MARINE CITY, Mich. — Marine City Antique Warehouse is a one-stop shop, whether you like to leisurely browse antique malls or prefer a fast-paced auction. The 15,000-square-foot antique warehouse was opened in 1991 by John DeMuch. It houses 28 dealers offering a wide range of merchandise.

If auctions are more your style, the business holds an auction the first Thursday of each month, from March through October. A March 5 auction offered some nice pottery and furniture. DeMuch often adds last-minute items to the auction, which are not advertised, giving each sale a bit of mystery.

Auctioneer Doug Dalton was on hand to call the bids, and DeMuch spelled him to allow for breaks during the evening. There is no buyers premium charged at Marine City.

Arranged and displayed beautifully on china cabinets were two sets of dinnerware. Both sets were very large and included nearly complete service for 12, as well as many serving pieces. Centennial Rose pattern by Royal Albert had both coffee and teapots, platters and other hard-to-find service pieces and ended at $310. Royal Doulton’s Chantilly Rose bloomed to $160 and included platters, bowls and gravy boat.

A cranberry castor set reached $275, while matching Royal Winton Chintz cup, saucer and crumpet dish found a new home for $25. A large hand-blown Murano cockatiel flapped to $35.

An ovoid stoneware jar with bold cobalt decoration of leaves reached a high bid of $27. Ending at $60 were three pieces of Watt pottery in the Starflower pattern: two different bowls and a creamer. Cornucopia style vases by both Roseville and Weller were offered with the Roseville besting the Weller example $70 to $30. Other Roseville included a large cookie jar with lid for $70 and an early planter going for $75. A matt green Van Briggle tulip style planter sprang to $55.

Most of the furniture offered was very clean and in ready-to-use condition. An interesting and functional piece was an official Harry Potter bed. The loft style bed featured a chest of drawers and lots of cubby space under the Hogwarts Castle inspired canopy. Officially licensed by Warner Brothers, it was complete down to the broomstick, which doubled as a clothes rod. Originally retailing for $1,800 nine years ago, the set will make a bit of magic for another child for $175.

Among the antique furniture of note were several Victorian pieces. A lovely and ornate Victorian walnut bookcase with stick and ball detailing, earned $180. Making $90 each was a pair of needlepoint upholstered armchairs which sported plastic covers to protect the fancy work on seat, back and arms. The covers did their job, as the chairs were still in clean and colorful shape. A compact and nice Victorian folding rocking chair sold for $55.

For the more modern collector, a smaller retro chrome table in blue came with two chairs for $55. An artsy shell-back chair, upholstered in dusty pink fabric, ran to $75.

Decorative pieces ranged from tiny German bisque miniatures to full size stained and beveled glass windows. A collection of Hummel figurines sold, with a large Merry Wanderer earning $175. Rising to $70 was a jewel-colored stained glass window apparently from a long past church, as it was marked with a Donated by inscription. Five double-hung leaded windows sold together for $75.

Trays of nice jewelry were presented and sold by the lot. Each tray was varied and included jewelry ranging from Victorian portrait pins to mosaic brooches and Lucite-look sets. Beaded pieces added some dimension to each lot, which ended from $20 to $45 per tray.

The auctioneers also sold many tray lots of glass, china and pottery, which each sold by the tray, expediting the auction and pleasing bidders. Trays were grouped to include like items, when possible, as four different Carnival glass pitchers sold together for $35. A nice assortment of glass paperweights sold for $90. Two old sterling Kentucky Derby cups and some old cigarette lighters highlighted another tray, which lit to $70. Eleven 1950s frosted cocktail glasses bubbled up $20.

This whole sale ran very smoothly with the help of several dedicated employees. The ringmen took all the large items right out the sliding door behind the auction block to the warehouse loading dock. The method reduced clutter in the auction arena and made for easy pick-up at auction’s end. Bidders could elect to have other small items placed on the dock also, which minimized handling of the fragile glass items and eliminated the need to search for boxes or packing material during the sale. Ring help this night were Will and Nick Baker, Dave and Jeremy Latshaw, and Butch and Erica Durham. Clerk Ken Schmidt kept the pages turning as he wrote the tags and cashier Kim Hart expedited the line at checkout. Owner John DeMuch and his assistant, Dawn Schmidt, know how to run a comfortable, fast-paced sale that offered a nice variety of merchandise.

Marine City Antique Warehouse is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The monthly auctions are held in the adjoining wing of the antique warehouse building with the next auction scheduled for May 7. For details, please check for their advertisement in The Auction Exchange and Collectors News.

Contact: (810) 765-1119,

www.bestantiquemall.com.

For information on upcoming Doug Dalton auctions visit www.dougdaltonauctioneer.com.