Ship Offerings Sailed Off

The Block At Fairfield Auction Event

For those interested in ships, Fairfield Auction was the place to be on November 19, with an offering of more than 200 lots devoted to ship paintings, models, photographs, postcards, instruments, books and ephemera. The auction also featured an array of estate property including furniture, paintings, silver, carpets and a collection of music boxes. Total sales were just over $544,000 with only a handful of lots unsold.

The maritime session was totally unreserved and included the top lot of the day: a ship portrait by Antonio Jacobsen at $19,550. Another Jacobsen was close behind at $12,650. An unsigned American School ship portrait also did well at $2,875.

Other highlights of the marine session included a partial dinner service of Mason’s American Marine, which hammered at $2,587 and a 10-foot half-hull that is headed to Maine after bringing $1,495. A large collection of postcards, mostly of ships, brought $2,070 and five volumes of Biographia Navalis, 1797, was the top book lot at $690.

Paintings included a Mauritz Dehaas shipwreck scene that went just above estimate at $7,187 and a John Bunyon Bristol town view that sold at $8,050. Other paintings included a large George Bogert at $2,530, an Oscar Van Young at $2,875, and a William Fitler oil at $4,025. A garden party scene by Henry Botkin did well at $2,587, as did an American School ship captain’s portrait at $7,475.

Modern prints included a Paul Klee, “Der Waldmann,” at $2,587; Picasso’s “Dwarf Dancer” at $2,645; and a pencil-signed Miro at $1,265. A Bernard Buffet was a bargain at $747.

A collection of music boxes attracted numerous collectors and dealers. The best price was made by a rare Komet tall clock with disk music box in the base that sold for $12,650.

Strong results were also had by an interchangeable cylinder music box at $7,762, an Austrian picture clock at $3,737, and a Symphonian “Musik Automat” upright disk machine at $4,025. Other cylinder machines included a Le Coultre key-wind box at $2,185, a Paillard orchestral at $3,450, and an early Nicole Freres at $1,955.

A group of Viennese enamels earned solid prices. A Viennese enameled box, 4½ inches long, had five bidders ready on phones and several in house before selling for $6,900. A 7-inch ewer came next at $5,462 and a 6-inch ostrich table clock brought $3,737.

Accessories included a German carved ivory tankard that brought $11,212, a French cameo glass box with enameled 18K gold lid for $3,737, and a 5-inch Japanese Komai vase at $3,105. A small Chinese nephrite elephant exceeded expectations at $2,300 and George III sterling pie slice sold for $1,150.

A small collection of Morgan silver dollars provided some of the day’s strongest prices. An 1893-CC sold for $9,775 while a pair of 1893-S sold for $5,750 and $5,462. The San Francisco mintage of 100,000 was the lowest of all the Morgans and it is considered the key coin in the series.

Twentieth Century decorative arts were represented by a double-sheet Alphonse Mucha poster that brought $6,900, a Belcher Studios window for $3,450, and a sterling silver flask with a Native American in full headdress was battled up to $2,070. A collection of Christmas decorations included 18 Dresden molded cardboard animals that sold above estimate for $3,507. A 9-inch Weller Hudson pottery vase signed McLaughlin was a buy at $632.

Other highlights included a 19th Century horse weathervane at $3,335 and a Federal bow front chest at $2,587. An Italian giltwood bed corona sold for $2,875, a Savage Navy revolver circa 1860 brought $1,495, and a Victorian giltwood pier mirror made $2,587. The highest estimate in the sale was for a Bosendorfer Imperial piano that passed in the auction, but sold a few days later for $30,000.

All prices reported include a 15 percent buyer’s premium. Fairfield Auction is at 53 Church Hill Road. For more information, visit FairfieldAuction.com or call 364-1555.