ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A rare bow-front Violano music player, made around 1910 by the Mills Novelty Co. of Chicago, soared to $137,500 at a sale Oct. 10-12 by Showtime Auction Services. Professionally restored and in excellent playing order, the Violano bearing serial number 195 was one of only 20 known to exist.
The auction, which saw 2,340 lots cross the block over the weekend, featured all three versions of the Mills Violano. It might have been the first time that all three Mills Violano versions were offered in the same auction. The bow-front model sold had a wireless device that permitted the user to operate it from 90 feet away.
The featured collector of the sale was Sandy Rosnick, founder of the Antique Advertising Association of America and a avid collector of store tins in many categories. A prize piece from his collection was a rare Mohawk Chief cigar tin with just some minor scuffs and scratches, but otherwise in very good condition. The tin, which once contained 5-cent cigars, brought $1,800.
“We had so many items in such a broad range of categories this was our most diverse auction ever,” said Mike Eckles of Showtime Auction Services. “We weren’t sure what to expect, because the financial crisis hit the week before the sale, and things were still in is a state of turmoil that weekend. But I was very pleased with the outcome. It was great.”
A strong crowd of more than 400 people enjoyed the balmy weather and packed the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds. The Friday session was held solely for in-house bidders. On Saturday and Sunday, phone and absentee bidding was brisk, while about 2,500 registered bidders participated online via LiveAuctioneers.com and eBayLiveAuctions.com. The auction grossed around $2.2 million.
Following are additional top lots from the sale. All prices quoted include a buyer’s premium that ranged from 10 percent to 20 percent.
A paper sign advertising Buffalo Brewing Co. of Sacramento, Calif., and depicting an Indian maiden on the back of a buffalo, in a period walnut frame and in mint condition, sold for $45,100. A Brunhoff light-up Coca-Cola advertising sign, inviting patrons to “Lunch With Us” and depicting a fountain glass, in excellent original condition, 12 inches by 14 inches, fetched $12,650.
An original oil painting by the German-born American artist Edmond Osthaus (1858-1928) realized $44,000. The hunting scene, depicting two Irish setters and a pointer, measured 24 inches by 36 inches (32 inches by 44 inches framed). Major firearms and gunpowder manufacturers of the day, such as Remington and Winchester, commissioned Osthaus for their posters and calendars.
A 5-cent Watling Cupid trade stimulator equipped with a gum vendor, in excellent condition and with keys, went for $38,500. A limited-production exact replica of a Mademoiselle Zita fortune teller, in excellent working order, hit $17,050. The original was made by Roovers Bros. Manufacturing, Brooklyn, N.Y., around the turn of the century. Mike Gorski manufactured the replica.
A “Happy Jap” gum vendor, coin-operated and made around 1902, in good original condition, 10 inches by 13 1/2 inches by 10 1/2 inches, went for $39,000. A 4-gallon mechanical butter churn with no chips or cracks made $3,000. Joseph Hamilton Manufacturing of Greensboro, Pa., producd the 35-inch-tall gray stoneware churn.
In excellent condition, a Buster Brown Shoes tin sign, depicting Tige pulling Buster in a big shoe, measuring 40 inches by 24 3/4 inches and made by American Art Works Lithographers of Coshocton, Ohio, climbed to $20,900. Also, a Boyce Moto Meter die-cut tin flange sign, two-sided, measuring 21 1/2 inches by 18 3/4 inches and with a bullet hole and a few BB dents, brought $18,700.
Never used and like new, a child’s sled with cast geese-head pulls and a beautiful hand-painted rendering of the Finger Lakes in New York, coasted to $5,775. Also, a Popeye Bag Puncher tin windup toy with the original box reached $4,125.
Showtime Auction Services’ next big sale will be the weekend of March 27-29, also at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds in Ann Arbor. Mich. The featured collector will be Fred Bahlau who, over the course of 57 years, has amassed an impressive accumulation of leaded glass windows, nickelodeons, lamps, signs, country store, petroliana, advertising and other items – 1,800 lots in all.
Select items from other estates will also be offered.
Showtime Auction Services is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign a single item, estate or collection, call Mike Eckles, at (951) 453-2415. His e-mail address is Mikeckles@aol.com. To learn more about Showtime Auction Services and its calendar of upcoming sales, click on www.showtimeauctions.com.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
