Pumping Iron: Ashcroft and Moore’s Cast Iron Doorstops Single Owner Collection Sale

Ashcroft and Moore LLC of Hatboro, PA held its Cast Iron Doorstops – Single Owner Collection auction on December 7, 2023. The event featured 349 lots of 19th- and 20th-century cast iron functional and/or decorative items, as well as novelties, all sourced from one suburban Philadelphia estate. Legacy manufacturers on offer included Hubley, Bradley & Hubbard, Taylor Cook, and more. What caught the eyes– and pocketbooks– of collectors bidding on these rarities? Here are some heavy-hitting highlights from this early winter sale.

The top lot in this sale was #348, a still bank in the form of a young Black American boy standing on a cotton bale. Estimated at USD 40 to $400, it sold for $548. He wore a yellow shirt and green pants and was barefoot. This 11-inch tall, multi-piece cast example was unmarked but made in America.

Still (i.e., non-mechanical) cast iron banks debuted in the late 1700s, around the time that the US Mint produced its first copper pennies in 1793. Early banks usually had very simple patterns. Those designed as playful animals and pets were often given to children as toys and to promote the idea of saving money for the future. Adults gravitated towards the more “serious” themed banks, including historical sites, famous people (of the era), and landmarks, and displayed these proudly in their studies, libraries, and parlors. Their popularity was eclipsed with the introduction of mechanical banks in the late 1860s.

Cast iron doorstops and other collectibles representing animals of all sizes and species were a popular category in this sale. Lot #252, a spotted dog cast iron doorstop, was estimated at $40 to $400 and delivered $516. This flat, unmarked example measured 14 inches tall and featured a sitting, spotted hound looking backwards. He had long floppy ears, wore a painted collar, and rested on an angular cushion or riser.

Through the 15th and 16th centuries, most homes used found objects like bricks or rocks as doorstops. By the late 1700s, these were upgraded to more stylized, flat, hollow-backed examples produced from brass or other metals. The first cast iron doorstops appeared in the early 19th century and were sometimes referred to as “door porters.” Given their weight, they were sometimes sold with special long-handled tools to help lift and guide them into place.

This event included a fine selection of fantasy and fairytale creature-themed rarities. Lot #320,

a warrior gnome cast iron doorstop, was estimated at $40 to $400 and traded hands at $516. This single-piece, flat-backed fellow was marked B&H for Bradley and Hubbard. The gnome was dressed head to toe in black, had an impressive, long white beard, and carried a club and shield. He stood on a square stand.

The Bradley & Hubbard Manufacturing Company was located in Meriden, CT. It was in business from 1852 to 1940. The company produced a full range of decorative and functional primarily metal items, including fixtures, ornaments, bells, candlesticks, doorstops, match safes, grills, and railings, among others. B&H items were known for their exceptional quality and design integrity. Over time, the company was able to register and hold 238 patents for its designs and technologies through the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Period cast iron rarities featuring two (or more) characters were also well represented in this auction. Lot #46, a bathing beauties in the rain cast iron doorstop, was estimated at $40 to $400 and made $484. This single-cast, hollow form example had a flat back, measured 11 inches tall, and retained its original paint. It was in the form of two adorable young ladies in bathing suits, posing flirtatiously under a small red and yellow umbrella. It was made by Hubley and designed by A. Fish. This pattern was #350 in the Hubley catalog.

The Hubley Manufacturing Company, incorporated in 1894 in Lancaster, PA, was best known for its cast iron playthings. These items included a full spectrum of horse-pulled and wheeled vehicles, guns, and farm, pet, and wild animal toys. Although factory produced, the company’s toys and doorstops were all painted by hand, giving each a “one of a kind” quality and collectability. Hubley was in business through the 1970s. Artist Anne Harriet Fish (British/American, 1890 – 1964) worked for a number of well-known US brands over the course of her career, including Vanity Fair, Vogue, and the Fulper Pottery company. She designed seven total cast iron doorstops for Hubley; all featured idealized Art Deco-style men and women in playful period attire and poses.

Mechanical banks, bookends, boot scrapers, lawn sprinklers, and other novelties rounded out this well curated sale. Lot #149, a cast iron skater string holder, was estimated at $40 to $400 and delivered $419. This flat-backed rarity featured a young woman dressed in an all-white outfit and matching hat, balancing on one skate near a metal gate. This item retained its original paint as well as its dimensional string-holding bracket in the rear of the piece.

For more information on Ashcroft and Moore’s Cast Iron Doorstops – Single Owner Collection auction on December 7, 2023, visit LiveAuctioneers.

Visit Auction Daily’s news channel for more auction results and art world updates.