LONE JACK, Mo. – The contents of The Vintage House Restaurant in Warrensburg, Missouri, a fine dining establishment that closed its doors about three years ago but doubled as a veritable museum of Victorian-era antiques gathered and displayed there by its late owner Ron Castleman, will headline a multi-estate auction slated for Saturday, February 25th, by Dirk Soulis Auctions.

“I had the pleasure of eating at The Vintage House on several occasions and enjoying Ron’s sizable and impressive collection,” said Dirk Soulis of Dirk Soulis Auctions. “He maintained displays of a Victorian parlor, bedroom and study that were visible across velvet ropes, in a separate area near the dining room. Now, these wonderful items will be sold at public auction.”

The auction will be held in Dirk Soulis Auctions’ gallery, at 529 West Lone Jack-Lee’s Summit Road in Lone Jack, starting at 10 am Central time. For those unable to attend in person, internet bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be taken. For preview times and dates, visit the Dirk Soulis Auctions website, at DirkSoulisAuctions.com.

Also sold will be the Laverne Bates Trust of Ada, Oklahoma, featuring a circa 1920 Belleek porcelain Rathmore basket that is so rare and important it was the subject of a lengthy article in the Salem (Mass.) Evening News. Also from the Trust is a rare matching pair of American Brilliant Cut Glass lamps in the El Tova pattern by the Clark Glass Company, formerly of the Harry Kraut collection, that will be sold as single lots. Mr. Kraut was active in New York in the 1980s as an aggressive dealer-collector of rare cut glass pieces.

In addition, the estate of Theodore Sexton will also cross the auction block. Mr. Sexton was a lifelong bachelor who lived his entire life in a small mansion home on the bluffs of the Missouri River in Leavenworth, Kansas. The contents of that home will be liquidated in their entirety. In all, 700 lots will come up for bid, in two rings (one cataloged, one uncatalogued) on Feb. 25th.

The day will be packed with out-of-the-ordinary furniture items, accessories and collectibles, many of them from the Victorian era – like a large number of highly detailed Belleek porcelain baskets, French Victorian brides’ domes and art glass – while other lots won’t be Victorian but will be in the Victorian tradition. Also up for bid will be a collection of 40 antique inkwells.

Lamps and lighting will feature a gorgeous pair of cut glass lamps, cut in the El Tova pattern by the Clark Glass Company and a fine example of superior cutting, to both the top and base; and a two-bulb lamp cut by the Bergen Glass Company, rare for its size at 30 inches tall and 11 inches in diameter. This exact lamp was featured in an ad in the ACGA Bergen catalog, circa 1912.

Staying in the category, a rare 19th century half cranberry shade lamp, 40 inches tall, with an ornate brass frame, pull-down mechanism and an unusual opalescent hobnail shade cased in cranberry glass will come up for bid. As for vases, a rare and fine Burmese vase attributed to Mount Washington, unsigned, having a plush finish with enamel decoration, will also be sold.

A Belleek 19-inch covered ice bucket vessel on a stand with a figural cover on the cylindrical body, with figures in relief raised on a mermaid support, and with a Gold 7th mark (1980-1992) inside the base, will excite bidders, as will a Roman pattern ABP cut glass tray by Egginton measuring 14 inches, as the rare and desirable pattern would make the piece a fine addition to a collection.

Play ball! A set of three wood and cast-iron end aisle bleacher seats from the old Ebbetts Field in Brooklyn, circa 1912, showing the number 33 on one of the seat backs, would make a great man cave collectible; as would a fine pair of 18th century cased saw-handle dueling pistols, engraved by A. W. Spies, with each percussion black-powder pistol boasting an octagonal 14-bore barrel.

A mid-to-late 19th century cast-iron bench in the White House Rose Garden pattern, signed by the maker (Kramer Brothers of Dayton, Ohio), raised on cabriole legs with acanthus, should spark a bidding war. Also sure to get paddles wagging is a monumental late 19th century Asian bronze sculpture, showing a flared wing eagle, three-toed dragon and water waves, 50 inches tall.

Other top lots will include a signed Amphora waisted cylinder, organic form, with embossed circular cells (or bubbles) encircling the top, and four elephant heads above organic tendrils and green glazes on the base; and a fine and rare Austrian patinated spelter centerpiece, art glass tazza with a standing figure in a flowing gown holding a green oil spot art dish above her head.

The sale will also feature brides baskets and pickle castors, a carved walnut sideboard with Black Forest carved deer, other heavily carved sideboards and armoires, large walnut triple bookcases, out of the ordinary chandeliers and lighting, French Sevres-style bronze mounted porcelain items, 19th century American primitives and more; a rare treat for lovers of Beleek and Victorian.

Dirk Soulis Auctions is always seeking quality consignments for future auctions. To inquire about consigning a single piece, an estate or a collection, you may call them at (816) 697-3830; or, you can e-mail them at Dirk@DirkSoulisAuctions.com. To learn more about Dirk Soulis Auctions and the auction planned for February 25th, please visit www.DirkSoulisAuctions.com.