This example of Action Comics No. 1 featuring the first appearance of Superman sold for $1 million in a private transaction brokered by ComicConnect.com on Feb. 22, 2010. Image courtesy ComicConnect.com.
NEW YORK (AP) – A rare copy of the first comic book featuring Superman sold Monday for $1 million, smashing the previous record price for a comic book.
A 1938 edition of Action Comics No. 1, widely considered the Holy Grail of comic books, was sold from a private seller to a private buyer, neither of whom released their names. The issue features Superman lifting a car on its cover and originally cost 10 cents.
The transaction was conducted by the auction site ComicConnect.com. Stephen Fishler, co-owner of the site and its sister dealership, Metropolis Collectibles, orchestrated the sale.
Fishler said it transpired minutes after the issue was put on sale at around 10:30 a.m. Eastern time. He said that the seller was a “well known individual” in New York with a pedigree collection, and that the buyer was a known customer who previously bought an Action Comics No. 1 of lesser grade.
“It’s considered by most people as the most important book,” said John Dolmayan, a comic book enthusiast and dealer best known as the drummer for System of a Down. “It kind of ushered in the age of the superheroes.”
Dolmayan, who owns Torpedo Comics, last year paid $317,000 for an Action Comics No. 1 issue for a client. Others have sold for more than $400,000, he said, but this copy fetched a much higher price because it’s in better condition. It’s rated an “8.0 grade,” or “very fine.”
Dolmayan said he didn’t buy this copy but he wishes he could have.
“The fact that this book is completely un-restored and still has an 8.0 grade, it’s kind of like a diamond or a precious stone. It’s very rare,” he said.
There are only about 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 believed to be in existence, and only a handful have been rated so highly. It’s rarer still for those copies to be made available for sale.
“The opportunity to buy an unrestored, high-grade Action One comes along once every two decades,” Fishler said. “It’s certainly a milestone.”
The sticker shock was astounding to Fishler, nevertheless.
“It is still a little stunning to see ‘a comic book’ and ‘$1 million’ in the same sentence,” Fishler said. “There’s only one time a collectible hits the $1 million threshold.”
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AP Music Writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody contributed to this report.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Unusually small is this Simon Willard tall clock from the late 1700s standing just 86 inches high. It has a $30,000-$50,000 estimate. Image courtesy Skinner Inc. BOSTON –Skinner’s semi-annual auction of American Furniture and Decorative Arts on March 7 will feature perhaps the most extensive collection of mocha utilitarian pottery ever offered at the auction house in a single sale.
The sale kicks off at 11 a.m. Eastern in the Boston gallery located at 63 Park Plaza and is comprised of 667 lots of material. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
Also offered in the upcoming Americana auction are several lots of interesting tall clocks, highlighted by a Simon Willard in a classic Roxbury case. This particular clock is especially unusual due to its small size. It is estimated at $30,000-$50,000. The sale also boasts a nice group of Connecticut production clocks from the early 19th century, coming to Skinner from a discerning collector.
A hallmark of Skinner’s Americana auctions has always been prolific folk portraiture, and distinguished in this sale is Portrait of a Girl and Her Dog in a Grape Arbor by Susan Catherine Moore Waters. The painting has remained in a New Hampshire collection since it was purchased at Skinner 30 years ago. It is estimated at $8,000-$12,000. Another portrait of interest is a John Samuel Blunt work, Portrait of a Lady Wearing a Green Dress with Jewelry. While the face is very carefully rendered, the remainder of the picture was done far more quickly, but effectively. The painting, which is estimate at $15,000-$25,000 was bought by the consignor’s grandmother in 1930 and has remained in the family since.
The sale also features some particularly fine landscapes, including Overlooking the Harbor, Cohasset, Massachusetts by Frank Henry Shapleigh, most regarded for his New Hampshire scenes. The piece is estimated at $4,000-$6,000. Marine art is highlighted by William Bradford’s Portrait of the Whaleship Young Hector off Clark’s Point, New Bedford. Created early in Bradford’s career, the painting is very luminous in nature and reminiscent of Fitz Henry Lane style, from whom he was influenced. It is estimated at $60,000-$80,000. Other marine offerings include James Edward Buttersworth’s Yacht Race estimated at $15,000-$20,000 as well as a scrimshaw and whale tooth carvings.
Finally, the sale is highlighted by a pair of fire buckets from Salem, Mass. While many fire buckets have survived, few pairs have remained intact. Painting on one bucket in particular is in very good condition. The pair is estimated at $4,000-$6,000.
Previews for the auction will be held March 3 from noon-5 p.m.; March 4 from noon-8 p.m., March 5 from noon-8 p.m., March 6 from noon- 5 p.m., March 7 from 8-10 a.m. In conjunction with Friday’s preview, Skinner will host an Americana gallery walk. The reception will be held at 5:30 p.m., with the gallery walk commencing at 6:30 p.m. Make reservations by calling 617-350-5400.
For details call 508-970-3000.
View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
Estimates range from $200 to $1,200 for these individual pieces of distinctly decorated mocha pottery. Image courtesy Skinner Inc. William Bradford (American, 1823-1892) painted this ‘Portrait of the Whaleship Young Hector off Clark’s Point, New Bedford.’ The 20- by 30-inch oil on canvas has a $60,000-$80,000 estimate. Image courtesy Skinner Inc. It is unusual to find a matched pair of polychrome painted leather fire buckets. This set from Salem, Mass., has a $4,000-$6,000 estimate. Image courtesy Skinner Inc.
The new library is expected to open in 2012 on the grounds of George Washington’s estate off the banks of the Potomac River. Image courtesy Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. MOUNT VERNON, Va. (AP) – There were no presidential libraries in the days of George Washington, so his papers and writings are scattered around the world. Some are lost forever. Martha Washington, for instance, burned nearly all of her personal letters from her husband shortly before she died.
But an unprecedented $38 million donation will allow George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate to establish a library dedicated to scholarship on the nation’s first president, in many ways filling the role of the modern presidential library.
The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington is expected to open in 2012 on the grounds of Washington’s estate off the banks of the Potomac River, the estate announced Friday.
Mount Vernon Director James Rees said they don’t want to call it a “presidential library,” though, for several reasons. First, Mount Vernon has long prided itself on eschewing all forms of government funding, a contrast with modern presidential libraries that are part of the national Archives.
Rees also said a library focused only on Washington’s presidency would be too limiting, ignoring his significant contributions as a military general and as an 18th century entrepreneur.
The library will not only serve leading scholars and historians, but is designed to reach out to the general public. It will help train teachers and can host conferences and seminars for corporate boards to learn about Washington’s leadership skills.
The estate also wants to create a Mount Vernon Press that will publish new research on Washington.
Rees said he wants to engage the public in new ways. As an example, he suggested developing a George Washington video game, highlighting Washington as an 18th-century action hero.
“Mount Vernon has to reach beyond these gates,” Rees said. “We have to get involved with what’s called pop culture.”
Several years ago, concerned that the public viewed Washington as a stodgy, irrelevant figure, the estate built a new museum and orientation center that highlighted Washington’s vigorous youth and his military exploits, using interactive exhibits and even a 4-D theater. The new exhibits spurred a 20 percent increase in attendance that has not abated.
The $38 million donation, the largest in the estate’s history, comes from the Las Vegas-based Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, a longtime supporter of Mount Vernon.
Fred W. Smith, the foundation’s chairman, said his organization does not typically get involved in historical preservation efforts, but he was spurred to action in 2001 after learning that the Smithsonian Institution might lose possession of a famed Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington. He learned from Rees that history textbooks in recent years have devoted less and less attention to Washington. Since then, he has been a staunch supporter of Mount Vernon.
“When I was in school, every schoolhouse had a picture of George Washington,” Smith said.
The estate also announced a partnership Friday with the University of Virginia, in which the new library will serve as the home for The Papers of George Washington, a 90-volume edition being compiled by the university consisting of copies all the known letters and documents written and received by Washington.
Mount Vernon plans to break ground on the library only after it raises $20 million in matching funds.
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
AP-ES-02-19-10 1735EST
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
An artist’s conception shows an exterior view of the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington. Image courtesy Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association.
Prinz Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein mit einer seiner beliebtesten Anschaffung für die Familiensammlung: Der 18. Jh. Badminton Schrank mit zarten Pietra Dura Halbedelstein und goldbronzenen Skulpturen. (Foto mit freundlicher Erlaubnis des Liechtenstein Museum)
Für Prinz Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein ist das Sammeln nicht nur ein Hobby. Es ist eine Familienverantwortung, die ihm das erste Mal als junger Erwachsener in den 1970igern widerfuhr, als er die schwierige Entscheidung traf, das Portrait von Frans Hals von Willem van Heythuysen zu verkaufen.
“Dieser Verkauf verursachte zu jener Zeit eine Art Aufruhr in Liechtenstein, aber er versetzte mich auch in die Lage -direkt nach Abschluss meines Studiums im Alter von 24 Jahren- den fürstlichen Besitz und Vermögen zu reorganisieren und wiederaufzubauen.”, erinnert sich Prinz Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein
Verwalter einer Sammlung zu werden, die bis ins 17. Jahrhundert reicht, kann in diesem jungen Alter nicht einfach gewesen sein. Bei einem Überfluss an Gemälden Alter Meister vom 14. bis zum 18. Jh., mit einem Schwerpunkt auf flämischen und Biedermeier Gemälden, mangelt es der Sammlung an Skulpturen und Möbeln. Mehrere sehr schöne Gemälde wurden nach dem 2. Weltkrieg bar verkauft, einschließlich Leonardo DaVincis Portrait von Ginevra de’ Benci, welches im Jahr 1967 an die Nationale Kunstgalerie, Washington, ging.
Anlässlich der Feierlichkeiten zum 65. Geburtstag des Prinzen Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein, werden 140 Stücke der Familiensammlung im Gartenpalast, dem Liechtenstein-Museum in Wien ausgestellt. Die Ausstellung demonstriert die mehr als dreißigjährige fleißige Arbeit des Prinzen, die Lücken in der Sammlung zu schließen.
Der Prinz gibt zu, sich mehr für Wissenschaften zu interessieren, hatte aber trotzdem ein Vergnügen damit, die Familiensammlung wieder aufzubauen und zu ergänzen. Prinz Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein zeigt auf Erasmus Hebermehl’s Equatorial Annular Sundial als ein Stück, welches das aktuellste technische und mathematische Wissen jener Zeit in der Darstellung als Kunstwerk kombiniert.
“Mein Interesse und meine Erkenntnisse sind gewachsen, obwohl ich nach wie vor ein Amateur bin”, erklärt Prinz Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein bescheiden, “Davon abgesehen habe ich sehr Frühzeitig begriffen, dass der Kauf von Kunstwerken eine sehr gute Investition sein kann, falls man wenigstens etwas davon versteht. Deshalb hole ich mir immer Expertenrat ein, wenn ich Kunstwerke zu kaufen beabsichtige.”
Teile dieser Ausstellung werden vom 24. September 2010 bis 16. Januar 2011 im Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein in Vaduz zu sehen sein. Um mehr von der Sammlung zu sehen, besuchen Sie www.liechtensteinmuseum.at.
Auktionfirmen expandieren
In diesem unsicheren wirtschaftlichen Klima ist ermutigend zu hören, dass 2 deutsche Auktionshäuser beabsichtigen, zu expandieren. Sowohl die Van Ham Kunstauktionen, Köln, als auch Hermann Historica, München, stocken ihr Personal auf, um die Vertretung in einem größeren geographischen Territorium zu gewährleisten.
Kunstexpertin Pia von Buchwaldt tritt bei Van Ham Kunstauktionen als deren neuer Vertreter in Hamburg ein. Sie wird unter der Adresse “Alsterufer 33” zu erreichen sein, um alle Fragen potentieller Käufer sowie Verkäufer bezüglich ihrer Sammlungen zu beantworten und hat auch bereits ihren ersten “Expertentag” gehalten.
www.van-ham.com
Hermann Historica begrüßt Nicholas McCullogh, den früheren Leiter der Waffen- und Rüstungsabteilung bei Christies, als ihren neuen Repräsentanten in London im Rahmen einer neuen strategischen Allianz mit Bloomsbury Auktionen und Dreweatts, London, New York und Rom. Ebenso wird Bloomsbury, bekannt für seine Bücher, Manuskripte und Grafiken, eine Vertretung in der deutschsprachigen Auktionswelt durch Hermann Historica’s Militaria Auktionshaus in München haben. Beide Auktionshäuser freuen sich über ihre neuen internationalen Kooperationen, planen aber keine Geschäftsfusionen. www.herman-historica.com
Weitere Neuigkeiten
Katzen – fremd und faszinierend, Doebele Galerie + Kunstauktionen, Kunstgut Effeldorf, 24. Februar bis zum 30. April. www.fine-art-doebele.de
“Pop Life. Warhol, Haring, Koons, Hirst” ab jetzt bis zum 5 September 2010, Galerie der Gegenwart, Glockengießerwall. www.hamburger-kunsthalle.de
Aktuell bis zum 13. März 2010 zeigt Ketterer Kunst die Ausstellung “Tom Wesselmann – Grafische Arbeiten” in seinen Räumen in Berlin-Charlottenburg. Die präsentierten Werke stammen aus der New Yorker Sammlung Paul Rothman. www.kettererkunst.de
Schmidt Kunstauktionen in Dresden beginnt das neue Auktionsjahr am 13. März mit einem reichhaltigen Angebot von 850 Objekten der Richtung Kunst, Porzellan, Glas und Einrichtungsgegenstände vom 18. bis zum 21. Jahrhundert. www.schmidt-auktionen.de
Van Ham Kunstauktionen Kunstexpertin Pia von Buchwaldt (Foto mit freundlicher Erlaubnis Vam Ham.) Hermann Historica London Repräsentant Nicholas McCullough. (Foto mit Erlaubnis und copyright Hermann Historica oHG, 2010.) Lithographie Katze, ca. 1920 von Otto Lange, 1879-1944. (Foto mit Erlaubnis Doebele Galerie + Kunstauktionen.)
Eine aus den USA stammende, freischaffend tätige Journalistin – Heidi Lux ist in der Nähe von Rochester, NY, aufgewachsen – und hat das Studium am Nazareth College in Rochester erfolgreich abgeschlossen. Ihr derzeitiger Wohnsitz befindet sich in Sachsen, Deutschland, wo Sie als Englisch Redakteur und Privatlehrer für Englisch arbeitet. Ihre journalistischen Arbeiten wurden sowohl in den englisch sprachigen Magazinen “Transitions Abroad” und “German Life” veröffentlicht, sowie auch in mehreren US-amerikanischen Publikationen des Antiquitätenhandels.
Prince Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein with one of his favorite acquisitions in the family collection, the 18th-century Badminton Cabinet with delicate pietra dura in semi-precious stone and gilt bronze sculptures. Photo courtesy Liechtenstein Museum. For Prince Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein, collecting is not just an interest. It is a family responsibility he first experienced as a young adult in the 1970s when he made the difficult decision to sell Frans Hals’ portrait of Willem van Heythuysen.
“This sale caused something of an uproar in Liechtenstein at the time, but it enabled me – straight after finishing my studies at the age of 24 – to reorganize and rebuild the princely estate and assets,” recalled the prince.
It couldn’t have been easy at that age to become the keeper of a collection assembled as far back at the 17th century. Flush with Old Master paintings from the 14th to 18th centuries, with concentrations in Flemish and Biedermeier paintings, the collection lacked in sculpture and furniture. Several very fine paintings were sold for cash after World War II, including Leonardo DaVinci’s Portrait of Ginevra de’Benci sold to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, in 1967.
In celebration of the Prince’s 65th birthday, 140 pieces from the family collection are on exhibit at Liechtenstein Museum, known as the Garden Palace, in Vienna. The exhibit demonstrates 30-plus years of diligent work on the part of the Price to close gaps in the collection.
The prince admits to more interest in the sciences, but has taken pleasure in rebuilding and upgrading the family collection. He points to Erasmus Habermehl’s Equatorial Annular Sundial as a piece that combines the latest technical and mathematical knowledge of its time into a work of art.
“My interest and understanding have grown, although I am still an amateur,” said the prince modestly. “Apart from this, I realized pretty early on that buying works of art can be a very good investment, if one understands something about it. That’s why I always get the advice of experts when buying works of art.”
Part of this exhibit will be shown in Vaduz at the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein from Sept. 24 to Jan. 16, 2011. To see more of the collection visit www.liechtensteinmuseum.at
Auction Companies Expand
In this uncertain economic climate it is heartening to hear that two of the German auction houses are expanding. Both Van Ham Kunstauktionen, Cologne, and Herrmann Historica, Munich, are adding staff to represent them in a wider geographical territory.
Art Expert Pia von Buchwaldt joins Van Ham as their new representative in Hamburg. She will be available at Alsterrufer 33 to answer any questions potential buyers or sellers have about their collections, and has already held her first “expert day.” www.van-ham.com
Hermann Historica welcomes Nicholas McCullough, former director of the Arms and Armor Department at Christies, as their new London representative in a new strategic alliance with Bloomsbury Auctions und Dreweatts, London, New York und Rome. Likewise Bloomsbury, known for their antique books, manuscripts and graphics, will have representation in the German speaking auction world through Hermann Historica’s militaria auction house in Munich. Both auction houses are pleased about their new international cooperative work, but plan no future business merger. www.hermann-historica.com
Other News
Doebele Galerie + Kunstauktionen, Kunstgut Effeldorf, celebrates our love of the feline form in art with a new exhibit and sale, Cats – Strange and Fascinating, Feb. 24 through April 30. www.fine-art-doebele.de
Pop Life. Warhol, Haring, Koons, Hirst, now to Sept. 5, Galerie der Gegenwart, Glockengießerwall. www.hamburger-kunsthalle.de
Now to March 13 Ketterer Kunst shows Tom Wesselmann – Graphic Work in their gallery in Berlin-Charlottenburg. The presented work comes from the collection of New Yorker Paul Rothman. www.kettererkunst.de
Schmidt Kunstauktionen, Dresden, starts the new auction year on March 13 with an offering of 850 objects of art, porcelain, glass and furnishings from the 18th to 21st centuries. www.schmidt-auktionen.de
Van Ham Art Expert Pia von Buchwaldt. Photo courtesy Van Ham Kunstauktionen. Hermann Historica London Representative, Nicholas McCullough. Photo courtesy and copyright Hermann Historica OHG, 2010. Lithograph Katze circa 1920 by Otto Lange, 1879-1944. Photo courtesy Doebele Galerie + Kunstauktion.
An American freelance writer, Heidi Lux grew up near Rochester, N.Y., and is a graduate of that city’s Nazareth College. She presently lives in Saxony, Germany, where she works as an English language editor and private tutor. Her work has appeared in Transitions Abroad and German Life magazines, as well as Style Century Magazine.
This young maiden is a Royal Dux figurine made after 1900. It is marked with a raised pink triangle that includes the company name. It sold for $675 by Early Auction Co., Milford, Ohio, this past fall.
American collectors often nickname companies, so the Duxer Porzellanmanfactur is better known as Royal Dux. The porcelain factory was started by E. Eichler in Dux, Bohemia (now Duchov, Czech Republic), in 1860. It specialized in art nouveau porcelain figurines, busts of attractive maidens and ornate vases with 3-D figures climbing up the sides. It remained in business through World War I, World War II and the Nazi occupation, the forming of Czechoslovakia and the split into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. The company has made more than 12,000 different figures and vases. It is now selecting some old pieces to be made again and sold on the collectibles market. Old pieces are clearly marked with variations of the words “Royal Dux” or an acorn in a triangle or circle.
Q: About 10 years ago, my wife and I bought four cafe-style bentwood chairs marked “Mundus, made in Poland, fabrique en Pologne.” There’s a patent date, “Sept. 22, ’14,” on the metal leg brackets. The dark finish appears to be original. We paid about $100 for all four chairs. We’re curious about the chairs’ maker and their value.
A: Mundus was a German conglomerate formed when Leopold Pilzer (1871-1959), an Austrian banker, consolidated 16 small chair manufacturing companies around the turn of the 20th century. It competed with Thonet and Jacob & Josef Kohn, two large chair companies that later merged with Mundus (Kohn in 1914 and Thonet in 1923). Your chairs were made before the Kohn merger, so they date from between about 1900 and 1914. If they’re in excellent condition, each one could sell for a few hundred dollars.
Q: I received an Anne Shirley Effanbee doll for Christmas in 1940. I still have her. She is 21 inches tall, has her original blond wig and is wearing her original dress, slip, panties, socks and shoes. What do you think she’s worth today?
A: Anne Shirley (1918-1993) was a popular American actress during the late 1930s and early 1940s. She was born Dawn Evelyeen Paris and began her acting career at the age of 5. After portraying the fictional character Anne Shirley in the 1934 movie, Anne of Green Gables, she changed her name to Anne Shirley. Effanbee made Anne Shirley dolls in four sizes from 1935 to 1940. Yours, the second-largest size, sells today for $350-$400 if it’s in excellent condition. With the original box, it would sell for nearly twice that.
Q: My father was in law enforcement until he was killed in an accident in 1942. My mother received a condolence letter on FBI letterhead from J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI director. He signed his own signature, but the letter is typed. What would the letter sell for?
A: J. Edgar Hoover (1895-1972) was director of the FBI from the time of its founding in 1935 until he died. His autograph on a typed letter retails for about $175. If you were to sell it to a dealer, you could expect to get about half that. Of course, an expert has to look at the letter to make sure it was signed by Hoover himself and not an assistant or a secretary.
Q: My 85-year-old mother-in-law gave us a pewter basket that belonged to her great-grandmother. It is marked “Aurora SP Mfg. Co.” We can’t find anything about it on the Internet. Can you tell us who made it and how old it is?
A: The mark was used on silver-plated hollowware made by Aurora Silver Plate Co. of Aurora, Ill. The company was in business from 1869 until 1919. Your pewter basket was originally silver-plated. Most old silver plate was made on britannia, which is a type of pewter. When the finish is worn off, the base pewter can be seen.
Q: I have a metronome that my parents bught in the early 1920s. It is made of dark wood and has a gold-colored hexagonal medallion on the front with “Metronome de Maelzel” in the middle and the words “France, Amerique, Belgique, Paris, Holland, Angleterre” along the outside edges of the hexagon. I would like to know if it is a valuable antique.
A: Metronomes have been used by musicians since the 1800s. Some were made by clockmakers, since the metronome operated on a pendulum. Attempts to make a device to measure tempo were made as early as the late 1600s, but the first successful metronome was invented by Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel in Amsterdam in 1812. Johann Nepomuk Maelzel made a similar device and was granted a patent for the Maelzel Metronome in 1816. The “MM” numbers on music indicate the number of beats per minute. Digital metronomes were introduced in the late 1970s and are more accurate than the pendulum type. Today you can even use an online metronome to help you keep time when practicing. Most old metronomes are sold to people who want to use them and sell for about the same as new ones.
Tip: Do not use transparent tape or other sticky tapes on paper. Even if the tape is removed, the paper will eventually discolor from the contact with the glue.
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.
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 adds to the information in our newspaper column and helps 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.
Double cherubs holding napkin ring, marked “Original made by Meriden Co.,” with hallmark, $115.
Hires baseball scorecard, celluloid, two-sided, trademark Josh Singer soda jerk, 3 1/8 x 2 1/2 inches, $302.
Staffordshire ironstone roasted meat platter, oval, Lakeside Pavilion design, gray transfer, overglazed in salmon and terra-cotta, 1890s, 21 x 17 1/2 inches, $320.
Felix the Cat sparkler toy, metal, mechanical, black-and-white Felix with big smile, copyright by Pat Sullivan, 1930s, 5 1/2 x 3 3/8 inches, $330.
Fraktur, bird, spray of flowers, written text, made for Johannes Hill, born Nov. 14, 1822, Pennsylvania, 13 x 10 inches, $335.
American patriotic shield, polychrome on wood, 13 stars over 13 stripes, “1861-1865” in gilt, 36 x 28 1/2 inches, $1,195.
Louisiana walnut plantation chair, shaped crest with back-scrolled terminal, leather back and seat, scroll arms, curule base, turned supports, early 19th century, $2,985.
Newcomb College pottery vase, panels of blue spider chrysanthemum blooms under glaze, marked, 1902, 8 7/8 inches, $4,480.
Einco googly doll, lever to adjust eyes from right to left, composition baby body, blond human-hair wig, marked “Heubach,” 16 inches, $5,750.
Identify your pottery and porcelain. Kovels’ New Dictionary of Marks: Pottery and Porcelain, 1850 to the Present pictures more than 3,500 marks found on 19th- and 20th-century American, European and Asian pottery and porcelain. It includes factory dates, locations and other information. Marks are sorted by shape, and there’s a special section on date-letter codes and factory “family trees.” Available online at Kovelsonlinestore.com; at your bookstore; by phone at 800-571-1555; or send $19 plus $4.95 postage to Kovels, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.
Eine aus den USA stammende, freischaffend tätige Journalistin – Heidi Lux ist in der Nähe von Rochester, NY, aufgewachsen – und hat das Studium am Nazareth College in Rochester erfolgreich abgeschlossen. Ihr derzeitiger Wohnsitz befindet sich in Sachsen, Deutschland, wo Sie als Englisch Redakteur und Privatlehrer für Englisch arbeitet. Ihre journalistischen Arbeiten wurden sowohl in den englisch sprachigen Magazinen “Transitions Abroad” und “German Life” veröffentlicht, sowie auch in mehreren US-amerikanischen Publikationen des Antiquitätenhandels.
