The excitement at Garth’s Auctions went beyond the auction floor, recently, as the Delaware, Ohio, firm posted hourly sale updates to their Facebook fans following the start of their Americana Auction - which included the 4th Annual “Ohio Valley Session.”
Lot number 1 of the sale started the day off well, and provided content for the first Facebook wall post: “Auction day and the house is packed! Standing room only for the 4th annual Ohio Valley Auction. First lot, the Soap Hollow chest, hammered at $12,000. Many more to go!”
With the buyer’s premium, the poplar Soap Hollow chest, marked for “Jeremiah Stahl” and dated “1864,” sold for $14,100.
The coveted piece had great “roots.” In his book Soap Hollow: The Furniture and Its Makers, Charles Muller references a partnership between Stahl and Peter K. Thomas, showing a related example of furniture. The two men served together in the Civil War, and the chest sold at Garth’s that day may have been made between their tours of duty. In fact, it might well have been the earliest dated piece of furniture signed by Stahl. (Read more about Soap Hollow furniture in accompanying comments by Muller.)
Garth’s CEO, Jeff Jeffers noted from the podium at the time of the sale that this chest was the “Cadillac” example of Stahl’s work, and while the final bid was a great price for his craftsmanship, it was not quite as impressive a price as when Garth’s set an auction record for Soap Hollow furniture (in 2005) of $132,250!
The excitement of the once a year Ohio Valley Auction session kept bidders on their toes, across a variety of categories. Highlights included the following.
- A Sheraton tall case clock with curly maple case and wooden works signed “G. Lewis” (for Garry Lewis of Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio, born in 1800, and the brother of clockmakers Lamber and Wheeler Lewis), had a final hammer price of $8,519.
- A figured cherry Sheraton sideboard, believed to be from Cincinnati, Ohio, dated November 13, 1822, showing the skill of the exceptional cabinetmaker, sold for $9,400.
- Ohio provenance added significant value to two whimsical pieces from Zoar, Tuscarawas County, Ohio - a cherry footstool dating to the mid 19th century, viewed as one of the few examples of Germanic furniture with cabriole or “bandy” legs that also had a solid history of ownership in Ohio. With original finish and fanciful “S” cutout, it went to $2,938; while a poplar and walnut candlestand with a two-tiered top, turned shaft, and scroll-cut feet, retaining its original salmon paint and “grungy” overvarnish, lit up the room at $5,053.
An hour into the sale, lot number 74, the (circa 1905-1915) Ohio Spencerian advertising watercolor from Doylestown, Wayne County, Ohio, provided the subject for the next Facebook entry about the sale. It soared past its estimate, to $3,525, thanks to the central eagle with banner, interesting text for Postal Regulations, and hand-painted illustrations of various Doylestown establishments, including Moon Automobiles. Several Facebook fans “liked” this post, as they commented and interacted with the Garth’s staff on the sale updates.
With an original label for W.L. Jones, Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, dated 1830, a boldly carved, mixed wood, two-part wall mirror measured just 35 inches long, but the deep cornice with acorn drops and frame with turned half columns were impressive. According to his label, Jones was engaged in carving and gilding, as well as making looking glasses and various repair work, including “Old frames re-gilded”. The label and the craftsmanship helped advance the sale price to $3,290.
For additional information about this auction or upcoming Garth’s events, visit www.garths.com or phone (740) 362-4771. Garth’s is located at 2960 Stratford Road, Delaware, Ohio.