GARNET VALLEY, PA.- Briggs Auction will offer the Dr. Mead Shaffer collection of early American antiques on Friday, September 24th. Bidding is online only, through Briggs Auction's Bid at Briggs platform and through Live Auctioneers.com. Pre-auction/absentee bids will be accepted until 10 am on the date of auction, September 24th, when real-time online bidding will begin on both platforms.
Dr. Shaffer, a resident of Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania, is a noted preservationist, historian and collector. The auction will include Dr. Shaffer’s extensive collection of colonial and early American and regional antiques, colonial cookware, folk and decorative arts and much more. Briggs Auction has an app to make bidding easy and convenient; simply search Briggs Auction in the Apple App Store, or on Google Play.
"Dr. Shaffer has been a staple in the antiques community for over forty years, and his collection is truly one to be admired," said Stephen Turner, the owner of Briggs Auction, Inc. "We are honored Dr. Shaffer chose us to handle this important and historic collection, and we hope that it will appeal to a wide range of collectors, history buffs and anyone who's looking for a piece of early America and/or local Pennsylvania.”
Dr. Shaffer grew up on a farm in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, which he later gifted to the state. It is now known as the Varden Conservation Area. In 1960, after college at Penn State and a stint in the Army as a veterinarian, he moved to Delaware County, where he opened his (still thriving) veterinary practice. Shortly after, he took up residence in a home on the circa 1721 Booth farm in Bethel Township, also known as the Garret-Booth-Cheyney House, which he relished as much for its ties to colonial America as the farmland itself. "I am obsessed with history", Dr. Shaffer said, and his collection reflects this passion.
Highlights of the collection include early cupboards and cabinets, including an 18th century Pennsylvania red painted corner cupboard with star and moon decoration; a Pennsylvania blue-painted two-door cupboard with rat-tail hinges; an 18th century two-part Dutch cupboard in salmon paint with pie shelf; and an 18th century possible Eastern Shore, Md., one-piece corner cupboard with a 12-light glass door top.
Also included is a fine selection of early and 19th century chairs, including a set of ten Bucks County, Pa., bamboo-turned chairs attributed to Samuel Moon; several 18th century Philadelphia low-back Windsor armchairs, many with grain painted seats; early Philadelphia Windsor settees; and wonderful benches.
Also sold will be a Chippendale walnut desk; an 18th century Chippendale pine blanket chest and an 18th century walnut hanging wall cupboard from Oley Valley (Berks County), with a self-locking lower drawer.
Whimsical early American folk-art pieces are sure to generate excitement, including carvings by William Ellis; a carved and painted passenger pigeon perched on a branch; a carved and polychrome-decorated rabbit figure; a carved wooden sculpture of a standing pig with a painted surface; a carved wooden sculpture of a fish mounted onto a later whalebone and wood base; and a collection of carved decoys.
The Dr. Shaffer collection will also feature many pieces of local stoneware, including jugs, crocks, water coolers and more, by makers such as H. Weston (Honesdale, Pa.); Sipe, Nichols & Co. (Williamsport, Pa.); O.H. Smith & Bros. (Flemington, N.J.), as well as others. Also up for bid will be a fine assortment of 19th century toleware and early American metal ware, including kitchen wares, utensils and other items.
Live, in-person previews will be held on Wednesday, September 22nd, from 1-5 pm; and on Thursday, September 23rd from 1-5 pm, both times Eastern, with no appointment needed. The previews will be held at the Garret-Booth-Cheyney House and barn, located at 1645 Bethel Road, Garnet Valley, PA 19060.
Briggs Auction, Inc. is a four-generation, family-owned and operated auction house offering online-only auctions, estate appraisal services and real estate auctions for estates, downsizers and more. Their bi-weekly Discovery auctions feature over 1,000 lots of antique and name-brand furnishings, decorative and fine art, fine and costume jewelry, silver, collectibles, coins, toys, tools, home goods and estate vehicles.
