Gray's Auctioneers to Sell Comprehensive Collection of Highly Collectible Americana Items in October Auction
Property from the estate of Odette Valabregue Wurzburger, philanthropist, law professor, co-founder of the Cleveland International Piano Competition and decorated member of the French resistance will also be sold at auction October 25th.

CLEVELAND, OH, October 23, 2008 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Gray's Auctioneers, Northeast Ohio's premier fine art and antique auction house, is pleased to announce its upcoming Americana, Fine Arts and Antiques Auction. Notable sought-after items include an 1885 Cast Bronze Bell by Meneely and Company estimated at $3000-5000, a Queen Anne figured maple fan-carved flat top highboy circa 1776 estimated at $5000-7000, and a very large selection of Stick Spatter hand decorated tableware. The auction will take place on Saturday, October 25th 1:00 pm, and is anticipated to generate interest from international dealers and private collectors alike.

The Meneely Bell Foundry was established in 1826 in West Troy, New York and produced more than 65,000 bells before closing in 1952. Some locations that house a Meneely Bell are the Washington Memorial Chapel at Valley Forge National Park and Wofford College in South Carolina.

Stick Spatter, often called Spatterware, is a brightly colored utilitarian tableware that began in early 19th century Glasgow, Scotland and shortly after their introduction, the production spread to Staffordshire, England and other countries in Europe. Produced for consumers of humble means, Spatterware was exported to the United States between 1810 and 1850, and is presumed to have reached its peak between 1830 and 1840.

Another unique offering is a pair of Regency mahogany Cellarettes $1500-2000 that were originally designed for the dining room to hold case bottles of wine or spirits. When lined with either lead or zinc, cellarettes were often used as wine coolers.

Other notable Americana items include a 19th century walnut Plantation Desk $1500-2500, an early 19th century Hepplewhite maple and walnut chest of drawers with fruitwood inlay $2000-4000, a 19th century American maple and walnut corner cabinet $2500-3500, and paintings by 19th century artists William Henry Brown and Huston among others.

Also up for sale are paintings, lithographs, carved African masks, contemporary sculpture and jewelry from the estate of Cleveland philanthropist Odette Valabregue Wurzburger.

All lots will be on exhibition beginning Thursday, October 23rd 12 noon to 8:00 pm and Friday, October 24th 12 noon to 5:00 pm. Auction starts Saturday, October 25th 1:00 pm. Doors open for
last minute preview at 11:30 am.

About Gray's Auctioneers, LLC
Gray's Auctioneers is one of the largest Fine Arts and Antique Auction Houses in Cleveland and the surrounding Northeast Ohio region. We also have an office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Gray's Auctioneers specializes in Fine Arts and Antiques Auctions. All auctions are open to the public and take place live in our custom designed showroom. The fully illustrated catalogue is available online on our web site 10 days before the auction. Bids may be left online and we also accept bids online live during the auction. We are currently accepting consignments for upcoming auctions. For a confidential and complimentary appraisal, please contact our offices at 216.458.7695 or visit our website at www.graysauctioneers.com.


For more information, please contact Serena Harragin at 216.458.7695 or by email at
serena@graysauctioneers.com.

Images available upon request

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