Cross Artifacts, Jeffersonville, Ohio

Yesterday we went to Jeffersonville, Ohio, to an auction held by Cross Artifacts. It was just a little outside of the town, at a large metal building surrounded by farms. It was very easy to find, and there was plenty of parking for the crowd that arrived. The spacious interior had lots of seating, and it was fairly easy to get through the tables to inspect the goods. There was a second ring for coins and furniture, but they were able to control the speaker systems to make it easy for everyone. We were surprised to find that the crowd of around 70 people were happy to pay retail prices for many of the items for sale, but of course as resellers we were looking for the undervalued items. We came away with a few nice Cowan pieces, a little McCoy and Van Briggle, and even a Moorcroft piece. Unfortunately the crowd seemed to be in a buying mood for the Rookwood art pottery, and we did not obtain any of the pieces available.

Rookwood pieces at Cross Artifacts auctions

The beautiful console bowl with candlesticks was in great condition, but sadly it was missing the matching flower frog. The winning bid came in at $545, which we consider to be a good retail price. The large beige vase garnered $225, with the smaller blue piece commanding $195. These were once again reasonable retail prices.

Overall we enjoyed the auction, the snack shop onsite had great chicken sandwiches, and although we did not come away with a large number of items it was certainly worth the trip.

Wickliff Auctions, Carmel, Indiana

On the last day of February, 2015, Wickliff Auctions produced a good sized estate auction in Carmel, Indiana. The auction was primarily jewelry and wall art, but there was a smattering of early American art pottery from several major manufacturers. The facilities were excellent as always, the staff was very professional and friendly, and the participants were of the highest caliber. Refreshments were provided throughout the auction, and a security officer was ever-present to ensure the safety of all involved. Catalogs were provided to all participants, with excellent descriptions and each lot sequentially numbered. Two large monitors provided images of the items as the came up for bid so that everyone could clearly see the items.

Sadly, there was only a single Rookwood Pottery lot, two small production vases.

The blue Rookwood vase was quite nice, shape  #2207 from 1926, and the other was from 1919, shape #2174 with a band of rooks around it. Both were in excellent condition, and the bids flew quickly. Unfortunately, an internet bidder carried the day with a bid of $275 for the pair, but with the 15% buyers fee (for internet bidders) and the 7% sales tax, the actual price paid was $335.50, with the shipping cost undisclosed. Not a bad price to place these into your collection, but too high for a reseller to make a decent profit. We have previously won similar pieces for half the price, and so we passed on this lot.

Overall it was a good day, with good conversation and a great auction company.