This collection of brass apple crate stencils, mostly New York, packed up for $875, the highest price of the sale ($100/200).

Review by Carly Timpson

WARREN, MAINE — Two hundred nineteen lots crossed the block in June’s Midcoast Affordable Auction, conducted by Vintage Accents Auctions on June 11. The sale, which featured “a curated mix of vintage and antique home goods, affordable art, unique furniture and more,” realized more than $31,000 and had a sell-through rate of 97 percent, which marketing coordinator Kaylor Bergman categorized as “fabulous,” saying the firm was “very happy with the results.”

While there was no in-person bidding for this sale, there were more than 2,000 bidders on LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable and the Vintage Accents online bidding platform and “quite a few phone and absentee bidders.” Bergman said, “It went very well. We went over our low estimate which was fabulous. We saw good variety in interest from our bidders and the offerings were very diverse. We start everything pretty low, like $20, and people find it very accessible and easy. With low limits, we make sure everyone has an opportunity, and that really resonated with what we saw in the bidding.”

Leading the sale at $875 was a collection of eight brass crate stencils. Most of the stencils were from New York and were related to apple producers. Some of those included examples that read “New York Standard Grade…, Packed by Hiram S. Palmer, Catskill, N.Y.,” “AB Fancy” and “Baldwins, N.Y. Apples. D.S. No. 1.., H.S. Palmer, Catskill, N.Y.” Of the assortment, four were rectangular stencils while the other four were arched and they ranged in size from the smallest being 7½ by 3¼ inches to the largest being 9 by 14 inches.

Measuring 11½ by 16½ inches in a gold frame, this circa 1900 relief carving of a sloop, on painted board, probably from Maine, sailed off to its new home for $540 ($100/200).

With its gallery located near the water, it is no surprise that Vintage Accents does well with items of nautical interest. Leading in that category was a circa 1900 painted wood portrait of a sloop. The white-painted relief-carved sailboat was raised against a painted board depicting the sea and the sky with clouds and seabirds. Likely done by a Maine craftsman, the work was hung in a dull gold frame and active bidding blew it to $540.

Visually similar to the sloop upon first glance was a three-mast sailing ship approaching a lighthouse, which was crafted as a diorama within a shadowbox lid for a desk or dresser box. This small painted box, from the early Twentieth Century, had three interior compartments, but the diorama with its wood and paper scene under glass was the real draw for coastal collectors. This piece docked with its new owner for $480.

Additional utilitarian items from seafaring folks included a collection of five antique treenware implements that sold for $450. The set comprised four nautical fids, which are implements used in ropework for loosening knots or separating strands for splicing, and a cod gutter, used to remove the internal organs when preparing codfish. The largest fid in the group had a woven rope top and measured 15 inches long; the smallest was stamped “Albert B. Elliot” and measured 8 inches long. The cod cutter, 6¾ inches long, was made of carved wood and was inlaid with metal, including a metal “RH” monogram.

“Monhegan Hangup” by Elmer Rising (American, 1906-1987), lithograph, 17½ by 21 inches framed, rose to $510 ($100/200).

Local interest was strong for Maine artists, with a lithographic print by Elmer Rising (active in Maine and Massachusetts) leading the offerings. Rising’s depiction of a Monhegan, Maine, yard with billowing laundry on the line overlooking the water, titled “Monhegan Hangup,” was titled, signed and numbered “31/250” in pencil to the image’s edge as well as being signed in the print. The coastal scene hung up for $510. Contemporary Maine artist Susan Headley Van Campen’s watercolor vase of rose hips painted on Arches paper sold for $450. The painting was signed and titled in pencil and floated on a cream board, framed within a bleached maple box under glass.

As Bergman stated, collectors’ tastes were diverse, and those seeking fashion accessories were not disappointed. An early Twentieth Century enameled mesh flapper bag danced its way to the sale’s second-highest price of $540. The bag had a guilloche enamel-decorated sterling silver top bearing a “BT” makers mark, though, according to the catalog, the “bag is virtually identical to pieces made by Ripley & Gowen Co., Attleboro, Mass.” Additional features that made it dazzle were its blue jewel clasp, fold-out mirror and hinged powder tray within the lid compartment, a silk lining, a silver-topped mesh base tassel and a woven silver top handle.

Perhaps another item of interest for those who like to accessorize was a folk art or Tramp Art-style jewelry box, intricately crafted with carved, inlaid and layered wood. This unsigned box had a hinged lid, was lined with satin, had an affixed mirror and had a lift-out top tray; it crossed the block for $480.

“The next Affordable Auction is on July 18th. It’ll be a fun one — we are very excited about the assortment of items that we get to share and preserve for new collectors,” added Bergman.

Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, www.vintageaccents.com or 207-354-8350.