Maine Antique Digest's Lita Solis-Cohen recaps the January Americana sale at Christie's which reaped a decent $5,681,025 (including buyers' premiums) for 398 lots sold. The recession-induced dip in the antiques market was evident with American furniture. Lots in the $50,000 range proved soft with several passing.

Bright spots included a Philadelphia compass seat stool, circa 1750, which snagged a $482,500 high bid from dealer C.L. Prickett. (A similar stool sold at Sotheby's to Albert Sack for over $5.2 million in Sept. 2008.)

Another star lot was a circa 1855 double portrait by Ammi Phillips which achieved a solid $782,500 (est. $300,000/500,000). The auction record for Phillips is $1,248,000 garnered in the heady days of 2007 for Portrait of a Young Girl and Her Cat.