Spectacular Alexandrite Joins Diamonds, Rubies, Gold Coins In Government Auction’s April 29 Sale

TEHACHAPI, Calif. – A 15.35-carat alexandrite with chameleon-like qualities is the glittering headliner in a 1,200-lot selection of fine jewelry, cars and art to be offered at Government Auction’s April 29 sale.

The alexandrite’s size, alone, makes it a rare specimen, but it rises to superstar levels when it reveals its ability to change colors under different types of light. In natural daylight, the brilliant-cut gemstone appears green, but when viewed under normal indoor lighting, its hue changes to a golden yellow. This unusual quality fascinated 19th century Russian jewelers, who favored alexandrites (named after Tsar Alexander II) and reserved them for their most revered clients. According to the International Colored Gemstone Association, Tiffany’s master gemologist George Frederick Kunz (American, 1856-1932) also loved alexandrites and included them in a series of exquisite rings and platinum suites designed during the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras.

 “An alexandrite stone of this quality and size is highly sought after by gemstone experts, connoisseurs and investors alike,” said Government Auction’s chief auctioneer Paul Sabesky, referring to the top lot of his upcoming sale. With certification from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), it has an estimated value of $83,580-$167,160.

Another exceptional fine jewelry item to be auctioned is a 14K white gold necklace mounted with a genuine 4-carat tanzanite. The central stone is surrounded by 82 round faceted diamonds and is enhanced by an additional 300 diamonds encrusted on the chain. Although valued at $23,000-$46,000, the necklace is one of many lots in Government Auction’s sale that will have an opening bid of only $2.

Emeralds have never lost their allure. They’re especially coveted when presented in a bracelet as stylish as the 14K white gold example entered in the April 29 auction. The bracelet weighs in with 19 carats of emeralds and 284 genuine round full diamonds totaling 1 carat. The presale estimate is $16,300-$32,600.

Long preferred by Asian royalty, rubies adorn the exquisite 14K gold necklace entered in the sale as Lot 907. Richly set with 74.44 carats of rubies and 5.89 carats of diamonds, the necklace is expected to make $21,000-$41,000 at auction.

Additional fine jewelry highlights include a 14K gold necklace with 74.44 carats of rubies and 5.89 carats of diamonds, valued at $21,000-$41,000; and a pair of white and yellow gold earrings with 1.24 carats of diamonds, valued at $5,300-$10,500.

A major draw in this auction is the cache of gold coins to be offered. Already creating a stir, an 1872-CC $20 Liberty Head gold coin – also known as the 1872-CC Double Eagle – was minted in Carson City, Nevada. Numismatists agree, the Carson City mint showed greater skill in striking this particular coin than in its two earlier Double Eagle issues. The mintage for the 1872 coin was only 26,900 strikes, and each had a metal content of 90% gold, 10% copper. Few surviving examples are “high grade” and in uncompromised condition, like the one in Government Auction’s April 29 sale. It has a broad estimate range of $15,750-$31,500.

Government Auction’s Sunday, April 29, 2012 auction event 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:

In a split-screen view, this 15.35-carat alexandrite gemstone reveals its chameleon-like quality, appearing green in natural daylight and golden yellow in indoor light. Estimate: $84,000-$167,000. Government Auction image.

Material Culture’s May 5 Auction Debut To Reflect ‘Borderless’ Approach To Art, Antiques

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date of Release: April 17, 2012

A selection of decorative arts and collectables including a Samuel Robb cigar store Indian along with pieces by renowned world artists, such as American self-taught artists James Castle and Felipe Jesus Consalvos, Chinese painters Fan Zeng and Gou Runwen, and Nigerian painter Prince Twins Seven-Seven will also be featured in the inaugural sale.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Renowned for its art institutions and rich multicultural heritage, Philadelphia will soon add another very colorful feather to its cap. Material Culture, the city’s popular 60,000-sq.-ft. showplace for antiques, textiles and handcrafted decorative arts, will introduce its new auction division on May 5, 2012 with a 500-lot sale titled “New World Orders.” All forms of bidding will be available, including live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com.

Material Culture’s wealth of experience and loyal following of customers, advisors and associates worldwide set the stage for the company’s entry into the auction arena, said founder/owner George Jevremovic.

“Our relationships with collectors and other friends in the business have been built on a basis of mutual trust over 30-plus years. I’ve been reaching out to them over the past two years, and our May auction debut is a tribute to those people and connections,” said Jevremovic.

No matter how broad a descriptive brush one uses, it is a formidable challenge to categorize the mix of artworks in the May 5 sale. Lot after lot, the word “unique” springs to mind, whether it’s a mystical 12th-century carved marble relief from northern India or a brilliantly-hued Felipe Jesus Consalvos cigar-band artwork.

Material Culture has always been thought of as something of an eclectic wonderland for decorators and homeowners seeking offbeat artworks and one-of-a-kind statement pieces.

“Our aesthetic knows no boundaries – it runs from Asian antiquities to classic Nakashima furniture to outside-the-box creations by self-taught artists,” said Jevremovic. “Now we have the opportunity to share our discoveries with the world via the auction route.”

A survey of the array of international treasures chosen for Material Culture’s auction premiere starts with the predicted top lot: an original 19th-century Samuel Anderson Robb cigar store Indian. For many decades, the masterfully hand-carved figure greeted visitors entering Reese’s Antiques on Pine Street in Philadelphia. Appearing to have all-original paint, the 77-inch-tall statue has been in the same owner’s hands since the 1940s and has never before been offered for sale. An American folk art classic, it is entered in the May 5 auction with a $40,000-$60,000 estimate.

Cuban-American artist Felipe Jesus Consalvos (Cuban-American, 1891 – circa 1960) was a cigar roller whose natural talent as an artist was not widely known until after his death. Consalvos presciently created modernist collages that incorporate cigar bands and cigar-box paper as well as photographs, postage stamps and magazine images. His mixed-media depiction titled Guitar – one of several Consalvos artworks in the sale – could make $6,000-$8,000.

Contemporary Chinese painter Guo Runwen’s early oil on canvas titled Standing Nude with Back View was purchased directly from the artist in 1988 at his studio in Guangzhou, China. Fresh from a Delaware collection, the 31½- by 21½-inch artwork is estimated at $30,000-$40,000. Another 20th-century Chinese painting, Fan Zeng’s (b. 1955-) ink and color on paper titled Zhong Kui Shen Wei, is signed and bears two seals. In vertical format measuring 53 by 26 inches, it carries an estimate of $6,000-$8,000.

There are many early Asian works scheduled to cross the auction block, including a dimensionally carved 12th-century marble relief from Jain in northern India. Featuring deities, elephants and other animals in a temple setting, it measures 30½ by 10 inches and is 7 inches deep. Estimate: $4,000-$6,000. Also to be offered is a finely carved 18th-century Chinese ivory vase estimated at $4,000-$6,000.

The Dream of the Abiku Child by acclaimed African artist Prince Twins Seven-Seven (Nigerian, 1944-2011) is a stunning mélange of fantasy and color. The 40- by 27-inch artwork was created in ink, watercolor and oil on brown wrapping paper and glued to plywood. The human subject, wearing intricately patterned clothing adorned with stars, seems to leap from the setting, which also features multiple fish and a dot pattern similar to that seen in Australian aboriginal paintings. One of three works in the auction by Prince Twins Seven-Seven, it is estimated at $4,000-$6,000.

Furniture lots cross a wide spectrum of styles. A late-19th-century Syrian mirrored cabinet, crafted of walnut with mother-of-pearl and bone inlay, comes from a collection of antique Damascus furniture in the auction. The cabinet is expected to bring $8,000-$12,000. Dating from the Art Deco period, a pair of perennially stylish Bauhaus tubular steel and leather lounge chairs will be offered with a $2,000-$4,000 estimate.

Idaho-born artist James Charles Castle (American, 1899-1977) was born profoundly deaf, and it is not known to what extent he could read, write or use sign language, but he had an innate talent for creating art from found objects of humblest origin. Today, Castle’s works are found in many institutions’ collections. In 2008-2009, the Philadelphia Museum of Art organized a Castle exhibition that toured nationally. Material Culture’s May 5 auction features a James Castle drawing on paper titled Labor Day. It comes with provenance from the J Crist Gallery in Boise and could realize $4,000-$6,000.

Material Culture’s Saturday, May 5 inaugural live auction will commence at 11 a.m. Eastern Time. Preview: April 22-May 4, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. The gallery is located at 4700 Wissahickon Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19144. All forms of bidding will be available, including phone, absentee or Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information on any lot in the sale, email expert@materialculture.com or call 215-849-8030. Visit the company online at www.materialculture.com.

Material Culture will host an inaugural auction party and special exhibition preview from 6-10 p.m. on Saturday, April 28. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served and there will be live music. RSVP at info@materialculture.com or call 215-849-8030.

CAPTION:

Material Culture’s founder/owner George Jevremovic with a few of his May 5 debut auction’s predicted top lots, including a 19th-century Samuel Robb cigar store figure, est. $40,000-$60,000. Material Culture image.

Morphy’s To Auction Key Pieces From War Hero’s Toy Aircraft Collection May 11-12

 

A man of many talents, Geoffrey Randolph Webster – “GR” to his friends – is a retired businessman, author and portrait painter who divides his time between Florida and the idyllic French Riviera. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago with a master’s degree in business and retired as president and CEO of Givaudan Fragrances Inc., after a 30-year career in international business and marketing.

But those distinctions are by no means all of the laurels to which GR can lay claim. He was also a highly decorated Vietnam War pilot who received 30 Air Medals, double Distinguished Flying Crosses and the Air Medal for Valor; as well as the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and two Awards of the Cross of Gallantry as commander of the “Mustang” Gunship Platoon of the 68th Assault Helicopter Company’s “Top Tigers.” When friends say GR’s head is in the clouds, it’s a compliment.

“Whether airplane, seaplane or helicopter, GR is the person you would want to have at the helm if you were a passenger,” said Tom Sage Jr., chief operating officer of Morphy Auctions, which will sell Webster’s American cast-iron and selected British, Continental and Japanese planes on May 11 and 12.

GR’s fascination for airplanes – which began during childhood as the son of a naval pilot – led to his amassing one of the world’s largest and finest collections of aviation toys and models.

Webster documented portions of his collection in the 2009 book Collecting Vintage Aircraft Toys and again in a 2011 edition titled Dinky Toys Aircraft 1934-1979 [with co-authors Sir George Cox, John Beugels]. The latter is the only reference book available that focuses specifically on Dinky aeronautical toys.

Many of the planes that served as actual book examples are among the Webster toys to be auctioned at Morphy’s. The top prize amongst the aircraft offered is the ultra-rare 1930s Britains Short Bros. Monoplane Flying Boat with original box. One of only three known to exist, the Bakelite and heavy tin plane is also the only example to be offered for public sale in the last 30 years.

“James Opie, who authored the premier guide on Britains soldiers, rates this toy at the top of rarity for Britains,” said Sage. “We think GR’s book example, which is estimated at $12,000 to $16,000, might even reach $20,000.”

Additionally, two Britains monoplanes are included in the sale – one in red and the other in yellow – with a historically correct 1930s star-in-circle insignia. Each is estimated at around $1,500.

A fleet of iconic 1920s cast-iron aviation toys is led by a Hubley America, the largest cast-iron plane ever made. There’s also a massive Hubley Friendship float plane with Amelia Earhart’s silhouette in one window; a Spirit of St. Louis, and numerous other period cast-iron tri-motors and gliders.

A highly unusual auction entry is Hubley’s 1937 cast-iron prototype Bell Airacuda with its original box. The twin-engine plane has a gunner in front of each engine on the wings.

Prewar German tin planes include Tippco productions from 1935 to 1942, including a Junkers JU-52, a Siebel twin-engine transport, and the only known surviving example of a Heinkel He-100. There are also rare prewar Rico (Spanish) and Ingap (Italian) craft, including the only known original examples of the CR-42 biplane fighter and the Macchi C.202; and a seldom-seen Chein (American) tinplate Martin seaplane. Arguably the largest tin toy ever produced, a Yonezawa tinplate 10-engine B-36 bomber had plenty of room to spread its expansive wings in the long-held Webster collection. Other Japanese highlights include a very clean, boxed B-50 bomber; a black and orange prewar Northrup Lindberg single-engine exploration plane – both by Yonezawa – and a Japanese-made four-engine B-29 bomber.

It’s always exciting for collectors to discover unassembled, prewar-era Dux constructor planes. The Webster collection contains two: a model of the German Stuka divebomber and a civilian Messerschmidt ME109. Both display colorful graphics on their boxes.

“We think collectors will have a field day with this collection, which has a lot of diversity to it,” said Sage. “Usually toy plane collectors concentrate on one category, for instance American-made or Japanese-made or cast-iron planes. There aren’t many who collect all toy planes, but GR was one of them. His collection is an overview of aviation history in toy form.”

MEMO:

Additional segments of GR Webster’s mammoth toy aircraft collection will be auctioned at auction houses in the USA and UK. The full list follows:

Morphy Auctions in Denver, Pa., will offer approximately 50 prized American cast-iron, English die-cast, and pre- and postwar European and Japanese airplanes in its May 11-12 Toy, Train & Doll Auction.

Affiliated Auctions, of Tallahassee, Fla., has been chosen to auction Webster’s aviation identification models, which were used in wartime to help military personnel identify both enemy and friendly aircraft by their shapes. The models are being incorporated into Affiliated’s regular monthly auctions.

Stephenson’s Auctioneers of Southampton, Pa. (suburban Philadelphia), will be auctioning a mixed selection of Webster’s toy airplanes in a May sale.

Lloyd Ralston Gallery, of Shelton, Conn., will sell US and Japanese planes, many tin aircraft and helicopters, diecast and boxed 1970s plastic planes and some Dinky Toys in their upcoming auctions.

Meanwhile in England, Vectis Auctions, of Stockton-on-Tees, is planning to include the collection’s rare British die-cast airplanes in a June auction, with a possible second auction to follow later this year.

Auction House Websites:

Morphy Auctions:

www.morphyauctions.com

Affiliated Auctions:

http://www.affiliatedauctions.com/

Stephenson’s Auctioneers:

http://www.stephensonsauction.com/

Lloyd Ralston Gallery:

http://www.lloydralstontoys.com/

Vectis Auctions:

http://www.vectis.co.uk/Page/Index.aspx

Caption:

From the GR Webster collection to be sold at Morphy’s May 11-12 auction: (left) Yonezawa B-36 tin bomber with 26-inch (66 cm.) wingspan, est. $600-$900; and (right) rare original box that accompanies a Britains Short Bros. flying boat monoplane with 14.25-inch (36.2 cm.) wingspan, Bakelite and heavy tin, made 1936 only, one of the rarest and most valuable airplane toys ever made, est. $12,000-$16,000. Morphy Auctions image.

Dino Tracks Lead To Phenomenal Martian Rock In Chait’s May 6 Natural History Auction

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – I.M. Chait’s industry-leading Natural History sales are a showcase for once-in-a-lifetime specimens, like the spectacular meteorite from Mars that headlines the company’s May 6 auction. Extraordinarily rare, the fist-size rock that landed in an African desert last July 18 probably took hundreds of millions of years to travel from Mars to earth.

It is known as the Tissint Meteorite – a reference to the name of the Moroccan town nearest to where nomads in the Oued Drâa valley found the fusion-crusted stone after it made its dramatic landing. According to eyewitnesses, a yellow fireball streaked across the sky, turned a bright green color, then split into two parts as two loud sonic booms were emitted. Experts would later determine – amid much excitement – that the specimens found near Tissint had originated on Mars.

“Less than 0.1% of all known meteorites are recorded as Martian in origin, and since this was the first Martian meteorite fall to be observed since 1962, it is most likely the only such fall that will be observed in most current earth inhabitants’ lifetimes,” said Chait’s natural history director, Jake Chait.

The entire Tissint fall is thought to comprise little more than 10kg (approx. 22 lbs.) of material. London’s Natural History Museum holds a Tissint specimen weighing 1.1kg (approx. 2.4 lbs.) and considers it the most important meteorite of the last 100 years.

One quality that makes the Tissint Meteorite so significant is its freshness. Unlike meteorites that lay undiscovered for years – in some cases, thousands of years – it has not been contaminated by the earth’s soil, water or bacteria, and therefore is a very fresh and valuable resource for the study of its home planet’s geology. Tiny air bubbles trapped in the rock may even provide insight as to the atmosphere of the Red Planet. A truly superb specimen that weighs in at 10.5 oz. (298 grams), the Tissint Meteorite is expected to make $200,000-$300,000 at auction.

During the prehistoric period that the Tissint Meteor(ite) is likely to have departed Mars, the earth was inhabited by early dinosaurs and other exotic reptiles. Now animal and mineral specimens of that fascinating era will come together on the same planet in the same place, at I.M. Chait’s May 6 auction.

One of the sale’s top zoological lots is the skull of a baby (10-12 years old) triceratops found at the Hell Creek Formation in Montana, a site that produced many highly important fossils. The triceratops skull is one of very few of its type in existence. Its consignor acquired the specimen from the person who actually excavated it from the Hell Creek field. It will be offered with a $60,000-$80,000 estimate. 

A jointed leg from a fearsome Tarbosaurus bataar (Tyrannosaurus) is more than 6½ feet tall and is presented on a custom metal armature. The leg dates to the end of the Cretaceous period, approximately 70 to 65 million years ago, and is in an exemplary state of preservation, from its warmly patinated surface to its wickedly curving, well-delineated claws. It could make $20,000-$25,000 on auction day.

Appropriately for the Year of the Dragon, I.M. Chait will auction a fossilized skull of a creature now known as an Ankylosaurid but originally thought to have been a dragon – and it’s easy to see why people of ancient times might have thought as such. The long snout, large spikes and cranial protrusions on the broad, flat-topped skull certainly suggest a dragon-like physiognomy. Very few Ankylosaurid remains have ever been found, more than warranting a $30,000-$40,000 presale estimate.

A fine and complete dinosaur skeleton measuring 39 inches long would be the ultimate prize on any CEO’s desk. The specimen is a remarkably well-preserved, fully articulated skeleton of a Psittacosaurus, a primitive member of the Ceratopsia, or horned dinosaurs. In a forward-crouching mode, this beautifully presented skeleton has a large parrot-beaked skull with distinctive jaws that once grabbed and shredded leaves with ease. It has a presale expectation of $10,000-$12,000.

In addition to their bones, dinosaurs left behind other evidence that they existed, like fossilized dung known in geological terms as “coprolites.” Two consecutive lots of coprolite fossils, cross cut and polished to reveal its inner coloration, are cataloged in the sale. A hefty 8¼-inch wide multicolored specimen from the Morrison Formation in Utah is estimated at $800-$1,000; while a group lot of five coprolites, quite likely from ancient turtles, carries a $2,500-$3,500 estimate. Such specimens are very popular with collectors and always garner media interest. “Even a leading business publication featured a coprolite from one of our past auctions on its front page,” said Jake Chait.

Dinosaur eggs of various types and species also will be available, ranging in size from 3 to 4 inches in diameter all the way to 16 inches for an Asiatic Gigantaraptor egg. The latter is estimated at $3,000-$4,000.

Chait’s sale includes the only fossil of an Indarctos zdanskyi (predecessor to the panda) ever to be offered at auction. “There may be one in a museum somewhere, but if so, its existence is not commonly known,” said Chait. “We don’t even know of a private collection that contains an Indarctos zdanskyi.”

The 16-inch-long “panda” skull is around 2 million years old. Like the “dragon” in the auction, it was found in central Asia. Mounted with jaws agape, the skull displays outstanding three-dimensionality, fine bone texture and coloration. Estimate: $65,000-$80,000.

A number of insects and taxidermied animals will be auctioned. Of particular note is a pair of large mosquitoes captured in amber resin while in the act of mating. Described in Chait’s catalog as “a perfect snapshot of prehistoric life,” the 2¼-inch-long golden-orange specimen of Baltic origin could realize $500-$700.

The Archaeological and Tribal Artifacts section of the sale includes an authenticated Egytian mummified human hand with a considerable amount of cloth wrapping still intact. It is at least 2,000 years old, putting it somewhere between the New Kingdom and Ptolemaic Eras. Estimate: $5,000-$6,000.

Other lots of interest include an attractive glass-encased display containing both hair and a tusk section from a Mammathus primigenius (woolly mammoth elephant), $1,200-$2,500); group lots of ancient arrow and spear points from North Africa, certified gemstones, and many other mineral specimens – from earth and beyond.

I.M. Chait’s Sunday, May 6 Important Natural History auction will commence at 11 a.m. Pacific time at the company’s gallery located at 9330 Civic Center Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210. All forms of bidding will be available, including live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com and Artfact.com.

For additional information on any lot in the sale or to obtain a fully illustrated color catalog ($35 + shipping), call 1-800-775-5020 or 310-285-0182; or e-mail joey@chait.com. Visit the company online at www.chait.com.

CAPTION:

Tissint Martian meteorite that fell to earth July 18, 2011; believed to have solidified from lava 400-500 million years ago, extraordinarily rare, est. $200,000-$300,000. I.M. Chait image.