Thomaston Place to disperse prominent estate March 29-30

Selection of items to be sold March 29-30. Thomaston Place Auction Galleries image.

THOMASTON, Maine – On March 29 and 30, Thomaston Place Auction Galleries will present a special, unreserved auction featuring items from the estate of the late Warren C. Fitzsimmons and Donald F. Kelly, including contents from their lovely Kennebunkport residence, along with collections from their former home and business, Kennebunkport’s Captain Jefferds Inn, and their former shop, Old Glory Antiques of Bridgehampton, N.Y.

LiveAuctioneers.com will facilitate Internet live bidding.

The sale will include many pieces of original art, furniture, ceramics, lighting, metalware, toys, books, plus a vast array of unique decorative treasures.

During the 1970s, Fitzsimmons and Kelly were well-known Long Island antique dealers who were sought out for their exquisite home furnishings and ingenious decorating eye. Their clientele ranged from high-end homeowners to A-list celebrities. Their collections were featured in publications such as House Beautiful and Country Living, and Mary Emmerling and other authors have included images of their collections of tramp art, majolica and art pottery in their reference books. In 1980, they purchased and decorated the Captain Jefferds Inn with their private furniture and artwork, and House Beautiful ran a cover story highlighting their tasteful decoration of this historic bed and breakfast. After selling the Inn in 1996, they moved all of their personal collections to their private residence on Pearl Street.

“This will be a special, totally unreserved auction offering many of the wonderful items collected by Mr. Fitzsimmons and Mr. Kelly,” said Thomaston Place owner and auctioneer Kaja Veilleux. “The house in Kennebunkport was packed with fresh-to-the-market treasures, and there will be something for everyone, from rare antiques to unique items for home décor. No one should miss this fun and interesting sale.”

The auction will offer an eclectic furniture selection, ranging from early 19th century chests and country cabinets, to Adirondack twig pieces, wicker, iron patio furnishings, shell-encrusted whatnot shelves, wirework stands, tramp art items and folk art fixtures.

The enormous group of pottery and china will include extensive collections of majolica, ironstone transferware, American art pottery, Art Deco period ceramics, Staffordshire figurines, and fine porcelain pieces from Minton, Haviland and KPM.

Among the artwork will be 19th and 20th century works, including oil paintings, watercolors, Japanese woodblock prints, original drawings, carvings, plaster sculptures, signed etchings, engravings and lithographs,

And finally, the auction will present large selections of vintage cast-iron door stops, toleware pieces, lacquer ware items, early glass, taxidermy mounts, children’s books, advertising items and tin litho containers, antique lamps, cookie jars, doll houses and Victorian albums.

The auction will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern both sale days. Doors open at 9 a.m.

Phone 207-354-8141 for more information or to reserve seats in the auction hall.

Thomaston Place is a leader in discovering Maine’s antique and fine art treasures by offering free appraisals each Tuesday at the gallery.

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.