Maine Antique Digest, March 2017

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8-B Maine Antique Digest, March 2017
- AUCTION -
8-B
“There weren’t as
many rarities this
year as last year.”
Seeck Auctions, Mason City, Iowa, and Kansas City, Missouri
Some Softness at the Top
by Nick Sabo
Photos courtesy Seeck Auctions
When I contacted Jim Seeck in
June 2016 to get a pulse on
what might be his top carnival
glass sale for the year, I was looking at the
International Carnival Glass Association’s
July 16 sale, a collection of 359 lots from
an Ohio couple who built a collection of
nice glass, which included two Millersburg
Mitered Ovals vases. (The vases went on
to sell for $9750 and $10,000.) But Seeck
was looking past that auction to sales in
September and November. The September
sale had a small collection of rare hatpins,
and the November sale was from an
Australian collector with a handful of
average Australian carnival but some very
nice pieces from the major American glass
producers of carnival’s golden age.
Typically, there are a few good sales in
carnival every year and one or two great
sales. For Seeck Auctions, the September
and November sales wrapped up 2016
as a good but not a great year. The year
didn’t see a lot of great glass, and a lot
of desirable pieces didn’t do as well as
expected.
“There weren’t as many rarities this year
as last year,” Seeck said. “Some of the top-
end stuff was soft but not real soft.”
Seeck said a very rare 10" tall Northwood
Peacock at Urn aqua opalescent master ice
cream bowl in the November 5 sale was
a good example of glass that probably
didn’t perform as well as it should.
Extremely rare in aqua opal, the bowl sold
at the November 5 auction (held in Kansas
City, Missouri) for $13,000 (no buyer’s
premium).
Another good buy was a blue Fenton
Panther footed centerpiece bowl that sold
for $1700. The Panther centerpieces are
rare and were made by the glassmaker’s
flattening out a berry bowl, Seeck said.
They are not whimsies per se, having seen
regular production, but not many were
made.
The hatpin collection was a small part of
a 365-lot sale in SeeckAuctions’ hometown
of Mason City, Iowa, on September 24.
The top-selling lot was an iridized Bird
of Paradise hatpin that sold for $3300
(no buyer’s premium). The hatpin has
outstanding detail and bright iridescence
and is one of only a few known.
Hatpin collectors love animal and bug
themes with a touch of the fantastic, such
as spiders, scarabs, and bats. A Twin
Gators pin that had silver paint applied to
the alligators over a nice blue iridescence
sold for $550. The reptiles are posed in a
yin-yang arrangement around the outside
of the hatpin’s rim. ATrue Scarab hatpin in
dark glass with good iridescence realized
$1100. A triangular-shaped hatpin with a
finely detailed flying bat facing five stars
went for $160.
It isn’t known exactly who made the
hatpins, but they are likely European for
the most part, Seeck said.
Seeck said the bright side of 2016 is that
more young collectors are entering the
market.
“It seems like every sale we are adding
new names,” Seeck said. “They’re
especially interested in the moderate range
glass. They’re not buying the five-figure
pieces, but they’re getting there.”
For more information, visit the website
).
Aqua opal Northwood Peacock at Urn
master ice cream bowls are extremely
rare and are some of the most desirable
Northwood peacock pieces out there.
This one sold for $13,000. November 5.
A Bird of Paradise hatpin was the top-sell-
ing jewelry lot from a September 24, 2016,
carnival glass sale in Mason City, Iowa. It
sold for $3300. A total of 38 hatpins were
offered in the 365-lot sale.
You don’t see many Northwood Stippled
Three Fruits ruffled bowls in emerald
green like this one. It sold for $1450.
November 5.
Imperial Poppy Show vases are com-
mon in marigold and can be picked
up for less than $200. They’re much
harder to find in purple, as is this one,
which sold for $4000. November 5.
This Piazza hatpin sold for
$425. September 24.
Tall and pretty, this 19"
Northwood Tree Trunk
vase in blue sold for $2000.
September 24.
The wingtips on this Flying Bat hatpin
stretch to the corners of the triangular
design. Five stars complete the nocturnal
motif. It sold for $160. September 24.
The eponymous reptiles on this Twin
Gators hatpin are painted silver over a
nice blue iridescence. It sold for $550.
September 24.
This faceted Butterfly hatpin sold
for $600. September 24.
Hatpins featuring insects and animals did
well at the sale, especially those with a
spooky or mythical slant. This True Scarab
hatpin sold for $1100. September 24.
This Spider King hatpin has iridized
accents for the cephalothorax and
abdomen. It sold for $1000. September
24.
This amethyst Millersburg Nesting
Swan ruffled bowl has red enam-
eling under the radium iridescence
on the swan and leaves, which is an
unusual treatment for Millersburg.
It sold for $650. November 5.