Now for a raft of reasons tribal artefacts from Africa don't seem to capture the imagination of the average tribal art collector here in the South Pacific so there were bargains a plenty, with the top price in this section going to a figure from the Democratic of Congo, lot 41, which sold for $1,300 against an estimate of $2,000-$4,000
The pace of the purchasing power changed somewhat when the next department of the sale went under the hammer.
A large low fired South American urn of a seated male figure sold for $3,500
Originally sold by Dunbar Sloane in 1972, it had a pre-sale estimate of $6,000-$8,000
The next specialist area was listed as Oceanic which included a fine collection of Australian Aboriginal artefacts from the Mick Pendergrast collection the majority purchased from Darwin's Methodist Mission in the mid 1960's.
Needless to say, most of the bark paintings in this fine collection went to a Sydney dealer bidding by phone, with the top examples selling for around the $700-$800 mark, while an Aboriginal shield lot 195 from the Darling River region sold well for $1,200 against a top estimate of $400 and another one of ovoid form, lot 198, sold for $1,600.
Tongan war clubs sold very well, achieving the top prices in this section was lot 123 selling for $10,000 and lot 238 selling subject to vendor approval for $7,000 while a superb Tongan headrest inlaid with small segments of marine mammal ivory sold well at $10,000 against its pre-sale estimate of $3,000-$5,000. Another artefact that sold well was a large New Caledonian ''bird head'' club from the Pendergrast Collection. It achieved $3,400 against an estimate of $1,200-$1,600
As we know all too well, there were a few surprises in this miscellaneous section and there was the odd bargain to be had for the astute buyer. It included a Japanese fire fighters tool (axe) lot 223 to a 1900 letterpress page of the Samoan Weekly Herald printed on tapa cloth which was passed in at $2,250 which just goes to show that yesterday's papers are worth the tapa they are printed on if you can find the right buyer at $5,000-$10,000
The New Zealand (Maori) section of the catalogue was the largest segment of the sale and it contained some real surprises
Top price in this segment went to the ''important large Maori double-sided carved wooden panel'' sourced from an anonymous European private collection. This rather curious, clumsy copy of an important carved panel (poupou) by the significant Ngati Tarawhai carver Tene Waitere sold well below the estimate of $60,000-$80,000 to a telephone bidder for $52,000
In sharp contrast to the clumsy double sided dubious ''door'' were 2 beautiful and very rare mid-19th century whalebone ''teki''. This brace of cartridge makers lot 290 / 291 both sold for $12,500 each just above the top estimate of $12,000
Another highlight in the sale was an excellent whalebone kotiate (handclub) which sold well at $7,400, in the mid-range of the estimate of $5,000-$10,000. The demand for good genuine whalebone artefacts is strong, whereas the market for Maori cloaks seems to have dropped right away as the results in this sale showed only to clearly with a number of lots getting passed in well below expectations.
Good greenstone (pounamu) artefacts always command good prices with a real surprise going to a recently carved pekapeka (native bat) selling for $3,000, the same price as a greenstone mere (hand club).
Another remarkable result was a rare and beautifully carved walking stick (tokotoko), lot 311, by Jacob Heberley from the beginning of the 20th century. This elaborately carved piece sold well at $24,000
Now we all know that the opera ain't over until the final curtain touches the stage floor and the last lot in the taxidermy segment of 20 lots caught everybody by complete surprise. A box of five various birds that ''needed attention'' sold for a mammoth $4,500 to the amazement of the dozen or so people left to the bitter end.
What sent this lot through the roof was a small extinct and rare-in-any-condition native South Island thrush (piopio) that was listed as extinct after 1895, and so it was with that lot the final curtain fell on an auction full of surprises and wake up calls.
The sale grossed around the $350,000 mark.
The Militaria section of the sale of 301 lots will held on the 29th of October at the same venue.
All prices shown are hammer and are in $NZ.