Early American Canonball Brass Andirons

PRESENTING A STUNNING mid to late 19th Century American Ebony Mirror with Beveled Glass. From circa 1860 -1880. This beautiful mirror is made of a deep/thick ebony veneer, over a s...

PRESENTING a FANTASTIC and HISTORIC Early 19C American Hepplewhite Virginian Secretary Chest with OUTSTANDING Provenance. This Secretary Chest was made in Virginia in the Early 19th Century, circa 1810. It is made of cherry, walnut and maple and is most definitely in the Hepplewhite Style of the period, with it’s original Hepplewhite brass drawer pulls. IT IS A REALLY INTRIGUING AND HISTORIC PIECE, ESPECIALLY, WHEN VIEWED IN CONTEXT WITH IT”S AMAZING PROVENANCE! This piece was originally owned by Major William Alexander Obenchain who ‘hailed’ from the State of Virginia. He was an engineer and was in the Virginia Corps of Engineers during the Civil War and served on General Robert E. Lee’s staff. It was acquired by him before the Civil War and we believe that this piece was on campaign with him during the War. We know for a fact that he fought at the Richmond Campaign in 1864, as we have, in our Collection, his original Field Map for that Campaign which ended the War. It has remained in family ownership ever since. It has come directly from the Family Estate, together with other VERY IMPORTANT items belonging to Major Obenchain and other IMPORTANT items that belonged to his wife, Eliza Calvert Hall-Obenchain. ALL these items contained in the Collection, are listed/posted individually on our Website. The top drawer is on retractable curved side hinge supports and pulls outwards and drops to reveal a secretary and writing area. The Bureau/Secretary Gallery has 6 drawers and 6 cubbies, a central tabernacle door with another drawer and 2 cubbies and this is flanked by 2 secret pull out compartments. The central tabernacle door has it’s original key and working lock. Closed, it is almost ‘flush’ like the rest of the drawers, with some very minor bowing through age. The 3 drawers underneath are graduated in size and it ends with a serpentine shaped base and sits on four hand carved legs with original metal casters, marked ‘Universal 3’. It has it’s original brasses and hardware throughout, save the addition to 2 contemporary replacement brass hinges to the drop down desk front, as the original hinges were broken, could not be repaired and were not supporting the weight of the drop down leaf. Some minor repairs but not noticeable. Otherwise, the piece is in it’s entirely, ORIGINAL condition! What makes this piece even MORE INTRIGUING and APPEALING HISTORICALLY, are the 2 ‘historic’ circular holes on the piece:- (1) in the back of the piece as seen in the photos. This hole is not symmetrical or fully round and appears to serve no purpose to the piece whatsoever. Sometimes, pieces have holes for wiring for lighting, put in them over the years, but this one never had such lighting or, indeed, any such explanation for this hole, AND (2) the rear hole is replicated, in the corner portion of the bottom drawer and someone (a very long time ago) has used a tin can top, to cover the hole in the back of the drawer. The tin can top is period to the Civil War Era and is embossed “Minimum Volume 1 Pint”. Our conclusion, is that (whilst we are, by no means ballistic experts) that these holes were created by musket balls, fired during one of the Major’s campaigns in the Civil War. It is entirely conceivable that this piece, being strapped into a covered wagon for carriage, would have been on it’s side. We are of the opinion that both holes, were caused or created by a musket ball entered the chest trough the base and back. We also believe that ‘the Major’, used what he had at his disposal on the battlefield, namely, a tin can lid to repair the hole in the drawer. SO THIS PIECE IS A VERY SPECIAL PIECE OF US HISTORY, INDEED! NOT ONLY IS IT AN EARLY 19th CENTURY AMERICAN PIECE, WITH A CONNECTION TO THE STATE OF VIRGINIA, THE CIVIL WAR, HISTORIC & IMPORTANT FIGURES IN THAT WAR AND IMPECCABLE PROVENANCE AND HISTORY! IT IS TRULY UNIQUE! William Alexander Obenchain. Born April 27, 1841 at Buchanan, Botetourt Co., Virginia. Parents: Thomas Jefferson Obenchain and Elizabeth Ann Sweetland. Entered VMI on July 18, 1859 as a member of the VMI (Virginia Military Institute...

PRESENTING A RARE EDITION hardback copy of The Epic of America by James Truslow Adams, Illustrated by M.J. Gallagher, Published by Little, Brown and Company of Boston in 1932. Con...

Presenting a lovely 19C American tiger oak side table with claw and rock crystal feet. A CLASSIC piece of Western Americana furniture from circa...

Presenting a lovely vintage gold and brass 4 light lantern from circa 1955. Lovely restored Moe Lighting Lantern from circa 1955. Made in the U.S.A. 4 bulb Lantern in full functional condition and sympathetically restored to its original beauty. The Lantern is gilt metal and brass and is covered in gold leaf. It has been recently re-gilted. The top finial of the lantern is beautifully cast with scrolling arms and handles. There are 5 glass panels edged in brass. The interior working bulb platform is on a tilt central column or lever that tilts with the movement of the lantern in the wind. Both the top and bottom parts of the lantern have a pierced gallery and the base has a removeable plate with a final to access the bulbs on the interior. The interior has a label hidden from view under the bulb base (see photos) confirming that the Lantern was made by Moe Light of Fort Atkinson Wisconsin a Division of Thomas Industries. This helps us date the piece as Moe Lighting was acquired by Thomas Industries in 1953. We are of the opinion that this piece date from the mid 1950’s. A beautiful addition to any home of style !! Thomas Industries was formed in a 1953 merger of two companies–a lighting fixture manufacturer and the maker of electrical spraying machines–both of which came into being in the late 1920s. The unlikely marriage of these two product lines was the cornerstone of what would become the company’s two core businesses: lighting fixtures and air compressors/pumps. The lighting fixture side of Thomas Industries traces its history back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and two brothers: Henrik and Ole Moe. The Moe Brothers, together with a number of other entrepreneurs, owned the Moe-Bridges Co., a lighting fixture manufacturer formed in 1919. As a result of friction among the Moe-Bridges management, however, the Moe brothers were frozen out of the company in the late 1920s by the majority owners. Deciding to stay with the industry they knew, the Moes formed another lighting fixture company called Moe Brothers Manufacturing. Henrik’s two sons joined the business in the early 1930s, and in 1938, the company moved its operations from Milwaukee to Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. While the Moe brothers were building their lighting fixture business, the Electric Sprayit Company–the forerunner to Thomas Industries’ compressor and pump division–was also testing its wings. In 1928, the Electric Sprayit Company was formed in Chicago “to manufacture, buy, and sell electrical spraying machines, blowers, air compressors, mechanical, and mercantile devices.” In a curious twist of fate, in 1934 the Electric Sprayit Company acquired Moe-Bridges, the company that had forced out the Moe brothers, and moved from Chicago into the Moe-Bridges plant in Milwaukee. In 1939, Electric Sprayit moved its operations again, this time to Sheboygan, Wisconsin. During World War II, both companies stopped making their standard product lines in order to produce materials for the war effort. At the close of the war, in 1946, Moe Brothers received a large contract from Sears to produce household pressure cookers. Although the company had not previously manufactured pressure cookers, the large stamping presses they had obtained for the war gave them the production capabilities for the job. The brothers planned to use sales revenues from the pressure cooker contract to return to the lighting fixture business. Unfortunately, Sears rescinded the company’s contract due to a product malfunction. In the aftermath of the contract loss, pressured by the bank to repay existing debt, the Moe brothers decided to sell the company. Moe Brothers was purchased in 1948 by a Louisville investment group headed by Lee Thomas. Thomas, the former president of Ekco Products in Chicago, had recently purchased a small saw business in Louisville and was looking for further investment opportunities. His new purchase was renamed Moe Light, and a national advertising campaign was launched to promote residential lighting fixtures. Two years later, Moe Light expanded by opening a new residential lighting factory in Kentucky and acquiring the Los Angeles-based Star...

PRESENTING A GORGEOUS Pair of Early 19C Philadelphia Brass Andirons with Roman Columns and Ball Finials. Made in Philadelphia, circa 1800 ...

Cannon shape with finials and scrolled feet.

American hand wrought iron knife blade andirons with cast brass finials on a square brass platform. The scrolled legs end in penny feet, while the...

Good pair of brass and wrought iron andirons, the urn finials over hand hammered shafts, the upper section cylindrical, the lower section square divided by ringed collar, standing o...

An antique pair of classic American brass and iron lemon-top andirons create a beautiful silhouette in front of a cozy fireplace. These are from the latter part of the 19th century,...

Pair of American wrought iron and brass melon top andirons with turned centered column, spit hooks, and terminating on stylized penny feet. Note: Centered columns of andirons were ma...

American Aesthetic Movement pair of monumental size polished brass andirons, made during the 1880s in the United States. The pair is in great a...