I strongly discourage anyone from going to this auction. Trust me...you don't want to waste your time on the bookcases, the Pottier & Stymus settee & tables, the Hunzinger, the Jelliff, or the Mitchell & Rammelsburg etagere. Looks like a total waste of time...bunch of junk...if I go, it will only be to offer moral support to the auctioneers so that they don't feel too discouraged.
http://martinauctionco.com/
...I might be there.
- Jason
Martin Auction - June 29 - Anna, IL
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Auction and Show Watch thread on victorianforum.com · started June 13, 2008 by 1881victorian · 5 posts, 1 image attachment · discussion in 2008.
I strongly discourage anyone from going to this auction. Trust me...you don't want to waste your time on the bookcases, the Pottier & Stymus settee & tables, the Hunzinger, the Jelliff, or the Mitchell & Rammelsburg etagere. Looks like a total waste of time...bunch of…
Their "Jelliff" sofa is actually a Schrenkeisen #31 Grand Duchesse and that Hunzinger is very unique.
Jason, are you going for the 3-door or 6-door if you go? Be careful of this era of bookcases - check the shelf depth. Oftentimes they will not hold modern books. Luckily I found a RR bookcase that has 12 1/4" deep shelves (attached).
Jason, are you going for the 3-door or 6-door if you go? Be careful of this era of bookcases - check the shelf depth. Oftentimes they will not hold modern books. Luckily I found a RR bookcase that has 12 1/4" deep shelves (attached).
Yes, my wife is keenly aware of the relative book sizes and the issues pertaining to modern books often being larger than many of the Victorian-era books. I have yet to memorize all of the historic book sizes and their dimensions (4to, 8vo, 12 mo, 16 mo, 24mo, etc). On the up-side, we have so many books (in all assorted sizes -- many from the Victorian era) and contemporary-era bookcases that we would probably have no problem filling the 6-door model and then some. Jennifer has acquired a large collection over the years leading up to her PhD and career as a professor of English.
My eye is caught by the 6-door, the 3-door, and the 2-door (near the bottom of the photo gallery). Any of these would be pretty awesome...as is your RR bookcase!
I also see that the Mitchell & Rammelsburg etagere in the Martin auction is identical in design to the one at the Cowan auction that you mentioned in your blog. The Martin etagere does not have a mirror in the center of the base though (whereas the Cowan does). I can't tell if the wood type is the same.
Thank you for the heads-up on the Jelliff vs. Schrenkeisen identification. I haven't studied much on either of these makers. I'm a bit more smitten with that supposed P&S settee. ...it kind of fits in with Turkish-upholstered stuff what with those button-tufted ends. Of course, I suspect that the tens upon tens of dollars in my antique fund will not cover the cost of renting a trailer, let alone the hammer price of anything at this auction.
- Jason
My eye is caught by the 6-door, the 3-door, and the 2-door (near the bottom of the photo gallery). Any of these would be pretty awesome...as is your RR bookcase!
I also see that the Mitchell & Rammelsburg etagere in the Martin auction is identical in design to the one at the Cowan auction that you mentioned in your blog. The Martin etagere does not have a mirror in the center of the base though (whereas the Cowan does). I can't tell if the wood type is the same.
Thank you for the heads-up on the Jelliff vs. Schrenkeisen identification. I haven't studied much on either of these makers. I'm a bit more smitten with that supposed P&S settee. ...it kind of fits in with Turkish-upholstered stuff what with those button-tufted ends. Of course, I suspect that the tens upon tens of dollars in my antique fund will not cover the cost of renting a trailer, let alone the hammer price of anything at this auction.
- Jason
I'm a bit more smitten with that supposed P&S settee........Indeed, do you go after the pieces you need in your everyday world (in my case chairs) OR do you go for the best available piece at auction?
I need to try my hand at re-selling antiques. I would love to have many of the items found at the auctions detailed here in the forum, but my budget has just been too tight to make the leap from "what we have is good enough" to "we can sell the current thing if we get the nicer one in this auction". We have too many chairs & settees...not enough bookcases.
I see that the Martin Auction has added a monster sideboard (at 106" tall, it is bigger than my monster by a fair margin). They attribute it to Berkey & Gay. Definitely worth a look, regardless of your ceiling height.
I requested and received dimensions on the bookcases as well as pre-auction estimates on the hammer prices. The prices seem typical...maybe in-line with Grand View or Flomaton estimates, so not fire-sale bargains, but still nice auction finds. The huge bookcase is approximately 128" wide, 90" tall, and 26" deep (shelves are 13" & 16" deep). We have one wall in our house that would accommodate this bookcase (which is fittingly in our study where we have a bunch of bookcases). Of course, you would probably have to go outside and look through the window to really take it all in to appreciate. Also, at 26" deep, it would partially sit on the rug and quite nearly create two mini-hallways on either end of it (where we have doors to the back stairs & basement). I think that we will pass on it...an estimated savings of $6k to $8k.
The three-door bookcase is a bit more reasonable in size for us...estimate of $2k-$3k. I do very much like those 3-door types. The two-door is also nice ($1,500-$2k). Still, I'm not in love with either of those and I see an upcoming Chicago auction has some nice pieces similar to the 2-door with estimates of $400-$600. I suspect that we will pass on the Martin Auction in its entirety and see about hitting the Chicago auction hard (Chicago is closer...shipping is easier).
- Jason
I see that the Martin Auction has added a monster sideboard (at 106" tall, it is bigger than my monster by a fair margin). They attribute it to Berkey & Gay. Definitely worth a look, regardless of your ceiling height.
I requested and received dimensions on the bookcases as well as pre-auction estimates on the hammer prices. The prices seem typical...maybe in-line with Grand View or Flomaton estimates, so not fire-sale bargains, but still nice auction finds. The huge bookcase is approximately 128" wide, 90" tall, and 26" deep (shelves are 13" & 16" deep). We have one wall in our house that would accommodate this bookcase (which is fittingly in our study where we have a bunch of bookcases). Of course, you would probably have to go outside and look through the window to really take it all in to appreciate. Also, at 26" deep, it would partially sit on the rug and quite nearly create two mini-hallways on either end of it (where we have doors to the back stairs & basement). I think that we will pass on it...an estimated savings of $6k to $8k.
The three-door bookcase is a bit more reasonable in size for us...estimate of $2k-$3k. I do very much like those 3-door types. The two-door is also nice ($1,500-$2k). Still, I'm not in love with either of those and I see an upcoming Chicago auction has some nice pieces similar to the 2-door with estimates of $400-$600. I suspect that we will pass on the Martin Auction in its entirety and see about hitting the Chicago auction hard (Chicago is closer...shipping is easier).
- Jason