Gundel FH auction

[Abnorml]

I updated adobe on my computer and now I can see all the pictures. That makes me happy. I have only been to one funeral auction, but it was a lot of fun. I did a few things, nothing like Attila.

[60Crown]

Unpacked & inventoried yesterday. Presenting some goodies acquired on trip between OH & PA.

All Victorian silver plate coffin pieces: 12 non-functioning baby coffin handle decorations, $25/pr. Our Darling or OUAM plate, $30/ea. Crucifix, $35.



All but 2 are Victorian silver plate coffin plates/plaques. Duplicates and beaded Mother/Father on left are $40/ea or $75/any two. Gray/black Father, $35.



30 unused vintage bronze engraved casket/coffin/grave markers, 9" and heavier than they look. Most say Father or Mother, 6 are blank, $6/ea or 2 for $10. 2 cast Mother plates (on right), $10/ea.



Box of vintage unused casket/coffin interior/liner adornments, $45/all.



4 unused vintage silver plate children's casket handles (on left), $65. Don't know era of heavy cast casket/coffin handles in center but they're quite old. 4 unused vintage tinplate Our Darling children's casket handles, $45.



Frigid and Cavos embalming crates. Pre-1900 large Frigid, Primero, and The Max Huncke Chemical Co embalming bottles.


5 post-war vent window mounted FUNERAL flags. Fabrics are all nice as they were stored rolled & bound.



Went hard after first deco set of Gundel nameplates given rarity of style and condition. They're impeccable. Second Gundel set are also prewar. Keech are $45/pr.



NiB large prewar FH exterior thermometer. There was a large box of these that were sold in lots of 4. Must've been 7-8 lots as such, each brought $75-$90. Couple individual thermometers that went through brought $35/ea. Overheard an antique dealer saying that they're worth $50/ea resale easily. Bought one from another dealer after the sale for $20.

[60Crown]

Literature lot contains dozens of pieces. These are some of the better reference examples. Early post-war National Casket Company catalog.



Very large early post-war full range Frigid funerary catalog.



Large early post-war Tri State full range funerary catalog.



Early post-way Ray funerary and emergency equipment catalog.



Receiving this full color Daphne's San Francisco Funeral Service brochure was a bonus. Love the shot therein containing pair of '54s and a neon funeral sign. Personal letter accompanied it.

[60Crown]

4 empty portable funeral case: Purple lined held candles, small held embalming (note extra new torchiere lamp baubles transported therein for safe keeping), square held two torchiere glass shades, and funky instrument looking held a torchiere. Each case is in wonderful shape, merely needing cleaned after decades of storage. Best part? I should already have enough in collection to fill them! Sold 3 additional empty boxes before making it home. Oh and tall silver torchiere behind is cool too. It will clean up very nicely.



Prewar Bombardner (left) and Frigid (right) church trucks. Frigid is now smallest represented in my collection.



So glad that vintage funeral cones are FINALLY multiplying. Whew. That took entirely too long to get going.



Purple (even though it photographed maroon) prewar funeral drapes/backdrop. This is a narrower version that utilizes one mounting pole. Fabric is in great shape, I'd sell/swap, inquire.



Purple prewar casket bier (or church truck) skirt that matches previous backdrop mounted on wooden frame. Nice enough to display, not perfect, $120. Unused vintage children's casket with beautiful liner, $125.



Unused vintage baby casket, $80.



Early '50s Superior Funeral Supply cast folding portable Catholic kneeler. Center imagery is Christ on cross painted on glass panel. VERY nice shape. No fabric rips/tears, $275.




'50s one man retrieval basket. NHAA member Neonwerkz snapped this up before I even made it home.

[Weirdo]

Thanks for posting, Some really cool stuff, I liked the Urns, They looked great. Some of the stuff was a bit saddening, But hey, that's life. Otherwise, Really cool post, Some valuable things!
Did you ever see the TV Show 'American Pickers' ? They went to a Funeral Home, Or some guy who had a heap of Mortuary stuff, Even had an orignal 1920's s&s Coach.

[60Crown]

Hate to burst anyone's bubble but American Pickers is a fictional, made up, scripted show. Absolutely 100% is fake and made for TV. Even most of the items they find and 'pick' (gawd how I hate that word) are planted. I know one person in Chattanooga, TN who has supplied dozens of said items and two others who have been asked repeatedly to rent items from their collections for the show.

I first crossed paths with Mike Wolfe almost 20 years ago at vintage bicycle meets in Bucyrus and Portland. Then by the late '90s I'd see him at vintage motorcycle swap meets like Volusia County and Davenport. He supplied my friend Billy Lane (ex-Choppers Inc.) with some cool vintage motorcycles shortly after that time. Nowadays, their stores aren't full of antiques, picks, or finds for sale. They are ALL about marketing and promoting themselves. Through the magic of TV their Nasheville location looks enormous when in fact it is the size of a 6 car garage chock full of T shirts, bumper stickers, mugs, etc. That's it. There are a dozen small tourist trap businesses in that building all having store fronts on same side. Anything old is merely on display and not for sale.

The hearse guy you mention is a very well known dealer in Alvarado, TX named Ardeen Vaughn. He's been in the game for around 50 years.

Conversely, my auction/find reports are the real deal. Curious how/what part you interpreted as saddening?

[Dr.Feelgood]

Whats that on the left?

[Honey_Badger]

Whats that on the left?

Whats on the left?? MINE!!!!!! Lmao!

53 Sup.jpg

Kinda ratty at the moment but, next up after the 68 S&S gets paint.

[Guest]

if i was into wood working or making furniture, that casket hardware could really come in handy. also those torch things look neat, but i can't really say i have a place for them.

[Dr.Feelgood]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]12895[/ATTACH]

Kinda ratty at the moment but, next up after the 68 S&S gets paint.

Ah that beautiful 53 grill... Why must the world temp me so? Very nice!

[Weirdo]

Ah, Just the Saddening parts were the Baby Coffins and Father and Mother name plaques. Not over the top saddening, But you know, A bit dull. All the other stuff was really interesting though.

[sgath92]

if i was into wood working or making furniture, that casket hardware could really come in handy. also those torch things look neat, but i can't really say i have a place for them.

I've had the same idea, I think the ~1ft wide bar style coffin handles would make good dresser pulls. Problem is you normally only find them in pairs. Finding six, much less more than that, that match can be really difficult. The chinese are still making them, but only mid-century designs of them however every chinese supplier of them I've tried to contact hasn't been interested in selling any to me [maybe because I wouldn't be placing huge orders of them].

I have a set of 4 dated 1892 in storage that I have half the mind to take apart and see if I can find a foundry that will reproduce them for me. They're pot metal, so unusable. But look so much better than the mid century versions

[Guest]

I've had the same idea, I think the ~1ft wide bar style coffin handles would make good dresser pulls. Problem is you normally only find them in pairs. Finding six, much less more than that, that match can be really difficult.

could make a very nice victorian styled night stand with a couple of drawers, queen anne legs, and all that. O . O

[CoffinWorm]

Nice. I love those portable embalming kits.