Longfellow’s Bathtub, Carlsbad Caverns National Park. NPS Photo by Peter Jones.CARLSBAD, N.M.(AP) – Wearing white gloves, Carlsbad Caverns National Park Superintendent John Benjamin carefully drew items out of a box. Like a child at Christmas who has received a prized gift, he can barely hold back the excitement he feels each time he picks up an item from the box.
The objects of his excitement were well-preserved letters, diaries of daily life at the park from 1929 though 1949, and never-before-seen photos, prints by renowned artists and yellowed Carlsbad Current-Argus newspapers chronicling the park’s rise to greatness as a national treasure and Col. Tom Boles, the park’s first superintendent.
“This is stupendous. There is so much here. It exceeds our wildest expectations,” Benjamin said. “Everything in these two boxes is original. They are not copies. We have a lot in our archives about the early years of the park, but nothing like this. These things are priceless.” Continue reading
This 5 1/2-inch-high famille vert brush pot from the Qing dynasty may be sleeper. The presale estimate is $250-$350. Image courtesy Millea Bros. Ltd.MORRISTOWN, N.J. (ACNI) – Diverse antiques and art ranging from East Asia to the East Coast, all collected by an extraordinary woman, Doris Duke, will sell at auction Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3 at the Morristown Armory.
Millea Bros. Ltd., Madison, N.J., has been preparing the 850-lot auction of property from the Doris Duke estate since February. While much attention is focused on the Asian art in the sale, the late philanthropist’s interests were wide-ranging. Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) – The world’s two leading auction houses are heading into their busy spring auction season with fewer artworks to sell and lower estimates than in previous years.
Many wealthy collectors have been hammered by the recession. But the picture isn’t entirely grim.
Both Sotheby’s and Christie’s are featuring unusual pieces in May that haven’t been on the market for decades. And there are still plenty of investors and art museums with the resources to spend millions of dollars on art.
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Image courtesy of Gibson Guitar Corp. Used by permission.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Gibson Guitar is offering a $1,000 reward for the return of a 10-foot guitar sculpture missing in Orlando.
The company said Friday the sculpture was supposed to be part of a charity auction. Gibson had said that no charges would be pressed if the sculpture were returned by midnight on Saturday to either the restaurant from which it was stolen or to a Gibson showroom.
The company says the sculpture, which is still missing, would have brought thousands of dollars at auction, with the proceeds going to a local charity.
The time limit for immunity has now come and gone, and the Gibson company has stated it will press charges.
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
LONDON (AP and ACNI) – A medal awarded to a hero dog who sniffed out scores of survivors in the rubble following the London Blitz was sold at auction Friday for 24,250 pounds ($35,700.)
The sale price was 10,000 pounds ($14,720) higher than the estimate. Auctioneers said the buyer chose to remain anonymous.
The Dickin Medal, Britain’s highest honor for animals, was awarded in 1945 to a dog named Rip, who was credited with finding more than 100 people trapped by German bomb damage in World War II.
Rip had been found abandoned in an air raid shelter and was adopted by E. King, an Air Raid Precaution Warden.
The dog had no rescue training, said the award’s sponsor, the animal charity PDSA, which has provided care for sick and injured animals of people in need for 91 years.
Uncle Wiggily is still a popular character from a children’s book series started in 1910. This 1923 peanut butter pail shows Uncle Wiggily Longears at the seashore with his candy-striped cane and Pipsisewah, a rhinoceros-like bully. It auctioned for $590 at Showtime Auction Services of Woodhaven, Mich.
Peanut butter, everyone’s favorite food, has had bad press lately, but peanut butter collectibles rank high with collectors. Peanut butter was eaten by the ancient Incas centuries ago. Peanuts later were grown in Africa, then Spain and then the American colonies. It was a commercial crop by the 1800s. Crushed peanuts (peanut butter) were eaten by the Chinese in sauces, during the Civil War in porridges, and as a healthy source of protein by the 1890s. Machines to make peanut butter in the United States were patented by 1895. Early peanut butter, and some sold in grocery and health stores today, is simply a paste of ground roasted peanuts. In 1904 peanut butter was a new popular snack sold at the St. Louis World’s Fair. Improvements continued. It became smooth with the invention of churning machines, then was made to stay fresh longer and not separate from its own oil. Crunchy peanut butter was developed in 1934.
Peanut butter collectors want the original containers — anything from jars to decorated tin pails to pressed glass goblets. They also look for cookbooks, banks, salt and pepper shakers, figurines and anything connected to peanuts, like cookie boxes, roasted peanut tins and even the peanut logo used by President Carter. Most popular are peanut-related things from companies like Peter Pan, Big Top, Skippy, Smucker’s, Planters Peanuts and Jif. Best of all are the decorated tin pails used from 1910 to 1950. Most entice buyers with colorful pictures of young movie stars or scenes from children’s books.
Q: When my mother died at age 86 a few years ago, she left me her old “spinning wheel rocking chair.” At least that’s my name for it. The back of the chair and its arms are made from the wheels of spinning wheels. There are no marks on the chair, so I donknow if it was made commercially or by a local craftsman. Have you ever seen this type of chair?
A: When the United States celebrated its centennial in 1876, people all over the country became interested in Colonial Revival furniture. Because spinning wheels were no longer used much but did remind people of Colonial times, some clever furniture makers decided to use old wheels to make chairs. When old spinning wheels weren’t available, cabinetmakers simply made more wheels. The style revived again in the 1940s.
Q: We own a 1929 GE Modern Longfellow grandfather clock-radio. We haven’t been able to find any information about it. Can you help?
A: General Electric, founded in 1892, got into the radio business in 1919. That’s when GE founded RCA. RCA marketed GE radios until 1930, when the companies were forced to break up. Your mahogany clock-radio dates from about 1931, not 1929. It was GE’s H-91 model in the shape of a full-size grandfather clock. It houses an electric clock and a 10-tube radio. The radio didn’t work very well, but collectors will pay about $500 for a working model.
Q: More than 30 years ago, an older friend of mine gave me two canvas-covered duck decoys that had belonged to his father. I’m guessing they’re around 100 years old. They appear to be hand-painted, but have inset glass eyes. Each one has its original cord and metal anchor attached. They are not stamped or signed. Can you tell me something about canvas decoys and what they’re selling for?
A: Canvas-covered ducks, geese and swans have been made and used in many parts of the United States since the mid 1800s. Some were made commercially, some by small workshops and some by amateurs working at home. Most are made with a wooden base and a wooden or wire frame covered with canvas. Many are unmarked. They were inexpensive and lightweight, so they were easy for hunters to carry and deploy on the water to attract birds. Most decoy collectors don’t like them as well as wooden decoys, but an antique canvas decoy in good condition can sell for more than $100.
Q: About seven years ago I rescued a copper weather vane from a pile of junk being thrown away. It’s in the shape of a trotting horse and sulky. The driver is wearing a cap and leaning forward in the cart. The reins are still intact, and so are the wheels. Do you think it could be valuable?
A: Horse weather vanes became popular during the late 19th century and have stayed popular. You can still buy new ones. Most of them are simply horses, though, without jockey or cart. Some horse-and-cart weather vanes were made commercially in the late 1800s, but others were homemade by amateurs. The value of yours depends on its quality, age and condition. If it’s well made, in good shape and dates from the 19th century, it could sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Tip: If heavy furniture legs have left dents in your carpet, put an ice cube on the spot and wait for the carpet to spring back.
Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or e-mail addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, (Name of this newspaper), King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.
Need more information about collectibles? Find it at Kovels.com, our Web site for collectors. Check prices there, too. More than 700,000 are listed and viewing them is free. You can also sign up to read our weekly Kovels Komments. It includes the latest news, tips and questions and is delivered by e-mail, free, if you register. Kovels.com offers extra collector’s information and lists of publications, clubs, appraisers, auction houses, people who sell parts or repair antiques and much more. You can subscribe to “Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles,” our monthly newsletter filled with prices, facts and color photos. Kovels.com is written to add to the information in our newspaper column and to help you find useful sources needed by collectors.
CURRENT PRICES
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
Charlie Chaplin hat, pressed felt, elastic string fastener, paper band with name and black-and-white photo of Little Tramp, 1920s, 2 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches, $100.
Biedermeier daybed, walnut, S-scroll ends, fitted with central cushion & 2 circular bolster pillows, block feet, c. 1830, 91 inches, $1,425.
George III cross-stitched sampler, 3-masted schooner, surrounded by castles and lighthouse, beige and reds, signed Mary Anne Dundas, June 12, 1797, 16 x 12 inches, $1,775.
“The Label Made Me Buy It” by Ralph and Terry Kovel is a picture history of labels that once decorated products from cigar boxes to orange crates and salmon tins. The 320 full-color labels picture Indians, famous people, buildings and symbols. Learn how to identify and date labels or just enjoy the rare pictured labels (hardcover, 224 pages). Out-of-print but available here. Send $40 plus $5.95 shipping to Kovels, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH, 44122 or call 800-571-1555.
NEW YORK (AP) – EBay Inc. said Wednesday the weak economy led to lower earnings and revenue for the second consecutive quarter, but the online marketplace operator’s results still beat analysts’ expectations.
The first-quarter numbers helped eBay shares shoot up 79 cents, or 5.4 percent, in after-hours trading, after they ended the regular session up 49 cents, or 3.4 percent, at $14.78.
The quarterly results, however, show the San Jose, California-based company is still struggling, both with the recession and its efforts to improve its online marketplace. Continue reading
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – A Utah businessman who collected antique cars has been indicted on charges of defrauding investors of more than $18 million in an alleged Ponzi scheme.
U.S. Attorney Brett Tolman unsealed an indictment on Tuesday for Jeffrey Lane Mowen, 47, formerly of Lindon, Utah.
Federal authorities say Mowen’s last known country of residence was Panama, where telephone directories have no record of him.
Authorities have seized more than 200 antique, classic and modern vehicles they say Mowen bought with investor money and stored in various places in Utah.
The cars include a 1939 Jaguar, a Model T from 1918 and a 1903 Oldsmobile Horseless Carriage.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
With Jeanne Bertoia looking on, Philadelphia’s Fox 29 TV affiliate interviews Don Kaufman for its news cast. Photo by Phil Dutton, courtesy Bertoia Auctions.
VINELAND, N.J. (ACNI) – Long lamented as a bygone era, the days of toy collector kinship were revived with an electrifying spark as a global contingent of buyers convened at Bertoia Auctions on March 19-21 for the debut of the Donald Kaufman auction series.
Built over a period of nearly 59 years, the internationally renowned Kaufman collection’s initial outing rang the register at $4.2 million, setting a house record for Bertoia’s and sending a message of confidence about the toy-collecting hobby that was obvious to all in attendance. Real-time Internet bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com added $341,858.81 to the three-day gross.
“The return of the toy camaraderie we remembered so fondly from 15 or 20 years ago was an inspiring thing to see,” said Bertoia Auctions’ owner, Jeanne Bertoia. “What I heard from all the old-timers was, ‘It’s back.'”
The gallery’s stylishly modern décor, enhanced by vases of fresh orchids, lent a new sense of chic to the auction preview process. Thursday evening previewers sipped wine and noshed on gourmet hors d’oeuvres as they inspected the deluxe toys through floor-length wall-to-wall glass showcases and chatted animatedly in German, French or English with their soon-to-be auction competitors.
1920s Marshall Field A La Page perfume bottle in pearlized white crystal with molded labels, stopper and applied base in coral-red crystal. Small open bubbles are typical to this type of red crystal. First time seen. 4 7/8 inches. $10,000-$12,000
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – On Friday May 1, the International Perfume Bottle Association will host its 19th annual Perfume Bottles Auction in Albuquerque, with an outstanding and varied selection of perfume, cosmetic and vanity items of every price range and taste. All items offered are in fine condition, and collectors can also expect to see some extraordinary surprises. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com
A who’s who of bottle designers is represented in more than 350 perfume lots, including designs by Gallé, Lalique, Schneider, Baccarat, J. Viard, Jollivet, Hoffman and countless others. Included are pre-1900 bottles of gold, silver and enamel; a colorful array of vintage Czechoslovakian crystal bottles, a fine selection of 20th-century commercial bottles, many with original boxes; as well as an elegant grouping of DeVilbiss atomizers made for the 1920s boudoir vanity.
Chronologically, a full range of perfume-bottle production will be presented. There are scent bottles dating from early as 1770 and wonderful examples of contemporary designs such as a Jean-Paul Gaultier 1990s perfume set housed in a cuckoo clock.
