Big multi-estate auction is planned for Saturday, Nov. 27, in Flowery Branch, Ga., north of Atlanta

FLOWERY BRANCH, GA, November 12, 2010 (Press-News.org) Hundreds of lots of quality, fresh-to-the-market pieces of high-end furniture, fine art, china, pottery, decorative accessories, collectibles and more will be sold at auction Saturday, Nov. 27, by Flowery Branch Auction & Antiques, located at 5540 Atlanta Highway in Flowery Branch, a town situated north and east of Atlanta, off Interstate 985.

The sale will begin promptly at 10 a.m., and will be held inside the same venue as a monthly antiques and collectibles show, also staged by Flowery Branch Auction & Antiques. A spacious, 20,000-square-foot building serves both purposes. The antiques and collectibles show boasts around 60 dealers. An on-site restaurant will serve both breakfast and lunch at the auction.

The furniture will carry names like Henredon, Century, Baker, Hekman, Hepplewhite and Kimball. China will feature sets by Royal Doulton, Metlox, Wedgwood and Villeroy & Boch. Pottery pieces will include examples by Rookwood (signed "VT" by the artist, Vera Tischler) and Amphora, plus a stoneware jug by E. Kane that says "No. 5 President St., Brooklyn, L.I."

Fine art will feature a bronze figure by Pierre LaFaguays, plus many original paintings and prints. Decorative accessories will include a diminutive Orrefors vase, a pair of bronze urns, two large Oriental temple vases, a small "Six Tribes" vase signed by artist S. A. Hill, a rare early blackamoor figure on a pedestal with ivory teeth and eyes, and many additional pieces.

Other items expected to generate interest include a framed 1697 debenture with original seal, a framed 1655 indenture with original seals, a 1939 New York World's Fair gentleman's cane with attached convenience seat, a map of the Southern Railway System, a vintage cardboard Pepsi sign, a large Great Bear Springs water bottle, and a vintage Winchester 12-gage shotgun.

Following is information on some of the manufacturers that will be featured in the sale:

Henredon was founded in Morganton, N.C., in 1945 by four men determined to build furniture of custom quality. The initial product line consisted of just three chests. It has since mushroomed into hundreds of beautiful wood and upholstery designs for every room in the house. A great amount of hand and detail work goes into each piece of Herendon furniture.

Since its founding in 1947, Century Furniture has evolved into one of the most revered names in the home furnishings industry. From its manufacturing facility in Hickory, N.C., Century is able to customize whatever the customer wants, the way an artist is commissioned to create a fine work of art. The firm boasts over 2,000 fabrics, leathers and trims and 50+ finishes.

Like Century, Baker is a premier furnishings manufacturer and designer. The firm was started by Siebe Baker, a craftsman who worked with his hands and produced reliable, sturdy furniture. Later on, his son, Hollis, an educated and well-traveled man, brought to the firm the eye of a collector. To this day, the eye and the hand remain the cornerstone of Baker Furniture.

Hekman Furniture Company was founded by a Dutch immigrant to Grand Rapids, Mich., named Edsko Hekman. Initially a baker when he came to the U.S. in 1893, Edsko founded the Keebler Company. His sons - John, Jelle and Henry - fulfilled his lifelong dream of starting a furniture company, and to this day Hekman is widely recognized as a premier furniture supplier.

The auction will feature an executive desk made by Kimball, a firm that made its first desk in 1970 under the name Kimball Office (today it is part of Kimball International, Inc.). Kimball desks and chairs have been featured in numerous movies and TV shows, and Kimball desks have been made for the Vice President of the U.S., U.S. Senators and Pentagon officials.

The name Hepplewhite is renowned among furniture connoisseurs and collectors. Named after George Hepplewhite (1727-1786), one of the big three English furniture makers of the 19th century (along with Sheraton and Chippendale), Hepplewhite refers to a distinctive style of light, elegant furniture that was fashionable from 1775-1800 and later spawned many reproductions.

The Royal Doulton Company is a British firm, makers of tableware and collectibles since 1815. Its product line includes dinnerware, giftware, cookware, porcelains, glassware, jewelry, linens, curtains and lighting. It is now part of the Waterford Wedgwood group and most of its products are made in the Far East and Indonesia. A Royal Doulton china set will cross the block.

Metlox (a name that combines "metal" and "oxide" and refers to the glaze pigments) started out as a manufacturer of ceramic housewares in California in 1927 before switching to dinnerware in 1931. Its "Poppytrail" kitchen pottery became popular for its brightly colored glazes derived from locally mined metallic oxides. Metlox went out of business in Jan. 1988.

Wedgwood was founded way back in 1759 in Britain as Josiah Wedgwood & Sons. In 1987 the company merged with Waterford Crystal, creating Waterford Wedgwood, the Ireland-based luxury brands group. The firm still exists today as a subsidiary within the group, although it was placed into administration in 2008. A Wedgwood china service will be sold at the auction.

The name Villeroy & Boch is famous worldwide for its innovative designs of bathrooms, coordinated tableware, glassware, cutlery and accessories. The firm began in the tiny French village of Audun le Tiche, in 1748, as a pottery company. It later moved to Luxembourg, where it still operates a porcelain factory today, and in 1836 to Mettlach, Germany, its current home.

Switching from china to pottery, Amphora is an art pottery that was produced in Austria between 1892 and around 1920. Amphora combined delicate craftsmanship with remarkable imagination and was noted for delving into Symbolism, Art Nouveau, Secessionism and other Austrian movements of the day. That way, they were able to produce a wide range of designs.

Rookwood Pottery (based in Cincinnati) was founded in 1880 by Maria Longworth Nichols Storer as a way to market her hobby - painting blank tableware. Through years of experimentation with glazes and kiln temperatures, she eventually built her own kiln, hired a number of excellent chemists and artists and produced quality pottery that's still desired today.

Flowery Branch Auction & Antiques is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions, and is now taking qualified vendor applications for dealer space. "The quality of our dealer offerings is right up there with other shows around town," remarked Mr. Frey. "That quality, added to the friendly, helpful atmosphere, is what sets us apart from similar events."

To consign an item, estate or collection, you may call Flowery Branch Auction & Antiques at (770) 967-9080; or you can e-mail them at dannyfrey@gmail.com or tschulte@fbauctionsandantiques.com. To learn more about the Nov. 27 auction and the ongoing monthly shows, please log on to http://www.flowerybranchantiques.com. Updates are posted often.