On Jan. 13 and 14, Pook & Pook continued to demonstrate its Midas touch. The Americana & International sale did well across all categories, with a total realized of $1,778,145 and a sell-through rate of 98.8 percent on 588 lots. Total hammer price came in at $1,429,516, which was 13.84 percent above high estimate. Reserved seating was full for the evening of session one and on day two, and 1,848 registered bidders were distributed across three internet platforms, telephones, and audience. Bidsquare accounted for 39 percent of the buyers. Day One started the new year off with a bang as four telephone and multiple floor bidders competed for Lot 1, a fine Berks County painted pine dower chest dated 1806, retaining its original lid decoration and in a remarkable state of preservation, estimated $12,000-$18,000. It was the top furniture lot of the auction, selling for $42,160. The first 56 lots came from the collection of the late Jack and Mary Louise Krumine. The audience had no time to catch its breath as Lot 5, a Christian Alsdorf (1789-1821) Lancaster County ink and watercolor fraktur birth certificate for Judith Alsdorf, b. 1799, estimated $6,000-$9,000, sold to a private Pennsylvania collector for $37,200, the top selling fraktur of the sale. Not skipping a beat, phones wrestled the floor again for Lot 14, a Pennsylvania painted poplar hanging wall box, mid 19th century, retaining its original decoration, estimated at $12,000-$18,000, with a private collector winning at $27,280 on the phone. A bidder on the auction houses new in-house bidding app PookLive! won Lot 18, a pair of oil-on-canvas still life paintings of fruit by Severin Roesen (1815-72) in original oval gilt frames, for $47,120. A quality selection of fraktur, spatterware, and pearlware followed, leading up to Lot 35, a rare blue spatter pineapple plate, which sold in house for $10,540. Lot 49, a Daniel Otto Flat Tulip Artist Centre County ink-and-watercolor fraktur birth certificate for Jacob Brunngart, b. 1814, also from the Krumrine collection, sold to an in-house buyer for $22,320. Time stood still for the evenings highlight, Lot 86, an important Charleston, S.C., ebonized fruitwood bracket clock, ca. 1790, the face signed Jas Jacks Charlestown No 513, estimated at $8,000-$12,000, which brought all seven phone lines plus floor and internet bidders to the action, finally selling to the trade for $59,520. Few clocks by Jacks survived. He initially worked in Jamaica about 1777 and subsequently moved to New York, Charleston and eventually Philadelphia. Whether a bidder desired a carousel horse, cat fraktur, Bucher box, fire helmet, or a haircutting trade sign, obtaining it was going to be a close shave on day one. The morning of day two, bidders were on time for Lot 175, an exceptional Philadelphia Chippendale cherry tall case clock, late 18th century, signed John Wood Philadelphia, from the estate of Charles Wilson, Red Lion, Pa., estimated at $8,000-$12,000. As with many lots in the sale, the clock was ticking as bids were counted from all directions, internet platforms, three telephones, and audience, selling to a private Pennsylvania collector for $39,680. This exceptional clock previously sold for $11,000 in 2016, when Wilson acquired it. Lot 207, an instant collection of desirable Pennsylvania German wallpaper boxes, pincushions and carvings arranged on a tiger maple shelf, came with a notable provenance including Mr. and Mrs. Paul R. Flack, Barry Cohen, David A. Schorsch, and Joel and Kate Kopp of American Hurrah, was won by a trade buyer for $17,360. A realistic carved and painted Yellow Shafted Flicker by J. Randolph Rowe (1922-78) sold for $8,060. It brought $5,850 at the Dick and Rosemarie Machmer sale at Pook & Pook in 2008. A Tiffany Studios table lamp with signed leaded lemon leaf shade and patinated bronze footed library base lit up six phone bidders, finally selling for $17,360. The race was on for Lot 224, a copper horse and sulky weathervane with cast zinc head and retaining an old verdigris surface, from a New York collection. It went for $44,640 to a dealer and was the top folk art lot of the sale. Traditionally an Americana powerhouse, Pook & Pook continued its current string of successes in the category of fine art. Several museum deaccessions were rounded out by fine private collections, generating a great deal of interest and making fine art the top performing category. Lot 274, an Albert Pinkham Ryder (1847-1917) oil-on-panel Moonlit Cove, estimated at $6,000-$9,000, was won by a private collector on Bidsquare for $24,800. A John Stobart (b. 1929) oil-on-canvas of the packet ship Margaret Evans sailed away with dueling phone bidders for $19,840. The second of two Severin Roesen lots in the sale, an oil-on-canvas still life with fruit on a slab table, estimated at $10,000-$15,000, was won for $22,320. The highest price achieved in the sale was Lot 325 by Vasilii Vasilievich Vereshchagin (Russian 1842-1904), an atmospheric oil-on-canvas scene of a Russian priest studying scripture near a window. Property deaccessioned from the Reading Public Museum and bearing a stamp verso A.A.A. Verestchagin Collection, November 17th, 1891, the painting brought worldwide attention. This painting sold to the trade for $80,600. A Dame Elisabeth Frink (British 1930-93) patinated bronze Midas Head was in high demand, going to the trade with the golden touch for $47,120. The remainder of the day brought a great deal of variety and another provenanced highlight, Lot 347, a Robert Wellford Philadelphia Federal carved pine mantel, early 19th century, which was removed from White Hall Farm mansion near Churchtown, Lancaster County, and documented in Utility and Beauty, by Mark Reinberger. The mantel sold for $9,920 to a PookLive! Bidder. Two small lots from the estate of Fred Eyster, York, Pa., brought big prices, as Lot 391, four carved butter prints, sold for $3,720, and Lot 404, two miniature Pennsylvania redware pie plates, $3,720. A silk-on-linen needlework coat of arms of the Pratt family of Connecticut, ca. 1800, labeled The Pratt Arms and initialed E.P., was typical of the raised and padded metallic embroidery work executed at the Patten School. With provenance from Stephen and Carol Huber, the needlework sold for $9,300. A collection of highly decorative silver, ranging from Egyptian revival to Georgian to zoomorphic, performed well. The top item was Lot 490, a Bailey & Co sterling silver berry bowl with intricate wirework strawberry design, selling for $9,300. Bidding was strong right to the end, with Lot 578, a Chinese export brown Fitzhugh tureen and undertray, the tureen initialed RRT for Richard Renshaw Thomson (1799-1824), and the undertray JRT for his brother, John Renshaw Thomson (1800-62). The Thomson familys involvement with the China trade began with Edward Thomson (1771-1853), a wealthy Philadelphia ship owner and merchant. Both sons were appointed as U.S. consul in Canton. A floor bidder won the tureen for $7,440. For more information about this or upcoming auctions at Pook & Pook, visit www.pookandpook.com.