A story about a Portsmouth, New Hampshire artist, John S. Blunt (1798-1835)
by Martin Willis
I came from a town right outside of a small New Hampshire historical harbor city, Portsmouth. It was first settled in 1630 and has wonderful early brick architecture and early wooden homes and structures. It is a treasure trove of regional antiques of all sorts. There are many renowned pieces originating from Portsmouth, including exceptional furniture in the Colonial & Federal era. My father was lucky enough to buy a historical waterfront home that was built in 1672. When he bought the property, it was loaded full of period antiques, which he sold at auction for the owners for a whopping $40,000 in the early 1970s. That was a very big auction then. To compare the scale of it, my father bought the real estate for $30,000.
I will be the first to admit that I am not well versed in this era of furniture but have been trying to educate myself a little on it. Some pieces I do not find appealing, but others are very pleasing to the eye. I tend to like the furniture that is simple in design. I also go to the other extreme and love to see out of control, crazy looking pieces.
If I remember correctly only about 20 years ago, we auctioneers and dealers used to call the era “that 50s stuff” with disdain, of course. The term “retro” was used sometimes and can be used for eternity for all things of our more recent past. I always think too much about things like this and wonder what will be the next term of a recent era. What will they call “Contemporary Design” forty years from now? In 2050 will we be calling the pieces produced at that time “Mid-century” all over again? I sure hope we are not currently living in what will be later termed: The IKEA Movement! This makes me wonder who is in charge for naming our eras of design anyway? I think it should be an elected global official with a wordsmith background. The candidate will have good taste and a keen eye before they get my vote.
Turning back the clock 25 years ago, I got a house call in New Hampshire from someone that said their grandfather passed away and they had a house full to sell. The house was built in 1952 and fully furnished at that time. Everything in it was as wild & unusual looking to me, from lamps to furniture. It was packed full and all I can remember today is that I said that I was sorry, but could not help them. That was the way it was then, no one wanted any of it. If you did take it for auction, no one bid and you ended up disposing of functional pieces that are valuable today.
A lot has changed since that time and things will change again. When I say this, I do so because I have seen repeatedly how trends change and collecting in a certain area falls out of fashion. Collections drop and rise in value like a roller coaster. When asked I tell people to collect what they like, not purely for investment. If what they collect is not a passion of theirs, they may end up living with it longer then they planned to. You can almost always be safe if you acquire the top of the line of whatever category you collect in.
The Mid-century Modern Design was at it’s height in the years following WWII. Post War optimism stirred designers to think outside the box. There is often and exaggerated futuristic look to many pieces. I enjoy this aspect of the art deco era as well.
There were a number of people involved in creating the designs of Mid-century Modern furniture.
Here are a few names: George Nelson, Charles & Ray Eames, Herman Miller, Isamu Noguchi, Harry Bertoia, Mies van der Rohe, George Nakashima, Edward Wormley, Gio Ponti. Paul McCobb, Milo Baughman and many more.
Danish Moderns designers include such famous names as Arne Jacobsen, Hans Wegner, Finn Juhl, Borge Mogensen and Poul Kjaerholm.
You can often find original pieces for a lot less then the reproductions cost. Good ways to scout out pieces is to watch for yard sales at housing developments that were built in the 50s-60s. Look on Craiglist, go to auctions, shops, shows and flea markets. You may find the the search alone will bring you great pleasure. Many seasoned collectors and dealers freely share their knowledge. If you are on a budget, I would suggest looking for pieces that need a little work, whether it is finish work or upholstery. Furniture made during the Mid-century will last several lifetimes.
Back awhile on podcast #36 we spoke with a well known Mid-century collector/dealer, Dave Shaw of the Berkeley Hills in California. Besides having a great sense of humor, Dave was way ahead of most dealers in the 1970s and saw that Mid-century furniture was going to have it’s day. One example is, he began collecting Eames lounge chairs for $15 each, because no one else wanted them at the time. He claims he buys things because he loves them and his keen eye has served him well. Click here to listen to his podcast.
We are in a day where design and form is more important then age. Design and form have always mattered but it used to be coupled with age and rarity to make it special.
On parting, if you were asking me for advice on what level to collect, I would say buy the best with what you can afford. In all areas of collecting, it is better to buy one great piece, then ten mediocre pieces. If you are a collector, I hope you have success in finding what you are looking for and most of all, I hope you enjoy the hunt.
This week’s podcast is an interview with Harold Holzer, one of the leading scholars on Abraham Lincoln. I am very thrilled to write this article about Abraham Lincoln’s writings and some of my thoughts on the great leader.
Abraham Lincoln is one of my favorite people in history and has been since I learned about him at an early age. It helped that a friend of mine in grade school was a direct descendent as well. Besides our founding fathers, there is no other example of any president who gave of himself so completely to shape our nation. He had extremely difficult decisions to make, in some he stood alone, yet almost all of them were the best judgment that one could have made. We look at history as a backward glance. We see the events and the outcomes of decisions as the solid past. He was living in such turbulent moments and trying to change a way of wrongful thinking. Our country was founded and continued with slavery as a way of life. Through all of Lincoln’s actions, he was walking with unsure footing on thin ice. As the losses mounted during the Civil War, the burden of it all aged him greatly, yet he plodded on. He lived just long enough to see that his dream and efforts were coming to fruition. It was a sad day in 1865 when John Wilkes Booth stepped forward with common feelings of many other Confederate sympathizers and detractors to take the life of the great man. One can only speculate the additional achievements Lincoln would have made with the nearly four years remaining of his presidency.
This is not a specific history lesson, as it would take me too long to write about the amazing life of Lincoln starting from his humble beginnings through his presidency. What I will discuss is Abraham Lincoln’s documents, letters and signatures. I have handled dozens of these in my career and had the honor of handling the second to last writing that the great man penned just before he left for Ford’s Theater on April 14, 1865. Even though it was only one sentence, it was amazing to hold in my hands the second to last thing he put down on paper. See article here.
As in Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln wrote many thousands of letters and had an amazing artistic talent for the craft of writing. The Gettysburg Address had only 272 words, yet so much was said in that brief speech that it lives on as one of the greatest in American history. Here is a wonderful example of Lincoln’s talent in a letter he wrote to his son’s teacher. Click here to read.
His law career spanned for over 25 years and his signature was on thousands of documents during that time. Signatures of all presidents are more valuable during the time that they are in office. Lincoln’s writings during the time he was a lawyer and before is not as valuable unless substantial for a particular reason. A large number of deeds, wills and similar documents were clipped for his signature over the years. You will often find clipped signatures mounted and framed under an image of Lincoln. These “clipped signatures” are the least valuable of his writings. Depending on the vibrancy of the ink color they usually sell at auction for around $2-3,000. With all the legal documents he produced, you can just imagine how many are undiscovered and sitting in attics or storage. Some will continue to remain that way until they are disposed of or disintegrate by being uncared for. If your family had any connection with Lincoln in anyway, make sure to explore all known remaining documents.
The descendents of Hugh McCulloch, Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury lived in the family home in Kennebunkport, Maine. They called me with some items for sale and I was able to visit their beautiful Colonial home in what used to be the center of town. This home was built for the family in the 1700s and still had a number of original period furnishings. The walls on the second floor bedrooms were hinged and would latch to the ceiling to create a ballroom for the entire second floor. It was a fantastic early home. They had a number of McCulloch’s affects including his desk from the Capitol that was curved in design and would connect to other desks to form a semicircle. While I was writing up the consignment contract for the desk and other period furniture, I looked over at the wall and saw a one-page letter with the distinct writing and signature of Lincoln. I asked if I could take a minute and read it. I do not remember the content of the letter as I almost fell over when I read the date. I asked them if they realized that it was Lincoln’s last day when he wrote it. They told me they had dozens of Lincoln’s letters in a safe and enjoyed hanging that one on the wall. Needless to say, I could not talk them into consigning it.
As an appraiser I have been asked dozens of times over the years if newspapers have value. I always say there are only a few that have any value, such as Lincoln’s Assassination. A reward broadside (poster) can sell for as high as $80,000. This is an example of how much Lincoln remains venerated by collectors of Lincoln memorabilia.
Most of Lincoln’s signatures such as discharges and commissions are signed: “A. Lincoln”, but he did sign a full signature occasionally. As all things of value there are fakes and some people are pretty good at it. The forgers look for blank period paper that can be found at auctions and other venues. If you are looking to buy a letter or signature, make sure your source is solid and remember if it is too good to be true then it is just that. There are lithographs of Lincoln’s portrait with his signature below. A number of people have shown these to me thinking they have an original signature.
As far as record prices of Lincoln’s work, a copy of copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Lincoln and previously purchased by Robert F. Kennedy has sold for more than $3.7 million in New York City last December 10th. Secondly, his election victory speech, hand written and delivered by him from the White House window on the evening of November 10th, 1864 sold at auction for $3, 442,500.
To give a few examples of other average prices, Civil War commissions, depending on who they are for and the condition can sell for as little as $2,500 to around $7,500 up. Lincoln letters generally sell from $5,000 up. Content and condition is everything.
A few other examples of other Lincoln articles that sold at auction are: his spectacles for $150,000, a wooden inkstand, $67,500 and a pair of brass dividers used by him sold for $70,000. Keep in mind that there are probably hundreds of thousands of items that people claim belonged to Lincoln. This is called “family hearsay” in the antique and auction business and very difficult to prove. The pieces I mention above had solid provenance leading back to the 16th president.
Collectors aggressively seek rare images of Lincoln as well.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum acquired the renowned Taper Collection in 2007, partly though the generosity of the Taper family. It is an unparalleled collection of more than 1,500 artifacts, manuscripts and artworks that span Lincoln’s entire life including his famous stovepipe hat. From what I understand it is an in depth collection well worth the viewing.
The Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton was one of the people who remained at Lincoln’s side during his final hours. At the end he was quoted as saying “Now he belongs to the ages” and he does. He remains for evermore in our hearts and our nation’s history.
Click here to listen to the podcast with Harold Holzer.
All of us in the business like to hear about best finds that someone scoops at an estate sale, flea market, auction or by other means.
I decided not to go into my own personal best finds in this article, but will go into finds that I have heard from first hand accounts. Either I know the person, or know someone directly involved. I have many stories and can only share a few, as it would take too much writing for a single blog.
The one thing I want people to understand that have not been at this awhile is, finds are few and far in between. You may go your whole life as a dealer with a good eye and know what you are doing, and never run across a substantial one. It is like winning the lottery. I have seen people that do not have a clue what they are doing, stop at a yard sale or two and find a major treasure. There are a few examples below and it is often just dumb luck.
I will start out with a bang, the highest one I know of in the last few years.
Only a few miles away from where I am sitting right now in Marin County, California there was an instance like I mentioned above. A gentleman that infrequently stops at estate sales decided to stop at one just outside of his neighborhood. He said there were some interesting things being offered from this particular woman’s estate. Her relatives were in town settling things, putting the real estate up for sale and selling her personal belongings. He saw what he thought was a small copy of a Picasso painting for $65 and decided to buy it. When he brought it home, he kept looking at it and thought that the work was incredible for a copy. He sent an image to a major New York auction house and the head of the painting department called him right away. The following day two people showed up at his door from that auction house and after close examination they were certain that the painting was an original piece by the artist. The ecstatic gentleman was concerned that if the painting sold at auction, the relatives of the woman’s estate may find out, so he requested a private treaty sale. After the official authentication, the auction house brokered the Picasso painting to a private buyer for an undisclosed seven figure amount.
Ever since A & E’s “Storage Wars”aired, you hear all this hoopla about storage auctions. Since that time attendance at these auctions have increased by a major amount. Before you go and spend your hard earned cash at one, keep in mind it is a big gamble. About 25 years ago, my father and his good friend, fellow auctioneer Merle Straw went to such an auction and when they lifted the door to a unit, all they saw were boxes stacked high. They paid $400 for the unit and discovered it was all outdated computer paper. It cost them good money to dispose of it. The lesson I am trying to get across to you is, you will only see or hear about the great finds, but not too much about the more common duds. Keep that in mind when I tell you these two stories. At an appraisal clinic I worked at a guy came in with a big smile on his face and opened a folded sheet that contained a book. He said he bought it at a storage auction and knew it was in Spanish, but did not know what it was. I was quite excited as I was looking at an inscription that read “Santa Gertrudis” and noticed it was written in Latin as well as Spanish. After researching, I figured out it was a 1755-1768 Mission Christian Confirmation register. How it ended up in a storage locker I don’t know. It was sold for $15,000 at auction. That is not bad for the few hundred he spent. About ten years ago an active buyer of antique furniture at my auctions went through a difficult financial time and had to close down his shop and warehouse. A few years ago he was at a storage auction and when the door opened, all anyone could see was wooden crates. He did not pay too much for the unit and to his surprise it was all crated American & European high end paintings. He ended up auctioning them off for just over $900,000!
Several years ago I got a phone call from a fellow who claimed he had an old vase he just got at a yard sale and wanted to show it to me. I was going to be setting up for an auction at a busy function hall on a Thursday and I told him to meet me there. At that time there was another auction going on that Wednesday and he showed up then by accident and asked for me. The auctioneer talked him into putting the vase in their auction unadvertised and to everyone’s surprise (including me) the vase sold for an amazing $17,000. The guy actually called me to brag about what it sold for and said the rumor was it was a rare Korean vase. He also told me it was the first thing he ever bought at a yard sale and paid a whopping $15 for it. Who knows what it would have brought if properly advertised.
I will end on this one that I mentioned it in podcast 35. Americana Exchange last year. A faithful auction attendee of mine was at a local antique shop and saw boxes of books on the floor containing a few books each for $15 a lot. After looking through them, he found the biggest find I had heard about at the time. He told me his hands were shaking when he paid for the box that contained a special book. He knew it was good, but not at the magnitude it was. The book ended up selling in New York for over a million dollars! To back up a little, the shop owner had bought an entire library of books at a public auction for a few hundred dollars the night before. When I asked him how he felt about letting the book slip through, he laughed and said, “knowledge is power”.
So I will end here for now and perhaps in a few months, I will tell some more best find stories. You are welcome to submit stories below if you wish.
For several years I assisted Chuck DeLuca from Maine with his maritime auctions. He would have such interesting pieces pass through his sales. From what I could see, there were a lot of collectors from far and wide that collect all kinds of historical maritime. The time spent helping Chuck was a great learning experience for me. On my own, I have been lucky enough to see some fabulous whale’s tooth scrimshaw work. Back in the 1980s I spent several days with Barbara Johnson in Princeton, NJ. I went over her entire collection, which was a premier selection of some of the finest pieces known. This collection was considered the foremost in the world and left a big impression on me.
There are no real reasons for whaling today, but in the earlier days, whales were harvested for numerous demands. Almost the entire whale was used for a large variety of products and the most important of them was the oil. It was created from boiling down blubber on board, then stored in casks. It was used for lamp oil, soaps, beauty products, varnishes, lubricants and more. As sad as it seems to some, this was a part of our past.
For long extended times, sometimes years, a sailor was at sea on a whaling expedition. Little of that time in comparison was actual whaling work and sometimes months would pass between sightings. Sailors had hours upon end of idle time and some chose to create trinkets and art.
Examples of sailor’s work are: scrimshawed whale’s teeth and bone, fancy rope knot work, wood and ivory carvings such as whimsies, cane heads, pie crimpers, pipe tampers, fids (made for splicing rope) and more. There were sailor’s valentines made with seashells, swifts (yarn winders), corset busks and many more interesting and beautiful pieces.
Scrimshaw started in the early 1800s and is still practiced today. A scrimshaw artist is called a scrimshander. He had to start with a raw tooth, meaning in the natural state with ridges. He spent hours and hours polishing it down to a smooth surface, and then he would start working on his design with a sharp needle and India ink. Most of the time black ink was used, but sometimes there were other colors, mostly red.
Scrimshaw work can tell a story and often times has a design of the whale caught on the verso side. Sometimes the work can have high value for a folk art, primitive look, but most collectors want high detail and a great subject. On some teeth you will find beautiful maidens, couples (pair), portraits, whaling ships, American eagles and political, whaling scenes, home ports or ports visited, and sometimes a tooth is completely covered with intricate stories, some with named places and dates. Surprisingly, most scrimshaw work is not signed.
An original period scrimshaw tooth is very desirable and can sell from several hundred dollars to fifty thousand or more. In rare cases a few have sold for as much as $100,000. These were called a “Susan’s Tooth”, from the whaling ship Susan (known as: “Susan’s Teeth”). The scrimshander’s name was Frederick Myrick. However, the record goes to scrimshander known only as “The Pagoda Artist.” An unsigned and attributed tooth sold several years ago in Portsmouth, NH for $303,000.
World Record Tooth, $303,000
If you are looking to buy a scrimshawed tooth and are not familiar with how to tell if it is a period whale’s tooth, then I would suggest to seek and expert’s opinion. There are resin fakes that could fool a novice and there are antique whale’s teeth that have been recently scrimshawed. The ink is usually very dark in these pieces. An old tooth should have a nice mellow patina and the ink color somewhat faded. Whale’s teeth are hollow on the underside, unless cut. Of course, there are later teeth as well, these usually look very white. Sometimes people confuse walrus or elephant ivory as whale ivory. Walrus tusks are scrimshawed as well, but have a fraction of the value of a whale’s tooth.
A few years ago, I decided to try to scrimshaw a blank polished antique whale’s tooth I had lying around. Let me tell you, it is not easy at all, even if you are artistically inclined. You have to apply a lot of pressure and try not to slip past your penciled sketch. After I completed, I still thought it looked pretty primitive in comparison to other work. This gave me even a better appreciation of the fine pieces I have seen.
This is a contemporary scrimshaw
Collecting had fallen out of favor for many years until John F. Kennedy came to office as an avid collector. It spawned a renewed interest and there are many collectors worldwide to this day. I believe there will always be a demand to collect this beautiful art from a time when harvesting whales was our way of life.
Here is a source for books on the subject. Click Here
Fine examples are at the New Bedford Whaling Museum and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem Massachusetts.
So, last week I left you hanging when I asked Martin the question:
What strategies to buy at auction would you give to the novice?
Here is Part II of my interview….
Martin: It is a tough question, but I will try and answer the best I can.
First of all, the novice should know most of us, if not all in the business have learned from our mistakes. I have a few mistakes kicking around in my house as a matter of fact. The best advice is not to look at buying at auction in an adversarial mode. I always hear this gem told to the novice: “find out who the antique dealers are and bid one bid higher than them.” That has to do with retail mark-up and what you can buy it for. However, this is not fool proof. There are many ways to make mistakes here. First of all, there is no way of telling if the dealer has a desperate client willing to pay too much for something, or if the dealer is buying for their own collection. I have seen dealers pay extraordinary prices for something they collect.
The best strategy I can think of for a novice is again, use patience coupled with perseverance. Go to auctions, watch what happens, and get yourself familiar with what things sell for. Watch how people bid, and what they bid on. Make notes if you have to. If you only spend $100, then the most you can lose is $100.
My suggestions for the “Do’s & Don’ts” for the novice at auction are:
1. Again, do not bid on something you have not inspected. Auctioneers do not want to take items back and often will not take them back (unless accidently misrepresented)
2. Try not to be the first bidder on an item.
3. Do not keep your card up while bidding (known as the Statue of Liberty Bid). Along those lines, when bidding, don’t look too excited about bidding and use your best poker face.
4. Do not buy something just because it is a deal. You may be buying something no one else is too excited about. If you may have to live with it, make sure you like it.
5. If you see a particular piece at an auction that you think you would like to own, inspect it carefully and research it if time permits. Take the catalog description home with you and explore the piece on the Internet. Or, ask advice from a dealer, often times, they will help you.
6. Do not ask other people not to bid on something you want, people often take offense to you asking them. Also, it could be considered collusive. Along those lines, do not tell other people at the auction what you are interested in.
7. Don’t be afraid of the auctioneer. Ask questions at the preview on what he or she and or the staff may know about a particular piece you may be interested in.
All great tips Martin! Reyne: So would these tips apply to online bidders? Or would you have any strategies for the online bidder?
Martin: Another tough question. It is always best to be there in person for
a dozen reasons. However, online bidding has come a long way.
Here is what I suggest:
1. Buy at an auction house with a good reputation.
2. Make sure the condition report is thorough and it is cataloged correctly.
3. Make sure you understand the conditions of sale, buyer’s premium and shipping, etc.
4. Know that bidding online is not infallible. It has come a long way, but it is always possible your bid will not go through or the auctioneer will move too fast to catch your bid. When I bid online, I just leave an absentee bid of my maximum amount. It is safe way to go and no one knows the amount you leave or who you are. You can just leave your bid and go play golf or something.
Reyne: I can’t help but ask… any big hush hush trade secrets we should know?
Martin: Because I am an auctioneer, I am reluctant to share this, but will anyway. As auctioneers we want to see everything sell at an auction. However, that is fantasy and sometimes 15% of an auction or more may pass for some reason or another. There are a number of people out there that contact an auction house after a sale and ask about the unsold lots. Often, there is a lot of negotiation, as consignors have generally wanted the pieces out of their life. I have heard of many stories of wonderful buys as “after sales”.
So you mean to tell me that my first auction in November is not going to have 100% sales ratio?
Thanks so much Martin for sharing your knowledge of auctions, bidding, and the strategies to go along with them. You rock!
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I came from a town right outside of a small New Hampshire historical harbor city, Portsmouth. It was first settled in 1630 and has wonderful early brick architecture and early wooden homes and structures. It is a treasure trove of regional antiques of all sorts. There are many renowned pieces originating from Portsmouth, including exceptional furniture in the Colonial & Federal era. My father was lucky enough to buy a historical waterfront home that was built in 1672. When he bought the property, it was loaded full of period antiques, which he sold at auction for the owners for a whopping $40,000 in the early 1970s. That was a very big auction then. To compare the scale of it, my father bought the real estate for $30,000.
