Hemingway typewriter brings $2,750 at Four Seasons

A manual Royal typewriter that once belonged to Ernest Hemingway, made around 1940 and still in its well-worn leather carrying case, sold for $2,750 at a multi-estate sale held June 24th by Four Seasons Auction Gallery in Atlanta. The typewriter was one of four items once owned by the author sold at the auction.

[ClickPress, Mon Jul 09 2007] A manual Royal typewriter that once belonged to Ernest Hemingway, made around 1940 and still in its well-worn leather carrying case, sold for $2,750 at a multi-estate sale held June 24th by Four Seasons Auction Gallery. The typewriter was one of four items once owned by the author and given to George T. Northen, grandson of William J. Northen, a former governor of Georgia.
Hemingway and George Northen were friends and fishing buddies. Mr. Northen made specific reference to the four items in his will, writing, “The aforementioned items were given to me while in Cuba fishing with my dear friend Ernest Hemingway and were items from Lookout Farm” (Hemingway's home in Cuba, near Havana). The will was also sold at the auction; it realized $550.
The other items included a Meerschaum pipe smoked by Hemingway and with a carving of the wine god Baccus ($2,310); an electric smoking stand and cigar lighter, with an ornate carving of a pirate ($1,100); and a silver fishing trophy engraved to C.H. Candler, Jr., a mutual friend and one-time Coca-Cola executive ($330). Candler was a director of the Atlanta-based beverage giant in the 1940s.
The multi-estate sale was held before a capacity crowd of around 300 people who packed the Four Seasons Auction Gallery showroom in the fashionable Buckhead section of Atlanta. About 750 lots changed hands over the course of eight hours. Most of the items sold to people in the room, but there was also an active online bidding component (through eBay Live), plus phone and absentee bids.
Highlights of the sale follow. All prices quoted include a 10% buyer's premium.
The top lot of the day was a sleek and silver 2003 Mercedes-Benz hardtop convertible with moon roof and just 60,000 miles on the clock. It sped off for $47,300. Two other Mercedes cars, both silver too, rolled across the block. One was a supercharged ML55 SUV with 80,000 miles ($14,850). The other was a 1959 190SL SCCA race car with a stock body, modified to be street legal ($20,900).
Several pianos played a sweet tune. One was a 100th anniversary Steinway grand, rosewood with Tiffany design and in like-new condition, 7 feet long, with player controls ($38,500). Also, a George Steck 6-foot grand piano in fine condition reached $10,670; a Bosendorfer 6-foot mahogany grand piano, circa 1910, fetched $8,250; and a Chickering square grand piano, circa 1850, hit $990.
A massive custom-made English pub bar found a new owner for $12,925; a burl walnut chest-on-chest made in the 1840s commanded $6,600; a pair of rare rolled paper tea caddies, both circa 1850s, went for $1,430 and $1,210; a wrought iron balcony from New Orleans, in a vintage pattern and made in the 1890s, realized $3,190; and a Biedermeier mahogany secretary (circa 1820s) made $6,050.
An early Scottish grandfather clock (circa 1840s), mahogany and hand-painted, chimed on time for $2,750; five Henry IV court cupboards, made from 1860-1890, sold for prices ranging from $1,650 to $2,090; an alabaster chandelier, custom-made in Argentina around 1970, fetched $2,475; and a Tiffany epergne, silver plate with four glass bowls, hallmark signed and dated 1866, went for $1,430.
A group of 10 English country high back chairs, circa 1910-1920, sold for $1,375 the set; and a triple-door Renaissance bookcase, all oak and heavily carved, rose to $3,300. The auction also featured 500 items of fine jewelry, including estate items; works of art in all mediums; fine antique furniture from around the world; imported rugs; and furnishings from a 40-acre local executive retreat.
The Hemingway items helped drive the crowd size. The will, signed by Mr. Northen and notarized, served as a certificate of authenticity for anyone who suspected the items weren't really “Papa's.” The consignor was Gerald Hickman, a semi-retired antiques dealer living in Alpharetta, just north of Atlanta. He bought the contents of the Atlanta home owned by Mr. Northen's late wife, Ruth.
Scattered throughout the home were boxes and trunks filled with documents, papers and personal effects pertaining to former Gov. Northen (who served 1890-1894). “Some of it wasn't even in boxes,” Mr. Hickman said. “It was strewn about. It took awhile to even find the Hemingway items. They were in boxes, in the basement.” Hickman bought the home's contents for an undisclosed price.
Over a period of months, he was bogged down sifting through the inventory of Gov. Northen-related items. Ultimately, he sold most of them to the University of Georgia, which installed the pieces in it Rare Books Library. The cache included Gov. Northen's personal journal; books; and valuable personal items, such as a gold-handled cane; gold-handled letter opener; and a gold watch.
That done, Hickman was able to devote his undivided attention to the Hemingway items. In June, he contacted Four Seasons Auction Gallery about consigning the items. “It all happened very quickly,” said Steve White of Four Seasons Auction Gallery. “I think Gerald pondered what to do with these pieces of Hemingway's legacy. In the end, he decided it was time to let them go, to share them.”
Four Seasons Auction Gallery averages 92 auctions a year. The firm is fully licensed and bonded in five states and offers certified appraisals. It specializes in antiques; estates and fine arts; real estate needs; vehicles of all types; business liquidation; bankruptcy; court-ordered auctions; and unique collections. Sales may be conducted on-site or in the firm's spacious, 16,000-square-foot showroom.
The next big sale will feature a large estate out of Fayetteville, Ga., and be held in late July or early August. Watch the website for details, information and directions: www.fsagallery.com. Four Seasons Auction Gallery conducts an auction every Wednesday evening at 6 pm and several weekends a month. To consign an item, estate or collection, call (404) 876-1048, or e-mail info@fsagallery.com.

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