Collected Character: Five Standout Lots from the Nancy Jo Fox Estate

There are estate auctions that feel less like a collection of objects and more like a glimpse into the personality of the person who assembled them. Day 1 Estate Collection of the Late Nancy Jo Fox of North Carolina, presented by Mebane Antique Auction Gallery, is one of those sales. Taking place live on October 16, 2026, the auction brings together decorative arts, folk art, period metalwork, and wonderfully distinctive objects with a strong sense of history and character. 
 

From a pair of fox-shaped lamps to an ingenious Victorian carriage warmer, the collection rewards a closer look. Here are five lots that capture the range, and charm, of the sale.
A Pair of Foxes with Plenty of Personality (Lot 1001)
It seems fitting that an estate bearing the Fox name would include a pair of wonderfully theatrical anthropomorphic fox table lamps. Dating to the late 20th century, each cast-composition fox stands dressed for the hunt in a maroon riding coat, black vest, white shirt, and gold-painted cravat. The figures support twin lights topped with their original distressed faux-toleware shades, while brass laurel wreath details add another layer of traditional English country-house style. Measuring 24.25 inches tall, the lamps are described as being in excellent working condition. 

They are playful without feeling purely novelty-driven, the kind of decorative pieces that could bring personality to a library, study, or layered traditional interior.

A Carved Canine from the Late 19th Century (Lot 1002)
Animal imagery continues with a Victorian Renaissance Revival carved dog-head wall plaque. The late 19th-century European oak carving depicts a dachshund in high relief, mounted within an elaborate French-style carved cartouche. At just under seven inches high, it is a relatively small object, but the deeply carved details give it plenty of presence. The catalog suggests it may originally have been part of a German hunting board, adding an intriguing clue to its earlier life. 

Objects like this have an appealing architectural quality. Removed from their original context, they become sculptural accents in their own right and speak to the craftsmanship, and affection for sporting themes, of the Victorian era.

American Folk Art on the Move (Lot 1003)
One of the collection’s most visually striking pieces is a late 19th-century folk art surrey cart jockey weather vane component. Made from pressed sheet metal, the seated driver retains its original pole mount and weathered yellow-painted surface. The surrey buggy and horse are no longer present, but the figure’s outstretched arms once held wire reins, making its original function easy to imagine. 

That incomplete quality is arguably part of its charm. The worn paint, visible oxidation, and simplified silhouette give the piece the unmistakable character collectors often look for in American folk art, evidence of age, use, and time spent outdoors.

Victorian Ingenuity for Cold-Weather Travel (Lot 1004)
Before heated car seats, or cars themselves, travelers had to be more inventive about staying warm. This English Victorian portable brass carriage foot warmer offers a fascinating example of 19th-century practicality.
Constructed of brass with an original bail handle and turned wooden grip, the warmer also features rosewood feet and footrests, decorative masks at the handle terminals, and its original insert. Designed for use in horse-drawn carriages or trains, these portable heaters could be filled with hot coals, embers, or heated stones. Pierced openings allowed warmth to circulate, while the wooden fittings helped protect the user from excessive heat. 

Today, it reads almost like a piece of industrial design: useful, decorative, and remarkably thoughtful in its construction.

A Fireside Essential with Decorative Flair (Lot 1005)
Rounding out the group is a 19th-century English brass and wrought iron fireside trivet, another household object that transforms function into ornament. The mid-19th-century piece features a pierced brass face, turned wooden handle, wrought iron feet, and mounting hook. Most appealing is the decoration: a phoenix rising from flames worked into the brass plate. 

Traditionally positioned by the hearth or hooked onto a fireplace fender, trivets like this were used to hold kettles, pans, or irons near the fire. It is an evocative reminder that even the most practical objects in a Victorian home could be given a sense of ceremony.

A Collection Built on Character
What connects these five lots is not a single period or material, but a shared sense of personality. Animals, folk traditions, domestic rituals, and finely crafted functional objects all find a place in the Nancy Jo Fox estate.
For collectors, that variety is part of the appeal. Whether drawn to whimsical decorative arts, 19th-century craftsmanship, sporting imagery, or objects that tell a story about everyday life in another era, Mebane Antique Auction Gallery’s October 16 sale offers plenty to discover, and these highlights are only the beginning. Register to bid on Bidsquare.com.