I'm encouraged by some of the prices realized at the
Fontaine sale yesterday. Here's a sampling of some of the healthy results:
- Meeks Hawkins sofa - $10,000
- "Pottier & Stymus" Aesthetic Sideboard - $12,000
- Meeks Rosewood Etagere - $50,000
- Belter 3-piece Milwaukee parlor set - $21,000
- Pierce-carved Belter slipper chair - $17,000 (expected $6-8k)
- "R.J. Horner" Library Table - $15,000 (interesting side-story)
Some of the items had some questionable attributions and the bidders affirmed that message with their bidding:
- Pair of Herter Brothers twin bedsteads - $1,250 for the pair
- Thomas Brooks marble-top table - $1,000
Some items
did disappoint and Jelliff items were in that category:
- John Jelliff triple-back sofa - $1,750 (we've seen it sell for $5,750)
- Jelliff three-piece parlor set - $2,000
Following on my concern about some of the attributions, the basis of the Pottier & Stymus attribution for the sideboard was:
This piece has a 5 digit number on the back (10278) indicative of the work of Pottier & Stymus
I don't know about you, but I can't imagine that P&S were the only makers that had 5-digit inventory numbers of the tens of thousands of shops in the world at the time.
Overall, however, I think the sale showed that the good stuff is still selling well (despite Wall Street tumult) and anything below that level is scraping by.
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