One of the best sellers, as expected, was this an early 19th century highly detailed Napoleonic prisoner-of-war bone model of an 80-gun ship-of-the-line that made a within-estimate $40,000 (£22,990).
The hull of the model is planked in bone with the waist in baleen and the decks of the model in pieces of bone veneer, and all the planking is pinned in place. It has features such as pull strings for gun retraction, anchors, capstan, a carved beak head, pin and fife rails and boats hoisted above the main deck. While the price made for this well-rigged model was within expectations, there were other pieces that inspired much more enthusiasm than predicted.
A fine scale model of the American whaling ship Charles W. Morgan, pictured right, built in the 20th century, made more than three times low estimate when it sold for $18,000 (£10,340). This very fine museum-quality ship model was built up from the solid in 3/16in scale. The interest in this item could well be explained by the original ship's history. The Charles W. Morgan, named after her first principal owner, was launched in 1841 and destined for a brilliant whaling career. She made a record 37 voyages, returning from her last in May 1921. At the age of 100 she was acquired by Mystic Seaport and is now completely restored and open to the public. In 1967 the Charles W. Morgan was declared a National Historical Landmark.
Also featured in the sale was a lot comprising 12, seven-piece, first class flatware place settings used on board The S.S. Normandie, which was the largest ship in the world for five years and is considered to be one of the relatively few genuine contenders for the title Greatest Liners Ever.
Launched in 1932, the interior of this iconic vessel was heavily influenced by the then high fashion Art Deco style. The silver-plated flatware, made c.1935 by Cristofle to what is known as the Atlas pattern, was used on board for the first class service and each piece is marked with the French Line (CGT) logo and signed Cristofle.
Estimated at $10,000-15,000, this Art Deco set made a substantial $19,000 (£10,920).
