R.J. and Holly Weston celebrated 25 years at their Coventry, Conn., gallery on April 9. “We’ve been happily married for 26 years,” said R.J. “Out of 28, that’s not bad.”
Review & Onsite Photos by Z.G. Burnett
COVENTRY, CONN. — Just east of Hartford, Conn., is a hidden gem of the state’s vintage and antiques community, where collectors and resellers gather every Tuesday to see what’s new at Weston’s Antiques. R.J. and Holly Weston celebrated the gallery’s 25th anniversary on April 9, welcoming old friends, former employees, colleagues and new attendees. Refreshments were offered throughout the day, and one helpful guest made sure to let R.J. know during the second auction that they had run out of salami on the charcuterie board. This fun and friendly atmosphere is fostered by Weston’s staff, who throw good-natured japes and digs around almost as much as bids.
Weston’s weekly auctions have three starting times: 10 am, noon and 2:30 pm, with designated viewing times throughout the week and before the first auction. The first auction focuses on jewelry, coins, gold and silver; the second on furniture, smalls and artwork; the third is officially LPs, stereos and tools, but also includes memorabilia and group lots of all kinds. This setup was put into place during the pandemic, making it easier for several auctions to be conducted all at once with reduced contact. The method stuck, and bidders can either attend specific auctions, or stay for all three. Weston’s uploads photographs of that week’s stock in advance and are open to left or phone bids.
The 25th anniversary also marked Weston’s 1,306th auction in the Coventry location, netting about $70,000 to $80,000. The few items that did not sell during the marathon of auctions were sold the next day, when Weston takes offers on lots left behind. “By this time tomorrow, most of this space will be totally clear,” R.J. said, gesturing to the 8,000-square-foot gallery. “And by the next day, new stuff will pop up like flowers.”
Weston’s Auction Gallery covers 8,000 square feet and offers thousands of lots in three sales every Tuesday.
The 10 am jewelry, coin and silver auction was the swiftest of the three, lasting only about an hour and a half. Many bidders become known for their interests through repeated attendance, for example, “That’s the silver plate guy.” Many bought multiple single and group lots, knowing that the value of one item in the latter was worth far more than the lot’s selling price. Watches were favored, beginning with a gold Tiffany women’s watch that was bid to $259. An amber beaded necklace followed in the listing, achieving $575. One bidder bought two lots of assorted dimes with .999 silver content for $989 each.
Commemorative coins were also available, such as a 1-ounce Chinese gold panda coin for $115, well below the market rate no matter its year of issue.
The noon art, antiques and furniture auction covered much of the gallery floor, with a selection that was expectedly wide. The catalog began with fine art from a single collection, including signed and unsigned lithographs from Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Joan Miró, Henri Matisse and others of the era. One Salvador Dalí print stood out in vivid, almost watercolor-like tones, titled “The Divine Comedy Purgatory Canto 5 – Virgil Reproaches.” In 1959-63, Dalí was commissioned by the Italian government to illustrate a full text version of The Divine Comedy to celebrate Dante Alighieri’s birthday. The decision to hire a Spanish rather than an Italian painter to commemorate the nation’s greatest poet was not well received, and the project was dropped. Dalí later published his own illustrated edition in France and considered it one of his most important works. Technically a xylograph made with wood engraving, this print was one of an edition of 4,765, and sold in the room for $253.
This print from Salvador Dali’s illustrated edition of The Divine Comedy was made with approximately 35 carved woodblocks, with the entire suite amounting to about 3,500 blocks altogether. It was bid to $253.
Next to Dalí was a more traditional oil on canvas of three terriers by David Keeble, an otherwise unknown artist. The painting was probably done in the Twentieth Century, showing the dogs keenly interested in something out of frame. Each seems to have its own personality, and Keeble showed great skill in portraying their anatomy. Pet portraits are perennially popular, especially of dogs, whether or not they show one’s pet or another that lived many years ago. Prices usually rise when multiple dogs are painted, and a bidder in the room scored quite a deal for this canvas at only $80.
Midcentury Modern furniture was especially abundant, and many modest bids succeeded. A Drexel table, which usually sells in the low thousand-dollar range, was brought home for only $29. One lounge chair by Larsen was bid to the more typical range, selling for $1,035 to an in-room bidder. Sets of furniture were separated into lots, many unfortunately with no maker’s mark. One such lot was a “perspective” cabinet with distinctive Atomic Age carving that matched a credenza and other pieces nearby; it was bid to $604. The term for this type of cabinet has roots in Baroque Dutch art. Artists would create boxes with stereoscopic views that would make the images inside appear three-dimensional, also aiding them in making two-dimensional paintings appear to have more depth.
Individual lots shared tables with other singular ones, and some objects were grouped together depending on the consignor. One table, divided up by blue painter’s tape, contained a lot comprised of two Staffordshire dog pairs, a cranberry scoop and a ceramic vase that achieved $179. Single lots shared tables with groups, such as a taxidermy moose head mount in great condition that was bid to $489. The auction moved on to what R.J. called “country lots” or “carts of art,” tables filled with objects of every category with prices that ranged from $46 to a few thousand dollars. As was the case with “craft lots” of jewelry, just one object from these assortments could pay for the table 10 times over.
This collection of Twentieth Century Appalachian Mountain Club guidebooks dated from the rare date range of the 1924-65, and prices climbed to $920.
An unexpectedly popular category was antique and vintage nature guides, which is a prime example of needing to know what one’s looking at. One such set of 25 Appalachian Mountain Club guidebooks dating from 1925 to 1964 sold for $920, and another group lot of these achieved $2,300 earlier in the auction. These are highly collectible for AMC members and antiquarian nature book collectors, and single copies from this era are scarce.
The final auction of the day brought a younger set of bidders on the hunt for trading cards and other memorabilia, as well as audiophiles. Weston’s has sold more than one million vinyl records in the past six months alone and has become a hot spot for vintage stereo equipment as well. Three lots containing vintage McIntosh speakers, an amplifier and an MX113 tuner were bought over the phone for $1,783.
There were tables within the gallery, and in an exterior annex of the gallery, that came up at the auction’s end. Weston also has tables in the basement that are presented every other week for sale. Winning bidders of these can take what they want from the group, leaving other goods behind for a flea market-style sale that occurs the next day. Weston’s accommodates all levels of pickers in this way, and the proof of this business savvy shows in their high turnover rates alone.
Weston’s Auction Gallery is at 2799, Route 44. Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For additional information, www.westonsauctions.com or 860-742-0003.
