineteenth Century with its inset centered cupboard flanked by three drawers on either side above a heart wood birch work surface over a sliding breadboard surface with three panels and the front and four graduated doors on the right side. It was accompanied by the book Herman Carey Bumpus, Yankee Naturalist, 1947, in whose Duxbury, Mass., family the desk descended. Another trestle table, in pine with a scrubbed single board top that was 7 feet, 7 inches long drew $8,775.

The maple abacus with red, white and blue beads was made in Maine in about 1870. It fetched $1,989.

A pine and poplar blanket chest with a possible Enfield, Conn., attribution realized $8,775 from a phone bidder. The chest had a nice snipe hinged lift top with a single drawer and a dovetailed and elegantly arched base. It was accompanied by an early homespun blanket found within.

A candlestand with a round blistered poplar top on a turned cherry shaft supported by four gracefully arched spider legs sold for $7,839. The candlestand had been part of the collection of Amy Bess Miller, a founder and president of Hancock Shaker Village for more than 30 years.

Bidders interested in oval boxes had enviable choices: A maple and pine oval box with the original cherry red finish and four fingers brought $9,360. A small (1 1/2 by 3 5/8 by 2 3/8 inches) maple and pine oval box with the original chrome yellow finish that had darkened, had three fingers and was in fine condition, as attested to by the opening bid of $6,500 and sold to an absentee buyer for $8,190.

A rectangular black ash work basket made with a mattress ticking lining retained the paper tag that identified it as “Basket made by the Shakers at E. Canterbury, NH, used for shavings or kindling, authenticated by Bertha Lindsay.” The basket came from the Clerk collection and the tag was punctured with holes from a cat. It sold for $2,691.

Two rare brothers’ hats from the community at Harvard, Mass., attracted some attention and brought $4,329 from Schorsch. One was made of gray-brown fur edged in beige silk with a beige silk band. The other was a black beaver hat with a black silk edge and band.

Four gift drawings from a scrapbook from the late Nineteenth Century sparked bids and sold for $2,340 to a phone bidder. The drawings included an image of a red brick house to Sister Mary Wickes, another was an image of a sacred tree with four quadrants including verses, the third is of a sacred tree with a central red heart and branches of the 12 virtues and the fourth shows an inverted triangle with a poem.

All prices quoted reflect the 17 percent buyer’s premium. For information, 781-834-7774 or www.willishenry.com.