20th / 21st Century Design

The 20th/21st Century Design department at Freeman’s specializes in American and European furniture and decorative arts from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day, representing designers like George Nakashima, George Nelson, Frank Gehry, Harry Bertoia, Richard Schultz, Toshiyuki Kita, and Bruno Mathsson, along with sculptors Betty Woodman, Beatrice Wood, Berndt Friberg, Toshiko Takaezu, and others.

20th/21st Century Design pieces are offered in our separate American and European design sales, which occur in conjunction with our individual fall and spring American and European furniture and decorative Arts auctions.

American Furniture, Decorative & Folk Arts

The American Furniture, Decorative & Folk Art Department specializes in property ranging from the early 18th through the 20th century. Two sales are conducted annually: the first in April, coinciding with the Philadelphia Antique Show, and the second, a two-day auction in November, which includes our annual Pennsylvania sale. The Pennsylvania sale features furniture, paintings, decorative and folk items made and used in the Commonwealth from the Colonial period to the turn of the 20th century.

Recent highlights from 2009 and 2010 include a pewter sweetmeat dish attributed to Francis Bassett I selling for $70,000; a silver and enameled Tiffany vase by George Paulding Farnham for $95,000; a Chippendale cherry wood table for $90,000; a set of six walnut Chippendale side chairs for $121,000; a Chippendale mahogany dressing table, carving attributed to Nicholas Bernard; and a carved mahogany and embossed leather Campeche chair realizing $70,000.

In the past five years, world record prices have been established at in our American Furniture, Decorative & Folk Art Auctions. An exceptional Fraktur by George Geistweit, dated 1801 from Centre County, sold for $367,000, and an important painted, decorated and incised pine candle box, probably Lancaster County, circa 1780-1810, realized $744,825. 

Freeman’s attracts a world wide audience through our catalogs and website and is best known for continually offering fine estate material.

We always welcome consignments from single items to entire estates.  Please contact a member of our department if you wish to discuss the sale of your property.

Asian Arts

Freeman's has been selling fine art and antiques from throughout Asia for more than 100 years. In 2006, we finally established a separate department for fine and decorative Asian arts. Over the past five years, the department has established a strong presence in the field, attracting a following among American collectors and those from Asia and Europe. 

Freeman's Asian department conducts two sales a year in March, and September, offering a wide variety of objects that include property from the Asian subcontinent, the Middle East, Oceania, and Africa. Our internationally trained specialists have expertise in ceramics, ivory, bronze, jade, and particularly Chinese furniture and scholars’ objects.

China’s ever-increasing prosperity and the ability of Freeman's to source high-quality private material have resulted in record prices at our recent auctions. Notable successes include the sale of the William Lipton Collection: Chinese Objects in Literati Taste and two subsequent Asian Arts sales featuring estate and private material from consignors worldwide. Two recent prices realized for items sold in our March 2008 sale were $121,000 for a Chinese hongmu altar table and $90,000 for a fine Chinese huanghuali painting table.

Fine American & European Paintings & Sculpture

Two sales are held in this category each year, in June and December. The closing date for consignments is generally two months in advance.

These auctions will typically feature Old Master paintings as well as works dating from the 18th to the early 20th centuries from countries across Europe and with subjects ranging from landscapes and historical portraiture to genre paintings. Such works are advertised internationally via the internet and print media and through our exclusive association with Lyon & Turnbull, the United Kingdom's leading regional auction house.

The American section generally includes paintings and sculpture from the 19th and 20th centuries. Previous auctions have reflected the diverse traditions associated with American art ranging from the Hudson River School, the Ashcan School (many ashcan artists studied in Philadelphia), Regionalism, Western art, and illustration.

Freeman's is perhaps best known, however, for its success with the Pennsylvania Impressionist artists. We have sold more works by these painters than any other leading auction house and have consistently set and held world record prices.

Our December auction features our extremely popular section established in 2000 for Artists of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Works by painters and sculptors who either studied or taught at America's oldest art school are sold, appropriately enough, through its oldest auction house. Both institutions were founded in the same year, 1805.

Fine English & Continental Furniture, Silver & Decorative Arts

Freeman’s English & Continental Furniture, Silver & Decorative Arts department conducts three important sales a year in late January, early May, and early October, each including a wide range of property consigned from private Estates, Collections, and Institutions. Primarily focused on the 18th and 19th centuries, the sales include pieces from all periods from the Baroque to the mid 20th Century, with a typically strong representation of 18th century English furniture and furnishings. The sales are historically high points in the auction calendar and attract a strong national and international client base. Our internationally trained and experienced staff are capable of working confidently with single consignments and entire estates, and are committed to providing clients with the best service possible.

Recent highlights include a Faberge silver and enameled ‘firebird’ kovsh selling for $533,000; a large KPM porcelain plaque with a topographical view of Berlin for $61,000; a Louis Chalon bronze “Octopus Dancer” for $53,800; a George II mahogany library armchair for $42,500; a Regency grand orrery for $49,000; and a pair of French enameled opaline vases for $41,600.

Fine Jewelry & Watches

For many years Freeman’s has been the place for collectors to find unusual and important pieces from private estates up and down the East Coast, and has been offering a variety of styles and periods for more than 200 years. Becoming a leader in estate consignments and appraisals, we offer four sales per year that promote fine, unique, and important pieces.


Sales frequently include fine colored gemstones and diamonds, and catalogues routinely include material from Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels, Boucheron, Tiffany and Co., David Webb and Bulgari. Recently, the fine jewelry sales have offered collectible Victorian and Art Deco pieces that range in price from $200 to $150,000 and beyond.


Mr. Beau Freeman and his team are happy to answer inquiries regarding buying or selling of jewelry at auction or the valuation of your own fine jewelry.

Freeman's Fridays

With the recent introduction of the Freeman's Friday sales, we are able to provide a satisfying atmosphere for young and novice collectors to explore their interests and hone their skills in collecting.

Our Freeman’s Friday sales continue a long tradition of auction frenzy and excitement as well as entertainment. There is always something to discover, and our staff enjoys sharing their knowledge of material. As we move swiftly into the 21st century, and tastes and styles change, you will be sure to see the trends pass through the doors of Freeman’s.

Join us and enjoy the cries of the auctioneer in our newly renovated galleries. There is always something going on, so don’t miss the opportunity to experience the offerings of a timeless tradition at America's Oldest Auction House.

Modern & Contemporary

Coming this Fall, Freeman's is pleased to announce that it has been appointed by Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (LBHI) and Alvarez & Marsal, LLC, the professional services firm overseeing LBHI's restructuring, to sell selected works from the distinguished Neuberger Berman and Lehman Brothers Corporate Art Collections*, subject to bankruptcy court approval.

After Lehman's acquisition in 2003 of Neuberger Berman, Lehman expanded its commitment to collecting fine art and embraced the enlightened vision of Roy Neuberger, who made contemporary art an integral part of the workplace for decades.

More than 250 works from the London, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco offices will be included in the Modern and Contemporary Art auction scheduled for Sunday, November 7, 2010 in Philadelphia. Among the works to be auctioned are examples by leading artist of the 20th century - Robert Mangold, Alex Katz, Sol Lewitt and Judy Pfaff as well as examples by artists whose work has become more internationally acclaimed over the last decade - Elliott Puckette, Vernon Fisher and Joyce Pensato.

Established in 2006, this is our fastest growing department in an exciting and quickly changing market. We hold two auctions a year, in May and November, with a closing date for consignments generally two months in advance.

Previous sales have included an eclectic but carefully selected mix of early, and mid 20th century masters, including Renoir, Picasso, Miro and Chagall, to more cutting edge contemporary artists, such as Sam Taylor-Wood, Gilbert & George, and Shirin Neshat.

Ecole de Paris, Surrealist and Postwar artists are well represented in the Modern & Contemporary sales, as are Pop artists, such as Warhol, Lichtenstein, and Wesselmann.

On the broader international front, we have had strong results for artists from two new major art markets, India and Russia. Latin American and African American artists are also frequently featured and are eagerly sought after.

Notable successes with sculpture have included works by Lipchitz, Noguchi, and the greatly in demand Harry Bertoia, each fetching six figure sums at Freeman's.

A strong component of the auctions has always been prints and multiples. Now, increasingly, Freeman's has featured photography by artists from Ansel Adams to Robert Mapplethorpe.

Freeman's is also pleased to promote established, mid-career, and emerging artists originally from the Philadelphia area, including Vincent Desiderio, Bo Bartlett, Bill Scott, Edna Andrade, and Warren Rohrer.

Oriental Rugs & Carpets

Freeman's offers old and antique Oriental rugs and carpets in two auctions annually. Each auction features a variety of weavings, including palace and oversize carpets, roomsize carpets woven in urban areas of Persia and India, scattersize urban and nomadic weavings, runners, and village trappings. Rugs and carpets offered in these sales generally date from the late 18th through the mid-20th centuries, with a broad selection that will appeal to the cognoscenti, interior decorator, and private collector seeking furnishing pieces.

In December 2006, Freeman's was privileged to sell an early Caucasian Sunburst rug for $341,825 from the prestigious Robert Montgomery Scott collection, a record auction result for a Caucasian weaving.

Rare Books, Manuscripts & Ephemera

The first sale in the first purpose-built auction house in the United States was, of course, a book sale.

Our Book Department enjoys the privilege of continuing a Freeman’s tradition, which began even before the move to 1808 Chestnut Street in 1924, by offering fully catalogued sales of fine antiquarian books, manuscripts, prints, maps, ephemera, and 19th century photographs in a welcoming and sophisticated environment three times a year.

Sport Memorabilia and Pop Culture

Freeman’s is pleased to announce its new Pop Culture Department, specializing in sports, music and entertainment memorabilia, along with new emerging markets such as Punk and Hip Hop, Designer Toys, Street Art, and more. We will be holding three auctions per year and will include both contemporary and classic material.