By Pete Prunkl SARASOTA, Fla. — Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, introducing Brian Hollifield of Freedom Auction Company. He served as Ringmaster and Chief Auctioneer for the Circus Memorabilia sale in lovely Sarasota. The sale, held on May 4, was the exciting and concluding event of the Circus Historical Society’s 2019 annual convention. Featured in the 550-plus lot sale were original posters, panel posters, couriers, date sheets, heralds and advertisements from 1843 to the 1990s. In the center ring were photos, costumes, miniatures and ephemera from clown Jackie Le Claire, photographer Edward J. Kelty, bandmaster Merle Evans and many others. For the first time in its 80-year history, the Society opened its end-of-convention sale to the public. Attending were approximately 150 people equally divided between the public and members of the Circus Historical Society. Fifteen percent of the lots were from Society member’s personal collections with proceeds designated for the welfare of the Society. The remainder were consigned by circus enthusiasts who were Hollifield’s clients. Three internet platforms were available to 8,000 registered circus aficionados from around the globe. The top lot of the 6 ½ hour sale was an original 16-inch porcelain medallion worn by Tonka, a 30-year old, 11,000-pound elephant of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Tonka and her pals Asia, Luna and Mabel were the last elephants to perform before the famous circus retired its elephant troupe in 2016. Tonka’s head medallion, one of three in the sale, sold to an internet bidder for $11,400. All final prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium. The sale’s second highest lot was a rare book, With the Circus – A Route Book of Ringling Brothers Worlds’ Greatest Shows by Alf Ringling (1861-1919). It chronicles the circus year 1895-1896 with articles, photos and lithographed plates. In excellent condition, the book sold for $3,120. There was little doubt as the sale’s top circus photo and its third highest lot. Long before the sale began early bidding favored a photo taken at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus sideshow golden jubilee in 1933. The photographer was Edward J. Kelty (1888-1967), a contract photographer who spent 20 years with the famous circus before retiring in 1940. His sideshow photo, which brought $3,000 included dwarf siblings, the Doll Family; three-legged man Frank Lintini; 8 foot 6 inch Texas giant Jack Earle and others. Bidders had their choice of more than 200 lithograph posters, most original and colorful to the max. The top poster was an original Hagenbeck-Wallace and 4-Paw-Sells Brothers half-sheet poster from the 1930s. Printed by the Erie Show Printing Company, a leader in traveling show posters, the colorful clown and side show poster brought $2,700. Asked after the sale what contributed to the success of the poster, Hollifield said, “One word: sideshow. The subject matter and design were appealing.” Among the other top selling posters was an original 1934 one-sheet with seven “giraffe-neck women from Burma.” Produced by Central Printing and Illinois Lithography with date tag for Los Angeles on September 6, the poster soared to $1,440. Memorabilia from clown Jackie Le Claire (1927-2019) did very well. His walking cane with attached white shoe and squeeze bulb horn was $420; his oversize custom-made white shoes $780; his trunk with photos, letters, cards and newspaper clippings, $1,320 and one of his three photo scrapbooks, $2,160. Several Le Claire items went to Sarasota, national and international circus museums and institutions. The oldest single lot in the sale was an 1843 poster for Price and North’s British and American Equestrian Company with multiple losses, which brought $330. For information about its other circus sales, contact Freedom Auction Company at www.freedomauctions.com or call (941) 725-2166. |