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Christies Americana teaser

NEW YORK CITY — The Americana market got a shot in the arm October 3, with Christie’s offering of a small but select grouping of merchandise that generated an impressive $10,904,250 for the 94 lots sold.

One lot, a Philadelphia mahogany piecrust tea table with elaborate surface embellishment attributed to the Garvan Carver, generated almost 60 percent of the gross receipts for the day. The table, probably made for a member of the Fisher, Fox, Pleasants, or Wharton families, circa 1760, had remained with descendants for generations.

Estimated at $2/3 million, Christie’s piecrust table brought $6,761,000, including premium, from Todd Prickett of C.L. Prickett Antiques in Yardley, Penn. The price is a record for Philadelphia furniture, surpassing the 1990 sale of the Thomas Tufft tea table for $4.6 million.

A complete review of the auction will appear in a future issue.                                       —DSS