Here Be Old Things: Clarke Auction Gallery: deals on estate furniture and mid-century modern

Clarke (C&C) Auction Gallery
20 North Avenue in Larchmont
(914) 833-8336

Bidders rest on one of the lots at Clarke.

New York City is almost cursed with a number of big name auction houses. Christie's, Sotheby's, Doyle . . . where's the fun of going to an auction if you have to worry about wearing the right designer shoes?

Luckily, there are still some "real world" auction houses in the area. Clarke Auction Gallery is one of these. Comfortable and unassuming, patronized by dealers looking for inventory, interior designers shopping for clients, and apartment self-decorators fleeing Pottery Barn, Clarke has some great finds.

Practically everyone I spoke to said the same thing: "I'm here for the mid-century modern." While every Clarke auction features something unique, that aesthetic matches owner Ronan Clarke's interests, and he's been pulling in as much of it as he can find. Monday night he pointed to a Tommi Parzinger chandelier and said that based on callers' interest, he thought it might draw up to $9,000., well over the catalogue estimate of $3–5,000.

Unfortunately, I hadn't come prepared to buy. What a mistake. When the Persian rugs started flying out the door for $200., it was over too fast for me to scramble for a number. Some of the furniture that had looked a little sad and tired during the preview suddenly looked a lot more attractive when the runners hauled it out of the heap and pushed it forward for bidding. I scratched my head a couple of times and thought, "That's affordable. Why didn't I see that?"

But my judgement wasn't as poor as a lady's standing next to me. I'd looked over a pair of nice burl side tables and a matching frame; when the runners grabbed them and held them up for bidding, the woman hissed to her companion, "I would have thrown that out with the trash!" Her eyes popped when the tables and frame hammered for $1400., almost $1000 over the estimate. I was left with wallet intact but feeling smug for having such good taste. Those tables are coming to a fancy antiques shop near you soon, lady.

That night, with so many mid-century aficionados around, many items soared over their estimate, driven up by bidders competing both in-house and over the phones. (The buyer's premium is 15% for cash or check, which is more reasonable than the 25% many houses charge.) A little over 300 lots rolled through, moving at a rate of about 75 lots an hour. Clarke holds auctions a little more than monthly (15–16 a year) on either Sunday or Monday; with a 6:00 p.m. start on Mondays, you can grab the 30 minute train to Larchmont, walk the few steps from the station to the auction house, grab a number, bid, and be back home in the city in time to catch Leno. (Check their site for preview times.)

In the end, the chandelier Ron Clarke had pointed out to me hammered for $11,000. The house believes this to be a record for that fixture, proving that while Clarke may look unassuming, its lots are often top-notch. Sometimes, in fact, the only difference between Christie's and this auction is that, at Clarke, when you hold your number up to bid on a Tommi Parzinger chandelier, you can do so wearing your jeans and running shoes.

See also: Up, Up and Away [The New York Times]

Directions: by train from Manhattan, arrive in Larchmont and take the stairs at the southern end of the platform; North Avenue is directly in front of you at the top of the stairs, and Clarke is at the end of the street.