• 2 Frassetto Way - Lincoln Park, NJ 07035
Current Auctions

The Angela Gross Folk Collection

Date 05/29/2025

The first 117 lots are from the estate of Ron Travisano. An advertising executive, Mr. Travisano was responsible for many well-known ad campaigns, including the Meow Mix singing cats and Joe Isuzu. Born in Newark, NJ in 1938, Mr. Travisano was the vice chairman, president and creative director of Della Femina, Travisano & Partners until 1985, when he left to start his own production company Travisano, DiGiacommo Films as a commercial director. The winner of many industry honors including 15 Clio awards and a nomination to the advertising hall of fame, Mr. Travisano retired in 2001. Ron Travisano passed away in January 2025 at the age of 86. Highlights from his collection include a Charpentier bronze, an oil painting by British artist Helen Howard Hatton, and a Daum Nancy vase, as well as several pieces of carved Renaissance Revival furniture, and a number of pieces of art created by Mr. Travisano.

Lincoln Park, NJ – 2/22/24 – Willow Auction House is proud to present the The Angela Gross Folk Collection. 

Willow Auction House will hold the Angela Gross Folk Collection auction on Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 11 A.M. Eastern. Absentee and internet live bidding will be available. The single-owner sale features more than 400 lots of artwork, furniture, silver, fine and costume jewelry, rugs, vintage clothing and handbags, coins, decorative items and more from the estate of New Jersey collector Angela Gross Folk.

Born in the 1930s in Hoboken, New Jersey, Angela Gross Folk (née Nappi), grew to develop a deep passion for art in all its forms. For four decades, Angela and her husband, Dr. Robert Gross, spent much of their time at local antique shops and auction houses around New Jersey and New York City. Together the couple built an impressive and diverse collection, including everything from 19th century silver to paintings by New York City artist Joachim Probst. Angela passed away in 2022. Willow Auction House is proud to offer a wide range of pieces from her collection, with select items from the estate previously sold at Sotheby’s,Toomey, Freeman’s and Neal.  

Throughout the sale bidders will find a large selection of silver, including American and English sterling and coin, as well as Mexican and Continental pieces. Several pieces of Tiffany & Co. Makers sterling are featured, including a serving bowl (lot 342, estimated $500-700) and a grouping of serving pieces in various patterns (lot 240, estimated $700-900). A set of 12 sterling plates weighing more than 7,000 grams (lot 16, estimated $4,000-5000), a Hanau German silver champagne cooler (lot 253, estimated $400-500), and a large grouping of American coin silver spoons (lot 338, estimated $700-800) are also highlights of the collection. And for bidders looking for something a little more modern, the sale also includes two Danish sterling flatware sets by Cohr in the Trinita pattern (lots 248 and 249, each estimated $2,000-4,000).

Always well-dressed, Angela’s collection also includes an impressive selection of fine and costume jewelry, as well as vintage clothing and furs. Costume pieces, including vintage Trifari and DeNicola brooches (lot 82, estimated $200-300), are offered alongside a selection of fine jewelry, including a platinum and diamond ring (lot 200, estimated $2,000-2,500). A Cartier 18 karat gold, diamond, turquoise and sapphire owl pin (lot 198, estimated $3,000-5,000) and a silver squash blossom with a matching bracelet and earrings by Albert Secatero (lot 216, estimated $400-600) are also among the highlights.

Bidders looking for fine art will find a selection of paintings by Joachim Probst, including several from his Campbell Series (lots 181-187, most estimated $200-400), as well as works by Elsie Driggs (lot 254, estimated $800-1,200), Hal Robinson (lot 192, estimated $400-600) and Ben Benn (lots 255-259, most estimated $200-400). The sale also features three cartoons by Barabara Shermund, including one for a 1947 issue of Esquire (lots 270-272, each estimated $500-700). 

A Limoges Hayes Presidential pattern oyster plate (lot 224, estimated $800-1,000), a silvered bronze Yang Kwei Fwei sculpture by Allan Clark (lot 219, estimated $800-1,200), a collection of coins including a 1915 Saint Gaudens $20 gold double eagle (lot 142, estimated $1,800-2,000), and a selection of furniture and rugs round out the sale.

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