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High Drama at George Cole’s Auction House in Red Hook
An 1875 Wooton Patent Renaissance Revival walnut desk at George Cole Auctions
Sam Scripps, who lived for decades in an old stone house on the river in Rhineclif, had a passion for antiques and theater. Now, his love of the former will beneft the latter. On Saturday, March 14, nearly 400 lots from his house will be sold at George Cole Auctions in Red Hook, where Scripps was a familiar front-row presence. Half the proceeds of the sale will go to the Center for the Peforming Arts at Rhinebeck and half to the Morton Memorial Library. “Sam always had the Statue of Liberty pose,” says George Cole, who has been conducting auctions in the Hudson Valley for 33 years. “He always had his hand up. Sam bought a lot of things from me over the years. He had a great collection of theater stuff, Victorian furniture and Eskimo things.” Two of the most notable pieces in the sale are a 19th century painted Italian vegetable cart (which has a low estimate of $2,500) and an 1875 Wooton Patent Renaissance Revival walnut desk (estimate: $10,000 - $12,000). “The desk is very special,” says Cole. “Queen Victoria had one. The Rockefellers had one.” Scripps purchased the vegetable cart from Cole many years ago. “He had it fully restored and then put it in storage,” says Cole.
Scripps was instrumental in helping the Center, which used to perform its plays in a tent, build a permanent home. “He gave substantial sums for the construction, for lights, and for the fly system,” says his longtime friend Andy Weintraub, the Center’s president, who founded the community theater company in 1987. “He was a major supporter of the Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, but he continued to give to us until the end, and he is still giving to us with this auction.”
George Cole Auctions
7578 North Broadway, Red Hook, NY; 845.758.9415
March 12
Wine and cheese preview hosted by the Center for Peforming Arts
6 - 8 PM (no invitation necessary)
March 13
Preview 3 - 8 PM
March 14
Preview 3 - 5:30 PM
Live Auction 5:30 PM
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