Quality stock from long-established New Hope, Pa., antiques dealer Sally Goodman will be auctioned on Friday, Feb. 19, at Stephenson's suburban Philadelphia gallery.
A member of the Bucks County Antiques Dealers Association, Goodman has been active in the trade since 1978. Throughout the years, she has maintained a flagship store from a quaint stone farmhouse on Ferry Street in New Hope, but she has also sold from satellite stores and multi-dealer galleries at various other locations. Among those other establishments was Goodman's country antiques shop in Lambertville, a popular destination for antique buyers from around the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region. Goodman closed the shop in 1995 and moved its entire contents to the New Hope premises, where they have remained ever since in a climate-controlled annex.
"Like any busy dealer with a retail establishment, space is at a premium. Sally has a very interesting store, but at this point in time, she simply has too much of a good thing. She wants to use the annex for another purpose, so she has chosen to consign its contents to our Feb. 19 sale," said Cindy Stephenson, owner of Stephenson's Auctioneers.
While the auction selection is mixed, much of it consists of country antiques, a category that has long been one of Goodman's specialties. The inventory includes 100 lots of furniture, plus stoneware crocks, primitives, artworks and cabinet smalls of great variety. “Very few items in the sale have been assigned a reserve,” said Stephenson.
Among the furniture highlights is a six foot tall liquor cabinet in the shape of a wine bottle. A door on the front of the bottle opens to reveal interior shelves. A striking conversation piece, it is estimated at $1,000-$2,000.
Hand-painted in green and red hues, a softwood blanket chest of possible Pennsylvania German origin, is dated 1826. Its pre-sale estimate is $900-$1,200. Both decorative and functional, a brightly painted Pennsylvania German bench with storage will be sold with expectations of reaching $300-$500.
A 19th-century walnut postmaster's or plantation desk is entered in the auction with a $400-$800 estimate, while a double-door Shaker cupboard with five raised panels on each door has an estimate of $600-$1,200. A circa-1735 English walnut framed mirror with carved eagle on pediment is likely to attract a winning bid of $750-$1,200.
Those who favor the Art Nouveau look are sure to appreciate the hand-painted checkerboard embellished with mother-of-pearl and gold and silver leaf decoration. This appealing gameboard with the signature "McElman" could "jump" to the top of its $300-$600 estimate.
The extensive selection of fine art includes works by several Bucks County artists. Among the highlights are two abstract oils by June Gertrude Groff (1903-73), a WPA painter whose art is held in the collections of both The Barnes Foundation and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Also included are Sheila Stenber's pastel view of Lambertville, N.J., as seen from New Hope, Pa.; Paul Froelich's watercolor of a Bucks County farm in winter; and a Catherine Geyba oil-on-canvas landscape depicting a farm and cows. Other paintings are: Dorothy Grider's watercolor "Nantucket," Ted Jasow's oil-on-board titled "The Quilting Party," and an E. Sheldon watercolor of a dock scene.
Additional auction categories and items of note will include Gaudy Welsh china; cloisonné; majolica; cut glass; a pair of Chinese blue and white palace jars; mid-century art pottery; and a sterling silver Cristofle Napoleon Colle-Gallia letter opener with the head of Napoleon. There is a collection of page-turners and cutters, some made of silver, others of wood, and one with a boar's head motif. Russian silver lots include a fluted, pedestal salt and desk accessories. A few of the many other categories represented are: duck decoys, early baskets, highway lanterns, textiles, cast-iron doorstops and safe banks; and scores of other antique decorative objects.
There also will be 14 carat gold jewelry, including rings - many set with diamonds or other precious stones - plus earrings, bangles, and a Gucci link necklace chain. Timepieces are led by an Omega Seamaster Professional Chronometer watch, and a ladies' antique platinum and diamond wristwatch.
Stephenson's Friday, Feb. 19, auction will begin at 1 p.m. Eastern Time. The pre-auction inspection will be held at Stephenson's gallery on Thursday, Feb. 18 from 3 to 6 p.m., and also on auction day, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The gallery is located at 1005 Industrial Blvd., Southampton, Pa. All forms of bidding will be available, including live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers. To view the online catalog and bid absentee or live as the sale is taking place, visit www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
For additional information, call Cindy Stephenson at 215-322-6182 or e-mail info@stephensonsauction.com.
All images courtesy of Stephenson's Auctioneers