Time Capsule Of Civil War Soldier, Robert Pyle, Found In Attic

March 13, 2012

Robert Pyle served as a guard at Fort Delaware, located on Pea Patch Island in the state of Delaware at the height of the Civil War. Serving nine months on the old Home Guard (changed later to the Delaware National Guard), he was assigned to company A, 5th Regiment Delaware Infantry. He was mustered out on August 10, 1863, and returned home with relics that would remain hidden away, only to surface 149 years later. History tells us that Fort Delaware housed as many as 11,000 Confederate soldiers at one time and that most Confederates captured at Gettysburg were shipped there.
Wilson’s Auction of Chester Heights, Pennsylvania, has announced that the Ruthellen Pyle Davis Estate will be sold in their spring catalog auction on March 21 beginning at 3 p.m. Robert Pyle’s Civil War relics are the cornerstone of this fine auction.
Robert Pyle returned home with an 1848 US Springfield rifle with bayonet and scabbard (estimate $500 to $700), canteen (estimate $200 to $300), “US” Buckle ($100 to $200), A soldier’s funeral/prayer hand book, “US” Union Army ammunition pouch, 10¢ fractional currency note, a souvenir one dollar Confederate bill from Appomattox Savings Bank. However, the rarest and most important relic in the collection is a 31 star Garrison Flag measuring 6 feet by 14 feet, 6 inches. This flag flew (with the addition of California as the 31st state) between July 4, 1851 and July 3, 1858 (when Minnesota became the 32nd state.) The three Presidents to serve under this flag were Millard Filimore (1850 - 1853), Franklin Pierce (1853-1857), and James Buchanan (1857-1861). This flag was manufactured pre-civil war and carries the markings 37 South 3rd St. It is believed that the flag was made in Philadelphia at the Leland Building between 1855 and 1858. The Leland Building, which still stands at 37 South 3rd Street, housed dry goods manufacturing and also served as a pre-civil war headquarters for the 23rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. It is interesting to note that even though the 32-star flag was implemented on July 4, 1858, the old flags were not discarded. They were commonly used throughout the entire war. Strongly believed to have flown over Fort Delaware during the Civil War, this flag carries a pre-auction estimate of $7,000 to $10,000.
The auction also features many additions from local estates. Another featured rarity is an original 18th-century grain and folk art painted blanket chest. This chest, probably from the Bucks County, Pennsylvania, region, is estimated to bring $3,000 to $4,000. From the estate of Dr. Seymour Shay, is a Robert Spencer oil painting on canvas of the Rialto Theater. This piece measures 30 inches by 36 inches and is estimated at $15,000 to $25,000. Robert Spencer, a New Hope impressionist, tragically took his own life in 1931. Another noteworthy lot is a Marc Chagall poem titled “Circus People”. It is signed dated “1967” and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity (estimate $1,000 to $1,500). Also being offered is a David Hockney signed photograph and personal check, both with certificate of authenticity (estimate $400 to $600 each). Dr. Shay’s 2009 Honda Accord with 8,967 original miles is being offered with an estimate of $14,000 to $16,000.
Other fine art features include a Paul Bernard King A.N.A, signed oil painting on canvas, titled Reflection, 24 inches by 30 inches, painted in Nova Scotia in the summer of 1927, accompanying this painting are a series of letters from the artist dated between October 1928 and January 1929 ($4,000 to $6,000). A Mable May Woodward oil painting on canvas of a New England cottage, 16 inches by 20 inches ($2,000 to $4,000), a David Shapiro color etching 1 foot by 8 foot, dated 1978 ($600 to $1,000), assorted watercolors and gouaches by H.A. Dyer and N.A. Dyer ($400 to $1,200 each) a James Abbot McNeil Whistler original etching titled “Annie Seated,” 5-1/2 inches by 4 inches ($700 to $1,000), and a Guerrino Guadabassi watercolor of a young boy tipping his cap ($600 to $1,000).
From the estate of Thomas Weatherwax, we will also be featuring approximately 150 lots of stamps and coins. Coin lots include a quantity of American Eagle coins in platinum, gold, silver and titanium. Estate jewelry lots feature a pair of gold mesh Persian banded bracelets, approximately 9 kt gold weighing 75 dwt (estimate $2,000 to $2,500), a Van Cleef & Arpels 18 kt gold pearl studded bracelet weighing 21 dwt ($2,000 to $3,000), a pair of twelve inch Tiffany & Company studio bronze candle sticks ($1,000 to $1,500).
Furniture lots include a Pennsylvania Walnut Chippendale chest with fluted quarter columns and Ogee feet ($2,000 to $3,000), an 18th-century walnut, one drawer stand inlaid with the letters “A” & “P” ($1,000 to $1,500), a mahogany Sheraton sofa, Connelly Haines type, ($2,000 to $3,000), also included are a walnut tavern table, Queen Anne tea table, Chippendale Pembroke table, and early painted pine ship’s trunk signed “E.A. 1797 L.R. Burlingame.” The collection includes German Bisque, Shoenhut circus figurines, Stieff and Dionne Quintuplets, other gun lots include Winchester Lever action rifle and a Belgium browning shotgun.
An additional stand-out lot is a 1998 Harley-Davidson motorcycle with a $5,000 custom paint job and $10,000 in additional custom chrome. This motorcycle has only 2,631 original miles!
This session on March 21st will offer online bidding through liveauctioneers.com. Auction begins at 3 p.m. To view hundreds of photographs, to register to receive e-mail updates or to view or print out the catalog free of charge, log onto www.wilsonsauction.net. Absentee and phone bidding are available. Preview is Tuesday, March 20th, 12 noon to 7 p.m. and Wednesday, March 21st, 12 noon to 3 p.m. Wilson’s Auction Gallery is located at 344 Valleybrook Road, Chester Heights, Pennsylvania 19017. Phone (610) 358-9515 or e-mail info@wilsonsauction.net.

 

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