Nest Egg Auctions To Host Gala Holiday New Year’s Auction On Jan. 7

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release:  Dec. 27, 2011

Tiffany & Co. grandfather clock, Guy Wiggins painting among sale’s highlights

MERIDEN, Conn. – The Brechlins are home for the holidays and will celebrate as the Connecticut family’s Nest Egg Auctions presents its annual Gala Holiday New Year’s Auction on Saturday, Jan. 7. The sale will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern time.

Those attending the 209-lot auction will be offered festive hospitality, with complimentary food and drink; and live music.

“Everyone comes to our New Year’s auction,” said auctioneer Ryan Brechlin. “Hey, free shrimp!”

Along with the food and entertainment, guests will be able to enjoy previewing an outstanding lineup of antiques and collectibles on display prior to the auction.

LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding for those who cannot attend the sale, which will be held at Nest Egg Auctions’ gallery at 30 Research Parkway in Meriden.

Ryan Brechlin will oversee the event together with his sister Jennifer Brechlin and their mother Mary Ellen Brechlin. All three family members work full time for the second-generation auction house. Present in spirit will be the family patriarch, Carl Brechlin, who died in 2008.

The Jan. 7 auction will be Nest Egg’s first sale of 2012. What better way to ring in the New Year than with a late-19th-century Tiffany & Co. grandfather clock that stands an impressive 100 inches tall and has all the bells and whistles expected of a fine Tiffany timepiece.

“It has a good German movement [Winterhalder & Hofmeier] and a beautifully carved mahogany case,” said Ryan Brechlin. “It’s enormous. People who want a Tiffany clock like them big.”

With a sun and moon dial, eight bells and Westminster chimes – all in running condition – the clock is estimated at $3,000-$5,000.

Another large mechanical marvel in the sale is a Model 92 National cash register, which was custom made for a New York department store, Barton & Hoysradt, around 1902. The register is fully functional and includes all keys and its original instruction book. The entire piece – register and attached cabinet – measures approximately 19 1/2 inches by 26 inches by 36 inches and has a $1,000-$2,000 estimate.

“It’s a cool piece, one of the biggest registers National made. The drawers all integrated to the different departments in the store,” said Brechlin.

Another choice mechanical device in the auction is a Mills Novelty Co. American War Eagle nickel slot machine from the mid-1930s. From an Old Saybrook, Conn., estate, the classic one-arm bandit in working order is expected to make $1,000-$2,000.

The auction’s high point may come with the introduction of a Guy Carleton Wiggins (American, 1883-1962) oil-on-board painting of the New York Library in a winter storm. The artwork executed in quintessential Wiggins style carries a $5,000-$10,000 estimate.

“It has everything you want in a Guy Wiggins painting – New York in winter, snow and American Flags,” said Brechlin. “This one has two flags.” 

Brechlin noted that the 12-inch by 16-inch Wiggins painting is from the Alfred Cheney Johnston Collection. Johnston was a famed New York City-based photographer known for his portraits of Ziegfeld Follies showgirls as well as of 1920s/1930s actresses. The final 65 lots of the auction consist exclusively of Johnston photos of this type.

“This will be the last of the Alfred Cheney Johnston estate photographs, which we’ve spread over three auctions during the past year. Because they’re the last offering, I’m hoping people will go a little crazy for them,” said Bechlin.

Some of Johnston’s beautiful subjects were noted silent film stars. These particular images will be sold individually. Many other lots include multiple images. Estimates range from several hundred to several thousand dollars.

While the subject matter was risqué for its time, Johnston’s work was technically and artistically superb, and is highly collectible today. The enlargements, many 10 inches by 13 inches, are in excellent condition.

An especially desirable collector’s item in the sale is an Art Deco porcelain figure of a woman made by Lenci of Torino, Italy. The sultry blonde, wearing a short dress and carrying a basket of flowers, stands 9½ inches high. With minor damage, it has a $500-$1,000 estimate. 

“Lenci was a small Italian pottery and their best pieces are highly sought after,” said Brechlin. “We sold a Lenci piece earlier in the year for around $13,000.”

A line from the popular 1934 hit Winter Wonderland – “Gone away is the bluebird” – comes to mind when considering a taxidermied passenger pigeon displayed in a period display case. The trophy, an example of a wild species that was hunted to extinction by 1914, is the size of a typical pigeon. The custom-crafted glass and wood case measures approximately 12 inches by 13 inches by 19 inches.

“We’ve done well with some taxidermy,” says Bechlin, who hopes to make $3,000-$5,000 with this former museum piece.

Three scarce Arts & Crafts Movement books on papermaking by Dard Hunter, a one-time associate of Elbert Hubbard, will be sold. One, published in 1927 and dealing with primitive papermaking, is number 83 of an edition limited to 200 copies. It has a $1,000-$2,000 estimate.

The Literature of Papermaking 1390-1800 by Dard Hunter, published in 1925, is numbered 76 of 160 and signed by the author. The illustrated volume is hand printed in type of Hunter’s own design on handmade paper. It carries a $500-$1,000 estimate.

Hunter’s Papermaking in Indo-China, a limited edition published in 1947, exhibits similar handcraftsmanship and also has a $500-$1,000 estimate.

For additional information on Nest Egg Auctions’ Gala Holiday New Year’s Auction, call 203-630-1400 or toll-free 800-448-0692; or e-mail ryan@nesteggauctions.com. All forms of bidding will be available. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com. The catalog may also be viewed on Nest Egg’s website: www.nesteggauctions.com.

CAPTIONS:

Guy Carleton Wiggins (American, 1883-1962) ‘New York Library in Storm,’ signed lower left, 12 x 16 in. sight, 20 x 16 in. in signed Fredrix NY frame. Est. $5,000-$10,000. Nest Egg Auctions photo.

 

Gold Coins, Spectacular Jewels and Art in Government Auction’s Jan. 1 Sale

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: Dec. 20, 2011

 

On Jan. 1, 2012, California-based Government Auction will host its seventh annual New Year’s sale, featuring rare gold coins, fine jewelry and gems; art and antique music machines. 

TEHACHAPI, Calif. – On Jan. 1, 2012, California-based Government Auction will host its seventh annual New Year’s sale, featuring rare gold coins, fine jewelry and gems; art and antique music machines. More than two million dollars in merchandise will be sold to the highest bidder at the event, which is structured as an absentee, phone and Internet auction, with Internet live bidding available through LiveAuctioneers.com.

The company traditionally reserves for its annual New Year’s sale only the best and most valuable items in its inventory. “It takes a lot of time to prepare for our New Year’s auction, but it’s always worth it. Collectors love it because most of the lots have no reserve and start with an opening bid of only one or two dollars,” said Chris Budge, of Government Auction’s Marketing department.

A strong candidate for top lot of the 2,000-lot sale is a 1795 13-leaves $10 gold eagle coin. Fewer than 5,100 gold eagle coins were minted in 1795 – some with the eagle grasping a branch with 13 leaves and others with nine leaves. Only 400 to 500 examples of the 13-leaves coin are known to exist. These coins hold strong interest with collectors because they were the first U.S. gold eagle coins to be stamped. Designed by Robert Scott, each weighs 17.5 grams and has 91.7% gold content. The coin in Government Auction’s sale is graded NGC AU by Numismatic Guaranty Corp., and is expected to make $123,000-$246,000.

Additional coin highlights include an 1882-CC $20 Liberty Head coin, est. $37,500-$75,000; and a 901-S Barber 25-cent coin, est. $70,500-$141,000.

Several truly exquisite necklaces are entered in the auction. A design in 18K yellow and white gold features 35 emeralds with a total weight of 19.02 carats and 288 diamonds having a total weight of 7.20 carats. The Gemological Laboratory of America has valued the necklace at $86,419. It carries a presale estimate of $43,000-$86,000.

An 18K yellow gold necklace with 36.15 carats of genuine Ceylon cabochon sapphires and 3.5 carats of diamonds could fetch $32,000-$64,000; while a striking 7.90-carat cabochon ruby pendant-style 14K gold necklace is estimated at $18,000-$36,000. The ruby in the latter necklace is a blood-red color and serves as the focal point of three stepped squares of surrounding diamonds. The pendant is suspended from a heavily diamond-encrusted necklace. Estimate: $18,000-$36,000. Yet another select entry is the 2,281.35-carat faceted emerald gemstone, described as having a “dark tone with strong, vivid saturation.” The massive emerald could realize as much as $80,000 on auction day.

A signed John Lewis Brown (French/Scottish ancestry, 1829-1892) oil-on-board painting showcases the artist’s skill in painting equine, canine and military subjects. “Brown was influenced by the Impressionists, especially Degas, which is obvious in this painting,” said Budge. The framed 18 by 22in. pastoral work is estimated at $13,500-$27,000.

The auction will not be short of musical accompaniment with a 1940s Rock-Ola jukebox in the lineup. The classic jukebox plays 78 RPM records and exudes visual appeal with its colorful, illuminating Art Deco façade. Estimate: $5,100-$10,200. Two early forms of mechanical musical entertainment will be available to bidders, as well. A rare Polyphon music box in immaculate condition carries an estimate of $10,500-$21,000; while a Regina upright music box in mint condition and accompanied by 15 discs may climb much higher, to its estimate of $57,000-$114,000.

From the same general timeframe as the mechanical music machines, a Caille upright 5-cent slot machine is richly decorative, with a copper marquee, front plates, paw feet and additional trim to its handsome oak body. A stunning work of art, its target price is $66,000-$132,000.

Sports fans won’t want to miss the opportunity to bid on a custom-matted and framed collage of autographs, images and collector sports cards representing the athletes known collectively as the “NBA 60 Greatest Players.” Among the superstars included in the collage are Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, “Pistol” Pete Maravich, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and many other masters of the hardcourt. An estimate of $14,997-$29,994 has been set on this lot.

Government Auction’s Jan. 1, 2012 New Year’s Day sale will commence at 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time/10:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Absentee, phone and Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com will be available. For additional information on any lot in the sale, call Debbie on 661-823-1543 or e-mail info@governmentauction.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

CAPTION:

1795 13-leaves $10 gold eagle coin, graded NGC AU by Numismatic Guaranty Corp., est. $123,000-$246,000. Government Auction image.

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Don Presley’s New Year’s Auction Features Scottish Rite’s Antique Marble Sculpture ‘Paetus et Aria’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: Dec. 19, 2011

The treasured Carrara marble grouping will be among over 1,000 lots of antiques and fine arts, including Asian art, in the two day sale December 31-January 1.

ORANGE, Calif. – A superb European sculpture unveiled at the Los Angeles Scottish Rite Cathedral on Christmas Day of 1913 is the highlight of Don Presley’s Dec. 31-Jan. 1 New Year’s Auction. The sale features 1,000 lots of antiques, Asian and other fine art, plus a bumper selection described by Presley as “a gallery of amusements.”

The headliner – a Carrara marble grouping known variously as ‘Paetus et Aria,’ ‘The Gaul Killing Himself and His Wife,’ and ‘The Galatian Suicide’ – is a copy of the Hellenistic 3rd century B.C. original by Epignonos, ex Boncompagni Ludovisi Collection. In 1900, the Italian State purchased the original – and 103 other sculptures – from the royal Boncompagni Ludovisi family for ensconcement in the Pergamum Museo Nazionale at Palazzo Altemps.

A deaccession from the Scottish Rite Library & Museum, the antique copy of the famous Greek statue in Presley’s sale – whose exact age is unknown – comes with a written history from Masonic archives. In its post-Christmas 1913 “Bulletin to the Los Angeles Consistory,” an article describes the statue – a gift from Scottish Rite member V.M. William Rhodes Hervey – as “one of the finest marbles in America, not unworthy of being the center of [the Cathedral’s] collection of statuary, pictures and books.”

The statue measures 94 inches tall by 42 inches wide, inclusive of custom-made marble base, and is expected to make $40,000-$75,000 at auction.

Presley’s New Year’s sale also features an extensive selection of top-quality ivory and Asian antiques. A pair of coveted Chinese huanghuali chairs in spotless condition came from a Los Angeles residence. Auctioneer Don Presley explained that one reason chairs of this type are so scarce is because the wood from which they are constructed is only rarely found in pieces large enough to be used in furniture.

“Huanghuali chairs were made for emperors and royalty from exotic hardwoods in the rosewood family that have an especially beautiful grain and pattern of knots,” Presley said. “They can fetch high prices at auction. We have placed a conservative estimate of $15,000-$25,000 on the chairs consigned to our sale.”

Another Asian highlight is a 19th-century carved bone over wood statue of Guanyin. The figure, which has an ivory face and hands, holds a candle and has a phoenix (bird) ornament in its hair. It carries an estimate of $8,000-$15,000.

Approximately 200 antique clocks will be auctioned, including 40 more from the same Beverly Hills collection that highlighted Presley’s Nov. 5-6 sale. The grouping includes French and other European clocks, carriage, boulle and tortoiseshell; champleve, gilt-bronze, jewel-face and American clocks (Tiffany, Ansonia, etc.). There are also a few wall and mantel clocks.

Several impressive diamonds, sized from 2 to 3 carats each, add a fine edge to the sale, as does a Rolex Daytona Model 16520 Oyster Perpetual man’s wristwatch with Zenith movement. With original box, the classic timepiece could realize $12,000-$20,000.

An Art Deco sterling silver tea set marked “Jimenez” is a premier example of Mexican craftsmanship. The teapot and accessory pieces are stamped ‘Sterling 925’ and have a fluted exterior, while the stamped tray is adorned by a substantial, wide repousse trim. The stylish set weighs in at 159.6 troy ounces and is estimated at $8,000-$12,000.

The perfect furnishing in which to display a tea set of such quality is the 19th-century bronze ormolu vitrine that comes to the auction from a residence in the exclusive Orange Park Acres section of Orange County. With cartouches hand painted in the vernis Martin style, and with its original glass intact, the elegant vitrine could fetch $4,000-$6,000.

Don Presley has amassed an assortment of unusual amusements for his Dec. 31-Jan. 1 sale. Several were featured on the History Channel’s new show Real Deal, which is taped at Presley’s gallery. They include a 1957 Williams “Deluxe Baseball” pinball machine, est. $3,500-$5,500; and a fully documented circa-1891 binnacle from the Spanish flagship Infanta Maria Teresa, $15,000-$25,000. A third item that appeared on Real Deal is a circa-1900 medical device called a “nebulizer.” Presley explained that the device was used in upscale medical or dental practices and produced a mist for inhalation by patients. Estimate: $1,200-$1,800.

A special transportation attraction that would be right at home at Knott’s Berry Farm is a Butterfield stagecoach, 3/4 size, made around 1942 for use in parades, rodeos and other festive events. The vehicle has perfect wheels, is leather slung with barrel sides and even has lanterns to accommodate candles, in the manner of 19th-century stagecoaches. The auction estimate is $25,000-$30,000. For those who favor the Mod era, a pair of zippy 1960s Vespa scooters may fit the bill, with an estimate of $2,000-$3,000 apiece.

Additional entries of note include a Capodimonte chess set on a wood base with bronze ormolu, est. $1,500-$2,500; a sizable collection of Roseville, Bauer and other California pottery; fine porcelains, various other fine and decorative-art objects; and 200 Hummel figurines. A 5ft. 6in. electric automaton organ grinder and monkey comes with cassettes to provide a musical accompaniment.

Both the Saturday and Sunday sessions will commence at 12 noon Pacific Time. Preview Mon.-Sat. 10-5. The gallery is located at 1319 W. Katella Ave., Orange, CA 92867. All forms of bidding will be available, including live at the gallery, by phone, absentee or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information, call Don Presley at 714-633-2437 or e-mail info@donpresleyauction.com. Visit the company’s website at www.donpresleyauction.com.

CAPTION:

Antique marble copy of ‘The Gaul Killing Himself and His Wife,’ a k a ‘Paetus et Aria,’ 94 inches tall, 42 inches wide inclusive of custom-made marble base. Provenance: Collection of the Scottish Rite Library & Museum. Estimate $40,000-$75,000. Don Presley Auctions image.

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New Jersey’s Sterling Associates Enters Auction Arena with Dec. 3 Estates Sale

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                   

Date of Release:  Dec. 17, 2011

Old Masters, European bronzes, Asian art top a 450-lot fine and decorative art offering

CLOSTER, N.J. – When Sterling Associates conducts its inaugural Fall Estates Sale on Dec. 3, bidders from around the world will have the chance to experience what may very well be the future of the auction business – a format that company owner Stephen D’Atri calls the “hybrid auction.”

“All of the bidding will be done absentee, over the phone or via the Internet, but we’re very much a permanent brick-and-mortar company where anyone can come in to inspect the goods,” said D’Atri. “It will be run exactly like a live auction, but without a live audience.”

D’Atri said the idea behind Sterling Associates developed organically, after many years of working with his family’s antique lighting business, followed by the establishment of a very successful business of his own. Over a 22-year period, D’Atri’s Sterling Restoration and Antique D’zynes grew from a one-man operation in a 1,000-sq.-ft. venue to a company with 15 employees headquartered in a 17,000-square-foot building.

As a major restorer of antiques and metalwork known to just about everyone in Bergen County’s antiques trade and well beyond, D’Atri had his finger on the pulse of what was happening in the marketplace. He felt something was missing in the region where he had lived all his life.

“I felt there was a void in my area for auction houses specializing in estates,” D’Atri said. “With the boomer generation coming into retirement age and needing to downsize, many retirees were discovering that auction houses available to them wanted only the highest-end merchandise. But it’s not all about van Goghs and Picassos; it’s also about everything else in a house. The same house where we found some wonderful Old Master paintings also had Danish Modern furniture. That’s how people live. Our goal is to be the friendly, diversified auction house that handles a variety of fresh to the market antiques.”

D’Atri’s hybrid-auction concept will become reality on Dec. 3 with a high-quality 450-lot sale of fine and decorative art, including Modern and Asian; furniture, French and Russian bronzes, and other antiques from estates throughout the Northeast.

A nicely varied selection of artworks includes approximately 40 oil paintings and another 40 to 50 watercolors and lithographs. A beautiful Pietro Fragiacomo (Italian, 1856-1922) oil on canvas depicting two women at the shore is estimated at $6,000-$8,000; while a lively Nicholas Wassilievitch Orloff (Russian, 1863-?) winter landscape with troika is entered with a $2,000-$3,000 estimate. The sale also features a modern art section. A 1977 Robert Rauschenberg (American, 1925-2008) offset lithograph poster on wove paper is titled Ace, November, Venice USA. Its estimate is $2,000-$3,000.

Sculptures are led by a large Auguste Moreau (1834-1917) patinated bronze of a woman, est. $6,000-$8,000; and a 19th century bronze troika by Vasily Yakovlevich Grachev (Russian, 1831-1905). Described by Stephen D’Atri as “small but very fine,” the 10½-inch-long Grachev bronze is expected to make $4,000-$6,000. A Luca Madrassi (French, 1848-1919) dore and silvered bronze nymph on a conch shell stands 30 inches tall and carries a presale estimate of $4,000-$6,000.

A pair of exquisitely decorated 29¾-inch, bronze-mounted Capodimonte urns will be offered as one lot with a $12,000-$15,000 estimate, while an artist-signed 19th-century Sevres dore bronze mounted, covered vase is poised to make $3,000-$4,000.

Several exceptional pieces of Satsuma porcelain will be auctioned. The premier entry in this category is a mid-19th-century, 20-inch Gosu Blue candlestick created in the form of a pagoda. “Gosu Blue Satsuma wares were produced in very limited quantities in Kyoto and are highly desirable to collectors. This is a very impressive, extremely rare design,” said D’Atri.

Continuing in an Asian theme, another auction highlight comes in the form of an 18th-century Qianlong cloisonné censer with pierced kirin lid. The tripodal vessel stands 16 inches tall and retains remnants of gold on the lid. “This piece could be the star of the sale,” D’Atri observed.

Sterling Associates’ Dec. 3 auction debut represents a new way in which estate antiques and art may be brought to auction. It combines a live preview in an auction-house setting with absentee and remote forms of bidding that make the auction accessible to buyers in any location. With modern technology and the Internet working at one end, Sterling Associates strikes a balance on the traditional side by reviving services that people miss most about the auction business of 20 years ago.

“Many estate auctioneers in this county have retired or gone out of business due to mismanagement. I kept hearing, ‘It’s a shame this guy is gone or that guy is gone, and there’s no one replacing them. I decided to be that someone,” D’Atri said.

“My family’s business – and later my own business – was tagged ‘high end,’ and I kind of enjoyed that tag, but it eliminated a lot of potential buyers who weren’t looking for that highest price point,” D’Atri explained. “I like the idea of having a full-service operation that can bring the best of a consignor’s pieces to auction and be of genuine help by also liquidating everything else in their estate through other appropriate venues.”

Sterling Associates’ inaugural Fall Estates Auction will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3, starting at 12 noon Eastern time. The preview is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Nov. 29 through Dec. 2, and on the morning of the auction. The gallery is located at 70 Herbert Ave., Closter, NJ 07624.

Bidding methods include absentee, by phone or live via the Internet through www.LiveAuctioneers.com. To contact the gallery, call 201-768-1140 or e-mail info@antiquenj.com. Visit Sterling Associates online at www.antiquenj.com. View the fully illustrated catalog online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

CAPTION:

Mid-19th-century Satsuma Gosu Blue pagoda-form candlestick, 20 inches tall, estimate $8,000-$12,000. Sterling Associates image.

 

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Artemis Gallery to launch Antiquities-Saleroom.com with online absentee auction closing week of Nov. 14

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release:  Oct. 25, 2011

275+ lots include classical antiquities, pre-Columbian artifacts, ethnographic art

BOULDER COUNTY, CO – In a collecting category as highly specialized as antiquities, the most valuable asset an auction house can possess is not a 2,500-year-old Egyptian statue or a rare Pre-Columbian artifact – it’s integrity and reputation. For the past 20 years, Bob and Teresa Dodge, along with their business partner Elaine Jamieson, have built an internationally respected name for themselves as Artemis Gallery and Artemis Gallery Live. Now the Artemis name – whose reputation is synonymous with authentic, legally acquired and vetted antiquities – has been joined by ‘Antiquities-Saleroom.com,’ to reflect the company’s newly enhanced method of conducting their online-only absentee auctions.

“We’re not the new kid on the block,” stressed Managing Director Teresa Dodge. “Bob and I discovered and fell in love with antiquities while on our honeymoon in Greece and Turkey, in 1989. That trip led to what has become both our passion and our profession. We’ve been in the antiquities business for 20 years, now, and have been actively selling online since 1993. We may have re-branded and improved our online-auction business, but we’re still the folks from Artemis Gallery.”

Starting Nov. 14, 2011, Antiquities-Saleroom.com will make its debut with an auction of 275+ lots of exceptional antiquities, pre-Columbian artifacts, and tribal and ethnographic art. The fully illustrated online auction catalog can be viewed and confidential absentee bids may be placed on any of the lots at Antiquities-Saleroom.com. Absentee bids are executed competitively against the existing highest bid.

“The way the bidding platform works, even Bob and I do not know what the high bid is on an item at any given time. We only know the status of the bids after each lot closes and the winning bid is revealed,” said Dodge.

The auction lots will close for bidding in a consecutive, staggered fashion over several days, beginning on Nov. 14. In the period leading up to the sale, bidders will be automatically notified via e-mail if they have been outbid on an item.

Many of the lots will be offered without reserve. “Everything in the auction is an authenticated, quality item that has been consigned by one of approximately eight to 10 invited dealers of excellent reputation who are both our friends and colleagues. We believe an antiquity will find its correct price in the market almost every time if it is offered with the assurance that it is authentic, legal to purchase and meets the timeline qualifications for UNESCO and various national treaties,” said Dodge.

The first half of Antiquities-Saleroom.com’s November auction is devoted to classical antiquities and includes an extensive collection of Greek and Roman objects from a consignor in Florida. Among the highlights are a fine Etruscan amphora, a handful of small but exquisite Roman bronzes, a “very special” Roman marble bust, large and elaborate painted Daunian pottery (southern Italy, 300 B.C.), Roman glass, and ancient jewelry. Additionally, there are offerings of Greek Attic pottery from Athens’ Classic Era (525-450 B.C.), as well as a couple of desirable Greek covered pottery dishes known as lekanis.

Egyptian bronzes, including one of Hippocrates, will be auctioned, and excellent examples of Egyptian faience will be available. At least five coveted ushabtis will be offered, with the possibility of two or three more to be added later on.

“Ushabtis are servant figures that were placed in Egyptian tombs to handle daily chores for the deceased in the afterlife. Typically, there would have been 365 of them in a tomb, one for each day of the year,” Dodge explained.

The interest in pre-Columbian art is growing, Dodge said, thanks to an unexpected new group of buyers emerging from China. For that reason, Antiquities-Saleroom.com made an extra effort to secure consignments of fine pre-Columbian pieces for their November sale. The selection includes pottery from West Mexico, the Mayan territories and most of the major cultures of Peru, Costa Rica and Panama; plus objects created from wood and precious metals, such as effigies made of gold.

There are silver vessels known as “keros, which were used by Latin-American cultures for drinking “chicha,” and cylinders that Mayans used for their cocoa.

The variety continues with Olmec (Atlantic coastal Mexico, 1000 B.C.) stone objects used in hallucinogenic ceremonial rites, 5,000-year-old Valdivian (Ecuador) stonework and ceramic figurines; and objects from the Chavin culture of northern coastal Peru. Also, many other Mayan and Incan artifacts from the Spanish Conquest era have been cataloged.

The auction will conclude with a Discovery section featuring reasonably estimated artifacts that dealers may be able to secure at wholesale prices for resale. “There will be ancient trinkets estimated at $50-$100, and at the other end of the spectrum, some truly exceptional objects. All present excellent buying opportunities, and like everything else in the sale, the Discovery pieces are fully authenticated, quality items,” Dodge said.

The catalog for Antiquities-Saleroom.com’s auction closing over the week of Nov. 14 can be viewed online at the company’s website: www.Antiquities-Saleroom.com. For questions on any item in the sale, call Teresa Dodge at 720-890-7700 or e-mail antiquitiessaleroom@gmail.com.

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Don Presley To Auction Beverly Hills Collection Of Superb Antique Clocks, Porcelain, Silver, Nov 5-6

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release:  Oct. 21, 2011

Featured additional highlight: John Wayne’s silver-trimmed leather saddle along with other fine and decorative art.

ORANGE, Calif. – The 90210 zip code has become a familiar destination for Southern California auctioneer Don Presley, and on Nov. 5-6, Presley will again present a premier private collection sourced directly from a Beverly Hills estate. This time the contents consist of superb clocks, silver, porcelains and other fine and decorative art from a collector whom Presley describes as having “an eye for the exquisite.” A fine jewelry wholesaler by profession, the consignor has always selected pieces of the highest quality for their collection, never settling for anything less.

The Beverly Hills collection comprises 400 of the 1,000 lots to be auctioned, and features 200 absolutely fresh to the market antique European and American clocks.

“This is such a great clock collection that visitors to our gallery have been asking if a high-end antique store went out of business – but that’s not the case. This is a collection built over many years by an individual who happens to love beautiful clocks and porcelains, and knows how to pick the very best,” Presley said.

“When I first went to visit the collection, my jaw dropped,” Presley continued. “I could not believe what I saw on the walls and shelves – gorgeous champleve clocks, Tiffany, Sevres, old silver. These are the kinds of things that make an auctioneer love his business.”

The spectacular array of fancy French clocks features 18th- and 19th-century designs, including gilt bronze figural, tortoiseshell, dore bronze, inlaid marquetry, bronze and porcelain; and elegant champleve designs, as well as many 3-piece clock and garniture sets. There are no fewer than 10 jewel-face miniature French clocks and a fine collection of carriage clocks, including Tiffany & Co.

Among the innumerable highlights are six French boulle clocks – one of them dating to around 1710 and signed “JB Baillon Paris.” At least two of the clocks are among the earliest of their type to have been manufactured. A magnificent gilt bronze horse-drawn chariot clock, with figures of two riders and a lion, also dates to the 18th century.

Taking pride of place in the collection are no fewer than six clocks from Tiffany & Co., including a rare bronze bell-shape clock supported by two pillars and a crossbar. Japy Freres produced the mechanism for at least one of the Tiffany clocks to be auctioned.

A sumptuous 200-piece selection of fine porcelain features many designs by Sevres, including lavishly gilded pairs of lidded urns, clock sets and an ornately decorated tray. An Old Paris hand-painted vase exhibits the unmistakable aesthetic favored by many porcelain artists in the City of Paris during the mid to latter 18th century. Other manufactories represented in the collection include: Meissen, Limoges, Dresden, and Villeroy & Boch. These exalted names of golden-era porcelain are also seen in the vast array of cups and saucers to be sold.

The Presley gallery is laden with heavy sterling silver, including a complete International Silver La Paglia-designed tea service with tray, an S. Kirk & Son double-handle repousse urn with lid, and a pair of 18th-century Jean Baptiste Francois candelabra having a total weight of 250 ozt. One of the candelabra has a Francois mark designated for Paris, while the other bears a 1784 stamp for Semur. Additional candelabra lots are Sevres style and of gilt bronze and marble.

A 31-piece Moser cranberry stemware set is among the top lots in the glassware and art glass section, which also includes designs by Galle, Lalique, Tiffany, Loetz and Steuben. Extravagantly gilded, a set of green glass goblets might be of Russian origin.

Antique Asian ivory continues to draw the bidders to Presley’s sales. The Nov. 5-6 event includes a pair of 3-ft.-tall elephant tusks, figures of Immortals and elephants, a “jeweled” Guan Yin figure on pedestal, and a lady’s fan with gilded frame, among many other ivory objects.

Paintings and bronzes – many by listed artists – will be auctioned. Russian icons and a pair of signed and framed Napoleon and Josephine portraits, hand-painted on ivory, are among the select offerings.

A featured lot that combines Hollywood legend with the lore of California’s Old West is a leather saddle made by the Visalia Stock Saddle Co. of San Francisco for American screen icon John Wayne. Heavily tooled overall and trimmed with sterling silver conchos, stirrups and other adornments, the saddle also bears a silver diamond-shape cartouche engraved with the initials “JW.” The saddle comes with a matching bridle and breast collar, and is accompanied by extensive provenance and a letter of authenticity. “This saddle dates to the early days of John Wayne’s career, and with the interest currently so strong in items having a personal connection to John Wayne, this saddle should prove very appealing to collectors,” Presley said.

An additional 600 items from several California estates, collectors and other consignors add variety to the Nov. 5-6 auction inventory. The sale summary reveals many pieces of Chinese jade, hand-painted scrolls, musical instruments, a 40-piece majolica collection, a 1933 Rock-ola 5¢ Horse Race Sweepstakes trade stimulator, and novelty furniture designed as a 1956 Chevy sofa and Harley-Davidson chairs with saddlebags.

For the adventurous, Don Presley suggests the remote control twin-engine F-15 Navy jet. “It’s 7 feet long and can reach a top speed of 200 miles per hours. But before anyone decides to fire it up, they should be aware that it requires a special license. It’s a big plane,” Presley said.

Both the Saturday and Sunday sessions will commence at 12 noon Pacific Time. Preview daily 9-5. The gallery is located at 1319 W. Katella Ave., Orange, CA 92867. All forms of bidding will be available, including at the gallery, by phone, absentee or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers and Proxibid. For additional information, call Don Presley at 714-633-2437 or e-mail info@donpresleyauction.com. Visit the company’s website at www.donpresleyauction.com.

 

 

Bronze and Sevres porcelain clock and garniture set, one of many from a Beverly Hills private collection. Don Presley Auction image.

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Fresh Discovery: Victor Higgins Taos School Oil Painting Could Bing Six Figures at Mapes’ Sept. 30 Auction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: Sept. 14, 2011

Purchased prior to Wall Street Crash of 1929, artwork remained in family for 80+ years

VESTAL, N.Y. – An exciting fine-art discovery – a fresh-to-the-market late-1920s oil-on-canvas painting by Taos Art Colony luminary Victor Higgins (1884-1949) – will headline Mapes Auctioneers’ Sept. 30 auction.

An old family piece, the 27- by 30-inch artwork depicts a Native American woman in front of an adobe building with a vine-covered column in the foreground. It was purchased directly from the artist approximately 80 years ago and passed through descent to the consignor, who is the original owner’s great-nephew. The painting has never before appeared at auction or been offered for sale.

“The Higgins came from a retired gentleman who lives less than a mile from our gallery,” said David Mapes, owner of Mapes Auctioneers. “He walked into my office one day and said he and his wife were moving to Colorado and had two paintings they wanted to sell. The other painting was nice, but when I saw the Higgins, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was similar to a smaller painting by the artist that sold at Christie’s a few years ago for over $400,000.”

Mapes recalls that he told the consignor, “That’s a very good painting,” to which the consignor replied, “How good?” Mapes then delivered the news that, in his opinion, it was worth more than $100,000, adding that the auction record for a Victor Higgins painting is $769,000. “The consignor was stunned,” Mapes said.

Several identifications are written on the artwork’s stretcher – the name “Ruth” and the notation “Victor Higgins $600.” Mapes said it is likely that the original owner made the purchase prior to the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

“From what the consignor tells me, his great-uncle was an art aficionado who once served as director of the Municipal Art League of Chicago. He was also an attorney who lost a great deal of money when the stock market crashed. It’s unlikely that he would have been buying art after incurring major financial losses, so we think the painting may have been purchased in 1928 or 1929,” Mapes said.

According to Mapes, Higgins was a visionary in search of “the real America” and moved to New Mexico around 1915, when Taos was still an isolated village with dirt roads. “He was fascinated by the native people of Taos and became both a permanent resident and a member of the Taos Society of Artists, in 1917.”

The Higgins painting has been examined by a major art restorer who works with museums, Mapes said, and it was determined that the painting has never been cleaned or restored. “It is in original condition and in a nice period frame that may be the original,” Mapes said. The painting will be offered with a $200,000-$400,000 estimate.”

The other painting coming from the Higgins’ consignor is a 24- by 26-inch Southwestern mountain landscape by Taos school artist Carl Hoerman (German/American, 1885-1955), titled Arizona Desert. Signed and dated “1929” on the front, the framed oil-on-canvas artwork is executed in soft desert hues with depictions of cacti and numerous other indigenous flora. On auction day it is expected to make $1,000-$2,000.

The 300-lot sale also includes a collection of 60 pieces of 19th-century New York state stoneware from an estate in Trumansburg, N.Y. Most of the vessels are ovoid jugs and jars, although there are also some 3-sided examples and later molded pieces from White’s Utica. Most have a floral motif, although one features a bird. Individual estimates range from $100 to $1,000.

A beautiful American blue opaline glass fluid lamp that may be by Sandwich measures 13 inches high and was crafted in the Flame Bull’s-Eye pattern. In excellent condition, it could bring $750-$1,500. Another glass highlight is the Steuben verre de soie perfume bottle with blue stopper, estimated at $200-$400.

The nicely mixed selection of antiques and fine art also includes a 35-inch-tall Theodore Coinchon (French, 1814-1881) garden bronze of Pan playing his flute, est. $2,000-$4,000; a Chief Big Moon cast-iron mechanical bank in original condition with 90% paint, est. $2,000-$4,000; and a 19th-century coin-silver teapot on stand by Bailey of Philadelphia, est. $1,000-$2,000.

Also, a 5-piece array of Deldare ware will be offered. The grouping includes vases and two trays, which aren’t commonly found. The smaller tray measures 9 by 12 inches and is titled “Dancing Ye Minuet,” while the 10- by 13-inch tray is titled “Heirlooms.” Both are in excellent condition, and each carries a presale estimate of $200-$400.

Mapes’ Sept. 30 Antiques & Fine Art Auction will commence at 5 p.m. Eastern time, with a preview the same day from 1-5 p.m. Their gallery is located at 1729 Vestal Parkway West, Vestal, NY 13850. All forms of bidding will be available, including live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com.

For condition reports on the art or any other item in the auction, call 607-754-9193 or e-mail info@mapesauction.com. Visit the company online at www.mapesauction.com. View the fully illustrated auction catalog online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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Victor Higgins (Taos school, 1884-1949), oil on canvas, circa 1929, 27 x 30 in., scene of woman in front of adobe building, held in same family for 80+ years. Est. $200,000-$400,000. Mapes Auctioneers image.

 

William H. Bunch To Auction Collection Of Classic Cars, Estate Art, Antiques and Fine Jewelry, Oct 4

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: Sept. 19, 2011

Lineup includes swank 1926 Pierce-Arrow, ’76 Cadillac Milan, Model A station wagon

CHADDS FORD, Pa. – A virtual automotive time capsule – from an early Pierce-Arrow to a trendy 1970 Chevy El Camino – will cross the auction block at William H. Bunch’s suburban Philadelphia gallery on Tuesday, Oct. 4. The prized collection of vintage cars and trucks was amassed over many years by Pennsylvania businessman Dorando Faggioli, now 78, who made it his personal mission to restore each vehicle to perfection.

                                                                                                    

Faggioli considers his 1926 Pierce-Arrow Model 80 “New York” car to be the jewel of the collection. “In its day, the Pierce-Arrow was the most expensive car made in this country,” Faggioli said. Everything about Faggioli’s Pierce-Arrow is deluxe; down to the special storage area for golf clubs. Purchased in the 1980s, the car won a national first place at the AACA Show in Hershey, Pa., and has plaque on the radiator to prove it.

Faggioli’s sleek 1976 Cadillac Milan convertible derives its name from the fact that it was a Seville 4-door sedan converted to a 2-door roadster per a design originated by Milan Coach Builders Inc., of Simi Valley, Calif. The number of surviving Cadillac Milans is not known. “What we do know is that Milans are rarely seen nowadays,” said auctioneer William Bunch.

The collection’s 1930 Model A station wagon was purchased for nostalgic reasons, Faggioli said. Not only did it remind him of the vehicle in which he learned to drive, it also brought back boyhood memories of accompanying his father – a landscaper – to a weekly job in posh Radnor, Pa. Faggioli recalled: “While dad did his landscaping work, I would meet with the little girl who lived in the big estate across the street. She knew we would be coming every Monday and would wait for me. We’d talk and pass the time. Her name was Grace Kelly – yes, the Grace Kelly.”

Other early vehicles include a 1919 Ford Model T touring car and a 1933 Ford V8 dump truck. Additionally, the Faggioli collection boasts a 1956 Ford Thunderbird hardtop convertible, 1962 Thunderbird convertible, 1974 Porsche 914 and an icon of West Coast surf culture, an all-original 1970 Chevrolet El Camino.

The nearly 500-lot auction is laden with fine estate jewelry. A 50-piece collection from a Wilmington, Del., estate contains a stunning assortment of Victorian Etruscan yellow gold jewelry, some adorned with diamonds or seed pearls. A slide bracelet approximately 1 inch wide with niello ornamentation is a key lot, as are several brooches. An exceptional brooch is centered with a 28mm by 20mm amethyst whose “table” displays a painted portrait of a young woman with a basket of flowers. Estimate: $1,000-$1,500.

Additional jewelry highlights include a yellow gold pin with a 1.5-carat center diamond and six additional diamonds of 60 points each, est. $3,000-$4,000; and a Victorian engagement ring with a 1.66-carat solitaire diamond in filigreed platinum setting.

Within the grouping of gold men’s and ladies’ pocket watches is a Swiss 18K example with guilloche background and the portrait of a beautiful lady with four diamonds across the crown of her hair. Est. $2,500-$3,500.

A gleaming selection of silver is led by a 7-piece Dominick & Haff repousse and floral-engraved sterling tea set that was the consignor’s grandmother’s wedding set in 1908. Retailed by Bailey, Banks & Biddle, the set has a total weight of 370 ozt., with the massive tray weighing in at 170 ozt. Auctioneer Bunch speculates the “melt” value of the set to be $11,000 to $12,000 but hopes it will be purchased by an antiques collector.

A small Victorian silver vinaigrette in the form of a mussel shell, est. $400-$800, is stamped “S. Mordan & Co. London.” While it has no silver touch marks, it is identical to an example that sold at Christie’s London gallery in 2001 for $4,000. “That one had an 1876 registry stamp,” Bunch noted.

Also to be auctioned are sterling silver serving pieces and souvenir spoons; and two outstanding pieces of American silverplate by Simpson Hall & Miller. A 24-inch double-armed enameled bride’s basket with colored satin-glass inserts is estimated at $2,500-$3,500; while a circa-1880 tilting water pitcher on a trolley could fetch $800-$1,200.

Art glass includes a vase by Pallme-Koenig (Austrian), a Rindskopf purple iridescent bowl and a blue and amber Moser glass vase with applied salamander. A signed, horseshoe-shape Lalique Vielleuses Amours Tiara lamp with engraved flowers is modestly estimated at $2,000-$4,000.

The star lot amongst the fine French furniture is a monumental Louis XV-style 2-drawer kingwood commode with mounted bronze ladies on the top corners and richly decorative ormolu on the ends and door front. Described by William Bunch as “the best piece of Continental furniture in the sale,” it is estimated at $10,000-$20,000. Other noteworthy furniture lots include a pair of small Regency breakfronts with floral-and-urn inlay, a Chippendale block-foot card table and a Chester County dish-top birdcage candlestand.

A stellar oil-on-canvas portrait of statesman Daniel Webster (1782-1852) is attributed to Chester Harding (American, 1792-1866), who painted U.S. presidents and European royalty. “Daniel Webster is known to have been a favorite subject of Harding’s. One of his Webster portraits went to the Bar Association of New York,” Bunch said.

Other artworks include a Louis Kronberg (American, 1872-1965) pastel of a ballerina, a Mihaly Munkacsy (Hungarian, 1844-1900) tabletop still life, and two original oils by Louis Icart. In addition, there will be 20 lots of 1990s works on paper from the estate of a Philadelphia man who worked in a Florida print atelier. Many very collectible late-20th-century listed artists are represented, including Rauschenberg, Scharf and Rosenquist.

Estimated at $6,000-$12,000, a 19th-century signed Aristide Petrilli alabaster lamp with relief-carved shade has an desert oasis theme, with camels, palm trees, ladies and other figures. Another exceptional artwork is the Gerdago enameled and silvered-bronze Art Deco dancer with ivory hands and face. Standing 11 inches high inclusive of green alabaster base, the sculpture is estimated at $10,000-$15,000. The sale also features a Franz Bergmann Vienna bronze of an Arab slave trader presenting a nude woman, and a 15½-inch Antoine Barye bronze of wild dogs attacking a boar.

Also to be offered is a vintage country music autograph collection that belonged to a 1950s country singer named Lloyd "Tex" Reynolds. It includes signatures from Patsy Cline, Marvin Rainwater, Hawkshaw Hawkins, George Jones and more. Another ephemera collection contains over 200 Philadelphia Eagles game programs spanning the 1960s to 1990s at three different home venues.

The Oct. 4 auction will commence at 12 noon Eastern time. All forms of bidding will be available, including live in the gallery, absentee, by phone or live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information, call 610-558-1800 or e-mail info@williambunchauctions.com. On the Web: www.williambunchauctions.com.

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CAPTION:

Enameled and silvered-bronze Gerdago Art Deco dancer with ivory face and hands, dished green alabaster base, 11 inches tall. William H. Bunch Auctions image.

 

           

California Gold Rush Leads To Don Presley’s Sept. 3-4 Auction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: Aug. 21, 2011

Don Presley will be offering artifacts from a retired prospector’s personal collection including gold nuggets and other exceptional geological specimens

ORANGE, Calif. – Gold is the commodity on everyone’s minds these days, and bidders could very well strike paydirt over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3 and 4, when southern California auctioneer Don Presley offers nuggets and other specimens from the private collection of a retired professional prospector.

Now in his late eighties, the prospector – who traded in precious metals and sold mining equipment for a living – built a special reserve collection over his lifetime that consisted of exceptional geological specimens. He is now liquidating his collection to provide for his grandchildren.

“Over the years, he has prospected all over the world, and this is the first time he has ever sold anything at auction,” said Don Presley. “Some of the pieces in his collection are just fabulous.”

Headlining the gold lots is a spectacular white quartz specimen with a total weight of 59.2 ozt. that contains a gold chunk weighing 29.5 ozt. “A specific gravity test makes it possible to determine the weight of gold when it is suspended in quartz,” Presley said. “The way the price of gold is going, it would have a melt value of close to $60,000, but I don’t know why anyone would want to melt it; it’s a fantastic thing to look at.” Presley has estimated the item at $60,000-$90,000.

Three nuggets have been consigned by the prospector, the largest weighing 12.86 ozt. (or 400 grams) and estimated at $25,000-$40,000. Presley said that because it is a solid nugget, it has more value than scrap gold of the same weight. An 8 ozt. nugget is estimated at $16,000-$20,000; while a 2 ozt. nugget that was made into a beautiful pendant enhanced with sapphires is expected to pan out at $4,200-$6,000.

Other, smaller gold-quartz specimens have been consigned to the sale, as well. An example weighing 29.58 grams (20 grams gold) is estimated at $1,500-$2,500; and one with a total weight of 20.96 grams (13 grams gold) is expected to fetch $800-$1,500. Reasonable estimates have been placed on all of the gold and gold quartz lots, with opening bids just under the melt value.

“The prospector’s collection has turned out to be quite a shrewd investment. Gold is on the rise, so his consignments have gone up in value without a single bidding paddle being lifted,” Presley observed.

Other valuable “metal” in the sale includes a selection of silver coins and an elegant 1988 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur motor car, which is estimated at $20,000-$35,000. Sparkling estate jewelry featuring sizable diamonds and emeralds are on the roster, as well as watches and a separate collection of Tiffany pocket watches.

Following in the footsteps of previous Don Presley sales, there will be a wealth of fresh to the market fine and decorative art from which to choose on Sept. 3-4. Many exquisite items came from a residence in the exclusive southern California enclave of Palos Verdes.

A grand array of 19th-century French furniture is to be offered, including cabinets, armoires, and an ornately hand-carved bed. Presley said two similarly decorated Linke-style tables deserve special attention. One is sized perfectly as an entry table, while the smaller of the two could even be used as a lamp table. Each of the glass-topped tables is richly adorned in gilt bronze with hand-painted porcelain plaques and cartouches.

Art glass includes pieces by Tiffany Studios – including a few Tiffany lamps – Galle, Steuben, Quezal, Wavecrest and more. Porcelain entries include designs by Sevres, Limoges and KPM, with the addition of two Dresden lamps.

An outstanding collection of Chinese ivories will be auctioned, including king and queen figures, a set of seven Immortals and a superbly crafted chess set. From a separate consignor comes a collection of approximately 100 netsukes that will be apportioned 12 to a lot. An impressive pair of 34-inch-tall Chinese gilded-wood foo dogs on 30-inch pedestals will cross the auction block, together with Chinese jade, scrolls and ivory fans.

The gallery will be alive with the sounds of ticking and chimes from a panoramic array of clocks. Of special note is a collection of desirable hunting clocks. A Steinway & Sons baby grand piano and many other outstanding artworks and bronzes complete the auction lineup.

Presley noted that 90% of the goods in his Sept. 3-4, 2011 sale will be auctioned “absolute,” without reserves or minimums. Both the Saturday and Sunday sessions will commence at noon Pacific Time. All forms of bidding will be available, including Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers or Proxibid. For additional information, call Don Presley at 714-633-2437 or e-mail info@donpresleyauction.com. Visit the company’s website at www.donpresleyauction.com.

 CAPTION:

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White quartz specimen, total weight 59.2 ozt., containing 29.5 ozt. of gold, presale estimate $60,000 - $90,000. Don Presley Auctions image.