Prices Remain Strong At Toomey-Treadway Auction

While no records were shattered for the stellar pieces highlighting last Sunday's Arts & Crafts auction conducted by John Toomey and Don Treadway at the Toomey Gallery in Oak Park, Illinois, bidders demonstrated that the foundation beneath Arts & Crafts antiques remains as solid as ever.

The rare Roycroft bridal chest (est. $20,000-$30,000) stopped at $18,000 (prices do not include the buyer's premium) and the Byrdcliffe library table (est. $50,000-$70,000) came in at $50,000.

More important is that prices remained strong for classic forms in excellent condition, regardless of the category.

A great example of the Gustav Stickley 8-legged sideboard, pictured here and considered his finest sideboard design, ran to $11,000, while an early, narrow Gustav Stickley bookcase did not stop until the bidding reached $9500.

Roycroft furniture was not as abundant, reflective of their limited output, but collectors jumped on one of Roycroft's finest forms, the 64" tall magazine stand (#080) with thru-tenons and a carved oak leaf design, pushing it to $12,000.

Two Midwestern firms, Teco Pottery and Limbert Furniture, were well-represented at this sale and found a number of eager buyers. In just a matter of minutes five Teco vases, all with the classic matte green Teco glaze, fired off at $5000, $5000, $8000, $2500 and $2500.

While prices being paid for Charles Limbert furniture have a ways to go before they will consistently equal that of Gustav Stickley, demand is growing for the better examples that were manufactured by this prolific firm. A Limbert china cabinet finished at $8500, while a Limbert sideboard climbed to a respectable $3250. Beginning collectors had the opportunity to buy a Limbert library table for $500, a dropfront desk for $1200 and an assortment of chairs and smaller pieces in the $300-$500 range.

All in all, this was a solid sale with a pleasing variety of forms and an assortment of pieces for collectors at every level.

For complete auction results, please go to http://www.TreadwayGallery.com.

Lower Photo: Teco vase, form #154, designed by William Jenney, 10.5" high. Sold for $8,000.