Thomaston Place Auction Galleries’ 2024 Summer Grandeur sale on August 23, 24 and 25 will feature selections of Maine art, Moxie collectibles, sport and heavy equipment vehicles, plus great decorative items.

“The amazing inventory for this year’s summer sale includes a balance of antique, vintage, and modern pieces. And, with the many rare items that are specific to Maine, it’s an auction not to be missed,” said owner and auctioneer Kaja Veilleux: 

One of the largest private collections of Moxie advertising and memorabilia, plus vintage pieces from Moxie imitators, will be offered.  Featured pieces will include an embossed tin Moxie Hall of Fame sign with copy “Eclipses Everything, Drink Moxie, Distinctly Different;” a circa 1910 tin exterior sign for Phenix, a Moxie copycat brand; and a rare circa 1933 tin sign depicting the trademark Moxie horse-mobile passing a billboard.

The group of Maine artwork will offer a watercolor painting of a derelict schooner in Camden painted by Jamie Wyeth (1946- ) when he was 12 years old; a circa 1870 graphite drawing by Winslow Homer (1836-1910) titled “Boy with Cap”; along with works by Don Stone (1929-2015), Lynne Drexler (1928-1999), Andrew Winter (1893-1958), Imero Gobbato (1923-2010), Jay Hall Connaway (1893-1970), Bernard Langlais (1921-1977), William Thon (1906-2000), Emily Muir (1904-2000), Charles Greenough “Chippy” Chase (1908-1998), Frederic Kellogg (Contemporary), and others. 

There will also be an selection of modernist works, such as:“Mujer” (Woman), a 1945 painting by Amelia Pelaez (1896-1968), and Andy Warhol’s (1928-1987) “Mammy”, a signed and numbered limited edition artist proof screenprint.  Additionally, there will be paintings by Edward Willis Readfield (1869-1965), Scott Leighton (1849-1898); John Sargeant Noble (1848-1896), Albert Pinkham Ryder (1847-1917), James Fitzgerald (1899-1971), George Inness (1825-1894), John Singleton Copley (1738-1815), and many others. 

The auction will offer 11 sport and heavy equipment vehicles, including: a 2017 Toyota Tacoma SR5 double cab pick-up truck, a Yamaha Big Bear 400 ATV, a 2015 GMC 3500 truck fitted with snowplow equipment, a John Deere MDL 3038E tractor with loader and bush cutter, and a 1920s era fishing guide boat and trailer.

Items of historic interest will include a circa 1862 gangway board from the USS Hartford, the steam/sail flagship of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut throughout the Civil War; an 1864 appointment signed by President Abraham Lincoln naming J.H. Goodenow of Maine as U.S. Consul General to Constantinople; a 19^th Century portrait of Brunswick, ME shipbuilder and sea captain Anthony Morse; and a handcrafted model of the Steamboat “Castine”, after the vessel that served the Penobscot Bay region for 44 years until it was wrecked at Vinalhaven in 1935.

The auction will present a large selection of modern design furniture, such as a Brutalist design mixed metal console table by Paul Evans, Jr.; a “Power Play” chair and ottoman by Frank Gehry for Knoll; (2) Herman Miller leather upholstered Eames chairs with ottomans; and a midcentury teak flip-top bar by Torbjorn Afdal for Mellamstrands Mobelfabrik of Norway.

Among the group of fine custom furniture is an Italian chinoiserie painted two part secretary desk; a set of 6 custom Queen Anne style mahogany dining chairs by Karges Furniture Co. (Evansville, IN); and a Chesterfield sofa upholstered in maroon leather.  Featured antique furniture lots include: a 19^th Century French Neoclassical bronze and malachite gueridon table; an American Queen Anne period cherry highboy; and a Hepplewhite period inlaid mahogany huntboard form butler’s desk.

Noteworthy pieces in the jewelry category includes: a loose 2.92-carat round brilliant cut diamond; a ladies art deco style 14K white gold, aquamarine & diamond ring; and an 18K yellow gold choker necklace set with five brilliant cut diamonds by Shreve Crump & Low.  

The gold and silver collection will offer an 80-piece set of Georg Jensen sterling flatware in the Scroll/Saga pattern, a Russian silver and cloisonne enamel loving cup by Feodor Ruckert (1840-1917), and a 1930s Meriden silver-plate Boston Lighthouse design cocktail shaker.

At this auction, 31 lots of fine art pottery created by Brother Thomas Bezanson (1929-2007) and lovingly cared for by the monastic community at Weston Priory (Weston, Vermont) will be sold. There will also be an extensive offering of fine art glass, including pieces by Tiffany Studios, Daum Nancy, De Vez, Galle, and Thomas Webb.

Among the many fine Asian lots will be a signed Japanese Edo Period six panel screen by School of Hokusai artist Gakyojin Hokusai (active 1800-1806) depicting a battle scene during the 1592 Japanese invasion of Korea; and a Balinese Imperial quality 22K gold and jeweled kris handle. 

Other items of interest will include: a Steinway Model B grand piano; a life-size copper exterior mounted elk’s head; and a large selection of string instruments including sixteen vintage guitars. 

Finally, the sale will offer excellent selections of: marine items, tea caddies; decoys, weathervanes, early lighting; and oriental carpets. 

The auction will begin at 11 a.m. each day.  The gallery will be open for previews on Saturday, August 10 and August 17 (noon to 4 p.m.); and on Monday thru Friday, August 12 - 16, and Monday thru Thursday, August 19-22 (9 a.m. and 4 p.m.).  Previewing will also be available on auction days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 23, 24 & 25 from 9 to 11 a.m. 

All lots are available for viewing at Thomaston Place Auction Galleries’ website, www.thomastonauction.com.  Live in-person bidding, telephone, absentee, and online bidding on three internet platforms will be available for this auction.

Thomaston Place Auction Galleries is on Route 1 in Thomaston.  Thomaston Place is a leader in discovering antique and fine art treasures by offering Free Appraisals each Tuesday at the gallery, creating fundraiser events for civic and charitable organizations, and providing house call appraisal services.  Their expertise in researching and marketing antiques and fine art has earned Thomaston Place the respect of buyers, collectors and experts worldwide.