Contents Of Antiques Shop And House Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
May 21st 2010 at 11:01AM

A historic home and hundreds on antiques are up for sale in Litchfield, Connecticut on June 5 in one amazing sale. A circa 1830 Greek Revival-style home known locally as the Historic Trowbridge-Thoms House belonged to longtime antiques dealer Thomas McBride who did business in the property's adjacent red barn. At 81 he decided to retire finally parting with items he took a lifetime to collect. Around 1,000 antique items will be auctioned off.

The real estate broker for the home property is Mary Helen Levine of Litchfield Real Estate Auctions, LLC, of Litchfield and the contents of the barn/antique shop and home will be auctioned by Tim Chapulis of Tim's, Inc. "Anyone attending this auction will be stepping back in time. This is what you would have come upon if you had been on the antique trail in the 1950s or '60s," said Chapulis in a press release.

Mr. McBride primarily collected period furniture and around 200 pieces, between the shop and the four-bedroom home will cross the block. At least 15 drop-leaf tables will be sold including a circa 1780-1790 maple example with Marlboro stop fluted legs, as well as Chippendale, Queen Anne and Hepplewhite acanthus carved Federal tables. Furniture lovers might also be tempted by a circa 1780 Queen Anne highboy with fan carved drawers and three circa-1780 Chippendale Queen Anne cherry slant-front desks with ball and claw feet, some with secret drawers.

The glass and china on offer is a blend of American, English, French and Hungarian including a Sevres piece that reportedly belonged to Marie Antoinette; English china; a pitcher from the Tucker porcelain factory in Philadelphia featuring the trilinear rose and showing a vignette of young girls picking roses; American cut glass pieces and American pattern glass. McBride was also a collector and friend of oil painter Ronald Lee Anderson (1929-2002). Around 100 of his works will be sold.

Previews will be held prior to the sale, on Saturday, May 22, from noon to 5 p.m. and Sunday, May 23, from 1-6 p.m., as well as on the days leading up to the auction: on Wednesday, June 2, from noon to 5 p.m.; Thursday, June 3 from noon to 6:30 p.m.; and Friday, June 4, from noon to 6 p.m. For the real estate property portion of the auction, bidders must bring a $50,000 certified check, bank cashier's check or cash to bid on the property. The winning price will be hammer (highest accepted bid) plus a 10 percent buyer's premium, paid by the buyer. Buyer will have up to 60 days to close, subject to prior sale.

Admittance to the auction and previews will be a donation (suggested, $5 per person) for St. Jude Children's Hospital, in memory of Mr. Peter W. Chaplulis, Tim's late father. To date, Tim's, Inc. has succeeded in raising $29,500 for St. Jude Children's Hospital.

[via Urban Art and Antiques]

Tags: antiques, antiques auction, connecticut, home auction, litchfield