Stuart Kingston to auction off historic items

Japanese battleship binoculars from World War II.

Dolls from the Civil War era.

A Revolutionary War-era American flag.

Make no mistake, historical collectors will be in hog heaven Saturday, Sept. 27, as Stuart Kingston auction house in Rehoboth Beach is set to sell artifacts from the oldest brick house in Maryland.

The auction, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at the auction house, 330 Rehoboth Ave., features items from the Watson family estate. Stuart Kingston co-owner Mauria Stein said the family is now spread across the country and is looking to divest itself of some of its artifacts.

“They called me and said, ‘Sell it,’” Stein said. “You should see the stuff I didn’t get.”

According to the Watson family, the items come from four different households: the Whitings of Plymouth, Mass.; the Howlands of Long Plain, Mass.; and the Grayson and Ellicott families, who lived at Cross Manor, a historic home in St. Mary’s County, Md. that dates back to the mid-1700s.

Stein said family members traveled extensively around the world, bringing back souvenirs from their journeys. According to the Watson family, the Whiting family collected most of the European art as patriarch William Whiting was a solicitor in the U.S. War Department and later congressman from Massachusetts who traveled to Europe on business.

The Ellicotts are responsible for much of the Asian and military items. John Ellicott was a career Naval officer who sailed to Japan in the early 1900s and is believed to have brought back a tea chest and antique mah jhong set that that will be up for bid. Thomas Watson was also a career military officer and married into the Ellicott family. The Japanese binoculars, shell casings and marine uniforms are all from his side of the family. Stein said it is likely the family did not even know the binoculars were there, and that the case hasn’t been opened since the 1960s.

Cross Manor is still in existence and was most recently owned by journalist Ted Koppel. At one time, the family also lived at the Ross Mansion in Seaford, Stein said.

Stein anticipates a lot of bidding for this particular auction. The most popular items include the Revolutionary War flag, which features 13 stars and is estimated to sell for between $3,000 and $5,000 and a set of antique dolls that date back to the Civil War. Stein said a set of Madame Alexander Dionne dolls still in the original boxes have received a great deal of interest.

The most expensive item is an antique clock that dates back to 1805 and is estimated to go for up to $15,000. Stein said the clock was originally built for a deaf person.

“They collected a lot of odd things,” she said.

To view the items up for sale and for bid information, go to www.stuartkingston.com/auctions or call 302-227-2524.