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Upcoming Antique
Auctions At Fontaine's:
September
11, 2010 Antique
Estate &
Discovery Auction (At
Fontaine's) Floor,
Absentee and phone bidding Over 500 lots in
antiques and
accessories mostly from
local estates.
Absentee and phone bid form
September
12, 2010
Military,
Antique Firearms & Antique
Discovery Auction (At
Fontaine's) Internet,
Floor, Absentee and phone
bidding Over 500 lots in
Civil War, military and
antique firearms.
Preview Lots
Absentee and phone bid form
Bid now on:
FontainesAuction.net
LiveAuctioneers.com or
Proxibid.com
September 25, 2010 at
10am Unreserved Antique
Estate Auction (At
Fontaine's) Internet,
Floor, Absentee and phone
bidding Over 650 items
to be sold in two sessions.
We will be selling a fine
Newport RI Ocean Avenue
Estate (Name withheld upon
request of heirs.) all items
have been moved to the
gallery for convenience of
sale.
Absentee and
phone bid form
October 23, 2010 at
10am On-Site Unreserved
Exceptional Estate Auction
(Elizabethtown, PA)
Internet, Floor, Absentee
and phone bidding We
have been commissioned to
sell the contents of the
Conewago Manor Inn, on site
2048 Zeager Road,
Elizabethtown Pa. 17022
Absentee and phone bid form
coming soon
November 13, 2010
Exceptional Cataloged
Antique Auction (At
Fontaine's) Internet,
Floor, Absentee and phone
bidding Over 400 lots of
antique furniture, lighting,
and accessories.
Consignments are being
accepted for this auction
call John Fontaine
413-448-8922 Antique
Consignments Wanted For
Fontaine's
Fall & Winter Auctions
Absentee and phone bid form
coming soon
1485 W Housatonic St Pittsfield MA 01201
Google Maps
GPS LATITUDE & LONGITUDE : 42.431215, -73.317782
Antique
Consignments Wanted For
Fontaine's, Fall and
Winter
Auctions
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TWO
DAYS
AUG
15 & 16
OVER
800 LOTS
Preview lots below (opens in new window)
Civil War, Antique Firearms &
Military Auction
August 15 & 16 2009
Starting at 11am
Find more photos like this on I Antique Online
Fontaine's Auction Gallery and
Hotel Location Map
CIVIL WAR AUCTION IN THE PRESS
Battlefield treasures
History on the block
Eastover to auction off Gatling Gun, Civil War artifacts
By Benning W. De La Mater, Berkshire Eagle Staff
Updated: 05/27/2009 10:23:24 AM EDT
Wednesday, May 27
LENOX — It's called a Gatling Gun, and it made war-weathered men do an
about-face and run like scared schoolchildren.
It had six barrels, pumped out more than 600 rounds per minute, and paved the
way for the modern machine gun.
A surviving version from the 19th century is the centerpiece antique in the
American Heritage Room Museum at Eastover Resort — but it won't be there for
long.
The gun, along with hundreds of other Civil War artifacts, will be sold at
auction this summer as the resort moves toward a closing date.
Eastover owner Dorothy H. "Ticki" Winsor said the decision to sell the museum's
artifacts was made after the May 4 announcement that the resort will close in
November due to increased operating costs and the slumping economy.
Winsor's late father, George J. Bisacca, opened Eastover as a recreational
retreat in 1947. A Civil War enthusiast and artifact collector, Bisacca amassed
more than 250 period items over the years and opened a museum inside the resort
in 1961 to showcase the relics.
"I believe strongly that if someone has something beautiful and unique in their
possession and can't use it properly, then it shouldn't belong to them," she
said. "These artifacts should be with people who will treasure them."
The catalog is made up mostly of authentic Civil War pieces but also includes
items from the Spanish-American War, World War II and several
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replicas.
There's a horse-drawn hearse complete with a coffin (no body), dozens of
uniforms and rifles, cannon shells, drums, a half-used pack of matches, and
hundreds of bullets.
It's been called one of the largest privately owned Civil War collections in the
world and has been enjoyed by thousands of local schoolchildren and Civil War
buffs alike.
Winsor said her father was an Italian immigrant who only made it past the ninth
grade, yet had a deep passion for the war between the states. He bought and read
any book he found on the subject and often went on excursions to track down
relics from the period.
The auction will take place Saturday, Aug. 15, at Fontaine's Auction Gallery on
West Housatonic Street in Pittsfield.
Auctioneer John Fontaine said this is the first time he has devoted an entire
auction to war memorabilia. The initial reaction to the news in the collecting
community, he said, has been "huge."
"We will have people from every part of the country coming to this auction," he
said. "This is a once-in-a-century collection. It's an opportunity that will
never happen again."
In addition to the Eastover items, Fontaine will auction off at least another
200 war antiques on consignment.
Early estimates on several of the Eastover items have already come in. The
Gatling Gun, which is fully operable and dates to 1883, could fetch up to
$300,000, and several of the cannons in the collection could top the $60,000
mark.
Many of those cannons supplied the "BOOM" during the Boston Symphony Orchestra's
performance of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" during Tanglewood on Parade.
A BSO official could not comment Tuesday on what the organization will do if the
cannons are not available.
Meanwhile, Fontaine has had several Civil War experts viewing the collection to
document the items, including Richard Wilder, a former Smithsonian exhibit
specialist who was hired by Bisacca to help build the museum.
For Wilder, 69, who used to re-enact Civil War battles, the auction is
bittersweet.
"The museum is a key place in my life," he said. "This was something I worked on
for years, so it's like saying good-bye to a good friend.
"George wanted the museum to tell the story of the Civil War. It was his hobby,
but it was also his legacy."
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Invitation to Consign
to Fontaine's Antique Auction
Gallery, Civil War & Antique
Firearms Auction.
We
are seeking quality antique firearms
and civil war
consignments for our January 16
2010, 500 lot
auction, one piece to an entire
collection.
Either way, Fontaine's
has the service & expertise to
assist you. Fontaine's has a proven
professional track record for
achieving great results for our
consigners.
We can provide free
estimates & arrange for pick-up &
delivery worldwide.
Call Fontaine's
Auction Gallery at 413-448-8922 for
more information about consigning
your Antique firearms and
civil war .
We also buy antique
firearms and civil war outright, one piece to a complete
firearms and civil war collections.
You can send photos to us by
visiting our web site or e-mail your
firearms and civil war photos to
.
Click here to
upload your photos now.
Catalogued
items receive national
exposure with catalogue mailings to
our 30 year customer database of
over 17,000 qualified buyers and
online through;
www.worthpoint.com
www.artfact.com
www.auctionzip.com
www.globalauctionguide.com
NAWCC National Association of Watch
and Clock Collectors
Plus dozens of National Print
Publications!
Top
of page
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September
11, 2010 Antique
Estate &
Discovery Auction (At
Fontaine's) Floor,
Absentee and phone bidding Over 500 lots in
antiques and
accessories mostly from
local estates.
September
12, 2010 Military,
Antique Firearms & Antique
Discovery Auction (At
Fontaine's) Internet,
Floor, Absentee and phone
bidding Over 500 lots in
Civil War, military and
antique firearms.
September 25, 2010 at
10am Unreserved Antique
Estate Auction (At
Fontaine's) Internet,
Floor, Absentee and phone
bidding Over 650 items
to be sold in two sessions.
We will be selling a fine
Newport RI Ocean Avenue
Estate (Name withheld upon
request of heirs.) all items
have been moved to the
gallery for convenience of
sale.
October 23, 2010 at
10am On-Site Unreserved
Exceptional Estate Auction
(Elizabethtown, PA)
Internet, Floor, Absentee
and phone bidding We
have been commissioned to
sell the contents of the
Conewago Manor Inn, on site
2048 Zeager Road,
Elizabethtown Pa. 17022
November 13, 2010
Exceptional Cataloged
Antique Auction (At
Fontaine's) Internet,
Floor, Absentee and phone
bidding Over 400 lots of
antique furniture, lighting,
and accessories.
Consignments are being
accepted for this auction
call John Fontaine
413-448-8922 Antique
Consignments Wanted For
Fontaine's
Fall & Winter Auctions
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