Auction Watch: Crossing the Threshold

You say you got a resolution. Well, you know, we all want to change our worlds. With all apologies to John Lennon, crossing the threshold of 2002 is the perfect opportunity to turn over a new leaf, if not just a calendar page. Here at “Auction Watch,” the goal is to never again use the phrase “on the block” in print — at least until March.

So whether you're planning to lose weight, change jobs, save more, spend less, slow down, quit smoking or start exercising, here's one more Beatles-inspired thought that everyone can hold onto during the next 12 months: Let's make it a good one, without any fear. Happy New Year.

You could call it a Hoosier Home Companion. Before built-in kitchen cabinets became a standard feature in American homes, the “Hoosier” cabinet was the dream of every hardworking housewife. Serving mainly as a food-preparation and storage center, the Hoosier provided convenience and efficiency in an era long before food processors, automatic dishwashers and microwaves. Manufactured in Indiana mostly before the 1940s, the Hoosier consisted of a multi-door hutch resting on a base that doubled as a work space for rolling out pie crusts, cutting vegetables, kneading bread dough and carrying out other cooking chores.

“The Hoosier was everywhere in the 1920s and '30s,” says Royal York Auction Gallery director David Arnold. “They're still popular today, especially if people are decorating in an arts-and-crafts style.”

This week, a vintage 1919 Hoosier cabinet, complete with an authentic Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, provides a touch of heartland nostalgia and charm at the Royal York. In very good condition, this American kitchen icon sports a painted pale ivory finish, decorated with stenciled flowers on the hutch doors. Along with a built-in flour bin and sifter, the Hoosier comes equipped with an enameled porcelain top that pulls out for food-preparation tasks. Careful bidders will notice factory-provided guides to balanced meals (creamed salmon on toast with sponge cake and applesauce for lunch) and recommended cooking times for meals as diverse and homestyle as baked liver and stuffed goose.

With an estimated price of $400 to $600, this Hoosier is sure to serve up a large helping of old-time charm.

“We also have some nice carved furniture,” Arnold says, including a Victorian walnut roll-top desk, mahogany bedroom suite and two Belgian Gothic-style court cabinets. Other furniture includes an oak schoolmaster's desk, sofas and chairs, lamps and other accessories. Steuben and other glassware also will be on sale.

Previews are from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m Friday. The sale runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Previews and sale will be at Royal York Auction Gallery, 5925 Baum Blvd., East Liberty. Details: (412) 661-1171.

Dargate Auction Galleries closed out 2001 with its best sale ever — even though several pieces of early-American furniture sold well below pre-auction estimates.

“Prices were mixed, but strong, across the board,” says Dargate owner Larry Farley. “The highest bid was $32,500 on a late-18th-century secretary desk, but we expected prices anywhere from $75,000 to $150,000.” While restoration work on the piece decreased the final price on the desk, other items snagged larger-than-anticipated bids. A large, colorful selection of Fiesta Ware in excellent condition sold for $12,000. Bidding on an antique Persian sarouck carpet reached a high of $12,000 as well. Although a vase produced from an original Picasso mold failed to reach the reserve price of $25,000, an early still-life painting by George Hetzel sold for $6,500.

Thanks to a “mug” shot in the Tribune-Review, a vigilant reader tracked down the holiday season's most-wanted man at the Royal York's Dec. 15 auction.

“I got a call from a man who saw a photo of a Royal Doulton Santa mug in the ‘Auction Watch' column a few weeks ago,” Arnold says. “He called me to place an absentee bid on it for $175. So you could say I made a nice sale through the newspaper.”

Despite deep decreases in holiday retail spending at the malls, the Royal York enjoyed one of its strongest sales of the year. “We had a real good day,” Arnold says. “Sometimes you worry about holding an auction so close to Christmas. But we did very well.” Among the big sellers was a set of Strasbourg Gotham sterling-silver flatware and a large selection of antiques and furniture.