Laughlin Auctions, Edinburg, Virginia
Photos courtesy Laughlin Auctions
Laughlin Auctions conducted its online-only annual spring antiques auction March 7-13 from its Edinburg, Virginia, galleries, using the HiBid bidding platform. During the sale, nearly 900 lots crossed the virtual block. Many categories were represented. The sale offered an excellent illustration of the broad array of quality examples of traditional Americana that continue to enter the antiques marketplace.
The 1892 Liberty head double eagle ($20) gold coin displays a San Francisco (S) mint mark. It is slightly worn, but the “LIBERTY” lettering on the coronet is clear and legible, as are the details on the reverse. The coin sold for $2012.50.
Proving the old adage that you can always sell money, the 150-plus lots of coins and currency did well. Gold, silver, Confederate bills, postage notes, fractional currency, locally issued currency, and even a pile of “wheat” cents found new owners.
Previewing sales at Laughlin Auctions has been eased by the firm’s orderly transition from live to online events. Rows of shelving have replaced chairs in the warehouse-size galleries. Here stoneware lots are lined up in order of sale for the annual spring auction. Newman photo.
But the more than 100 stoneware lots, most of which were salt glazed and from Virginia potteries, seemed to attract the most attention. Several examples from the category were among the top lots of the sale. Those examples are shown among the accompanying photos.
The high lot of the sale was this 2.05-carat round-cut diamond engagement ring with a simple but stylish 14k white gold band. The ring sold for $6900.
The high lot of the sale came from the jewelry category. Diamonds are always desirable, and a 2.05-carat engagement ring, set in a simple but elegant 14k white gold band, was no exception. The ring sold for $6900 (with buyer’s premium). Laughlin Auctions does not publish presale estimates.
We have followed Laughlin Auctions for many years. Our first experience was in the open air, watching Hoyle Laughlin II sell butter crocks from the back of a hay wagon. The Laughlin firm has grown. It was first a traditional, old-school auction house where one had to be present to bid and where collector coins were displayed in sandwich bags stapled to a sheet of plywood. It then began accepting absentee bids kept in a three-ring binder, and then an occasional telephone bid. The auction house lasted through the COVID-19 era and is now emerging from those darker days fully embracing the reality of online auctions. What has not changed, however, is the quality and variety of the items offered for sale.
For additional information, contact Laughlin Auctions at (540) 984-8080 or see the website (www.laughlinauctions.com).
The high lot among the stoneware lots was this 13" tall two-gallon stoneware churn. Decorated with brushed cobalt floral sprays front and back, the churn is attributed to a member of Rockingham County, Virginia’s Coffman family school of pottery and dates from the mid-19th century. Over the years, the churn has sustained significant damage: a metal band is fixed to the midsection to stabilize the body, there is a large triangular make-do repair on the back, and there are several closed cracks across the body. In spite of its imperfections, the churn brought $5060.
This early 18th-century ten-plate stove is from Blackford, Arthur & Company’s Isabella Furnace, located in Shenandoah (now Page) County, Virginia. The side panels are cast with the maker’s name, strings of bellflowers, and a federal eagle amid foliage. The end panels are also cast with various decorative ornamental devices. The original ash tray and legs are present. According to Hoyle Laughlin III, the stove was removed from its original home. This complete stove sold for $3105.
This three-gallon stoneware churn is stamped “Miller & Davison / Strasburg, VA.” Both sides of the 14¾" high body display a brushed cobalt fern leaf and flower design. The lid is an unmatched replacement. The churn brought $1437.50.
This James River stoneware pitcher displays a faint impressed stamp indicating its maker as John P. Schermerhorn of Richmond, Virginia. The pitcher is decorated with a brushed cobalt floral design on the front and other brushed accents to the neck and spout. With a capacity of approximately one gallon and standing 11½" high, the pitcher sold for $4945.
One feature of the 19th-century stoneware pitchers from the pottery of J. M. Hickerson of Strasburg, Virginia, is their tall, collar-like necks. This assembled group of five graduated Hickerson-attributed pitchers ranges in capacity from a half-gallon to two gallons; the tallest stands 14½" high. The group sold for $1063.75.
This small bulbous-body stoneware pitcher is unmarked. It has an applied strap handle, stands 8" high, and is decorated with brushed cobalt flowers on one side. There are some chips to the rim. The little pitcher sold for $218.50.
The cast-aluminum mold displays no maker’s mark but likely dates from the mid-20th century. The mold is designed to create strawberry-shaped confections, butter pats, or ice cream treats. The 4" long mold is ready to use, and it sold for $92. Newman photo.
This unmarked glazed lion figure is in the style of the iconic Solomon Bell example pictured on the cover of The Pottery of the Shenandoah Valley Region by H. E. Comstock (1994), published by the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts. The smiling lion, with incised facial features, a dark coleslaw mane, copper-glazed eyes, and a curved tail, 10" high x 12" long, brought $3220.
This small (7½" x 12" x 8½") dome-top box is covered with paper printed to resemble a steel-banded trunk. It has a lock but no key, and the hinges have been breached. The box was apparently once a child’s treasure chest, and the lid opens to reveal treasures inside. It has a single shelf with a pistol-shape screw-cap candy container, a slide-top wooden pencil box containing several tokens, and the arm of a porcelain doll. Removing the shelf reveals a well containing at least 100 19th- and early 20th-century letters, advertisements, and other ephemera. This box of treasures sold for only $40.25.
This picture frame constructed of yellow pine displays a black and red folk-art paint-decorated surface. The bubbled glass is handmade, and the back is a single board. The 13" x 10½" frame sold for $373.75.
The framed oil on board by Emile A. Gruppé (1896-1978) depicts a stream running through a winter forest landscape. Signed lower right, the approximately 22" x 26" (sight size) painting sold for $3335.
This trestle-base table is constructed of pine, and although it is not marked, it is attributed to the Shenandoah Community Workers, a woodworking cooperative located at Bird Haven Farm, near Basye, Virginia. The attribution is due in part to the distinctive tusk-tenon fastening technique used by the makers. Bird Haven operated from the 1920s into the early 1960s, and its products are prized acquisitions. The table sold for $4140.
The diminutive (19" x 28½" x 18") blanket chest constructed of poplar sold for $517.50. The case is extensively sponge painted with bands of brown circular forms over a cream ground, separated by a medial band of green stripes. The back is not decorated. The hinged lid does not overhang and is covered with the sponged brown-over-cream pattern. The feet are ebonized extensions of the internal corner stiles. Shaped molding is applied to three sides.
The one-piece Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, corner cupboard is constructed of walnut, with yellow pine as secondary wood. The upper portion features a 12-pane single door that opens to reveal three fixed shelves. The medial portion has two small drawers, and the lower section features two fielded-panel doors enclosing one fixed shelf above the base panel. There is a shaped apron. The front corners are canted and extend to form the feet. There is no cornice, but there remains evidence of applied reeded molding at the waist and below the missing cornice. The 87" x 40" x 21" cupboard sold for $2472.50.
This large 18-drawer mahogany chest was likely used in a mercantile environment, perhaps for storage of textiles. The 41¼" x 69" x 23" chest would likely have served as a portion of a store counter. Although missing a few pulls, the chest is in very good condition, and it sold for $891.25.
This Windsor-style settee is constructed of poplar and features a shaped, paint-decorated tablet-top back rail. The form is commonly referred to as a deacon’s bench. There are turned spindles supporting the mid-back rail and arms. The settee displays its original green-painted and stenciled surface. The well-worn seat is a single 72" long x 21" deep shaped slab. The settee sold for $488.75.
Originally published in the May 2024 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © 2024 Maine Antique Digest
