Pook & Pook held its second successful Americana sale of 2023 on May 4 and 5, achieving a 97.84 percent sell-through rate and a final total of $1,991,077 for 510 lots. The auction was strong in the categories of Pennsylvania German furniture and decorative arts, Philadelphia Chippendale furniture, Philadelphia pewter, Pennsylvania quilts, a collection of Indian Peace medals, and a variety of fine art. Marquee items from big collections, museums, and institutions brought worldwide bidders and top-drawer prices. The first lot in the sale, the Marklin New York paddle wheel river boat, was also the top lot, crossing the block at $252,000. In the weeks prior to the auction, the item garnered considerable attention. In exceptional condition, it had been in institutional storage and hit a marketplace hungry for rare Marklin boats. Auctioneer and vice president Jamie Shearer summarized, Pook & Pook realized premium value for this toy, more than equal to the largest auction platforms. Our work with museums and noted collectors is proving that we can deliver big city results, while maintaining our personal, small town touch. From the same New Jersey institution, an important English Staffordshire slipware doll cradle dated 1698 brought in worldwide collectors of important English pottery, realizing $22,680. The collection of Jeffrey Gorrin and Susan Fetterolf of the Oley Valley in Berks County, Pa., was rich with colorful, vibrant pieces and hooked rugs of nearly abstract design, with many of the works retaining both original paint and extensive provenance. An exceptional Berks or Montgomery County painted poplar schrank, one of very few examples of 18th-century furniture of German design, realized $81,250. A Berks County pine hanging corner cupboard exhibited at Winterthur realized $25,200. Inscribed on inside of door was Eshelman family, Oley Valley, PA. The early piece brought $39,100 in 1997 at Sothebys sale for James Keene and also $52,140 in 2013 at Pook & Pooks sale for Pastor Fred Weiser. A very rare Lancaster County pine drysink that had a storied provenance beginning with the Ephrata Cloister realized $45,360. It went for $64,350 at the landmark Shelley sale held by Pook & Pook in 2007 and was ex. Olde Hope Antiques. An old Central Pennsylvania collection caused excitement with two salt boxes. A vibrant red painted mid-19th century box sold for $20,160, but the bidding grew even saltier over an important Mifflin County Samuel Plank painted box, which attained $45,360. Amongst the fine lots offered by a Delaware collector was a Chester County William and Mary walnut desk on frame, ca. 1755, probably made by James Milhaus of New Garden Township (also ancestor uncle to a certain U.S. president), which sold for $22,500. A rare pair of Chester County William and Mary banister back side chairs, ca. 1720, realized $16,380, and a set of six Delaware Valley ladderback dining chairs sold for $17,500. A historic pastel portrait of Philotesia Owen, wife of early Philadelphia mayor Robert Strettell, went for $4,032, and a rare pair of early English needlework panels, ca. 1700, for $6,000. Items sold to benefit the acquisitions fund of the Fenimore Art Museum saw several highlights, with an American oil on canvas folk art New England harbor scene bringing $35,280 and a large American painted 18th-century fireboard going for $10,000. A Massachusetts oil-on-canvas folk art landscape, the Sycamore Tree at the Moses Rice Farm, Charlemont, achieved $32,760. Concluding day one was the last installment of the famed pewter collection of the late Drs. Donald and Patricia Herr. Heavily featuring the works of John, Henry, and William Will, Americas illustrious family of pewterers, the collection had bidders flocking for their last chance to obtain an object. A New York pewter tankard, ca. 1760, attributed to family patriarch John Will, is one of his few tankards known, and sold for $25,200. A New York flagon, ca. 1770, by brother Henry Will, sold for $17,500. Bidders chased works by William Will. Recognized as the most talented of American pewterers, his highlights included a rare Philadelphia pewter flagon, ca. 1780, selling together with an unmarked chalice for $20,000. A rare Philadelphia porringer bearing his touch crossed the block for $15,000, and a tankard for $16,250. A William Will Philadelphia footed teapot attained the highest bid at $27,500. Day two kicked off with a variety of strong results. An exuberant contemporary Frank Finney carved and painted wooden bird tree realized $10,710, and a miniature A. Elmer Crowell black duck decoy sold for $3,024. Furniture results from the collection of Dr. Larry McCallister included a rare pair of Philadelphia cherry serpentine-front knife boxes at $5,040, a New York Federal mahogany sofa attributed to the school of Duncan Phyfe at $6,930, and a Massachusetts William and Mary ebonized maple and walnut dressing table, ca. 1725, realizing $11,970. A collection of American flags included a U.S. Cavalry swallowtail guidon flag, ca. 1860s, descended in the family of Colonel Walter Simonds Franklin of York, Pa. The flag had never before been offered for sale and attracted the interest of many bidders, eventually selling for $11,250. A collection from the illustrious Garvan family of scholars and collectors provided items of strong interest and equally strong results, with a rare Lebbeus Dod brass protractor and parallel rule measuring $4,536. The Garvan selection of Indian Peace Medals was a sale highlight, including a rare 1817 James Monroe medal, which crossed the block for $20,160; an 1829 Andrew Jackson medal, which brought $8,820; and a rare 1845 James Polk medal in a large size, one of only 11 examples known, which realized $21,420. For additional information about Pook & Pooks auctions, both upcoming and past, visit www.pookandpook.com.