Suit of armor may fetch $50 in antiques auction

DENVER, Pa. – The featured collection in Morphy Auctions’ Feb. 24-25, 2012 sale is a set of antique armor which was amassed over 50 years by Hollywood animator and film director Frank Andrina.

The most imposing item in the collection is a suit of full standing armor, with most of its composite pieces dating to around 1560. Standing approximately 75 inches tall, the suit is in very good to excellent condition ($30,000-$50,000).

The whole collection spans 40 lots among 1,350 individual lots.

Full-standing composite suit of armor, most pieces circa 1560, estimate $30,000 to $50,000. Photo courtesy Morphy Auctions.

A favorite sword in the Andrina collection is a circa-1580 75-inch-long German production with flambé blade and deeply stamped haft. One side of the handle is marked “SDIOSDI,” while the other bears the sacred “IHS” monogram ($10,000-$15,000).

Constructed entirely of hand-forged steel, a circa-16th-century mace incorporates six unusual arrowhead-spiked flanges. Each flange features the touch mark of a shield with cross and the initials “H.K.” ($4,000-$8,000).

Day one of the sale opens with 150 occupational shaving mugs from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Among the top lots in this category are mugs with images of a railway steam shovel (estimate $2,000-$2,500), and a fire truck with the word “Liberty” ($1,000-$1,500).

A particularly rare mug has a photographic image of its owner, identified as “W.I. Xander” ($1,000-$1,500).

The 100 automobilia lots include a number of early 20th-century French posters, as well as Royal Doulton and Nippon pottery with motoring themes. There are six pieces of Roseville in a pattern featuring touring cars, with a jardinière estimated at $2,000 to $3,000 and a flared vase expected to earn $1,500 to $2,500.

An additional 100 lots of general pottery feature Roseville, Rookwood and Weller.

Expected top lots in the jewelry category include a 14-karat gold bridal belt, circa 1920s and weighing 578 grams ($20,000-$30,000) and a heavy “statement” ring with a lion’s-head motif that is expected to make $18,000 to $22,000.

An occupational shaving mug with image of railway steam shovel carries an estimate of $2,000 to $2,500.

The timepiece category is filled with makers such as Patek Philippe, Juvenia and Rolex with models from the 1930s through 1950s; many pocket watches and several 18-karat gold repeaters with individual estimates of $2,500 to $3,500 are also offered.

Day two will also begin at 10 a.m., opening with 200 lots of antique and vintage telephones including a circa-1878 Charles Williams “coffin” telephone ($5,000-$10,000); an 1895 Western Electric folding vanity telephone ($3,000-$4,000); and a circa-1904 pay station phone that operates on silver dollars ($5,000-$7,000).

The collection also includes telephone-related porcelain signs and other advertising pieces.

Collectors will also find more than 100 vintage firearms, including more than a dozen prized Kentucky rifles.

More than 50 lots of fine sterling silver add luster to the auction. Two consecutive lots feature exquisite pieces from Tiffany & Co., all dating to around 1882.

A pair of elegant 16-inch-tall candelabra are extensively chased and embossed with rocaille work and seaweed – one with tritons and seahorses; the other with mermaids. Each candelabrum features nine tentacle-like candle arms terminating in sockets with removable drip pans. The pair will be offered together with a $40,000 to $60,000 estimate.

Online bidding will be available via Morphy Live or LiveAuctioneers.com.