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.