Pook & Pook Inc., of Downingtown, Pa., held the major sale for Drs. Don and Trish Herr of Lancaster, Pa., on June 9 and 10. The Herrs were dealers and collectors of Pennsylvania German decorative arts for decades and prominent members of the antiquing community. Don passed away at age 83 on Dec. 12, 2021. Trish is currently living in a retirement home. The couple have two daughters and a son.
Both veterinarians by trade, the Herrs ran a successsful practice, Manheim Pike Veterinary Hospital. Both authored many books on various subjects in the field of Pennsylvania German arts. Trish was a textiles scholar, and Don concentrated on metals and folk art. The couple retired from doing shows several years ago but only stopped buying recently. This was an important sale and among the most significant groupings of southeastern Pennsylvania folk art sold since the Machmer sale held 14 years ago at Pook & Pook.
The Herrs bought at many high-profile sales, paying record prices for items that caught their eye. Many wondered prior to this sale how it would perform, especially the two categories of coverlets and pewter. Both did better than most expected. Some uneven results were seen with the needlework, and yes, some things sold for less than what was paid, yet, the 531-lot gross total was a rather healthy $2,615,246 (including buyers’ premium).
The auction house charges a 24-percent in-house buyers’ premium and 26-percent online buyers’ premium. Bidsquare had 2,194 registered bidders; PookLive, 333; and Invaluable 5,675. There were 160 in house, phone, or absentee bidders. The salesroom on day one, the evening of June 9, was near full. The medium age in the room was far from young, but the older generation wanted to add more to their collections, and the sale had energy. Most of the fraktur brought very high prices, as did the Lehnware and many of the wallpaper boxes.
“We bought a number of items for clients,” stated Ed Hild of Olde Hope Antiques (Solebury, Pa., and New York City). “We bought some quilts, the man in top hat cookie cutter, the Lehnware sugar bucket, a painted bench, which is perfect for a coffee table, and several wallpaper boxes, which is something we were putting together a collection of for a customer.”
Olde Hope also acquired the book of watercolors and the rare Otto fraktur of a parrot with floral designs. The Otto sold for $62,000, underbid by Lisa Minardi. At Sotheby’s sale for collector Fred Wichmann in 1983, it went for $6,325. The book of watercolors inscribed, “Abraham Kauffmans Book and Hand and Pen this 28th Day of March 1816, State of Pennsylvania, Warwick Township, Lancaster County,” had several drawings such as colorful marching soldiers and one depicting Adam and Eve. It also brought $62,000. Father and son auctioneers Luke and Clarke Witman sold it for $38,000 in 2003.
A rare John Drissel wooden paint-decorated slide-lid box realized $93,000. A small mint condition blue ground Compass Artist slide-lid box realized $54,560. It sold for $54,510 on Oct. 30, 2010, at Pook & Pook’s sale for Richard and Joanne Smith. A six-drawer seed chest by Joseph Lehn brought $34,720, going to Alice and Art Booth bidding on the phone. “We have another Lehn seed chest, but this one is a smaller version,” stated Art Booth. “I thought the Lehnware as a group was very strong.” The Herrs paid $34,220 on Oct. 31, 2020, at Conestoga Auction Co. for the chest. It was ex. Eugene and Vera Charles. Another paint-decorated seed chest, a large example by John Boyer (1833-1901), went for $52,080. The Herrs paid $75,900 in 2005 at Conestoga Auction Co.
A Willoughby Shade (Montgomery Co., Pa.) punch-decorated tin (sheet metal) coffeepot stamped “W. Shade” with elephants along the footed base sold for $16,120. For those interested in provenance, Don Herr bought it in 1995 at the Richard and Joanne Smith sale held by Christie’s for $36,800. Ruth Bryson underbid. The late show promoter Jim Burk bought it from John Walton in 1973 and sold it to Sam Yeagley, who sold it to Walter Himmelreich, who sold it to Smith. At the time Herr bought it in ’95, it was an auction record for a tinned sheet metal coffeepot. Winterthur has a comparable example by Shade, also with elephants.
A Benjamin Logan Sebastian (BLS) wrought-iron dough scraper with brass handle, initials and date “BLS 1860” sold for $2,356. A comparable BLS dough scraper sold for $2,596 on May 22, 2021, at Conestoga Auction Company. Sebastian was a metalsmith in Berks County just north of Womelsdorf in Host. His work is rarer than Derr. Lighting by Peter Derr did very well at the Herr sale.
The David Herr fraktur sold on day one for $57,040, and the Sara Yorty hand towel sold for $16,120. The latter has to be a record for a decorated towel. Don Herr loved John Reber carvings. A Reber (1857-1938) Lehigh County, Pa., carving of Dan Patch, the famous racing horse, realized $23,560. It did $25,740 at the 2008 sale for Richard and Rosemarie Machmer at Pook & Pook. An exceptional pair of blue ground with orange floralwork wallpaper wall pockets, oval form, sold for $14,880 to Olde Hope Antiques. The Herrs bought them at the Elgin sale at Conestoga Auction Co. in 2004 for $5,225.
Don was one of the foremost pewter experts in the country, and part one of the collection was at the end of day two. More pewter from the Herr collection will be sold at Pook & Pook between two sales in 2023. The keystone of the group was the Johann Heyne ca. 1770 flagon from Lancaster, Pa. It sold for $198,400.
Two rare examples of fraktur by Christian Beschler, “Sussel-Unicorn artist,” were sold. Only about ten are known. Both Dr. Don Yoder and Dr. Don Herr identified this individual as Beschler, and Herr published the findings in the Spring 2009 issue of “Antiques and Fine Art.” A recent discovery of a “Sussel-Unicorn” taufscheine reading “gemacht von CB” (made by CB) helped reveal the anonymous identity of the artist to be schoolmaster Christian Beschler of Upper Mahanoy Township, Northumberland County, Pa. Beschler emigrated from Germany in 1764, first settled in Bucks County, then the Schwaben Creek Valley of Northumberland County in the 1790s. A fraktur for Magdalena Fuchs, 1801, with unicorns, birds, tulips, all elaboratly and vividly done, sold for $32,240. Later in the sale, a fraktur by Jacob Jaekle, 1796, with similiar decoration, more elaborately filled in but poorer condition, sold for $7,440. Both sold to Lisa Minardi. The Jaekle fraktur was ex. Tom Umholtz collection and sold at his estate sale on April 7, 2018. Herr paid $39,500 and Minardi and her late husband Philip Bradley underbid.
Many items in the sale came with the Herrs’ research notes, which is important. So much history is lost over time, it is necessary new owners become stewards of not only the object, but also the research information concerning it. Hopefully, they keep the document files for future owners.
As for future sales on behalf of the Herrs, the children kept some things, as did Trish when she moved. As mentioned prior, Pook & Pook will sell more of the pewter in 2023. Also, Horst Auction Center in Ephrata, Pa., will have a small sale in September (date to be determined) of items from the collection to include baskets, butter prints, toleware, and Lehnware, among other things.
For additional information, call Pook & Pook at 610-269-4040 or visit www.pookandpook.com.