The 800-pound elephant in the room on Jan. 7 when Kaufman Auctions sounded the opening gavel on the Whitemyer family's antique auction, which included a large percentage of items from Ohio's historic Zoarite community, was the question: what would prices be like?
The collection easily represented the single largest accumulation of Zoar material to be sold in the last 20 years, with many of the pieces having a provenance that linked them not only to Zoarite families, but prominent collectors in the rather specialized field.
Zoar was a unique and picturesque communal settlement of German separatists that established itself on the frontier of east-central Ohio (Tuscarawas County) in 1817. It lasted until almost the end of the 19th century when the society was sundered by a variety of forces that began growing in the wake of the death of its founder.
The village of Zoar long existed as a cultural island of old world German ideals, work ethic and craftsmanship, trying unsuccessfully to shield itself from the prying eyes and curiosity of the outside world.
The settlement was largely self-sustaining with generations of farmers, cabinetmakers, potters, basketmakers, tinsmiths, weavers, wagonmakers, housewrights, bakers, printers, leatherworkers, stonemasons, fraktur artists, ironworkers and other tradesmen pursuing their crafts for the common good of the community.
Eventually, however, tourism came to Zoar, and in ways great and small it led to the eventual dissolution of the community in 1897.
Because of the uniqueness of its character, antiquarians in the region have long been drawn to the items made and used there. In the 1970s and '80s a succession of well-publicized house auctions threw a red hot antiquing spotlight onto Zoar - which has 10 buildings restored and operated by the Ohio Historical Society.
Prices for items associated to the community soared astronomically as they were snapped up into both public and private collections.
But in recent years interest in the community has deteriorated along with many of the early buildings there. While many collections that come to auction in the area contain a smattering of Zoar items, no truly major collections of Zoar pieces have crossed the block for over two decades.
The antique auction of Tim and Tiffany Whitemyer, handled by Kaufman Auctions of Sugarcreek, Ohio, comprised the most diverse and impressive agglomeration of Zoar material to be gaveled down in memory, collected by two generations of the family.
But given the fact that many veteran Zoar collectors have died or ceased collecting in the intervening years, coupled with the general retreat of prices during much of the past decade and the fact that few young people seemed interested in the specialized market, everyone wondered what to expect ... and mostly how much prices would be tumbling.
In the end, it turned out there was little to be concerned about. Long story short, prices across the board seemed fairly strong and commensurate with the quality of the merchandise offered.
The 352 catalogued lots, along with scores of uncatalogued items worked in throughout the sale, fetched just under $70,000. There were 129 registered bidders and friends/spouses who crammed into the Kaufman warehouse facility in Sugarcreek. Attendees came from across Ohio, as well as Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.
In addition, said Terry Stanford of Kaufman Auctions, there were 104 registered online bidders who did their share of bidding. Seven of the furniture pieces carried reserve bids, and while most of the reserves were not reached, the owner made the decision to sell in nearly all of the cases.
There was some wariness among bidders going into the sale, because in the weeks preceding the auction the Whitemyers had been bringing collectors and other individuals to the auction site selling several items out of the collection. Through that private sale the Ohio Historical Society was able to acquire an extremely rare early calendar clock crafted in the Zoar community, and a diminutive paint-decorated and dated Zoar cupboard was sold to a local collector who had it for sale at the Hudson Antiques Show shortly thereafter. The Hudson show took place Jan. 9 and 10 in Hudson, Ohio.
The highest bid of the auction was garnered by a Zoar hanging bonnet cupboard. Crafted of black walnut with rat-tail wrought iron hinges, detailed cornice molding and an unusual wood and ivory slide catch, it sold to a collector in an adjacent county for $8,000.
The next highest bid was brought by a distinctively Zoar-style two-piece flatwall cupboard in butternut. Having three exceptionally deep drawers across the front and a strong cornice molding, it sold for $5,500 to a New Jersey buyer.
Another distinctive Zoar piece, a black walnut pin-top work table having diamond panels on the fronts of the two drawers and a raised diamond in between them, soared to a winning bid of $3,500. That was the same price paid for a black walnut Zoar kas with rat-tail hinges and two-panel door in original finish.
An extremely rare Zoar jacquard coverlet in red, white and blue, having lions, tulips and trees as its central motifs and retaining its fringe in good condition, made a winning bid of $3,000.
Other items from the Zoar community that crossed the block included a cherry candle stand with oval top, $1,000; a walnut dovetailed blanket chest with bracket feet, $750; a 32-inch peg rack in old red paint, $50; a trundle bed with dovetailed case in old red paint, $110; and a set of four matched peasant chairs (bretstuhls) in dark red paint, was bid to $750 but didn't make reserve.
Two redware roof tiles sold for $30; framed pictures of Zoar cabinetmaker Jacob Ackerman and his wife Mary, $225; a framed photo of men drinking at the Zoar brewery, $275; a walnut one-drawer pin-top work table, $1,200; a one-drawer walnut stand with tapered legs, $150; walnut bed shears used to hold a child in bed, $60; a 65-inch double shelf in original blue paint, $1,200; and a firewood box that doubled as a stand for a Zoar stove realized $125.
About a dozen willow baskets crafted in Zoar in a distinctive weave sold in a range of $60 to $250 depending on size and condition, and a sizable group of handwritten music books used by the Zoar band sold for roughly $65 each, with all of them going to online buyers. In addition, numerous period band instruments, many used by the Zoar band, also sold completely to online buyers. Most unusual, was a 53-inch herald trumpet that was knocked down for $280 to an online bidder.
Still other Zoar items included a little cherry folding tabletop music stand selling for $45; an oval doily with the word "Zoar" crocheted, $110; a group of eight bamboo-turned Windsor chairs, not all matched, $325; an early folding drying rack, $70; two watercolored prints with religious subjects in burl frames with red trim, $170; a walnut candlestand with rectangular burl top and fancy cutout legs, $300; a Zoar birth certificate printed in German in the community's print shop, $325; a quilted brown dress bonnet, $150; and a sleigh bed with turned legs and paneled ends, sold for $300.
The photos and captions tell more of the story.