Charlton Hall is pleased to announce the sale of the estate of the late Michael Finefrock which includes nearly 1000 pounds of silver. The massive quantity of silver stretching over 400 lots and numbering well over 6500 individual pieces will account for a third of the sale. It will all be sold consecutively on Sunday afternoon.  The silver collection itself consists of rare and important pieces of 18th through early 20th century American and English sterling and coin silver hollow-ware and flatware. Among the pieces are several rare and previously undocumented early fancy patterns of American flatware.  Among the highlighted silver lots are lot 812 a Gale & Son coin silver tea service circa 1850 and lot 760, Georgian sterling footed salver by Paul Storr weighing 40.5 oz troy. Many of the pieces offered from the Finefrock estate were made by the Whiting Manufacturing Company of New York and it is rumored that Finefrock had been working on a book about the company but such a manuscript has not been found.

Michael Finefrock was a Professor of history at the College of Charleston and a long-time resident of Charleston, South Carolina. He received degrees from Princeton and Brown and prior to becoming a Professor he served in the armed forces as a translator in the Middle East. He was an expert on Ottoman history and also collected hundreds of books on the subject. Within his collection are dozens of rare 16th through 18th century volumes such as lot 706, Recueil de Cent Estampes Representant Differentes Nations du Levant by Charles de Ferriol, published in 1715. Its cover is gilt with the arms of John Kerr (c.1680-1741) the 1st Duke of Roxburghe and the interior contains one hundred engravings documenting the costumes of the many ethnic groups within the Levant.  Most of the volumes in the sale are illustrated with rare maps and engravings. The book collection will be sold on the same day as the silver.

The two-day event also includes many unique pieces from private and museum collections. Saturday’s sale will feature fine and decorative arts and furniture including lot 149, a Pennsylvania Chippendale mahogany chest of drawers circa 1770 and lot 263, an extensive Sevres Napoleonic porcelain coffee service by Jean Georget. Also included is a 19th century New England copper weathervane in the form of a rooster, lot 118. Many lots of modern art will also be represented including lot 492, Richard Pettibone’s silkscreen of Andy Warhol’s Two Elvis.

A fine private collection of rare Southern maps and important documents will also be offered Saturday. One of the highlights is lot 68, Pierre Mortier’s circa 1696 map of the Carolinas which lists names of plantation owners along the coast.  The December 20, 1860 Charleston Mercury broadside announcing South Carolina’s secession from the Union will be offered as lot 110 and will be directly followed by Peter Force’s circa 1840 copy of the Declaration of Independence. As usual Charlton Hall will offer a fine selection of Southern artists and stoneware including lot 165 a watercolor of a Lowcountry Cabin with Figure by Alferd Hutty and an unusual churn or vertical storage jar by the slave potter, Dave, lot 17.

The sale will be held on Saturday and Sunday March 26th and 27th with preview exhibition beginning on Wednesday March 23rd. Catalogues are available by contacting Charlton Hall Galleries at 803-779-5678 and an online version of the catalogue is posted on their website www.charltonhallauctions.com.