FALLS CHURCH, VA.- Quinn’s Auction Galleries will offer nearly 800 works of art, rare books and antiques in two days of auctions, June 1 and 3, 2017. The highlights of both sales tell the history of the United States through unique objects and stories.
On June 1, Quinn’s Waverly Rare Books division will auction two extraordinary pieces of the American story. The first is a letter written in 1776 by Joseph Brant, a Mohawk war chief and interpreter (lot 69, estimated at $200-$300). It gives insight into the life a prominent revolutionary figure. The other, a musical score transcribed by John Quincy Adams in 1789, with an accompanying letter from his niece, E. C. Adams, offer a glimpse into the life of our sixth president while he was still just young man (lot 59, estimated at $800-$1,200). These one-of-a-kind pieces of history are part of a Thursday session that starts at 6 p.m. Eastern Time. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.
Quinn’s Fine and Decorative Arts auction, slated for Saturday, June 3, 2017 and beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern time, continues the American story through collectibles and antiques. In particular, items from the Estate of Howard Watson Phillips, Jr., a member of a prominent Washington metro area family, highlight the nation’s colonial past. These include an Early American tall-case clock by Benjamin Willard of Roxbury, Massachusetts (lot 162, estimated at $8,000-$12,000); and a 1796 Pennsylvania sampler by Ester Levan (lot 178, estimated at $2,000-$4,000). In addition, there is a trove of desirable 18th-century American furniture.
The sale also presents pieces from the 19th century made to celebrate the nation’s history at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition and the 1833 American Institute Fair. First of the two is an uncommon 38-star Colorado parade flag used only for the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, before the official design was revealed in 1877. Entered as lot 175, it is estimated at $12,000-$16,000. The second item, an unusual pentagonal sewing kit with a ribbon from the 1833 fair (lot 180), is estimated at $300-$500.
