Blackwell Auctions Offers Historic Floridiana and Americana in March Sale

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Blackwell Auctions of Clearwater, Fla., will offer a wide selection of Florida art and antiques, followed by significant pieces of Americana on March 14 at noon EST. This sale is a follow-up to the January Floridiana auction, which featured a large selection of items from the personal collection of Alfred Frankel, M.D.

Lot 321, Indian Shooting Bear, Mechanical Cast Iron Bank; Estimate $600-$1,200

“The January Florida auction was a popular one,” said Edwin Bailey, Blackwell’s owner, “and some of the strong results came as quite a surprise. Almost immediately after the sale, multiple collectors contacted us and offered some wonderful consignments. And Dr. Frankel pulled out more pieces from his remarkable collection for us.” Alfred Frankel, a retired physician, is a well-known scholar and collector of Florida art. 

In all, there are about 300 pieces of Florida art, photographs and antiques. After the Floridiana is sold, Blackwell will be auctioning nearly 100 pieces of Americana, including a historic collection of documents – never before offered for sale – from a New York family, dating back to the 1690s, and including several Revolutionary War era pieces. One highlight: a document written and signed by Aaron Burr, and addressed to Robert Livingston, one of the five drafters of the Declaration of Independence. 

“It’s an honor to be the first person outside this family to handle, research and sell these historic documents,” Bailey said. “Some of the 1700s indentures we’re offering casually reference some of today’s most valuable real estate in lower Manhattan, such as Wall Street.”