Major Collections of Royal Bayreuth and Pickard, and Santa Items, are in Woody Auction's May 14 Sale

Information may not be reliable

The Pickard collection of author Alan Reed and the quality pieces of Royal Bayreuth from the Bob Gollmar collection will share center stage at Woody Auction’s next major Antique Auction slated for Saturday, May 14th, online and live in Woody Auction’s modern, 5,000-square-foot auction hall located at 130 East 3rd Street in Douglass, starting at 9:30 am Central time.

“This sale also features our largest ever grouping of Santa Claus items to sell at one public auction,” said Jason Woody of Woody Auction.  “RS Prussia, along with an assortment of other antiques, are sure to grab bidders’ attention. There are over 400 lots in total – all selling at public auction without reserve. There’s also no buyer’s premium for those attending in person when paying by cash or check.” 

Royal Bayreuth is a unique, hard white-paste porcelain manufactured in Tettau, Germany, mainly from 1795 through 1917. Marks on the bottom will help date the piece. Generally, green marks were used from 1885 to 1902; blue marks (the most common) were used from 1902 until the late 1920s. Anytime you see the Royal Bayreuth logo, you’ll see 1794 as the official date of commencement of operations.

Dinnerware, dining accessories, coffee and tea sets have been the company's main product line through the years. Just as fascinating are the wide number of collector items the factory has produced. Royal Bayreuth is enormously popular with collectors, and the pieces in the Bob Gollmar collection are of the highest quality. Rare pieces will be featured in the auction, helping to round out any serious collection.

Royal Bayreuth Santa items from the Gollmar estate will be led by a full-figure wall pocket red Santa marked Royal Bayreuth with the original label, 9 inches tall; and a green Santa lemonade pitcher with an attached handle marked Royal Bayreuth, 7 ¼ inches tall. These two lots in particular are expected to attract keen bidder interest because they appeal to collectors of both Santa Claus and Royal Bayreuth.

Other pieces from the Gollmar collection include a cheetah creamer marked Royal Bayreuth, 3 inches tall; a Mt. Washington decorated Burmese art glass vase with enamel rose décor and a poem by Thomas Hood, 12 inches tall; a great pair of unmarked Royal Bayreuth fox candlestick holders, 6 ¼ inches tall, with the foxes depicted looking over their left shoulder; plus many other desirable items.

Pickard China is a family owned and operated porcelain decorating and manufacturing company based in Antioch, Ill. The company was founded in 1893 and continues to produce ceramic tableware and art ware today. Its sales are primarily in fine china dinnerware, decorative accessories and collectibles and it ranks among the finest china made anywhere in the world. Like Royal Bayreuth, it is hugely popular.

In 1977, Pickard was selected to manufacture the official service of china used by American embassies and other diplomatic missions around the world. The special decoration has an embossed gold border of stars and stripes and an embossed reproduction of the Great Seal of The United States. Pickard was also selected to produce exclusive fine china services for heads of state, corporations and major hotels.

Alan B. Reed, whose fine collection of Pickard is featured in this auction, is no novice when it comes to Pickard. In fact, he is the author of The Collector’s Encyclopedia of Pickard, a definitive reference guide to serious collectors of Pickard. A few items in his collection up for bid include the following:

- A coffee set marked Pickard decorated with peacocks and all over gold, artist signed Falatek, including a coffee pot, matching cream and sugar, two cups and two saucers – extra nice.

- A two-handled vase marked Pickard in the Dahlia Rubra pattern, 17 ½ inches tall artist signed A. Richter, boasting incredible gold with platinum highlights – featured in Mr. Reed’s book.

- A coffee set marked Pickard in the Rosa Emeraldus pattern, artist signed Coufall, to include a coffee pot, 11 ½ inch diameter tray and matching cream and sugar – also in Mr. Reed’s book. 

Other items from the Alan Reed collection include a French bisque head doll marked Tete Jumeau, 24 inches tall, with pierced ears, a closed mouth, sleep eyes, a jointed wood body, a pink dress with lace and the original shoes; and a vase marked Pitkin & Brooks Studios, 16 inches tall, having a rare Arabic design with green, yellow and maroon tones, gold highlights and a mark indicating circa 1903-1910.

People can register and bid online now, at www.liveauctioneers.com/woody-auction-llc. Bidders are encouraged to register at least 48 hours in advance. There are no reserves, and there is no buyer’s premium for bidders who attend in person and pay by cash or check. Online bidders will be charged a 20 percent buyer’s premium (or, they can pay by cash or check for a 15 percent buyer’s premium).

Absentee bids will be accepted, with a written statement indicating the lot number and amount of the bid. The deadline to submit an absentee bid is 12 o’clock noon on Thursday, May 12th. All absentee bids will be charged a buyer’s premium of 15 percent of the selling price (or 10 percent if paying by cash or check). Absentee bids can be sent by fax: 316-746-2145; or email: info@woodyauction.com.

Phone bidding will be available for lots with a low estimate of $500 or greater (low estimates are found on LiveAuctioneers.com). Email your phone bid list to info@woodyauction.com by 12 o’clock noon on Wednesday, May 11th, and please include your name, full address, a primary phone number and a backup/secondary phone number. You will receive a phone call to confirm receipt of your phone bids. 

For lodging, there are three hotels in the area that are convenient to the venue: The Comfort Inn, in Augusta, Kansas (316-260-3006) (mention Woody Auction for a single queen or king room rate of $79); the Holiday Inn Express, in Andover, Kansas (316-733-8833); and the Hampton Inn, in Derby, Kansas (316-425-7900). All are within a 15-20-minute drive from the Woody Auction auction hall.

To learn more about Woody Auction and the Antique Auction scheduled for Saturday, May 14th at 9:30 am Central, please visit www.woodyauction.com. Updates are posted often.