R.J. Horner parlor suite brings $10,450 at Hal Hunt sale A gorgeous antique mahogany winged griffin 2-piece parlor suite, crafted in the 1880s by R.J. Horner, sold for $10,450 at a multi-estate sale held New Year's Day by Hal Hunt Auctions in Northport, Ala
News-Antique.com - Jan 08,2009 - (Northport, Ala.) – A gorgeous antique mahogany winged griffin 2-piece parlor suite, crafted in the 1880s by R.J. Horner, soared to $10,450 at a multi-estate sale held Jan. 1 by Hal Hunt Auctions. It was the ninth New Year’s Day sale held by the firm, at Hal Hunt’s spacious gallery facility located at 5925 Highway 43 North in Northport, Ala.
“That suite could easily have brought $14,000 or $15,000, so someone got a great bargain,” said Hal Hunt of the Horner set. “The chair, in particular, is very rare.” Mr. Hunt added good deals abounded at the auction, in part because the economic climate is friendly to bargain hunters, but also because that’s just the way things go at his auctions.
“People come to my sales expecting to find great deals, and the New Year’s event is typically one of our largest and most exciting events of the year. This one was no exception. It was a great way to kick off the new year.” As for the economy, Mr. Hunt said one safe way to invest one’s money right now is to pour it into quality antiques.
“I’ve got clients who've lost 40-50 percent in the stock market,” he said, “and I can say with confidence that wouldn’t have happened if they’d invested that money in antiques and fine art. The market is still steady in the antique world. Not crazy, but consistent. You definitely won’t lose money in quality antiques like you will in stocks.”
About 300 people packed the showroom, where 425 lots changed hands. The sale was held entirely in-house – no phone, absentee or Internet bidding. Lots were consigned from several prominent local estates, as well as the second Georgia estate home of the late Mr. Sylvester Seager. “We had something for just about everybody,” Mr. Hunt said.
Additional highlights from the sale follow. All prices quoted include a 10 percent buyer’s premium.
The top lot of the day was a monumental 19th-century Sevres porcelain urn, 56 inches tall, that hammered for $14,850. One other lot succeeded in cracking the $10,000 ceiling: a beautiful three-piece French bronze clock set from the 19th century that chalked up $11,550. Also, a 146-piece King Edward sterling service changed hands for $7,700.
Bidders looking for game room items were not disappointed. An antique amusement race horse wheel crossed the finish line at $7,150; an antique roulette wheel rose to $5,500; a rare rain-making machine dubbed “Finyus T. Fog” from the movie Wild Wild West realized $2,200; and a 1950s wooden carousel horse galloped away for $990.
An eye-grabbing 19th-century polychrome blackamoor, 78 inches high by 30 inches wide by 22 inches deep and depicting a figure on a pedestal with grape clusters above, went to a determined bidder for $8,250. Also, a 19th-century antique blackamoor, 4 feet eight inches tall and depicting a figure on a pedestal with a tray, fetched $4,950.
A collection of twelve original works of folk art by the late Alabama painter W. (Willie) Walker
