Squire Boone Jr. corner cupboard realizes $35,000, stays in Indiana A corner cupboard made by Squire Boone Jr., brother of Daniel Boone, sells for $35,000 by Beckort Auctions, LLC.
News-Antique.com - Sep 13,2011 - CORYDON, Ind. -- An 18th-century corner cupboard believed to have been made by Squire Boone, Jr., the younger brother of Daniel Boone, realized $35,000 during an auction conducted by Beckort Auctions, LLC on Sept. 3. The cupboard sold to representatives of the Old Goshen Church & Cemetery Memorial Foundation, which intends to display the piece in Corydon.
Having "Squire Boon 1799" carved on the inside panel of one lower door, the corner cupboard came from the estate of Frederick Porter Griffin, a historian, genealogist and businessman who died in 2008 at the age of 93. Griffin was given the corner cupboard in 1944 by descendants of Squire Boone.
More than 700 bidders attended the two-day auction, held Sept. 2-3 under a tent on the town square, adjacent to Indiana's first capitol building. Another 153 participated online through Proxibid. The corner cupboard drew national interest. "We had a ton of calls," said auctioneer Brian Beckort.
The historic nature of the cupboard made it unique. Prior to the sale, however, no one seemed to know what it might bring. "There's no cupboard to compare this to, with a frontier family, so our expectations were up in the air on this one," Beckort said. "We were very pleased with the end results."
The cupboard wasn't the only item having a Boone-family attribution. Two pieces were said to have been once owned by George Washington Boone, son of Samuel Boone. Samuel Boone who was a cousin of Daniel Boone and Squire Boone, Jr. Selling for $3,750 was a drop-leaf table that, according to extensive notes left by Griffin, was purchased in the 1930s from the great-granddaughter of Lucy and George Washington Boone. A spool-type daybed with the same provenance made $400.
Items with a local connection brought premium prices, especially Civil War artifacts. "We thought the Civil War market was very strong," said Beckort.
A 13 1/2-inch-long cannon stolen by Morgan's Raiders sold for $8,500. The cannon was taken from a home near Diamond Rock, Ky., as Confederate cavalry troops under the direction of General John Morgan advanced toward Indiana.
From the Battle of Corydon, the only Civil War skirmish fought in Indiana, came a blackpowder handgun that realized $4,000. The pistol was found on the county fairgrounds the day after the battle. Markings included U.S., R. Johnson, Midd. Conn., 1844 and WAJ.
Also of interest was an archive of Brevet Brigadier General Daniel F. Griffin that sold for $3,100. Included was the book History of the 38th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, a military commission promoting Griffin to colonel and signed Ulysses S. Grant, an eagle/star-embossed powder flask, monogrammed leather pouch, field compass, field inkwell, bleeder and several brass uniform items. A sword owned by Major William T. Jones of Corydon, engraved E Pluribus Unum, 37 inches long, damage to the hilt, brought $2,100.
Other weapons of interest included a silver-inlaid derringer, having San Francisco agents' marks, that sold for $5,200. Bought new by Patrick Griffin, it was carried during the California Gold Rush
