MT. CRAWFORD, Va. – Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates’ 19th & 20th Century Lighting auction held March 28 was a highly-anticipated event for Aladdin and other lighting collectors alike. The sale consisted of 771 lots of varying genres of kerosene lighting lead by the Aladdin lamp collection of Larry Spradley of Beaumont, Texas. The second half of the session was highlighted by rare student, banquet, and parlor lamps from the collection of Peter Mack of Bristol, Connecticut. Absentee and live online bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.
The sale saw strong prices and heavy competition despite there being no gallery bidding, due to restrictions imposed because of the current health crisis. The firm continues to excel despite the current environment.
The Aladdin lamps saw strong prices especially for the rare and unusual examples, and the collection itself consisted of kerosene and electric lamps, as well as parts produced by the firm from the early 20th to the early 21st century. The sale’s top lot, a possibly unique clear Opalique Short Lincoln Drape stand lamp soared to $14,040.00, a new record price for a glass Aladdin lamp.
Other rarities included an Aladdin prototype Rooster electric table lamp which brought $4,972.50 (shown below), a ruby Short Lincoln Drape with a Solitaire foot that achieved $4,095, a clear Tall Lincoln Drape which rose to $3,802.50, and a rare White Moonstone Beehive which realized $3,393.
The second half of the sale highlighted a wide variety of Victorian lighting with prominent selections of student, banquet, and parlor lamps. Leading the student lamps was a rare Plume & Atwood large double-arm Harvard example (shown at top of page), which excelled with a price of $4,390. Other rarities offered were a Consolidated Elephant parlor lamp (shown below), which achieved $4,095.
A Craighead & Kintz figural Cockatoo and Turtle bronze lamp (shown below) rose to a strong price of $2,925 despite its having been electrified at some point.
After the sale, company president and auctioneer Jeffrey S. Evans commented, “We were very pleased with the results of this auction, our first in the current uncertain atmosphere. The exclusion of in-house bidding did not seem to affect the overall prices.” One of several special considerations Evans is offering to bidders is the ability to pick up purchases from now until their July lighting auction, with no storage charge.
“As a firm, we have positioned ourselves to excel in the current environment,” Evans continued. “We have always posted detailed catalogue descriptions, professional photographs, and detailed condition reports for each lot. These are essential elements in order to establish bidder confidence, resulting in more aggressive bidding and higher prices. It’s a lot of extra work but has become one of our trademarks and certainly vaults us to the forefront of the current market.”
All prices quoted include a 17% buyer’s premium.The firm is currently accepting consignments for most upcoming auctions. For additional information, email info@jeffreysevans.com, or call 540-434-3939.
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