Auction Highlights

Mechanical twin-girl dolls with bisque heads in two-piece blue silk outfits, holding small dolls of their own, sold online as a pair for $6,600 against an estimate of $600-700 in Alderfer’s Aug. 19 Favorite Pastimes auction.

Although unsigned, this superb 22-inch by 27-inch oil-on-canvas portrait of a distinguished man in an 18th-century American military uniform created quite a buzz in Point Pleasant’s Aug. 13 multi-estate sale. Finely painted by an unknown artist “after Gilbert Stuart,” it bears a strong similarity to the work of the famous portrait artist best known for his depictions of George Washington. Estimated at $1,000-1,500, the artwork attracted 79 bids before selling through LiveAuctioneers for $22,800.

In Northgate Gallery’s Aug. 5 One-Day Antique auction, this circa-1890 French bronze ormolu urn with multicolor champleve enameling proved to be a popular entry. Standing 22 inches tall and 14 inches wide, the urn exceeded its estimate, selling via LiveAuctioneers for $8,625.

Twenty-five percent of the lots in Kaminski’s July 29 Summertime Auction changed hands through LiveAuctioneers. Among the Internet purchases was a 1500-1100 B.C. Shang/Zhou Dynasty “ku” (wine cup), which made $5,700 against a $1,500-2,500 estimate.

In Skinner’s July 29 auction of Toys & Dolls and Science & Technology, a Columbia toy Graphophone (introduced in 1899) offered together with five wax cylinders in their original labeled carton was aggressively pursued by bidders. Estimated at $10,000-15,000, the lot was purchased by a LiveAuctioneers participant for $19,600.