March 24, 2009 - Auction Central News

Raoul Wallenberg-signed WWII document in RR’s April auction

An employment pass, signed by Raoul Wallenberg and issued to Mrs. Julius Heller on August 23, 1944 states that Mrs. Heller 'is in steady employment with the Repatriation Department of the Embassy, as well as with the Swedish Red Cross,' and also bears her photo and signature. Image courtesy RR Auctions.

AMHERST, N.H. – Highlighting nearly 1,500 lots in the current RR Auction closing April 15 is a rare and remarkable document signed by Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat whose tireless efforts saved the lives of tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews during World War II.

“This is not just a piece of paper with Raoul Wallenberg’s signature on it; this piece of paper represents life,” said Diane Blake, Director of Research for The Raoul Wallenberg Committee of the United States.

In mid-1944 while he worked at the Swedish Embassy, Wallenberg devised the “Schutzpass,” a special, official-looking (but essentially invalid) Swedish passport that granted the bearer immunity from deportation to death camps. As the urgent demand for the passes increased with impending deportations, Wallenberg opened an office staffed with some 400 Jewish volunteers who aided in the manufacture of the passes and were themselves issued “employment certificates” ensuring their safety.

“This employment certificate is likely one of the 400 issued by Wallenberg,” said Blake, one of the world’s experts on Wallenberg. “We have never seen this form of document, and it is very exciting because we have the largest archive of Raoul Wallenberg materials in North America.”

Stockholm museum robbed of more than 100 antique and vintage toys

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN – Mike von Matuska of Matuska Doll & Toy Auctions has confirmed a break-in occurred earlier this month at the Stockholm toy museum Leksaksmuseet, of which he is director. He is advising anyone who is offered antique or vintage toys from a Swedish source to ask questions and proceed cautiously.

Mike says restoration had just been completed at the museum and that sometime at night between March 5 and March 9, an intruder forced the alarmed doors several times to gain entry.

Many rare toys – approximately 115 antique and vintage pieces – were taken in the heist. Mike said they were all “excellent to mint toys of German and Japanese manufacture, dating from 1900 to 1960.” The perpetrator(s) are quite likely to be knowledgeable about toy values, as they took valuable Marklins and Lehmanns, which are easily resold.

All of the stolen toys are listed online at http://scandalic.nu/auktion/stulet/Stold_pa_Leksaksmuseet/Bilder.html. There’s also a selection of images of some of the stolen pieces.

Anyone who may have information pertaining to the theft or suspicions based on offers to buy is asked to e-mail Mike von Matuska at mike@matuska.se.

Skinner Fine Jewelry auction glitters with nearly $1.8M in sales

Art Deco diamond, onyx, jadeite and coral brooch by Boucheron Paris, sold for $189,600. Image courtesy Skinner Inc.

BOSTON – Skinner Inc. today announced the results of its March 17, 2009 Fine Jewelry sale. The auction achieved its overall high estimate, grossing $1,768,021.

A number of the top-selling lots came to Skinner from the family of William and Henry Waters, who established Baltimore’s Waters Art Museum. The star of the show was a stunning Renaissance Revival long chain (lot 530) that sold for $402,000. It was estimated at $75,000-$125,000.

Another eye-catching lot, an archaeological Revival gold and glass bead fringe necklace, circa 1880, sold for $67,545.50.   Additional highlights included an Art Deco diamond, onyx, jadeite and coral brooch by Boucheron Paris (lot 514), which sold for $189,600.00, and a Renaissance Revival enamel, sapphire and diamond brooch (lot 529) that achieved $71,100.

Egypt wants a 3,000-year-old coffin back from U.S.

CAIRO (AP) – Egypt will soon file an official request with U.S. authorities to return a 3,000-year-old wooden coffin illegally smuggled out of the country more than a century ago, the country’s top archaeologist said Sunday.

In a statement, Zahi Hawass said the nearly 5-foot-long coffin was taken from Egypt in 1884 after it was stolen from a tomb in Luxor, an ancient pharaonic capital in southern Egypt.

Hawass says the ornamented coffin belonged to Pharaoh Ames of the 21st Dynasty, which ruled over Egypt from 1081-931 B.C.

The coffin is currently in the hands of the customs authority in Miami, Florida, who confiscated it after it was shipped to the United States from Spain, added the statement.

U.S. officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Egypt has launched a drive to recover its antiquities taken abroad, including some residing in famous museums.

AP-ES-03-22-09 1319EDT

Gun auction featuring Joseph Murphy’s Colt collection earns $11.4M

Engraved and gold-inlaid Colt single-action army revolver known as Sears & Roebuck Cowboy Special, sold for $747,500. Image courtesy James D. Julia Auctioneers.

FAIRFIELD, Maine (AP) – A two-day auction of high-end firearms and memorabilia generated sales totaling nearly $11.4 million.

About 100 bidders and spectators showed up Tuesday, March 17, for the final day of the sale at the James D. Julia Inc. auction house in Fairfield.

A highlight was the sale of 40 lots from the Colt firearms collection of Pennsylvania businessman Joseph A. Murphy.

Julia said the collection is the finest, gun for gun, ever to come to auction. Two other auctions that will include rare pieces from Murphy’s collection are scheduled for October 2009 and March 2010.
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Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com

AP-ES-03-18-09 1410EDT

C.M. Russell art auction fundraiser tops $1.4M

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) – Unofficial tallies show the C.M. Russell Art Auction in Great Falls sold $1,466,930 worth of artwork on Friday and Saturday nights, the fifth-best weekend in the auction’s history.

Spirited bidding pushed one of Charlie Russell’s watercolors to $100,000 as the auction sold $807,700 worth of art Saturday night.

Since its inception in 1969, the auction has been a fundraiser for the C.M. Russell Museum. The Great Falls Ad Club, which sponsors the event, adds a 13 percent surcharge to the bid price (10 percent for cash and checks), then deducts its expenses from that total and donates the rest to the museum.

Over the years, the Ad Club has donated $5,579,342 to the museum through the auction, including $1,046,175 from the popular Quick Draw event.
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Information from: Great Falls Tribune,
http://www.greatfallstribune.com

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WS-03-22-09 2358EDT

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