John Hess and Phil Nissley of the Hess Auction Group held the ninth on-site sale at Taylor Mansion on behalf of the Breininger family on Sept. 23 and 24. It will be the final on-site sale for the late Lester Breininger of Robesonia, Berks County, Pa., and signaled the near end of a long chapter with the well-known collection and property.
“The Breininger family has said that it [the property] has served the family well, but it will find a new owner today,” said John Hess from the podium at noon on Sept. 24. Named after iron industry magnate George Taylor, the 22-room Victorian era house built in 1886, along with roughly 3.7 acres directly behind the property, changed hands when John Hess sold the real estate to neighbor and antiques dealer Greg Kramer for $244,000. “It’s a fabulous place and obviously a lot of house,” said Kramer. He explained the decision had a lot to due based on price, which many people in attendance agreed seemed like a value buy; however, considerable resources are needed for both upgrades and general maintenance. “It is uncertain what will happen. I may turn it over to a friend,” said Kramer.
Over the past four years, the family has made improvements, including new exterior paint and porch renovation. The outbuildings are in need of attention, and there are upgrades that should be addressed inside. “A Mennonite family may have interest as well,” furthered Kramer. When Lester and Barbara were first married, they rented an apartment in Taylor Mansion. By 1976, they were able to own the entire property and were well on their way to filling it. The couple raised three children there and held 42 years of Porch Shows on the property. The field and old furnace master’s office across from Taylor Mansion is a seperate parcel and was not included. For over a century, the building has served as the Patriotic Order Sons of America (P.O.S. of A.) lodge.
As with the other on-site sales, this one consisted of a mix of antiques and contemporary folk art, mainly Breininger redware pottery. The Sept. 23 session began at 3 p.m. It was well-attended and included general merchandise such as plain flower pots, carnival chalk, and assorted decorations. The Sept. 24 session began at 9 a.m. The tent was full, and better material was sold. Over both days, 216 bidders registered, and the sale grossed around $112,000. There was no buyer’s premium or sale’s tax. Over 800 lots were sold. Lester died in 2011 at age 76, and Barbara resides in a nearby nursing home.
It was no secret Lester Breininger was a fan of anything and everything Pennsylvania German, and that included Pennsylvania German broadside prints. A rare Judgment Day or “The World Judgment of Doomsday” religious broadside by the German-born, Harrisburg, Pa., printer Gustav Peters (1793-1847) sold for $3,200 to a collector. This edition was dated 1829. A “History of Joseph” broadside also by Peters brought $1,600.
Breininger was a supporter of skilled revivalist craftspeople. The late Charles Rittle was a skilled metalsmith from Robesonia who specialized in miniature lighting. A friend of Lester’s, he set up at the earliest Porch Shows. An excellent brass miniature kettle lamp stamped “CER 70” by Rittle sold to a collector for $125. Rittle lived outside of Myerstown in his later years. A miniature brass betty lamp stamped by retired metalsmith Tom Loose and made circa 1970 sold for $275. It came with a miniature, also contemporary, tin betty lamp stand that was made by George Merkel. Merkel was a tinsmith in Robesonia who worked primarily in the late 1960s and ’70s. A box of eight very rare Dan and Barbara Strawser bird whistles dated 1970 sold as one lot to a collector. Bird whistles are among the earliest and rarest of carvings by Strawser. A large feather tree sold for $675. A period redware corn cob mold sold for $600, and a large antique wooden bowl brought $150.
Two very good still-lifes by Frederick Spang sold. Spang (1834-91), a Berks County artist who studied in Philadelphia, had a studio in Reading for many years. He also spent time on the West Coast in San Francisco. The paintings went for $3,700 each. John Kidd was active 1796-1800 in Reading, Pa., and was mostly known for making copper tea kettles. A brass pie wheel stamped “J.Kidd” on the handle sold for $900 to a Chester County collector.
Peter Derr (1793-1868) was a diversified craftsman working in the “Summer Hills” region of northwestern Berks County near New Schaefferstown. Breininger was a collector of Derr material to the point of epic proportions. Much of the material came through the Spears family. James Spears lived in Robesonia during the first half of the 20th century and wrote the book “House of Derr,” first published in 1949. A Peter Derr chopper sold for $2,700. A “P.D 1825” sandstone date stone sold for $1,000 to Kramer midway into the sale. A “P.D. 1840” date stone sold for $1,150 to Philip Bradley at the first Chris Machmer sale in 2000 at Conestoga Auction Company. Another date stone by Derr but with only a date (1822) and no initials remains in the house. A “P.D. 1833” brass body over-sized model betty lamp sold to a Derr collector for $5,000, underbid by Kramer. The lamp is illustrated in “House of Derr” and likely one-of-a-kind. It is stamped “P.D.” both horizontally and vertically. A rare Derr die tap set sold to the same collector for $2,500, and a gate latch stamped by Derr sold for $3,200.
A ten-plate cast-iron stove by Robeson of the Manada Furnace sold for $650. A sandstone 11-by-4-feet trough sold for $8,000. It had been moved offsite for the purpose of selling the property but for many years was used behind the pottery shop.
The last item sold was a massive grain paint-decorated country store cupboard, referred to by the family as the Sebastian cupboard. It stood for decades in the downstairs hallway annex and housed early LB redware among many of Lester’s favorite things. The cupboard sold to Kramer for $2,400. “It is one of the best I’ve ever seen, just a killer cupboard,” said Kramer. “Way before my time, he [Lester] bought it out of Rehrersburg,” continued Kramer. “The cupboard did come from a house in Rehrersburg and belonged to a veterinarian named Monroe Sebastian, who I believe was a nephew of the blacksmith Benjamin Sebastian,” said friend of the Breininger family and local historian Michael Emery. “That is how it got its name as the Sebastian cupboard,” said Emery. Benjamin Logan Sebastian (1824-87) was a metalsmith from nearby Host in Tulpehocken Township. His work is often stamped “B.L.S.” and exceedingly rare. A fine, one-of-a-kind, decorated walnut straight edge initialed and dated in script “18 BLS 41” sold to a collector for $900 earlier in the day. It was made by Benjamin Sebastian at age 17 in the nearby village of Host. Lester bought it from a descendant in the mid-20th century. He made two copies in 1966 with his initials and that date. The two copies sold for $140.
“Visiting Taylor Mansion and the Breiningers for the first time, I believe in 1969, affirmed everything I loved about local history and my culture,” said friend of the family and local artist Barbara Strawser.
For many of those in attendance, this final sale was a fun, nostaglic event and marked the end of what has been a five-year saga.
A few things, namely early LB redware and several pieces of Derr material from the Breininger collection had been sent to Conestoga and sold a week later in its multi-consignor catalog sale, which was held Oct. 1. A Breininger pottery pitcher and bowl dated “1979” in the style of a Shenandoah Valley pitcher and wash basin, sold to an online buyer for $1,121. It had a chip on one handle of the basin. Underneath was marked “#10.” A reclining dog sold for $295. Underneath was marked “LBB 67 TM.” Also, a miniature turtle figure in mint condition sold for $94.40. It was marked, “LB 70.” A Peter Derr iron box door lock marked “P.D.” also from the Breininger collection sold for $3,422. A copper body “P.DERR 1840” betty lamp sold for $2,478.
There were probably enough things for another on-site sale, but what remains in the garage and in the house will be sent to Hess’s facility at Conestoga Auction Company. “We will sell the rest in early 2017,” said Hess.
To contact the Hess Auction Group, call 717-898-7284.