A cigar store Indian attributed to Samuel Robb or Thomas Brooks has achieved $675,000 at Guyette, Schmidt and Deeter in Maryland - a world record for a tobacconist's carving.
The piece was valued at $125,000-250,000 - equating to an increase of 175% on its estimate.
 Female examples of cigar store carvings are particularly rare |
The rare Indian princess figure was carved circa 1880 in New York and features bold colours glazed with varnish along with exquisite detailing.
A bundle of cigars are held in the left hand while a handful of tobacco leaves are held in the right.
The carvings were traditionally used as the symbol for a tobacconist, in reference to the crop's origins in the new world.
The lot smashed the previous record - held by a carving that sold at Heritage Auctions in 2010 for $203,150.
A rare hollow-carved swan by William Basnight circa 1890 was another lot at the sale that achieved a significant increase on estimate.
 The Basnight swan had not been seen for over 50 years |
Valued at $15,000-20,000, it took $162,500 - up 712%.
The swan comes from the James "Spann" Jeffers collection - which featured a number of decoys of great significance that have been stored in an attic since the 1950s.
The piece is in good condition, despite its age, marred only by a few small cracks and a worn area on the edge of the tail.
Another piece from the Jeffers collection - a rare bufflehead drake made by Nathan Cobb Jr in the late 1800s - made $60,000.
The November 7 sale concluded Guyette, Schmidt and Deeter's Fall Season Auction - the first half of which saw the sale of a rare merganser drake by Harry Shourds.
Sign up to our free newsletter for more from the world of collecting.
