SOUTHAMPTON, Pa. – Many of America’s great railroads were founded or operated in the Keystone State during the glory days of trains – the Reading, Lehigh Valley and Pennsylvania Railroad lines, to name but a few. A lesser-known and much smaller-scale Pennsylvania “railroad” is the toy train assemblage that was displayed in the Montgomery County (suburban Philadelphia) home of collector John Dieterly. On May 27, Dieterly’s collection will ride the rails to Stephenson’s auction house, where it will be featured in the company’s Spring Doll, Toy & Train Auction. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.

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BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – I.M. Chait Gallery/Auctioneers’ Asian and international fine arts auction Sunday, May 22, will feature a massive antique Japanese Satsuma earthenware vase aglow with gilt detailing. The 24 1/4-inch-tall vase, bearing a large gilt Satsuma mon and mark within a large signed cartouche, is estimated to sell for $5,000-$7,000.

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Centurion Auctions will feature two historically significant lots in a Civil War Era Militaria & Firearm Auction on Saturday, May 28. The first is a recently discovered 1865 Jefferson Davis pursuit and capture map. The second is the saddle used by Gen. Benjamin D. Pritchard, whose 4th Michigan Cavalry captured the Confederate president near Irwinville, Ga., on May 10, 1865.

Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.

Malcolm Mason, auctioneer and appraiser at Centurion Auctions, writes that the Jefferson Davis pursuit and capture map (above) was found among a private rare Civil War book collection.

The linen map is partially printed and partially hand drawn, showing the position and movements of the troops pursuing Davis. This capture map was to accompany Gen. James H. Wilson’s Jan. 17, 1867 report to Congress, although the report notes the map as “Not Found.”

“This Jefferson Davis capture map is of great historical importance and a truly exciting find, having been missing the last 150 years. It is expected to generate substantial interest within the Civil War, rare book, map and document collecting communities,” writes Mason.

The map with related documents has a $15,000-$20,000 estimate.

The second lot of particular interest to Civil War collectors is a saddle and archive (below) of Gen. Benjamin D. Pritchard of the 4th Michigan Cavalry. In addition to the general’s saddle, the archive includes personal papers, ephemera, a copy of The Life and Times of B.D. Pritchard by James J. Green, period and reunion photos of Pritchard, 1899 and 1915 group reunion photos, and a framed CDV of Andrew Bee, captor of Davis.

 

 

The Gen. Pritchard saddle and archive lot has a $10,000-$20,000 estimate.

For details contact Centurion Auctions at 386-868-2889.

 

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

 

MEXICO CITY – Once in a blue moon a beautiful Sparton Nocturne radio Model 1186 goes under the auction hammer. A fine example of this Art Deco icon by American industrial designer Walter Dorwin Teague will be the highlight of a Morton Casa de Subastas auction on Thursday, May 26.

Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.

The console set, produced by the Sparton Corp. in the 1930s, is distinctive for its midnight blue Tufflex mirrored glass and satin chrome steel exterior. Standing 46 inches high by 43 1/4 inches wide by 12 inches deep, it becomes the focal point of any setting.

Morton Casa de Subastas estimates the radio will sell for approximately $16,300 to $27,000. However, two Sparton Nocturne radios have sold at auction in the U.S. in the last two years for $32,000 and more than $120,000.

 

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.