Garth's Bidders Distinguish the Best from the Rest ( & Bid Accordingly )! A duo of summer sales at Garth's of Delaware, Ohio on July 23-24 & September 3-4 prompted bidders to distinguish the "best from the rest" & bid accordingly from Ohio to as far away as Hong Kong
clock has great detail on the case, brass works and an engraved brass face with applied cast spandrels and the name "John Miller". The clock struck someone’s fancy and sold for $13,513.
Another welcome switch in September was that rugs were hot. With upwards of a dozen phone lines per lot and several very intent bidders in the audience, the bidding was aggressive and brisk. Five rugs sold for five-figures and multiple other went into the high four-figures including a 14' 2" x 11'9" Persian or Turkish example with all over Shaw Abbasi design, mid to late 20th century for $19,975; a 11'4" x 15'1" Persian Serape or Heriz for $18,506; and a 8'8" x 12'10" Persian Heriz or Gorvan with pale geometric Shah Abbasi design for $18,213. Jeff Jeffers affirmed that “The performance of the great rugs is simply an indication of good quality objects holding their own in a tough market. Add to the quality that they were fresh-to-market and the consignor agreed to conservative estimates, and you get the recipe for what makes anything successful in this marketplace.”
Folk art was still selling strong as anything allowing collectors to make their interiors more unique brings good money. A pair of American, late 19th-early 20th century, cast iron pineapple finials on petaled bases would make just such a statement at 20 1/4" high, so they sold for double the mean estimate at $823. A naïve and unsigned, oil on canvas portrait of a child depicted wearing a feathered cap and holding an oriole was one of the standouts. Rebacked on wooden panel, the 16" x 12 1/4" picture retained an alligatored frame and garnered a closing bid of $3,254 against an estimate of $250-450. Two 20th century grotesque jugs( with one by David Meaders and one by Karen Labarga ) sold for a combined $588. A salt-glazed stoneware figure of a spaniel, similar in form to familiar Rockingham type dogs, was adorned with brushed cobalt accents, measured 11 1/2" high, and sold for $1,234. An American tin, copper, wood, and glass street car model with original yellow and red paint rested idly on a section of track, but still sped away to a new home for $940.
Auctions are held live monthly in Garth’s galleries in Delaware, Ohio, but online bidding is available as well. Upcoming auctions include the October 30th Furniture & Decorative Arts auction and the 50th Annual Thanksgiving Americana auction on November 26-27th. As an alternative to the usual, anonymous retail madness of Black Friday, gather the friends and family to visit Garth’s gallery which will be filled with beautiful antiques. Talk with other collectors and learn from a knowledgeable staff about the objects on display. For additional details, visit www.garths.com or call 740.362.4771.
