October 12, 2009 - Auction Central News

Skinner hosts Richard Wright decorative arts, furniture auction, Oct. 24

Extremely rare Tiffany Studios leaded glass and bronze Elaborate Peony lamp shade and base, circa 1910, est. $300/500,000. Image courtesy Skinner Inc.

BOSTON – On Oct. 24, Skinner Inc. will auction part II of the Richard Wright Collection featuring decorative arts and furniture in sale to be conducted Oct. 24 at the company’s Boston gallery. Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.

The late Richard Wright was one of the world’s foremost experts on fine dolls, widely known for his authoritative appraisals on the PBS Television series Antiques Roadshow; but he also had a discerning eye for furniture and decorative arts. The collection to be auctioned on the 24th is representative of Wright’s ability to unearth the rare, the unique and the unusual. Among the offerings are Tiffany lamps, Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts furniture and decorations; Art Deco porcelain and bronze figures; Aesthetic Movement articles, as well as important Martin Brothers and Doulton pottery.

According to Stuart Whitehurst, Director of the Wright Collection at Skinner and sale auctioneer, “This collection tells a very personal story about who Richard Wright was and what kinds of things inspired him. It clearly shows an individual collector’s eye at work. Each piece acquired by Richard was one step in a near lifelong journey of seeking out the fine, the fantastic, the fun, and the funky – the culmination of that journey is this amazing collection. “

The highlight of the auction is featured on the auction catalog’s cover: a Tiffany Studios leaded glass and bronze “Elaborate Peony” lampshade and base, circa 1910 (lot 307, est. $300/500,000). This particular pattern rarely surfaces at auction.

Also featured on the catalog’s cover is a star of the Art Deco bronzes, a large figure by Bruno Zach titled The Riding Crop (lot 85, est. $12/15,000.) This figure of an alluring, semi-clad woman holding a riding crop is a force with which to be reckoned with. At 33½ inches high, she represents the largest casting of this model that Zach produced.

Other important offerings include two large and whimsical Martin Brothers glazed stoneware “Wally-Bird” tobacco jars with covers (lot 151 and 152, est. $12/18,000 each). Twenty-four other lots by the eccentric and brilliantly talented brothers Martin are featured in the collection. Wright’s passion for late 19th/early 20th century British pottery is further displayed in more than 40 marquee lots of Doulton Lambeth pottery, presided over by a near-life-sized salt-glaze stoneware figure of a contemplative monkey by George Tinworth (lot 185, est. $3/5,000). Works by the Barlow sisters and other famous Doulton decorators enchant the eye with their skillful decoration of animals. Lot 517 is a pair of Doulton Lambeth blue and brown salt glaze mantel vases depicting frolicking cottontail rabbits (est. $1,2/1,800), while lot 39 is a Doulton Lambeth Faience hanging charger by Linnie Watt, depicting a scene of winsome children gathering wildflowers (est. $2/3,000).

Another stunning piece is a Louis-Ernest Barrias’ silver and ivory mounted figure of an allegorical maiden, “Nature,” uncovering herself before science (lot 356, est. $7/9,000). Made by the Susse Frères Foundry, circa 1893-1908, the work features a parcel-gilt silver body with carved ivory face, torso, and hands, and mounted with silver and lapis lazuli accents. A similar example is in the collection of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore.

Other decorative arts of note that illustrate Wright’s keen and discerning eye include an Arts & Crafts enamel-mounted silverplate jewelry casket (lot 403, est. $3/5,000) by Ernestine Mills, an important figure in the British Arts & Crafts movement and a fervent political activist and suffragette; and a large Russian bronze figure of a bear attributed to Nicolai Liberich (lot 736, est. $10/15,000).

Also, included in Wright’s collection is a varied selection of fine art including a fabulous original Arthur Rackham watercolor of an illustration for John Milton’s Comus (lot 546, est. $20/30,000) depicting nubile dancing water nymphs.

The fine furniture selection includes several signed examples by star designers of the Art Nouveau period including works by Serrurier-Bovy, Gallé, and Majorelle. Works by these artists include a Gustave Serrurier-Bovy Art Nouveau padouk wood dining table with seven dining chairs (lot 282, est. $14/18,000), a Gallé mother-of-pearl and fruitwood two-drawer side table (lot 306, est. $6/8,000), and a Majorelle Art Nouveau fruitwood marquetry-inlaid walnut side table (lot 358, est. $2/3,000.)

Coming on the heels of the Richard Wright Collection, Session I: Rare & Important Dolls of October 10th, the sale of decorative arts and furniture will also offer a group of objects collaterally related to dolls, such as miniature furniture, porcelains and paintings depicting figures with dolls.

“We’ve enjoyed handling this diverse and impressive collection,” said Whitehurst. “From the sublime to the smile-inducing, this sale is sure to offer something for everyone.”

Skinner invites interested parties to join their specialists for a 6 p.m. gallery walk discussing some of the many highlights of the sale on Friday, Oct. 23, with a reception preceding at 5:30 p.m. To RSVP or to enquire about any item in the sale, call 617-350-5400.

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Click here to view Skinner, Inc.’s complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Two large and whimsical Martin Brothers glazed stoneware Wally-Bird tobacco jars and covers, est. $12/18,000 each. Image courtesy Skinner Inc.

Arts & Crafts enamel-mounted silverplate jewelry casket by Ernestine Mills, est. $3,000-$5,000. Image courtesy Skinner Inc.

Gustave Serrurier-Bovy Art Nouveau padouk wood dining table with seven dining chairs (not shown), est. $14/18,000. Image courtesy Skinner Inc.

Custer’s gun, signed Hemingway 1st edition in Signature House sale

Ernest Hemingway signed first printing of Across The River and Into The Trees. Image courtesy Signature House.

BRIDGEPORT, W. Va. – Signature House will launch its fall offering of more than 1,100 lots in 16 main categories of autographs, documents, books, art and related collectibles with a two-session sale on Oct. 24-25. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide the Internet live bidding.

Auctioneer Gil Griggs commented on the variety available in the sale: “We have a wide-ranging and exciting offering this season with a number of highly desirable notables as well as more specialized selections for those looking for that special piece to enhance their Colonial or Americana collections…”

Holyland antiquities and Medieval Book of Hours leaves are among the earliest offerings. Celebrating Columbus’ sighting of the New World in October 1492, the sale includes a Royal Spanish document signed by his sponsors King Ferdinand and Isabella, Lot 324. A French document signed by King Charles IX of France as well as uncommon Swedish royalty, Lot 336, will also be featured in the first session.

Of note is a significant Revolutionary War-date document penned and signed by John Hancock, Lot 39, plus an important original copy of the 1864 Sugar Tax Act, Lot 38, the first significant law passed to tax the colonies for raising revenue for the Crown leading to the American Revolution. Another important entry is a 1793 edition of the Works of Benjamin Franklin.

One of the most exciting lots, said Gil Griggs, is a Remington-Beals Navy conversion revolver belonging to Civil War general and Indian fighter George Custer, Lot 92. The identified September 1858 Patent pistol is stamped in typical fashion with his name on the underside of the barrel, and dated 1869. Within the provenance papers is the more colorful suggestion that it was retrieved by an Indian and exchanged for blankets and grain. “It is well known Custer favored the Navy pistols, and the 19th-century-style name stamp is not unlike that found on other guns he owned,” said Griggs.

A large Military category is marked by the inclusion of several WW II collections from the estate of noted collector Michael Miner. Included also are handwritten letters by George Patton Jr., Lot 187, and wartime autographs of General Eisenhower, as well as other Allied and Axis officers, fighter aces; and many more from WW I through Vietnam.

Among Nobel Laureates and inventors is an elegantly presented photograph of Thomas Edison, Lot 412.

Material related to pioneer aviators from Orville Wright to Charles Lindbergh to Mercury and Apollo astronauts are all among the offerings during the first session.

Handwritten letters by President George Washington, Lot 478, and Vice President Thomas Jefferson, Lot 485, as well as a John Adams-signed free frank start off the second session. A handwritten letter by new President Abraham Lincoln was penned just two days before the bombardment of Fort Sumter, Lot 516. Signed letters from nearly all American Presidents and other documents will be offered.

Two signed lithographs by Emil Ganso begins the Artists section. A lovely first edition display of Lady and The Tramp signed by Walt Disney is also featured. A letter by Caruso, signed photos by Giovanni Martinelli and a musical quote by Respighi highlight the Opera and Composers presentations.

A first edition, first printing of Across The River and Into The Trees flat signed by Ernest Hemingway, Lot 768, leads the Literature section, which is further highlighted by first editions by Harper Lee. A very desirable edition from the library of Thomas Gray signed by him as “T. Gray,” not with his usual initials, makes this a rare signature of the famed poet, Lot 799.

Also available are two checks signed by the reclusive Greta Garbo, Lots 877-878, one of them an endorsed MGM salary check. Lot 880 is a wonderfully unique collectible signed by Hollywood and business moguls, movie stars and early aviators. A flight logbook owned by a pilot flying from famed Ryan Aeronautics Lindbergh Field in San Diego was signed during Hollywood’s Golden Years by aviator and film producer Howard Hughes, producer Samuel Goldwyn, film exec Ben Lyon, stars Wallace Beery, Harpo Marx, Dolores Del Rio and others, as well as early aviators, some used by Hughes as stuntmen in his flying epics.

The auction concludes with a Sports section containing a Boston Red Sox team-signed game-used baseball from Game 2 of the 2004 ALCS, Lot 1087. Football stars, boxers, golfers and other sports notables round out the category.

The sale begins at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, Oct. 24 (Lots 1 – 477) and Sunday, Oct. 25 (Lots 478-1147). For additional information call Signature House at 304-842-3386 or email at info@signaturehouse.net. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Click here to view Signature House’s complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

President Abraham Lincoln letter handwritten two days before Ft. Sumter bombardment. Image courtesy Signature House.

Remington-Beal Navy pistol owned by Gen. George Custer. Image courtesy Signature House.

King Ferdinand, Queen Isabella signed document appointing Court Counsel. Image courtesy Signature House.

President George Washington signed letter. Image courtesy Signature House.

Artist Emil Ganso signed limited edition stone lithograph of Approaching Storm. Image courtesy Signature House.

Warhol, Pettibon and Ruscha headline Santa Monica’s Oct. 18 auction

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – On Oct. 18, Santa Monica Auctions will hold a Modern and Contemporary Art auction at the Bergamot Station Arts Center, starting at 1 p.m. Pacific Time, 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.

In addition to Modern and Contemporary artworks, the sale will feature original advertising, urban and illustration art. A top highlight is Raymond Pettibon’s original 1987 drawing titled Play Ball, which was used for the well-known print series of the same image.

Another work that will be featured is Portrait of Craig Johnson, an important and unique canvas by Andy Warhol. The painting carries provenance that includes the collection of Douglas S. Cramer.

A mixed media on canvas work by Chaz, the patriarch of the Los Angeles grafitti art movement, is a seminal piece that was originally exhibited in 1987 at 01 Gallery and has been in the same collection since the show.

The auction also includes photographs by many of the giants of the 20th century, including important prints by Irving Penn and Walker Evans.

For the last 25 years, Santa Monica Auctions has brought to the marketplace significant works for both the beginning art buyer and the most sophisticated connoisseur, achieving record prices for works by Ruscha, Pettibon and Warhol. The gallery features the work of both mid-career and established artists of all media, including modern and contemporary painting, photography, sculpture, drawing, multiples and prints.

Santa Monica Auctions is unusual in that they will accept appropriate consignments right up to the date of the sale, so there are always last-minute surprises.

For information on any lot in the Oct. 18 auction, call 310-315-1937. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet through www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Click here to view Santa Monica Auction’s complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Prize cows going to market at Dallas Auction Gallery, Oct. 14

DALLAS – With Derrill Osborn’s bovine art collection crossing the auction block on Oct. 14, Dallas Auction Gallery will party till the cows come home – along with the bulls, steers and heifers. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

Osborn, a men’s fashion designer who retired in 2002 from a 40-year career in fashion that concluded with 23 years at the helm of Neiman Marcus’s men’s fashion divison, helped shape decades of fashion trends, including the three-piece suit. Now Derrill Osborn will bring his unique lifetime collection of art de la vache to market. Osborn’s collection boasts more than 500 cows whose origins span the globe and several centuries. Represented among the herd are Staffordshire, majolica, Flow Blue, Black Forest carvings, 19th- and 20th-century bovine oil paintings as well as fashionable treasures that Osborn has amassed over the years.

Aside from cows, Osborn’s passions also extend to carnations – his signature boutinierre.

“It is a rarity to find a collection so passionately and lovingly assembled over a lifetime – particularly one with such an interesting theme,” said Scott Shuford, president of Dallas Auction Gallery. “It is our great honor to host Mr. Osborn’s collection.”

The vast collection, toured by garden clubs and featured in the pages of home magazines in recent years, has moved from Osborn’s Oak Lawn town home to Dallas Auction Gallery’s preview room where visitors have lined up for the auction.

“I am sending the best of the world’s bovine out to seek new homes,” Osborn said. “I was too fortunate in having worked for the grand Neiman Marcus. The position took me around the world where much of the auction pieces were purchased. There will never be another like this.”

Osborn collected the bovine art for nearly 50 years from across the globe – from China to Germany to New Mexico to the Lone Sar State. A few highlights from the collection include:

Gift from Versace: A pair of Empire-styled armchairs featuring a vivid Atelier Versace Medusa print on balloon seat cushions – the material was a personal gift from Versace to Osborn;
Unique Staffordshire: A Staffordshire sculpture Bull-Beating depicting a bull fending off two dogs;
Classic cow painting: An 1858 painting of a cow in landscape by British artist William Henry Davis;
Five thousand cows: Donna Cook’s depitction of the Chisholm Trail Cattle Drive in oil on canvas depicts half of the 10,000 herd. Inspiration came from a 19th-century photograph taken by William H. Jackson, the “father of Yellowstone National Park;”
Modern bovine: Austin artist Terrell Cook’s abstract interpration of a cow head in acrylic on board.

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

Auction items will be available for preview online through Dallasauctiongallery.com. For details call 214-653-3900.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Click here to view Dallas Auction Gallery’s complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Skinner to offer million-dollar jade collection Oct. 17-18

BOSTON – Skinner Inc. will conduct a two-day auction of Asian works of art on Oct. 17-18 at its Boston gallery, with Internet live bidding provided by LiveAuctioneers.com. The highlight of the sale is an extensive collection of jades that includes four pieces previously appraised by Skinner’s James Callahan at a taping of PBS Television’s Antiques Roadshow. The event marked the first million-dollar appraisal in the show’s history.

The consignor acquired the collection from her father who brought the items while stationed in China during the 1930s and 1940s as a military liaison. The collection is crowned by a circa-1774 Imperial jade bowl from the Qianlong reign. It was crafted for the Emperor and is estimated at $400,000-$600,000.

Also offered from the impressive collection is an 18th-century translucent pale green jade bowl (lot 577, est. $30,000-50,000), an Imperial Workshop jade ewer (lot 579, est. $80,000-$100,000), a jade mythical animal (lot 580, est. $200,000-$300,000), a pricket candle stand (lot 600A, est. $10,000-$15,000), an exotic octagonal tea box (lot 598A, est. $10,000-$15,000) and two pure white jade plaques (lots 578 and 594, each estimated at $4,000-$6,000). All of the above will be offered during session II of the sale, which takes place on Oct. 18.

According to James Callahan, Skinner’s Asian Works of Art department director, “Our expectation is for this to be a historic sale for Skinner. We have an extremely strong offering of Chinese material, the collection of jades being incredibly rare. And, with that country’s improving economic conditions we anticipate highly competitive international bidding.”

Aside from the aforementioned jade collection, hundreds of other lots of jades will be offered during session I of the sale, which takes place on Oct. 17. Other important early Chinese offerings include an early Ming gilt-bronze figure of Buddha (lot 666, est. $2,000-$3,000), a carved rhinoceros horn cup (lot 814, est. $10,000-$15,000), and a Jiajing Imperial yellow bowl (lot 686, est. $500-$700).

The sale will also feature a number of museum-quality Korean ceramics from the Koryo and Yee periods, highlighted by a celadon storage jar (lot 267, est. $3,000-$5,000), a pair of Huang Hua Li chairs (lot 632, est. $800-$1,200), a red lacquered painted table (lot 1083, est. $1,500-$2,000), as well as a good group of Chinese textiles.

For additional information on any lot in the sale, call 508-970-3000. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Click here to view Skinner’s complete catalog.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Puchsteins assume full ownership of West Palm Beach Antiques Festival

Alligators are never an endangered species in Larry Roberts' booth of Florida-theme memorabilia at the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Promoters Bill and Kay Puchstein, who together with Jim and Yvonne Tucker purchased the West Palm Beach Antique Festival in December 2008, have bought out their partners to assume full control of the popular south Florida show.

The Tuckers, who live primarily in Missouri and independently organize nine Florida shows between January and March of each year, decided the additional duties required of them would be too much to take on in addition to their already demanding schedules. The West Palm Beach Antiques Festival is an 8-times-yearly event, with an additional 800-dealer Spectacular held in February.

The first edition of the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival’s 2010 season to operate under the Puchsteins’ exclusive management will be held Nov. 6-8. Under the Puchsteins, some features will remain the same, such as early buying on Fridays. But shoppers will note some changes they’re sure to appreciate, such as an upgraded entrance area with garden and architectural items, and live plants. Dealers will take turns decorating the lobby, for a fresh and different look each month.

Dealer/visitor interaction is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the festival. A mainstay at the show for some 20 years, now, is Florida memorabilia dealer and expert Larry Roberts, author of Florida’s Golden Age of Souvenirs 1890-1930. Roberts specializes in pre-1950 examples of Floridiana and usually has more than 1,000 objects plus postcards and paper goods at his booth. In recent years, Roberts has expanded his inventory to reflect a longtime interest in Native-American artifacts from Florida and pre-Colombian artifacts from South America.

Additional news coming from the Puchstein camp confirms that the Jan. 1-3, 2010 show will serve as the launch pad for the 1st Annual Antiques and Modernism event, a combination of the traditional West Palm Beach Antiques Festival show and the West Palm Beach Modernism show. Modernism dealers from all over the country will offer Arts & Crafts, Mid-century, Art Nouveau, glass, pottery, European furniture and accessories, and other specialties.

For more information about the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival, call 941-697-7475.

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Bank buys Capone’s Wisconsin hideout for $2.6 million

Chicago mob boss Al Capone's mugshot was taken June 17, 1931. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) – Chicago mobster Al Capone’s former hideout in northern Wisconsin, complete with guard towers and a stone house with 18-inch-thick walls, was sold for $2.6 million Thursday to the bank that foreclosed on it.

Chippewa Valley Bank was the only bidder during a five-minute sheriff’s sale in the lobby of the county courthouse in Hayward, Margie Schull of the Sawyer County Sheriff’s Department said. About 30 to 40 people watched as Sheriff Jim Meier conducted the auction, Schull said.

The bank foreclosed on the 407-acre wooded site about 150 miles northwest of Wausau in April 2008 and said the minimum bid would be $2.6 million. The bank had advertised the site as “very private and pristine.”

Bank Vice President Joe Kinnear did not immediately return a telephone call after the sale. He had said earlier Thursday that he anticipated “10 to 15 bidders.”

Capone owned the land in the late 1920s and early 1930s during Prohibition, the bank said. Local legend claims that shipments of bootleg alcohol were flown in on planes that landed on the property’s 37-acre lake, and were then loaded onto trucks bound for Chicago.

The two guard towers on the property reportedly were manned with machine guns whenever Capone visited.

The bank acquired the property after foreclosing on owner Guy Houston and his company The Hideout Inc., according to court records. The Houston family bought the property in the 1950s from Capone’s estate and had operated it as a seasonal bar and restaurant, known for its prime rib, and offered guided tours focusing on the Capone lore.

Capone – nicknamed “Scarface” – headed a massive bootlegging, gambling and prostitution operation during Prohibition and raked in tens of millions of dollars. He was widely suspected in several murders but never charged.

He was considered the mastermind of the gangland killing on Chicago’s North Side in 1929, known as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Seven rivals of Capone’s gang were gunned down in a garage, but investigators never could collect enough evidence to put anyone on trial for the deaths.

Capone was eventually convicted of income tax evasion and spent part of an 11-year sentence at the infamous Alcatraz prison. He died in 1947.

Kinnear had said last month that there was interest in Capone’s one-time hideout as a retreat or as possible land for development. It was once appraised at $3.7 million, he said.

AP-ES-10-08-09 1309EDT

France’s culture minister takes steps to patch up row with Egypt

PARIS (AP) – France’s culture minister agreed Friday to return painted wall fragments to Egypt after a row over their ownership prompted the country to cut ties with the Louvre Museum.

Experts with France’s national museum authority met to discuss the painted wall fragments from a 3,200-year-old tomb near the ancient temple city of Luxor, and recommended that France return them, according to an official with the Culture Ministry.

The ministry will comply with the recommendation, said the official, who was not authorized to be publicly named according to ministry policy.
It was not immediately clear when the works would be sent to Egypt.

Egypt’s antiquities chief took his campaign to recover the nation’s lost treasures to a new level Wednesday by cutting ties with the Louvre over the artifacts.

It was the most aggressive effort yet by Zahi Hawass, Egypt’s tough and media savvy chief archaeologist, to reclaim what he says are antiquities stolen from the country and purchased by leading world museums.

Thousands of antiquities were spirited out of the country during Egypt’s colonial period and afterward by archaeologists, adventurers and thieves.

The move could jeopardize the Louvre’s future excavations in the country. Egypt suspended the Louvre’s excavation in the massive necropolis of Saqqara, near Cairo, and canceled a lecture by a former curator from France’s premier museum.

After Hawass’ announcement Wednesday, both the Louvre and France’s Culture Ministry said they were ready to return the pieces.

Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand, who said the items were acquired by the Louvre in “good faith” in 2000 and 2003, had ordered museum experts to meet first to study the issue.

Hawass’ office described the disputed fragments as pieces of a burial fresco showing the nobleman Tetaki’s journey to the afterlife, and said thieves chipped them from the walls of the tomb near the Valley of the Kings in the 1980s.

Meanwhile in Miami, the United States is taking legal steps to return a stolen 3,000-year-old sarcophagus to Egypt.

Federal prosecutors filed court papers Thursday seeking forfeiture of the ancient artifact. It wound up in Miami last year following a series of transactions that began at an antique dealership in Barcelona, Spain.

A Florida businessman who bought it from the Spanish dealer gave up all rights to it.
Egyptian authorities say the sarcophagus was probably illegally excavated years ago. It is made out of wood and is yellow, covered by elaborate hieroglyphics and symbols. Prosecutors say it was built between 1070 and 946 B.C. for the mummified remains of an unknown person.

Virtually all such antiquities belong to the Egyptian government. The court case would allow for the sarcophagus to return to Egypt.

AP-ES-10-09-09 1055EDT

Top auctioneers assess the current state of the Americana market

New interest from a single collector can give any subcategory a boost. A New York collector took a shine to the talcum and spice tins in Morphy's Oct. 8-10 auction and went on buying spree. Among the 182 items he purchased was this 4-inch Yankee Toilet Powder tin. At $3,250, it more than doubled its high estimate. Image courtesy Dan Morphy Auctions.

NEW YORK – In the wake of a disappointing auction of American furniture, folk art and prints at Christie’s New York on Sept. 30 and the cancellation of Sotheby’s fall Americana auction that had been scheduled for last month, collectors, dealers and auctioneers are attempting to make sense of these developments.

A release issued by Sotheby’s press office in New York stated, “As a company we are committed to offering tightly edited sales of high-quality works – a strategy that has proved successful in our spring and summer and summer sales. Given the importance of January in New York for Americana collectors, when clients travel from around the country to be here for auctions, shows and other events, we have decided this year to focus our efforts on building a strong sale during that season.”

While no one can foresee the future, there’s general agreement the state of the Americana market is one of the glass being half empty or half full.

“We’ve had some weakness and we’ve had some spectacular prices,” said Ronald Pook of Pook & Pook, Downingtown, Pennslyvania.

A Philadelphia Federal satinwood veneered mahogany games table, circa 1795, sold for $76,050, inclusive of the buyer’s premium, at their sale Oct. 2-3.

“There was competitive bidding between retail buyers,” said Pook, but only for the top items. “Dealers are not buying for inventory. Pieces that you could once count on selling for $5,000 are now selling for $3,000 or $2,500. It’s the middle market that’s weak,” he said.

Pook & Pook’s estimate for the Oct. 2-3 auction was $1.2 million to $1.9 million. It grossed $1.5 million with more than 90 percent of the lots selling.

Two days earlier, Christie’s sold 86 of 114 lots (75 percent), totaling $801,875. The presale estimate was $1.9 million. The top two items in the auction, a mid-18th-century Massachusetts Chippendale bombé chest of drawers (est. $500,000-$800,000) and a late-19th-century Canada goose decoy ($200,000-$400,000) failed to reach their reserves.

Cowan’s Auctions Inc. in Cincinnati also conducted an auction on Oct. 2-3, the second day of which consisted of American furniture, folk art, paintings and decorative arts.

While the auction cracked the $1 million mark, Wes Cowan noted “very spotty” prices in some categories.

“Considering the economic uncertainty, overall I was satisfied with the results,” said Cowan. “The top remains healthy and strong. The middle is still viable, but people are readjusting their sights on what they want to pay for it.”

The top in Cowan’s sale was a coin-silver racing presentation pitcher made by John Kitts & Co., which was in business in Louisville, Ky., from 1859 to 1878. The baluster form pitcher was decorated with a chased and repoussé running horse within a floral wreath on one side. Estimated at $2,500-$5,000, the prize pitcher sold for $25,850, inclusive of premium.

Cowan spoke of the democratization of antiques in the sense they have become available to the masses, largely through eBay.

“What most people think of as being antiques are objects from the third and fourth quarters of the 19th century that were made in factories for the middle-class market,” said Cowan, explaining the difference between common pieces and a masterpiece like a mid-18th-century secretary crafted by Rhode Island cabinetmaker John Goddard.

“I don’t believe the middle market will show strength anytime soon,” said Cowan. “The $150 American brilliant-cut glass bowl doesn’t exist anymore.”

Michael and Lori Eckles of Showtime Auctions, Woodhaven, Mich., see the same trend in the Americana they sell, which is focused primarily on general store, saloon, advertising and petroleum items.

“The great stuff brings what we call crazy money,” said Mike Eckles, citing a mahogany front and back bar made by Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co. that sold at their Oct. 3-4 auction. “Good ones sell for $15,000-$20,000 and better ones for $50,000-$100,000 and the best ones sell for crazy money,” he said.

In this instance the winning bidder paid $302,500 including premium. It was only the second time Eckles has sold the top-of-the-line Los Angeles model in 25 years. The bar was 24 feet long and included the matching liquor cabinet. The back bar featured supports between the mirrors in the form of two carved life-size female nudes.

“High-end items are looked at as great investments. Quality and condition must be there. If the quality isn’t there it’s a hard sell these days,” said Eckles.

To attract more bidders Eckles has been promoting a “featured collector” who consigns top merchandise to a particular auction. “We feature a collector with the most items to sell, usually an entire collection. They’re often longtime collectors motivated by financial hardship or health problems,” he said.

Despite the uncertainty in the market, Showtime will add two phone, absentee and Internet-bid auctions next year in addition to their big spring and fall auctions in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The most recent Americana results came from Dan Morphy Auctions of Denver, Pa., which conducted an Oct. 8-10 auction featuring the Joseph and Lilian Shapiro Americana and folk art collection. “The sale did over $1.5 million (inclusive of buyer’s premium), and the usual factors came into play – rarity and condition,” said Morphy’s owner and CEO, Dan Morphy. “We specialize in genuinely fresh to the market collections that have been held for many years. When the quality is there and the antiques legitimately have not been available to the public for several decades, the collectors don’t hold back. They buy.”

Antique advertising signs, salesman’s samples and an extraordinary collection of decorative 19th-century folk art “bride sticks” (implements once used to push down laundry into washing water) generated tremendous presale interest, said Morphy. “A beautiful 1890s paper sign advertising Soapine Soap, which previously had been displayed in the president’s office at Kendall Manufacturing in Providence, Rhode Island, hit the midpoint of its estimate at $17,250. It was a rare and spectacular example.”

Morphy said he was especially pleased to see participation from new buyers as well as adventurous activity from well-established collectors. “One man whom I did not know drove up from North Carolina specifically to bid on – and buy – an antique Pepsi-Cola sign,” Morphy said. “And a New York buyer who is known for collecting something entirely different apparently took a shine to the collection of antique talcum, spice and other advertising tins in the sale and ended up buying 183 lots. The established collectors for talcum tins, in particular, were blown away by the prices. Some had left bids in the $2,000 to $3,000 range for tins estimated around $600, and even then they didn’t get the tins.”

Morphy intends to show his appreciation to the New York buyer by personally delivering the tins to him. “It’s just another way of keeping the auction business vibrant and strong. I’ll personally deliver purchased goods to anyone who spends $100,000 or more in one of my sales.”

Catherine Saunders-Watson contributed to this report.

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Kovels – Antiques & Collecting: Week of Oct. 12, 2009

This 15-inch-long porcelain child figure is in the style of a 19th-century Chinese pillow. It was made in northern China. It had been repaired so it sold for only $108 at Clars Auction Gallery in Oakland, Calif.

Do you like hard pillows or soft pillows? It might depend on where you grew up.

Homemade pillows were used in ancient Egypt, medieval Europe and early America. In the mid 19th century, the Industrial Revolution and the evolving textile industry changed the way pillows were produced. From homemade and hand-embroidered, they became machine-made. Bed pillows were stuffed with goose down or feathers. But in China, pillows were very different. At first they were smooth stones. Later, by the late sixth century, they were rectangular blocks made of wood, jade, bronze, porcelain or other ceramics. Most had a curved top surface for the head. Porcelain pillows were made from the 10th to the 14th century, then were gradually replaced by pillows of other materials or even European-style stuffed pillows. Porcelain and other hard pillows were decorated with animals, plants, people, mountains and even geometric designs. Some had colorful glazes. Many were shaped like animals or small children. Many collectors today do not realize that the decorated rectangles were pillows or headrests. They are sometimes called “opium pillows” because opium users liked to lie on their sides using hard pillows. They claimed that after smoking opium for a while, even a hard pillow felt “like a cloud.” Today collectors find few of the very old hard pillows, but 19th- and 20th-century replicas are available. The pillow shaped like a child is so popular as a decorative item that it is still being made.

Q: I own an old carved oak side chair made by the Jamestown Lounge Co. that’s marked “No. 9313.” It’s from a line called Feudal Oak. What can you tell me about the company and the chair’s value?

A: The Jamestown Lounge Co. of Jamestown, N.Y., was founded by four partners in 1888. At first it manufactured, appropriately, only lounges – long armless, backless, upholstered pieces with a hard roll at one end. In the 1890s, the company added box couches and convertible sofa beds, and by the 1900s it was making all kinds of case and upholstered furniture. The Feudal Oak line was introduced in the 1930s and was produced for decades. Pieces were carved in a medieval style and were highly waxed. Your No. 9313 chair is pictured in the company’s 1938 and 1941 catalogs, but it was gone by the time the 1949 catalog came out. Jamestown Lounge Co. was sold in 1978, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1982 and closed in 1983. Your chair, if in excellent condition, would sell for about $100.

Q: My 11-inch china vase is decorated with pink flowers and green leaves. There are a couple of different marks on the bottom. The largest is an “X” with a crown at the top, an “R.” on the left, a “C.” on the right and the word “Bavaria” on the bottom. There’s another mark that looks like “P.CIRCAChina Co. of Seattle” surrounding the words “hand painted.” What does the “R.C.” in the mark stand for, how old is my vase and what is it worth?

A: The “R.C.” stands for “Rosenthal China,” a pottery and porcelain manufacturer that has been in business in Selb, Germany, since 1879. Rosenthal used the mark you describe from 1891 to 1907. The word “Bavaria” is in the mark because Rosenthal shipped “blanks” (undecorated wares) to U.S. companies (such as P.CIRCAChina Co.) so artists working at those firms or even at home could decorate vases and dishes and sell them to American consumers. Vases like yours sell today for about $200.

Q: I have two Coca-Cola trays, “Menu Girl” and “Girl with Umbrella.” The writing on them is all in French. I can’t find any information about the trays. Can you help?

A: Your trays were probably made for the French-Canadian market in Quebecirca”Menu Girl” was issued in 1950 and is worth about $25 today. “Girl with Umbrella,” issued in 1957, sells for about $125.

Q: I have a mirror marked “Copyright Syroco Inc., Made in U.S.A.” It is 30 inches long and 20 inches across at the widest part. There is a crest on the top and bottom and carved flowers around the rest of the frame. I would like to find out something about the manufacturer.

A: In 1890 Adolph Holstein, founder of the Syracuse Ornamental Co. in Baldwinsville, N.Y., developed a technique of molding wood composition so that it resembled carved wood. A mixture of wood flour, wax and resin was poured into molds and compressed, creating the product known as “Syroco.” The company made various decorative items, including mirrors and clocks. Later, it manufactured molded patio furniture. In the 1930s, the company name was changed to Syroco IncircaOther companies were also making items out of molded wood composition by the 1940s. These are sometimes referred to as “syrocco,” with an extra letter “c,” to distinguish them from Syroco made by Syracuse Ornamental Co./Syroco IncircaThe company became a subsidiary of Industrias Vassallo Inc., in 2004 and went out of business in 2007. The company name on your mirror indicates it was made after 1930. Syroco is still inexpensive. Mirrors sell for as little as $25.

Tip: Never pick a chair up by the arms. Pick it up under the seat. The arms could loosen or crack.

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, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

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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.

Big Ben Smoking Tobacco pocket tin, image of black horse in a field, Brown & Williamson, Louisville, Ky., 3 x 4 1/3 inches, $75.
Roy Rogers & Dale Evans paper dolls, Whitman, 1954, uncut, $95.
Child’s No. 20 Singer Sewing Machine, thread, pins, instruction booklet, pincushion, original box reads “This is not a toy but a real sewing machine,” circa 1922, $225.
Wrought-iron hat rack, vine and leaf form, distressed green and white paint, 1930s, 77 x 45 x 31 1/2 inches, $230.
English silver sugar tongs, figure of harlequin, serpent ring handles, marked “John & Henry Lias,” 1865, 4 3/4 inches, $290.
Madame Alexander Little Betty doll, Russian girl, composition, brown hair, blue eyes, red babushka and boots, white lace blouse, paisley skirt, 1930s, 9 inches, $375.
Steuben strawberry pendant, clear glass with internal bubbles, gold-leaf top, original box, 1 1/2 inches, $445.
Quilt, nine-block design in brown, red, blue and white, Lancaster, Pa., 1860s, 79 x 80 inches, $2,600.
Tiffany gold Favrile goblet, optic ribs, iridescent foot and bowl, amber-ribbed stem, marked, circa 1895, 6 3/4 inches, $3,350.
Federal inlaid mahogany tall chest of drawers, two short drawers, three long drawers, bonnet drawer with inlaid central oval and shells, circa 1810, 49 x 45 x 22 inches, $4,600.

Just published. The new full-color Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide, 2010, 42nd edition, is your most accurate source for current prices. This large-size paperback has more than 2,500 color photographs and 47,000 up-to-date prices for more than 700 categories of antiques and collectibles. You’ll also find hundreds of factory histories and marks and a report on the record prices of the year, plus helpful sidebars and tips about buying, selling, collecting and preserving your treasures. Available at your bookstore; online at Kovels.com; by phone at 800-571-1555; or send $27.95 plus $4.95 postage to Price Book, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.

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