I cataloghi d’asta sulla vendita
all’incanto dei ferri da stiro costituiscono una preziosa fonte di
informazione, perché rappresentano il principale riferimento (unico prima
dell’avvento delle aste on line) per avere la sensibilità sull’andamento
del mercato e sul valore che questo attribuisce alle diverse tipologie di ferri.
Purtroppo anche in questo caso il reperimento di questi documenti è
estremamente difficoltoso, trattandosi ovviamente di tirature molto limitate e
spesso di limitata qualità in termini di accuratezza tipografica (più che
comprensibile, trattandosi di produzioni di piccole case d’aste).
Particolarmente attive in questo settore le “auktionhaus” tedesche, che nel
corso degli anni, sulla scia del notevole interesse che i “bugeleisen”
riscuotono in Germania, hanno proposto con cadenze regolari diversi lotti di
ferri da stiro.
Ciascuna asta viene spesso accompagnata da
un catalogo che presenta la galleria fotografica degli esemplari messi
all’incanto, corredati da una breve descrizione e dall’indicazione del
prezzo di partenza. Diventa pertanto fondamentale riuscire ad allegare al
catalogo il foglio riportante i reali prezzi raggiunti da ciascun ferro al
termine dell’asta, per comprendere meglio in quale direzione sono orientati i
gusti (e le tasche …) dei collezionisti.
Al solito un discorso a parte lo merita lo
scenario americano, caratterizzato da imponenti aste accompagnate spesso da
cataloghi di buona qualità. Oltre alle case d’aste specializzate (che
organizzano veri e propri eventi quando viene offerta un’intera collezione,
magari appartenente a qualche grande collezionista) sono da segnalare infine le
vendite all’incanto che si tengono in occasione dei meeting delle associazioni
di collezionisti, durante i quali vengono allestiti anche dei ricchi mercati per
la vendita e lo scambio.
Vengono di seguito riportati alcuni resoconti relativi ad importanti sessioni d’asta, che possono dare un’idea del clima di estrema competizione ma anche di grande piacevolezza (che nasce dall’incontro tra persone accomunate dalla medesima passione) che si respira in occasione di simili eventi.
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Dennis to Offer
the Best of the Hopmeyer Flat Irons Collection Stewartsville,
NJ – On Saturday, July 8th Dennis Auction Service will host a special
one session 250 lot auction of the renowned Hopmeyer Flat Iron Collection.
This auction represents the last of this world class collection, which has
been featured in David Iron’s definitive books on the subject, and
exhibited at the International Convention in Bath, England. It
consists of unusual 18th, 19th, and 20th century irons from all over the
world. Every item in the sale appears individually
photographed with descriptions on the Dennis web site. Dennis
auctioned approximately 500 lots from this vast collection in October;
many of which achieved record prices. The auction was given high praise by
participants who were pleased to be able to preview the articles during
the entire auction and were also able to bid directly from the exhibition
area. Authority and author David Irons stated that “he had never
before attended such a well run sale as the Dennis October Hopmeyer
auction.” The July session of the Hopmeyer auction promises to top
its forerunner - this part of the collection is more select with many more
of the elite and exceptional items being offered. There are no
ordinary or commonplace items in this sale – every item is choice and
unusual. According to David Irons, who recently released his 3rd
book on the subject, “Even More Irons by Irons”, several of the items
in this auction are those specialty irons that would appeal to only the
most discriminating connoisseur. Exceptional
triple Goffering irons, unusual Scottish irons, machine and hand fluters,
box irons, egg irons, early smoothing stones, and hand-wrought irons are
among the many unique items that characterize this auction.
Specialty items include hatter’s irons, early heaters, and an
outstanding Dutch wooden linen press with a drawer and brass handles on a
matching wooden base. Those who collect only the rare and
unusual will be pleased to find a combination Sad and Goffering iron, a
Couturier egg iron from a shop in Paris, France used on dresses for
royalty, and a special Polanaise Cap iron. Other jewels in the
Hopmeyer collection include a hand forged machine fluter on a large
primitive base and a Bennett & Johnson Co, NY machine fluter with a
counterweight for pressure, which is considered to be very unusual.
A highlight among the many small irons is a child’s hand-painted swan
iron with the original green paint. Among the one-of-a kind items to be
offered is an intricately detailed hand-made French charcoal iron, an 1850
Scottish iron with brass posts, and a 1740 Danish box iron with an unusual
design on top. The
collection of Goffering irons is especially impressive – there are no
less than 10 that are considered to be extremely rare. “Must see”
items among the Goffering irons include a monkey-tailed design double
Goffering on penny feet, a clamp-on Goffering iron, a triple Goffering on
a tripod base with very unusual feet, and a hand roller poker on a snake
base with penny feet. An important sale such as this comes along infrequently. Flat irons are not often seen in the mainstream market since so many are sold privately to well-known collectors. This is a unique opportunity for collectors to acquire those highly sought-after pieces that are usually seen only in books and museums.
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Hopmeyer
Collection Brings Record Prices at Dennis Auction
Stewartsville, NJ - The world class Hopmeyer
collection of 18th, 19th, and 20th century flat irons, which were recently
offered by Dennis Auction Services, established records on several of the 500
lots. The audience consisted of a virtual "Who’s Who" in the flat
iron collectibles market. Several of the items offered had been exhibited at the
International Flat Iron Convention in Bath, England; others were featured in
David Irons definitive book on the subject, "Irons by Irons". The sale
featured fine and rare examples of charcoal irons, box irons, goffering irons,
fluters, smoothing boards, smoothing stones, children’s irons, trivets and
more.
All 500 lots were photographed and appeared
on line at the Dennis Auction web site. According to auctioneer Frank Dennis,
calls from every corner of the world began coming in before the sale was even
advertised, including Austria, England, Canada, and New Zealand. Flat irons are
not easy to locate as many of them are sold to private collectors before finding
their way into the mainstream market. A sale of this magnitude is rare and
collectors took full advantage of the opportunity to bid on this expansive
collection in which only one item was a duplicate.
The auction offered one of the most
extensive collections of goffering irons that has ever come to market including
rare triples and doubles. An exceptional double goffering iron with elaborate
turnings realized $1700, and a triple with paw feet brought $1300. Another
single piping goffering iron with spiral design and penny feet brought $1650.
Box irons brought strong prices across the board. One item that peaked bidder’s
interest was a rare Scottish box iron with a top that lifts off the base and an
elaborate turned handle. This item realized $2300 under active bidding. Another
box iron designed for a billiard table brought $2200. A Belgium teardrop shaped
brass and wood box iron, dated 1855 and stamped SD Junge, topped the sale with a
final price of $2750.
Smoothing boards and smoothing stones
brought strong prices, among them a hand-blown green glass smoothing stone with
handle, which realized $1150, and a glass mushroom shaped smoothing iron that
brought $1300.
The Dennis auction was praised by author
David Irons as being among the most well presented auctions he had ever attended.
Irons, whose third book on the subject of flat irons will be released in April,
stated that Dennis’s cataloguing and photographing every item both for the
auction catalogue and the Internet was a valuable asset to the success of the
sale. Dennis also had the irons displayed in a manner in which previewing could
continue during the sale without disrupting the audience - many bids were placed
right from the display area. "Dennis goes out of their way for
service," stated Irons.
Prices reflect a 10% buyer’s premium.