Meeks center table brings $11,000 at Stevens Auction A stunning rosewood rococo center table, made around 1850 and attributed to J. & J.W. Meeks, sold for $11,000 at a multi-estate sale held Jan. 10 by Stevens Auction Company in Aberdeen, Mississippi.
News-Antique.com - Jan 16,2009 - (Aberdeen, Miss.) – A stunning rosewood rococo center table, made around 1850 and attributed to J. & J.W. Meeks, soared to $11,000 at a multi-estate sale held Jan. 10 by Stevens Auction Co. It was the top earner of the 500 or so lots that changed hands. Five estates from prominent old families in the Southeastern U.S. were sold. The table featured a beautifully carved flower basket joining the stretcher.
“Considering the sale was held so soon after the holidays, I’d say it was a success,” said Dwight Stevens of Stevens Auction Company. “I’ve had worse auctions in better times, that’s for sure.” Mr. Stevens estimated the crowd at around 250 people. He said he noticed a lot of new faces in the gallery, a possible indicator that a new breed of bidder might be emerging in today’s uncertain economic climate.
“I couldn’t help but think that some of those new folks were there looking at antiques as an investment, and it makes sense,” Mr. Stevens said. “The finer antiques can easily bring as much today as they did five years ago, and you can’t say that about the stock market. It only follows that they’ll go up in value when the economy turns around. There’s no ceiling, really. Quality items will only appreciate.”
There was plenty of quality to pore over that day. Fresh-to-the-market items in a wide array of categories – beautiful antique furniture, fine porcelains, original artwork, antique lighting, handmade rugs, china, collectibles and more – crossed the block. Almost every lot was sold without reserve. The phone banks were busy, with about 150 items bid on by phone. Some absentee bids were also recorded.
Following are additional highlights from the sale. Prices include a 10 percent buyer’s premium.
Fine period furniture pieces dominated the day's offerings. A monumental rosewood rococo two-door bookcase with five shelves (circa 1850), 97 inches tall by 60 inches wide, brought $5,500; a flame mahogany Empire Classical secretary with slant front (circa 1840), 100 inches tall by 54 inches wide, fetched $4,070; and a mahogany Gothic-style corner cabinet (circa 1880), 93 inches tall, rose to $3,850.
A rare, oversize rosewood Victorian fire screen, museum-quality, seven feet tall, with beautiful needlepoints and pedipoints (circa 1855) gaveled for $7,370; a rococo gold leaf mirror with five beveled mirrors (circa 1860) reached $1,980; a signed and dated (1890) oil portrait of the Honorable L.B. Pike brought $1,100; and an ebonized cased ladies' makeup set with sterling silver lids (circa 1880) hit $990.
A Federal three-part dining table attributed to Anthony Quervelle (circa 1830), all original and with claw feet, soared to $6,490; an Anthony Quervelle sideboard with wine drawer (circa 1840) earned $5,060; a Regency mahogany banded cellaret (early wine cabinet, made around 1815) changed hands for $4,950; and a mahogany Empire dining table with five leaves (circa 1850), 10 feet long, realized $4,400.
A walnut Victorian rococo marble-top center table (circa 1860) went for $4,620; a mahogany Empire day bed with carved swans (circa
