Feast Your Eyes On These Thanksgiving Themed Auction Highlights

Here’s some food for thought as we enter the fall to winter holiday season. In 2025, Thanksgiving related artwork, antiques, collectibles, and ephemera continue to whet the appetite of collectors worldwide. Here are some recent and impressive Thanksgiving themed sales results that caught the eye of the Auction Daily team. All prices noted include the auction house’s buyer’s premium.

On April 26, 2025, Slotin Folk Art of Buford, GA sold lot #72, Sister Gertrude Morgan’s Thanksgiving for $4,000. It held a presale estimate of $4,000-6,000. This paint on found cardstock work was framed and measured 23″ x 16″ overall. It was illustrated with a red and orange turkey; pink, tan, and orange fruits and vegetables; a large white house on the horizon; white clouds against a red sky; and a handwritten, religious toned prayer of gratitude. The artist signed the painting across the middle of the work in script writing. 

Sister Gertrude Morgan (American, 1900- 1980), who left school in the third grade, was an entirely self-taught artist, musician, poet, and evangelist. She began painting in 1956 because she said a voice from God told her to do so. All of her artwork had overt religious themes, often incorporating images from scripture and words of prayer. On January 20, 2017, Morgan’s Precious Lord – painted in the 1970-1975 time frame – sold for $68,750 at Christie’s.

On April 12, 2025, Matthew Bullock Auctioneers of Ottawa, IL sold lot #0170, a 1934 Detroit Lions vs Chicago Bears 1st Thanksgiving game program for $819 on a $600-700 presale estimate. This program was for a game held on November 29, 1934; this was also was the first NFL game to be broadcast across the United States by the NBC radio network. The mosaic style cover is decorated with a photo of two lion cubs, stock images of three identical grizzly bears on all fours, and a cropped photo of the Lion’s quarterback Dutch Clark catching a football. The inside pages of the program included advertisements for local businesses, as well as photos and stories about the game day players.

Dutch Clark (b. Earl Harry “Dutch” Clark 1906-1978) was all things football. Nicknamed “the Flying Dutchman” and “the Old Master”, he is celebrated at the College Football Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. He began his career as an all-star in several sports at Colorado College. He would go on to play football for the Detroit Lions, where his number 7 jersey was the first ever to be retired by the team. You can see Clark wearing the number 7 jersey on the cover of the Thanksgiving program. After retiring from football, he coached both on the national and collegiate levels. The high school football stadium in Pueblo, CO is named “Earl ‘Dutch’ Clark Stadium” in his honor and memory. 

On July 21, 2025, Flying Pig Auctions of Westmoreland, NH sold lot 0162, a flow blue China Royal Cauldon Thanksgiving turkey meat platter for $375. It held a presale estimate of $50-1,000. This oversized serving plate measured 17″x19″ and was made around 1904. It was decorated with a central image of a female turkey in tall grasses, with a male turkey and baby turkey in the foreground. The platter’s scalloped edges featured a foliage and floral border, with four different game birds evenly spaced around the periphery. The back was stamped Cauldon England in blue. 

Flow blue China, which evolved and gained popularity between the 1820s and the turn of the 20th century, refers to the blurred, flowing quality of a blue glaze on a white background. This process was invented unintentionally, but would go on to become very fashionable throughout the Victorian era. Popular themes created in the flow blue style include Orientalist, floral, and idealized nature vignettes, much like the decoration seen on the Cauldon turkey platter. 

On March 22, 2025, Matthew Bullock Auctioneers of Ottawa, IL sold lot #0099, a collection of over 300 antique Thanksgiving postcards, for $315. This lot held a presale estimate of $30-300. Almost all were preserved in plastic sleeves. Images of turkeys, corn, food ladened tables, autumnal foliage, and pumpkins, were well represented in the archive. Uncle Sam, pilgrims, and cherubic children also appeared on many of the mailers. 

This collection most likely dates from the late 1800s through about 1915; this is considered to be the “golden age” of postcard production. During this time, there were great advances in printing technologies which enabled the mass production of colorful and appealing penny postcards. In addition, the mail service was expanding and becoming more reliable across the United States. Today, antique holiday postcards, especially those celebrating Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Christmas, continue to be very popular with collectors – perhaps due to their relatively accessible price points; charming, quirky, and/or nostalgic images; and ease of display and storage. 

On June 14, 2025, Florida Estate Sales Inc. of Tallahassee, FL, sold lot #204435, a two piece Kirk’s Folly brand ornate Thanksgiving jewelry set, for $118.75 on its $120-10,000 presale estimate.  The pair included a cuff bracelet and a matching pin. Both were made from gold toned metal with extensive bead, charm, and enamel decorations. The bracelet featured a bejeweled turkey, a pumpkin and gourd, leaves, fruits, vegetables, and other November themes. The pin was decorated with a turkey, a gourd, flowers, fruits, acorns, leaves, and even a tiny charm in the form of the Mayflower vessel. 

Kirk’s Folly was founded in New York City in 1979 by the Kirk sisters who loved to create and decorate. Their company name reflects the sister’s surname plus the word “Folly” to imply “playfulness.” Over time, the Kirk’s Folly lines have included jewelry, home accessories, and clothing. Most items have a distinctly “fantasy” touch to them, and incorporate jewels, good luck symbols, fairies, pixies, planets, and other auspicious symbols. Still in business today, the company primarily sells now through QVC, their website, and authorized resellers. 

Curious about previous year’s Thanksgiving highlights? Check out these Auction Daily articles:

Feasting on Thanksgiving Art Auction Highlights From 2023

Auction Daily’s 2021 Thanksgiving Treasure Hunt

Captions, all images from Live Auctioneers:

• 72:  On April 26, 2025, Slotin Folk Art of Buford, GA sold lot #72, Sister Gertrude Morgan’s Thanksgiving for $4,000. 
• 0170: On April 12, 2025, Matthew Bullock Auctioneers of Ottawa, IL sold lot #0170, a 1934 Detroit Lions vs Chicago Bears 1st Thanksgiving game program for $819. 
• 0162: On July 21, 2025, Flying Pig Auctions of Westmoreland, NH sold lot 0162, a flow blue China Royal Cauldon Thanksgiving turkey meat platter for $375.
• 0099: On March 22, 2025, Matthew Bullock Auctioneers of Ottawa, IL sold lot #0099, a collection of 300+ antique Thanksgiving postcards, for $315.  
• 204435: On June 14, 2025, Florida Estate Sales Inc. of Tallahassee, FL, sold lot #204435, a two piece Kirk’s Folly Thanksgiving jewelry set, for $118.75.