Dorflinger three-color, cut to clear bowl hits $65,000 at Woody Auction An American Brilliant Cut Glass three-color, cut to clear bowl by Dorflinger, in the Montrose pattern and in outstanding condition, sold for $65,000 at an auction held March 10 by Woody Auction.
News-Antique.com - Apr 09,2012 - (DOUGLASS, Kan.) – A stunning American Brilliant Cut Glass three-color, cut to clear bowl by Dorflinger, in the Montrose pattern and in outstanding condition, sold for $65,000 at a cut glass auction held March 10 by Woody Auction at the Kansas City Airport Hilton in Kansas City, Mo. It was a record price for a piece of American Brilliant Cut Glass at a Woody Auction.
“What made this bowl so exceptional was the fact that one-third of it was green cut to clear, one-third was cranberry cut to clear and one-third was amethyst cut to clear. You rarely if ever see that,” said Jason Woody of Woody Auction, based in Douglass, Kan. “I expected it to bring $10,000-$20,000, but when bidding topped the $50,000 my heart began to pound a little.”
The winning bidder was a dedicated cut glass collector from Texas who requested anonymity. He had been in a fierce bidding war with two other contenders, one of whom was acting on behalf of the Dorflinger Museum. That person stayed in the fight to the bitter end. The third party was active in the early going, but threw in the towel when bidding reached $25,000.
“I do believe the bowl was one of the ten rarest items I've ever sold,” Mr. Woody said. It was by far the top lot of the March 10 sale and another event held March 24 by the firm. That auction was held in Wichita, Kan., and featured four fine collections comprising over 500 quality lots of art glass, Royal Bayreuth, furniture pieces and more. Everything was sold without reserve.
“Like with most auctions, certain items surprised us in how well they did, while other lots we fully expected to bring high dollars ended up being soft,” Mr. Woody remarked. “But overall, both auctions were well attended and bidding was great. About 85-90 people came to the March 10 event, while 110 made it for the March 24 sale.” Online bidding was active on Proxibid.com.
Following are additional highlights from the March 10 auction. All prices are hammer, exclusive of a sliding commission structure. There is no buyer's premium at a Woody Auction.
An exceptionally fine Libbey American Brilliant Cut Glass (ABCG) bowl in the Morello pattern, 4 inches by 9 inches and signed, changed hands for $5,500; an ABCG aqua green cut to clear wine glass in the Russian pattern with star cut buttons and scalloped base made $4,500; and a gorgeous signed Sinclaire ABCG oval bowl in the Snowflake and Holly pattern rose to $2,600.
A 4 inch by 9 inch ABCG cranberry cut to clear bowl featuring a hobstar center with nailed diamond, prism and long thumbprint highlights (circa 1898) brought $3,300; a rare 4 ½ inch tall ABCG cranberry cut to clear wine glass in the Eleanor pattern by J. Hoare hit $2,500; and a 4 ¾ inch ABCG gold cut to clear wine glass in a unique Strauss pattern realized $2,300.
