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Alderfer's
In The News
Alderfer Auction Plans Four Days of Catalogued Auctions in December Hatfield, PA-Alderfer Auction & Appraisal plans a precedent-setting four days of catalogued auctions in December, 2006. "Our quarterly catalog is expanded significantly," said H. Brent Souder, director of fine and decorative arts at Alderfer's. "We feature an extensive collection of jewelry that warrants its own day of sale on December 5. On December 6, we devote the day to fine art, primarily paintings, and on December 7, we'll auction ephemera, decorative arts, furniture, and oriental carpets. Then, a week later, we'll present the final portion of our catalog, with 400 pieces of outstanding Asian art." All auctions take place at Alderfer's comfortable auction center in Hatfield, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Jewelry and Art for the Collector or Holiday Shopper Holiday
shoppers, serious jewelry collectors, and dealers of both art
and jewelry will enjoy attending Alderfer Auction's Discovery
Art Auction at 4 pm on December 5 or the Fine Jewelry Auction
at 5 pm. Discovery Art will include hundreds of paintings and
prints with values starting at approximately $50. This is a
great way for beginning art collectors to start their collections
and for those looking for original artwork by up-and-coming
artists. This artwork is listed at the auction center on the
day of the sale, and is available for preview the week prior
to auction. Fine Art Auction features stars of the Pennsylvania Impressionist School Fine
Art, an area for which Alderfer Auction & Appraisal is well
known, is represented by 250 paintings in the Pennsylvania Impressionist,
Modernist, and Realist styles. The star of the show is an oil
on canvas by Pennsylvania Impressionist artist George W. Sotter,
entitled "Snowbound Hills". Its pedigree includes
an exhibit at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1913.
The painting, acquired in 1969 by a collector, has been held
privately until now. And, at 32" by 36", it is the
largest recorded Sotter painting. It bears an estimate of $100,000
to $150,000. Decorative Arts has Something for Everyone Thursday,
December 7 begins the most eclectic day of Alderfer's December
season. Starting with ephemera (historical documents), followed
by decorative arts, fine furniture, and carpets, the auction
is expected to run from 9 AM to early afternoon, both live and
on eBay, as are all the December catalog auctions. Asian Art Auction Includes 400 Exquisite Pieces
An outstanding collection of Asian Art will be auctioned one
week later on December 14, starting at 9 am (live and on eBay
Live Auctions). Chinese, Japanese and Korean works in bronze,
ivory, cinnabar, jade, cloisonné and more are part of
this 400 lot auction. The seasoned collector may seek a rare
Chinese cloisonné and wood shrine of the Qing Dynasty
(Yongzheng Period 1723-1735) with an estimated sale price of
$15,000 to $25,000, or a pair of Chinese porcelain famille rose
blue ground and gilt decorated vases of similar value. Mongolian
silver is also very collectible now, and Alderfer's Asian Art
auction features a large pair of Mongolian silver and jeweled
models of elephants from the 19th century, estimated at $12,000
to $18,000.
Hatfield, PA-More than 800 pieces of quality artwork, jewelry, ephemera, china and glass are featured in Alderfer Auction & Appraisal's September 13-14 Fine & Decorative Arts Catalog. Headliners include a Fern Coppedge winter landscape depicting a riverside stone house and view across the Delaware River that comes from the artist through family descent (first time for sale). This painting, one of three Coppedge's in the auction, has a luminous quality, and is featured on the cover of the catalog along with a stunning 2.26 ct princess cut diamond ring set in platinum, and an ornate 19th century gilt wood Federal convex mirror with an eagle pediment. "Alderfer's Fine Art Collections are always strong in paintings," said Brent Souder, CAI, GPPA, auctioneer. "This catalog is no exception, but other categories are also extremely well represented, with heavy-weight diamonds and Rolex watches, an extensive collection of Americana, a single-owner flask collection of 40 items, aesthetic furniture, and many Civil War documents, autographs, and historical photographs." The auction, which begins at 1 pm on Wednesday, September 13 with ephemera, jewelry, and art, and finishes on Thursday, September 14 with decorative accessories, furniture and rugs, will be launched with a special preview evening Tuesday, September 12. A full preview begins that evening at 5 pm, and will conclude with a lecture by Peter Seibert, President of the Heritage Center of Lancaster County, Inc., who will present on Pennsylvania German Decorative Arts: Collecting for the New Millennium at 7 pm. Seibert, who holds a master's degree in American Studies, has published four books on Pennsylvania German furniture and art and has extensive experience collecting for a number of museums. His talk will focus not only on the items that can be seen at the preview (especially Gaudy Dutch and fraktur-a type of medieval calligraphy used by 17th and 18th century German settlers to record family events such as births, deaths, baptisms, and marriages) but on undervalued items of Pennsylvania German arts, providing good information for collectors interested in "beating the curve" in collecting. The artwork in this auction ranges from Modernists (Joseph Meierhans, Louis Stone, and Louis Bosa) to Pennsylvania Impressionists, for which Alderfer Auction is well known. This is the seventh consecutive Alderfer catalog to feature George Sotter; this auction includes a nocturnal harbor scene that is unique for Sotter. S. George Phillips shows an autumnal landscape, and Henry Rand is represented by two outstanding paintings, one heralding from California, and the other a special gem with a soft impressionist palate. There are also three portfolios of Rand's studies, including multiple figure drawings. There is an exceptional Baum included in this sale. The detailed winter landscape has an equally pleasing and competent spring landscape painted on the reverse. Furniture is well represented by a selection of period furniture, including five tall case clocks varying from Gothic style to Bucks County clockmaker Peter Soliday. There are period high and low chests, candle stands, and seating and a pair of Georgian inlaid mahogany cutlery boxes. A selection of fine carved furniture, including a German calling card stand with a fantastic beast will appear in the furniture portion of the auction, and will be sure to be the subject of much conversation. The dragon-like carving stands 46" tall and was carved of fruitwood around 1890. Similarly artistic are the selections of aesthetic furniture, with their intricate carving and inlays. A 64" tall Regina Sublima upright music box with numerous disks is a piece of furniture in its own right, with attractive carving on its mahogany case. Civil War documents, including letters, a map, and manuscripts will be auctioned in the Ephemera section on September 13. Notable among ephemera are several William Rao panoramic photographs of Philadelphia sites. A full listing of items in the auction, with photographs and estimated values can be found on www.alderferauction.com or www.alderferfinearts.com. To see the items in person, Alderfer Auction will hold preview on the following dates and times: Wednesday,
September 6, 2006 from 5 PM to 7 PM On September 12, in addition the Fine Arts preview, a real estate auction will take place at 4 PM at the auction center, and at 5 PM a Discovery Art auction will begin, allowing visitors to see several types of auctions in one evening. Discovery art is uncataloged, and represents up and coming art that covers a wide range of styles and periods. While Alderfer's Fine & Decorative Arts Auctions draw substantial live audiences, numerous bidders join the auction online through eBay Live Auctions (www.ebayliveauctions.com). Nearly half of the bidders in recent auctions have been online, with others joining by telephone. Alderfer's holds four catalog fine arts auctions each year (March, June, September, and December), as well as numerous specialty catalog auctions for items such as dolls, Asian art, firearms and militaria. In all, Alderfer Auction & Appraisal and Tranzon Alderfer, its sister real estate auction company, hold more than 50 auctions each year. Alderfer Auction Company has been ethically and creatively guiding people through their maze of property in transition since 1959. Located in a comfortable auction center on Fairgrounds Road in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, Alderfer's auctions at the center, on site, and through eBay, bringing the world to Hatfield. Other Alderfer companies include Tranzon Alderfer, and Alderfer Moving & Storage. Alderfer
Auction June 7-8 Fine Arts Auction Features Hatfield, PA- Alderfer Auction Company is pleased to announce the success of their June 2006 Fine and Decorative Arts Auction. The auction was well attended, not only by the 796 in-house bidders, but by an additional 866 bidders worldwide via eBay. The auction was held on Wednesday, June 7 and Thursday, June 8 and produced exceptional results. Included among over 600 lots up for auction was a large selection of paintings ranging in style from old master to modern to contemporary works by living artists. Exquisitely detailed pieces of furniture, historical ephemera, jewelry, rugs, and decorative arts were also sold during the two-day auction. Exceptional highlights of the sale were found in all areas. A 12"x 9" broadside, entitled "Boycott the Movies," which was estimated to sell between $500-600, sold for $2,300, during the first hour of the auction. Shortly following the success of the ephemera, an 18K gold lady's watch with accent diamonds sold for $1,035. The painting portion of the auction produced great results with several pieces of interest. The R. Ansdell portrait of a King Charles Spaniel brought $12,650 from a high estimate of $2,500, with a great deal of overseas interest, including the under bidder, who was from the United Kingdom. The Max Vanka painting in a Ben Badura frame, titled "Canal Near Phillips Mill" brought $13,800 with a high estimate of $6,000. A painting by Louis Agassiz Fuertes was estimated to sell for $5,000-7,000 but was won with a $23,000 bid. The contemporary artist Ray Overpeck's painting "Point Pleasant" sold for $5,175 and contemporary artist Jim Luken's "Sutter Farm" sold for $4,025.Both Lukens and Overpeck were featured at the auction's "Meet the Artist Preview Reception." Selling art by working artists through the auction method allows the artists to learn the true market value of their art and to benefit from international exposure through listings. Works by several artists' garnered attention, included several by George W. Sotter. Two 4" by 5" pieces were sold in the auction for $18,400 and $16,100 respectively. The small pair was a wedding gift from a Bucks County resident. Years later, the painting was sent home to Pennsylvania from Tennessee, where the widow lives, to be sold in the home of the Pennsylvania Impressionist School. A third Sotter, consigned by a New York resident who also wanted to sell the piece in its home market, sold for $25,875.Seven works by Walter E. Baum were sold in the auction, with the highlight piece being "Bucks County Winter" which sold for $31,625. Another small Baum was offered for auction by a couple who saw Walter Baum's work evaluated on PBS's Antique Road Show. When they realized the painting's value they pulled the painting from their attic, where it had rested for part of the 50 years they owned it, and sent it back to Alderfer's for auction. The Decorative Arts portion of the auction, on the second day, produced pleasing results as well. A pair of Staffordshire china spill vases sold for $1,035, compared to the high estimate of $300 and the Staffordshire china squirrel was bought for $2,875. A Mettlach Etched stoneware stein, one of several at the auction, sold for $747. A 1749 George II silver jug sold for $7,473. A Newcomb college Art Pottery vase sold for $747.50. Furniture had an impressive outcome as well. A circular walnut extension table was bought for $8,050, $6,000 over the high estimate. The Napoleon III Ormolu Mounted ebonized cabinet sold for $4,312 towards the end of the auction. Chippendale proved popular, as well. A pair of Chippendale walnut side chairs, with purported Israel Sack provenance, garnered $14,950. An assembled set of 10 Chippendale mahogany ladder-back chairs with needlepoint seats depicting game birds, sold for $10,925 to a collector and bird lover. A small Chippendale walnut chest of drawers sold for $3,737.50. A unique mahogany armchair with barley twist spindles, possibly by George Hunzinger, sold for $1,610. Alderfer's is now accepting consignments for the September and December 2006 Fine Arts Cataloged Auctions. The September Fine Arts Auction will be held on September 13 and 14 (consignment deadline July 14) and the December Fine Arts Auction will be held December 6-7, with a consignment deadline of October 11. The Alderfer Auction Company is located at 501 Fairgrounds Road in Hatfield, PA 19440, and can be contacted by phone: 215-393-3000 and by fax: 215-368-9055. Alderfer's website is www.alderferauction.com. A special website, www.alderferfinearts.com concentrates on the quarterly catalog sales. The email contact for this auction is catalog@alderferauction.com. Alderfer
Auction Company was founded in 1959, and holds approximately
50 auctions per year both at its Hatfield center and on-site.
In addition to antiques, collections, and personal property,
Alderfer Auction manages commercial liquidations. Tranzon Alderfer,
a real estate company selling by the auction method, and Alderfer
Moving and Storage are also part of the Sanford Alderfer Companies. Extensive
Collection of Americana, Fine Art and Antiques Represented at
Alderfer Auction Company's March Fine Arts & Decorative
Accessories Catalog Auction Hatfield, PA-An extensive collection of Americana, tableware and accessories from early American life in the 18th and 19th centuries, will be featured at Alderfer Auction Company's March 8-9, 2006 Fine Art & Antiques Auction on Fairgrounds Road in Hatfield. Fine art paintings and sculpture, English and American antique furniture, decorative accessories, estate jewelry, lamps, oriental rugs, and ephemera will also be auctioned. The majority of the Americana pieces are from the collection of Dr. Richard Godshall. Dr. Godshall is a Montgomery County native who has practiced medicine in Bucks County since 1969. Dr. Godshall's love for antiques is shared with his family, who has accompanied him on many long days attending auctions and antique shows, including the day in 1970 when he acquired his first piece of Gaudy Dutch at the Sanford Alderfer Auction Company. This sparked his interest in acquiring all 16 known patterns. The Godshall collection of Americana also encompasses redware and Lehnware (turned wooden tableware). Toleware (painted tin trays, servingware and the like) and fraktur (a Germanic form of decorative writing often used to record births and baptisms) are also included. Dr. Godshall's collection has been featured in Antiques Magazine and Country Living, and has been on display at the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, the Peter Wentz Homestead in Worcester, and the Mennonite Heritage Center in Harleysville. In addition to Americana, the auction will include some outstanding paintings from New Hope School artists George Sotter, W.E. Baum, Harry Leith-Ross, Henry Rand, and A.P. Martino. Interest in the Pennsylvania Impressionist movement has grown dramatically, as has its value in the art world. Recent Sotter paintings have sold at auction for as much as $250,000. Harry Leith-Ross's works will soon be featured in a major exhibit at the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown. Previews
for the auction will begin March 1 and run through March 9, 2006.
During the preview period, organized community and senior groups
have been invited for preview tours led by Alderfer experts on
March 2 and 3. Wednesday, March 8, 2006 1 PM Ephemera (works on paper, including Civil War general's autographs, Imperial German metals and orders, scientific instruments and other works on paper) followed by approximately 140 lots of estate jewelry.
4 PM Fine Art (works by Baum, AP Martino, G Martino, Thursday, March 9, 2006 9AM Americana (Toleware, Gaudy Dutch, spatterware, redware/slipware, lehnware, fraktur, folk art and textiles.) Decorative Accessories (silver, export porcelain, lamps); Furniture (mahogany, cherry, painted, oak, walnut, walnut, tiger maple bureaus, chairs, sofas, tall chests, tables, and more); Rugs For a complete schedule of previews and sale times, with photos and descriptions of items for auction, Alderfer Auction Company's website is www.alderferauction.com. Additional photos are available in the auction listing posted on www.eBayliveauctions.com, where the sale will take place simultaneously with the live auction. For information about preview tours for your community, civic, or senior group, contact Alderfer's at 215.393.3000 for a reservation and details. Alderfer
Auction Company has been ethically and creatively guiding people
through their maze of property in transition since 1959. Located
in a state-of-the-art auction center on Fairgrounds Road in Hatfield,
Pennsylvania, Alderfer's auctions at the center, on site, and
through eBay, bringing the world to Hatfield. Other Alderfer companies
include Tranzon Alderfer, which auctions real estate, and Atlantic
Moving and Storage. Auctions still thrive in eBay era By
JOHN ANASTASI The words leapt from Sandy Alderfer's mouth with the velocity of machine gun fire. But his pitch rose and fell in a melodious rhythm that was certainly more pleasing to the ear than the sound of bullets. As he spoke — industry-insiders call it “the chant” — his eyes swept the Alderfer Auction Co. for every motion, a subtle nod or flick of the wrist, to bid on glassware auctioned off this week at the company's center on Fairgrounds Road. Although the Internet has revolutionized the auction industry in recent years, officials at Alderfer's center in Hatfield Township and people who attend auctions there say there's something special about a live event. Wayne Mugrauer, Alderfer's chief operating officer, said auctioneers have a wonderful style. “They each bring their own unique personalities to it and there's some magic to that,” he said. “They command a sale. They're factually accurate and in touch with everything that's happening in a room of 100 people.” And then there are the people. “Auctions were originally a social event and there's still some of that here,” he added. “You do miss that online.” That doesn't mean Alderfer Auction is ignoring new technology. The 46-year-old company does plenty of business online while continuing to host live auctions every week — auctioneers sold everything from small animal figurines to a Ford F-150 at Thursday's auction. Company officials were scheduled to make a trip to Downingtown over the weekend to auction off a house and all of its contents. The Fairgrounds Road auction house is the only one in Hatfield Township. Other auctioneers must get special municipal approval to set up shop in parts of town reserved for light industry, but their properties cannot be larger than 10 acres. The Alderfer site is about half that size, but it predates the 10-acre requirement. The business will celebrate its 50th anniversary in three years. Sandy Alderfer, whose father founded the business in 1959, said he expects it to last another 50 years. The past Sanford Alderfer was born on a Harleysville farm in 1923. The son of a well-known minister, Sanford was the seventh of eight children. “I was very, very shy,” he said. “I couldn't get up and give my name comfortably. But I always admired auctioneers and I thought I had the voice for it.” He spent years working as a salesman for a meat company in Philadelphia but never forgot his childhood dream. In 1959, at the age of 36, he opened his own auction company. “I had worked for auctioneers and with auctioneers, so I had an idea of how to put it together,” said Sanford Alderfer. At the beginning, there was no auction house. All of the events were held at the homes of the sellers and his business grew mostly by word of mouth. In 1960, he sold about two dozen pieces of real estate. Later, the auction company held the events anywhere they could rent space — firehouses, reception halls and even scout cabins. “There was a lot of opportunity,” his son recalled. “We were where we were at the right time. The Northeast Extension (of the Turnpike) was finished in 1956 and the ground started to be worth more.” The increased demand for land prompted some farmers to sell. That meant business for Alderfer Auction Co. “We'd see multi-generational homesteads where you'd have three generations worth of stuff in one household,” Sandy Alderfer said. “These were people who struggled through the Depression era and were hoarding everything. After (the Depression) they didn't get rid of anything anymore.” Later, Alderfer sold homes and belongings for families that were leaving larger homes and moving into retirement communities like Doylestown's Pine Run or Dock Woods in Hatfield. “We were helping people with the transitions they needed to make in life,” Sandy Alderfer said. After a stint as a truck driver, Sandy got his auctioneer's license and returned to the family business in the early 1980s as his father was nearing retirement. He was largely responsible for moving the operation to the Fairgrounds Road site. Antiques dealer David Trout of East Norriton hits the Alderfer auction every Thursday. He likes to pick up used and antique furniture cheap, rehab the items and sell them at a store or to private collectors. “It's getting skimpy,” he said Thursday, shaking his head. “And this is one of the better (auctions) around. Good antiques are becoming hard to find, even over the last few years.” Chalfont's Ray Urbach also makes the trip every week looking for clocks and furniture. “You can't buy good furniture today,” he said. But the market has changed and Alderfer is trying to change with it. “There's an increase in this retail-mall mentality and we're trying to get the mall shopper to the auctions,” Alderfer said. For one-stop shoppers, the auction house has tried to provide a little bit of everything. Thursday's lineup included artwork, furniture, Native American artifacts, glassware, collectibles, china, locks and hinges. By noon Thursday, four auctions were occurring simultaneously in different corners of the 20,000-square-foot site. The firm makes money by assessing the winning bidder a 10-percent fee for the house. That's comparable to Internet auction site eBay, which charges a similar fee. “We're always looking for a bargain and vintage and antique things hold their value so well,” said Janet Cutts of Harleysville. “There's more beauty in handcrafted items and the furniture is a bargain compared to today's prices.” The company works with clients who wish to sell their collections. A 23-year Alderfer employee, H. Brent Souder specializes in fine art and decorative arts. “They are selling for the people who purchased them and now wish to enjoy the huge appreciation in the market,” said Souder, who has made trips to the West Coast to discuss upcoming sales. “I meet with clients and customers. I meet people with stories. Our job is to put people together — buyers and sellers.” Special sales for large quantities of fine art, antique firearms, vintage clothing or antique dolls are held periodically, for which the company sends out catalogs and opens up bidding on the Internet. Alderfer now also offers appraisal and moving services. The future “People are getting a new realization of what auction is,” Alderfer said. “eBay has made it a household name.” Despite extra competition in the form of entrepreneurs who collect and sell items on Internet auction sites like eBay, Alderfer said the Internet has also done some great things for the industry. “My dad always wanted to be the best auctioneer in the Harleysville area,” Alderfer said. “Now the Harleysville area is the world. With the electronic media, the world has opened us up.” Souder said the company's Internet auctions have drawn discerning buyers from Lithuania, Russia and other countries in Europe and Asia. “It is competition but it has created new opportunities,” Souder said. “It creates a larger marketplace.” Mugrauer, Alderfer's chief operating officer, said bidding online gives buyers — even ones who live a mile from the auction house — a sense of security. People who spend $300,000 for a painting might not want to do it in front of a room full of people, he said. Still, several of the residents who turned out last Thursday say they prefer to bid in person. “Here you can actually see it,” said Urbach. “People can misrepresent things on the Internet. A lot of that stuff is selling for more than it's worth. Then again, a lot of this stuff is too.” |
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Alderfer
Auction Center
501 Fairgrounds Road * Hatfield, PA 19440 215.393.3003 * 800.577.8846 E-Mail: brent@alderferauction.com * Web Site: www.alderferauction.com |