When Bill Howze conducted Session 3 of the Auburn Manor Estate Auction, years of history were offered to the bidding public. The sales have been conducted on site at the historic living estate, located on Auburn Road in Thurmont, Maryland. (Session 4 takes place on October 30.) Every conceivable category of antiques has come through the sessions, from political collectibles to pottery, and all things between. It’s like a ‘Who’s Who’ and ‘What’s What’ rolled into one. The home was built 1805-1808, by Baker Johnson, owner of the Cotoctin Furnace and brother of Thomas Johnson who was first governor of the free state of Maryland, U.S. Representative and U.S. Supreme Court Justice. The home will be sold in Session 4.
Eight Hiroshige woodblock prints, pre-1940’s, were sold in Session 3, including Demi Beach, Takashi Beach, Horai Temple, Teahouses, and Tenno Festival. They realized $539. (Prices reflect a 10% buyer’s premium.) A Seth Thomas Empire 8-day Calendar Clock, circa 1860 with an eagle motif, went for $798; a Baltimore Glass Works flask, a brown glass mold blown flask with the Baltimore Glass Works name and emblem cast on the front face and a bird on the reverse, realized $330.
The lost art of corresponding by mail was elevated when a lot of 30 nineteenth-century letters, with appropriate stamps, circa 1860’s, sold for $1,650. Other Ephemera in the estate also did well. A medical accounts ledger for Dr. W.S. McPherson, 1849-51 brought $220. Two Cattleman’s ledgers, Colorado Brands, and leases saw $341. A Franklin Roosevelt signature letter group went to a new home for $330.
A well-worn example of the 1806 Draped Bust United States Quarter changed hands for $396; while an 1892 Barber Quarter, Rainbow tone, estimated AU-UNC-BU, saw $358.
Session 4 will include period American furniture, American oils on canvas, antique Oriental rugs, and items intrinsically related to the history of the house. For more information, contact Bill Howze. Visit www.auctionhowze.com or phone (610) 370-2879.