Four dozen separate scenes are painted on marble on this 19th-century Chinese eight-panel screen. The wooden frame is 54 inches high by 84 inches long. It has a $5,000-$10,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Bill Hood & Sons Art &Antiques Auctions.
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – A fresh collection of art and antiques, 429 lots in all, will be sold by Bill Hood and Sons Arts and Antiques Auctions’ monthly sale April 27 beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
Heading the list will be two 19th-century Chinese marble painted screens. The larger consists of eight panels and is 84 inches long by 54 inches high. It contains 48 separate hand-painted scenes covering both sides. It carries a $5,000-$10,000 estimate.
Preliminary bidding has been active on a 7 1/2-inch carved ivory Chinese man holding mythological creature. Estimated at $300-$400, the carved figure had already generated a half dozen bids 24 hours before the auction.
A Chinese carved ivory woman carrying flowers and standing atop an attached stand, 8 1/2 inches high overall, carries a $300-$500 estimate and already 5 preliminary bids.
Also from Asia is a Chinese carved ivory and hard stone collection.
Chris Hood said this month’s auction has a collection of nice bronzes including an Emile Pinedo (French, 1840-1916) 9 3/4-inch patinated figure of a nude standing in front of a cheval mirror. The Art Nouveau bronze is expected to sell for $2,500-$3,500.
Other highlights include many sterling silver items, a KPM plaque, a Tiffany Favrile vase, two Wave Crest boxes, antique and 20th-century porcelains, clocks, lamps and Victorian furniture.
Artwork will include an Orville Bulman (American, 1904-1978) 20- by 22-inch oil on canvas depicting several black figures on a small boat at sea. This dated 1958 work titled M. Renom is dated 1958 and is expected to achieve $15,000-$20,000.
A Jean Dufy (French, 1888-1964) gouache on paper depicting two women at an outdoor café, 19 inches by 24 inches, has an $8,000-$12,000 estimate.
The auction will begin with a selection of Royal Doulton figures.
Orville Bulman (American, 1904-1978) painted this distinctive oil on canvas titled ‘M. Renom’ and dated 1958, The 20- by 22-inch work has a $15,000-$20,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Bill Hood & Sons Art & Antiques Auctions. This KPM hand-painted porcelain plaque measures 7 1/2 inches by 13 inches. It carries a $500-$1,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Bill Hood & Sons Art & Antiques Auctions. Bronze figures in the auction include this Art Nouveau beauty by Emile Pinedo (French, 1840-1916). The patinated bronze nude is 9 3/4 inches high, 13 1/2 inches high overall. It has a $2,500-$3,500 estimate. Image courtesy of Bill Hood & Sons Art & Antiques Auctions. Weighing 98 troy ounces, this sterling silver Grand Baroque four-piece tea set with a silver-plated tray has a $3,500-$4,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Bill Hood & Sons Art & Antiques Auctions.
J. & E. Stevens Calamity cast-iron mechanical bank, estimate $60,000-$90,000. RSL Auction Co. image.
TIMONIUM, Md. – Few categories of antique toys have been as consistently “bankable” over the past few decades as banks themselves, especially cast-iron mechanicals. And nothing brings out the collectors faster than news of a great collection coming onto the market, says mechanical bank specialist and RSL Auction co-owner Ray Haradin, who speaks from long experience. Together with his business partners Steven and Leon Weiss – the “S” and “L” of “RSL” – Haradin has handled some headline-grabbing collections in the past. On May 22, they’ll do it once again as they auction the Richard C. Stevens collection of mechanical banks in a 360-lot auction at Richard Opfer’s gallery in Timonium, Maryland. Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.
Richard Stevens began collecting banks in 1984, but his most active period of buying was in the early 1990s. “Mr. Stevens has always sought out the very finest examples, and his collection contains probably 30 banks that qualify as ‘world class,’” said Haradin. “These banks have exquisite pedigrees and rival or surpass the conditions seen in many major collections. The quality is simply spectacular – it tops anything we’ve ever had in our past sales.”
Rich with provenance, the Stevens collection carries on the tradition of many legendary collections of the past. An Atlas Bank formerly in the collections of Leon Cameto and Larry Feld is estimated at $25,000-$35,000 and is “as close to mint as you can get,” said Haradin. A Boy Scout Camp bank, made by J. & E. Stevens and in near-mint condition, was once part of the fabled Perelman Museum collection and is expected to earn $20,000-$30,000.
The collection also includes a mint/boxed ex-Stephen Steckbeck collection Calamity bank ($60,000-$90,000) and what may be the finest known example of a circa-1895 “Butting Ram Man Thumbs Nose” bank ($12,000-$18,000). Haradin described the rare Butting Ram as “an anomaly in the mechanical bank world. It was made in a machine shop in Wisconsin and was the only bank they produced.”
An exquisite example of a Chief Big Moon bank with red base rather than the usual brown was successively in the ownership of Bill Bertoia, Donal Markey and Stanley Kesselman. It is estimated at $20,000-$30,000. An African-American and baseball-themed Darktown Battery bank traces back through the collections of Kesselman, Larry Feld, and before that, Markey; while a Two Frogs bank in mint/boxed condition includes provenance from the collections of Feld, Kesselman and Bertoia.
In near-mint condition, a Lion Hunter is expected to make $25,000-$35,000; and a Magician bank in outstanding condition with particularly good flocking to the sides of the podium stairs could conjure a winning bid of $8,000-$12,000.
A red-dress version of the Mammy with Child mechanical bank carries an estimate of $18,000-$24,000; while a white Owl Turns Head bank is expected to make $12,000-$16,000). Another animal form that is as rare as hen’s teeth is the circa-1930 Kilgore Turtle bank, ex Stan Sax and Gertrude Hegarty collections, estimate $50,000-$70,000. Additional items of note include original bronze patterns for early mechanical banks, including Darktown Battery and North Pole; and one pattern for a still bank.
A second featured grouping within the mechanical bank section consists of 20 examples from the collection of New York investment broker Stanley Kesselman. “Not only has Mr. Kesselman always been known for seeking out the finest examples of mechanical banks, he would also pay whatever it took to get the best – and it shows,” said Haradin. “When you see the banks in this sale from the Kesselman collection, it’s very clear that he got what he paid for.”
The list of mechanicals with prestigious lineage continues with a superb example of a J. & E. Stevens Breadwinners bank that, prior to its purchase by the consignor, belonged to Al Caron, Bob Brady, and then Larry Feld. Exhibiting bright, beautiful paint, the Breadwinners bank could bring home both the bread and the bacon, if it achieves its presale estimate of $90,000-$120,000.
While the majority of the sale consists of mechanical banks, it also contains some gorgeous cast-iron and spelter still banks. Cast-iron still bank highlights include: King Midas, Hippo, a rare painted version of Barrel with Arms ($6,000-$9,000) and a neighborhood of approximately 30 building banks, including a City bank. A fast-rising specialty, painted spelter banks are expected to put in a praiseworthy performance, just as they did in RSL’s Oct. 17, 2009 sale. Top lots include a Paul Kruger Transvaal bank ($5,500-$7,500) and a Puss in Boots with Staff ($6,500-$8,500).
Approximately 15 American clockwork toys, mainly from one collection, have been consigned to the sale. Top Ives lots include an Aunt Chloe (Washerwoman) estimated at $12,000-$18,000; circa-1885 Boxers (Sparring Pugilists) estimated at $9,000-$12,000; probably the finest known example of Old Nurse, which is mint and boxed; and two examples of Preachers at Pulpit. Other American clockwork toys include a circa-1876 Secor Banjo Player ($18,000-$25,000) and a fabulous oversize tin omnibus, probably made by Hall & Stafford. Emblazoned with the word “Hotels” on its front and “Depots” on its back and sides, the 22-inch vehicle is described by Haradin as “the largest clockwork omnibus I’ve ever seen.” It is entered in the auction with a $45,000-$65,000 estimate.
The sale also includes seven charming bell toys and a lineup of excellent European tin automobiles and novelty toys. A beautifully restored boat, the Jolanda, is expected to drop anchor at $14,000-$20,000.
“If there’s one thing that I can’t stress enough, it’s the condition of the banks in the Stevens collection,” Haradin said. “In our past sales, we would have maybe 3 or 4 banks that you could confidently describe as being at the pinnacle of the collecting ladder. This collection contains more than two dozen that would fit that description. This is a rare opportunity to acquire some very, very high-quality banks.”
For additional information on any item in the auction, call Ray Haradin at 412-343-8733, Leon Weiss at 917-991-7352, or Steven Weiss at 212-729-0011. E-mail raytoys@aol.com or geminitoys@earthlink.net.
1876 Secor cloth-dressed clockwork Banjo Player, estimate $18,000-$25,000. RSL Auction Co. image. Circa-1930 Kilgore cast-iron Turtle bank, formerly in the collections of Stan Sax and Gertrude Hegarty, estimate $50,000-$70,000. RSL Auction Co. image. German painted-spelter Puss ‘N’ Boots with Staff bank, 7½ inches tall, one of only two known examples, estimate $6,500-$8,500. RSL Auction Co. image. Circa-1890 Ives, Blakeslee & Williams Charity Swing cast-iron bell toy, estimate $12,000-$15,000. RSL Auction Co. image. Circa-1885 Ives, Blakeslee clockwork toy known as the Boxers, or Sparring Pugilists, estimate $9,000-$12,000. RSL Auction Co. image. Circa-1886 J. & E. Stevens Breadwinners cast-iron mechanical bank, in bright, near-mint condition, estimate $90,000-$120,000. RSL Auction Co. image. One of fewer than 10 known examples of the circa-1900 large version of the City Bank, painted cast iron, estimate $6,000-$8,000. RSL Auction Co. image. Lion Hunter mechanical bank, near-mint condition, estimate $25,000-$35,000. RSL Auction Co. image.
ELY, Minn. (AP) – The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa is the recipient of a valuable collection of documents of the prominent Ely-based forester and land appraiser J. William John Trygg.
When Trygg died in 1971, he left an exhaustive record of his surveys of northeastern Minnesota forests spanning the 1920s to the 1960s. He also collected tens of thousands of pages of field notes and maps left by 19th-century land surveyors.
In the 1960s, Trygg’s mastery of land surveys was called upon to substantiate claims by Indian tribes that they had not been fairly paid for lands they ceded to the U.S. government in the 1800s. It resulted in greater compensation to Indians for their lands.
Last week, Trygg’s daughter-in-law Louise presented a copy of his vast archive to the Bois Forte Heritage and Cultural Museum on Lake Vermillion. Executive Director Rose Berens says it will be valuable in helping future generations reconstruct the area’s history.
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Designed by artist Grant Wood, the stained glass window is dedicated in memory of the men and women who gave their lives in defense of our country. Image courtesy of Glass Heritage, llc. DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – The $3 million piece of stained glass, created by artist Grant Wood, took an even harder hit than first imagined. At 83 years old and 25 feet high, the window endured considerable damage after sitting in floodwaters in 2008 at its home in the Veterans Memorial Building/City Hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The window depicts life-size soldiers from various wars and an angel welcoming them home.
The piece originally was commissioned by the Veterans Memorial Commission of Cedar Rapids, which is where Wood grew up. It is the only known piece of stained glass created by the artist who is most famous for his painting American Gothic.
Glass Heritage, 234 W. 3rd St., Davenport, was awarded a bid of about $150,000 last year to repair and restore all 58 panels of glass within it. The panels were thought to contain between 7,000 and 8,000 pieces of glass, which were thought to have sustained about 100 cracks.
“It’s just shy of 9,000 pieces, actually,” Glass Heritage co-owner John Watts said. “Every single piece comes out and goes back in, one piece at a time. And we found, easily, 150 cracks.”
Jimi Lee, the shop manager at the downtown business, said the trick to making all those repairs is being extremely careful.
“You have to understand that every piece is irreplaceable,” he said. “A very talented artist could try to replace it, but it wouldn’t work. You’re never going to match it. Doing it right is the most important thing.”
The process began for Glass Heritage last summer when workers spent 10 days removing the window from its longtime perch. Watts said one to three people are working on it at any given time, and he has promised the Veterans Memorial Commission it will be back in place by the third week in June.
Meanwhile, Wood’s artistic style is revealing itself to the people who are lovingly restoring his work.
“When Wood was in the military, he was a camouflage artist, designing uniforms and covers for tanks and things,” Watts said. “His work was very organic, and we’ve noticed stamped oak leaves in some of the pieces.
“Every single piece is painted with some kind of design in it.”
Design artist and painter Erika Rogers said she isn’t sure how Wood managed some of the design and detail work.
“Maybe he used a sponge and then a brush here,” she said, pointing out variations in the designs of the glass. “He painted in some of the shading. Some of the glass is thick, and some is paper-thin.
“That’s because it’s manmade – mouth-blown – and not made by a machine.”
As Glass Heritage workers take apart and replace each piece of glass, they do so under a meticulous cataloging process. Each panel gets three rubbings, which is a pencil-on-paper capture of the exact layout of each piece.
One rubbing will go back to the Veterans Memorial Commission as a historical record. Another is stored with the piece it reflects, and a third is used as the framework for each panel as it is cleaned, repaired and put back together.
Each panel is disassembled in a water tank, which protects the workers from the layers of lead that hold the glass pieces in place.
“I’m just back from seeing the Veterans Memorial Commission,” Watts said recently. “I took them a piece that hasn’t been touched and a completely restored piece. They seemed very happy.
“It’s running $20,000 a year to insure it for the $3 million value, and that policy expires in July, so we’re going to have it done by then. It will be in place for Cedar Rapids’ July Fourth celebration.
“We’ll probably be on-site for close to a month, because we’re installing interior and exterior protective glazes. We’re feeling pretty protective of it.”
___
Information from: Quad-City Times, http://www.qctimes.com
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
AP-CS-04-25-10 0100EDT
ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
The 25-foot-high stained glass window designed by artist Grant Wood was removed from the Veterans Memorial Building/City Hall last year for restoration. A flood severly damaged the window in 2008. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. A close-up of the lower right corner of the window shows the fine detail of the soldiers’ faces. Image courtesy of Glass Heritage, llc.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – A Cheyenne gun shop is selling limited edition commemorative rifles and knives to benefit the Old West Museum.
Frontier Antiques and Collectables is partnering with the Cheyenne Frontier Days museum and American Legacy Firearms of Fort Collins, Colo., for the project.
American Legacy Co-President Steve Faler says the rifles are a historic model, the .30-30 Winchester Model 94. The company is making 100 of them and $100 from each sale will go to the museum.
Artist Greg Randall designed the engravings, which depict Cheyenne-area historical events and characters.
The guns will be sold for $1,299 until May, when the price will increase to $1,499.
___
Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle – Cheyenne, http://www.wyomingnews.com
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Legendary fantasy artist Frank Frazetta, now age 82, in a 2006 photo taken at the grand opening of Geppi’s Entertainment Museum in Baltimore. Photo copyright Catherine Saunders-Watson. ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) – The adult children of pioneering fantasy artist Frank Frazetta have resolved an ugly dispute over control of their elderly father’s body of work.
The family feud boiled over in December when Frazetta’s son, Frank Frazetta Jr., was caught using a backhoe to break into the artist’s museum in the Poconos. Police say he tried to remove 90 paintings insured for $20 million. Frazetta Jr. insisted he was attempting to safeguard the art from his scheming siblings.
Frazetta, 82, is renowned for his sci-fi and fantasy art, creating covers and illustrations for more than 150 books and comic books as well as album covers, movie posters and original paintings. His work on iconic characters including Conan the Barbarian and Tarzan influenced generations of artists.
His children have been tussling over an estate estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars, filing dueling lawsuits in Pennsylvania and Florida. They resolved their differences following two days of mediation in Scranton, according to a statement issued by the family Friday.
“Frank Frazetta is pleased to announce that all of the litigation surrounding his family and his art has been resolved. All of Frank’s children will now be working together as a team to promote his remarkable collection of images that has inspired people for decades,” the statement said.
Three siblings of Frank Frazetta Jr. filed a lawsuit in Scranton last month, claiming he misappropriated their father’s name and art for commercial gain. The suit said Frazetta Jr. had no right to market or sell his father’s work because the artist transferred it to a company controlled by his other children — Billy Frazetta, Holly Frazetta Taylor and Heidi Grabin.
Frazetta Jr. countersued in Lee County, Fla., last week, alleging his brother and sisters plotted to take control of the family business and fortune after the July 2009 death of their mother, slandered him to their father, and tried to shut him out.
It was their “grand scheme … to take over the Frazetta business, close the museum (and sell off the art), and leave Frank Jr. with nothing,” the Florida suit said.
Diana Fitzgerald, Frank Frazetta Jr.’s civil attorney, said the family is ready to work together.
“Everybody got their happy ending; the whole family did,” she said, adding her client is “a valuable asset to his father’s legacy. Now that everyone’s in agreement, we’re really looking forward to the future. He’s obviously excited to have Frank Sr. back in his life.”
The family no longer wants to press theft and burglary charges against Frazetta Jr. for the December break-in, though a final decision is up to Monroe County prosecutors. District Attorney David Christine did not immediately return a phone message Friday.
Frazetta Jr.’s criminal attorney, James Swetz, said he’s in talks with prosecutors about dropping the case.
“I am confident they will understand and appreciate what the family has gone through, and recognize how the family has decided to put whatever disputes they had behind them as a result of this mediation, and act accordingly,” he said.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
This attractive and useful 18-inch brass Russian samovar has a matching tray and bowl. It sold at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers in Chicago for $166.
A samovar, a tall metal container that heats water to make tea, is well known in Russia but often is confusing to browsing customers at an antique show. The anatomy of the samovar, first made in Russia in about 1780, is clever. A metal — copper, brass, bronze, silver or even gold — is used to hold the heat. Although there are many body shapes for a samovar, the most common looks like a tall urn with handles and a spigot. Water is poured into the top of the urn. A metal pipe runs up the middle of the urn. The slim pipe is filled with fuel, usually lumps of coal or dried pinecones, and heats the water outside the pipe. A small smokestack is on the top of the pipe to make sure air can keep the coals burning. When the water is heated and the fire is low, a teapot is filled with hot water from the spigot and tea leaves are added. The teapot can be put on the top of the samovar’s smokestack to keep the tea hot. The samovar was an almost permanent source of hot water in a Russian home. Electric samovars are made today. Old brass samovars sell for $150 to $800.
Q: I have a Spanish-style dinette set we purchased in 1967. I’ve never seen another one like it. It’s marked “Antarenni Wrought Iron Manufacturing Corp., 76 Rochester Ave., Brooklyn 33, N.Y.” Does the set have much value?
A: The label on your dinette set uses a postal code rather than a ZIP code, which means the label, at least, was made before 1963, when ZIP codes were first used. One- and two-digit postal codes were part of U.S. mailing addresses from 1943 to 1963. Antarenni Wrought Iron Manufacturing Corp. changed its name to Antarenni Industries by 1969 and appears to have gone out of business sometime in the late 1970s. It designed, manufactured and distributed wrought-iron dinette sets and chairs. Today a set of four Antarenni chairs and a matching table sells for about $125.
Q: How old is my Mickey Mouse alarm clock made by Ingersoll? Mickey’s arms are the hands and move around the clock to tell the time. His head bobs, too.
A: You have a Mickey “wagging head” alarm clock, popular with collectors. It was made in about 1934. It could be worth more than $500 in good, working condition.
Q: Any special way I should display my art pottery collection to keep it safe?
A: Display the collection on wooden shelves with rounded edges, preferably behind glass doors. The sharp edge on a metal shelf can cause damage. A glass shelf must be checked annually to be sure it is not bending. A heavy load will eventually crack the shelf. There is a sticky wax that is used in areas prone to earthquakes. It holds the pottery in place. If you have a large floor-standing vase, fill it with a plastic bag of sand to keep it from tipping. Keep cats and small children away from the collection.
Q: Please tell me something about the Gettysburg Furniture Co. I have a complete dining-room set made by that company. The tag says, “Gettysburg Furniture Co., Gettysburg, Pa., made for R.M.S. Furniture Co., New Bethlehem, Pa.”
A: R.M.S. Furniture Co. was the retail store that originally sold your dining-room set. A store by that name is still in business in New Bethlehem, which is in western Pennsylvania. Gettysburg Furniture Co. was in business from 1902 until 1960, although it operated under different names early in its history.
Q: I still have the toy electric iron I received when I was a child in the 1940s. It’s a Sunny Suzy by Wolverine and is marked “Electric Iron No. 29.” I even have the original box, and the UL tag is still on the iron. It works and is in perfect condition. What is it worth?
A: Wolverine Supply & Manufacturing Co., founded in Pittsburgh in 1903, introduced its Sunny Suzy “girl toys” in 1928. Various models of the Sunny Suzy electric iron, which plugged in but warmed only slightly, were first made in the early 1930s. Your Model No. 29, with its original box and tag, would sell for about $30-$50. An electric toy that heats like this probably would be considered unsafe today.
Q: I inherited a clock I would like to know more about. Inside the base of the clock, it says “Eight Day Clocks, Manufactured & Sold, Jeromes & Darrow, Bristol, Conn.” It used to chime every hour but no longer does, in spite of the fact that I paid quite a sum to have it restored. Can you tell me something about the maker?
A: Jeromes & Darrow was founded by Chauncey Jerome, his brother Noble Jerome and Elijah Darrow in 1824. Chauncey Jerome worked for several different firms and in various partnerships. In 1838 Noble Jerome invented a brass 30-hour weight-driven clock movement. Earlier clocks had wooden movements. In 1850 the name of was bought by New Haven Clock Co. in 1857. There should be a way to repair the chime. Look for an expert.
Tip: If you find an old lamp with part of a light bulb still in the socket, try this: Push a fresh potato or a wine cork down into the old socket. Turn it, and it probably will unscrew the old light bulb base.
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, 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 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.
Nixon political playing cards, jokers are William F. Buckley and Norman Mailer, copyright by Politicards, 1971, $36.
Farrah Fawcett fashion doll, white jumpsuit, white shoes, Mego Corp., dated 1977, 10 inches, $99.
Blown glass tumbler, clear with diamond diaper, Boston & Sandwich Glass Co., circa 1825-1835, 5 inches, $176.
Bestmaid Crawling Baby toy, windup, celluloid, pouty mouth, rosy cheeks, blue eyes, white polka dot outfit, Japan, 1940s, 6 1/4 x 4 5/8 inches, $235.
Liverpool charger, scalloped and feather edge, scene with pagoda surrounded by trees, early 19th century, 14 1/4 inches, $288.
General Electric Co.’s National Mazda Lamps calendar, woman in purple one-piece bathing suit, red cover-up, 1927, 14 x 11 inches, $468.
Sony Micro Transistor Television, carrying case, AC cord, earphone, manual, 1965, 5-inch screen, $475.
Handel bronze and green Mosserine glass desk lamp, stamped mark on base, circa 1910, 15 x 12 inches, $597.
American Aesthetic bedstead, carved oak, headboard and footboard, vine frieze over geometric pierced panel, foliate finals, 19th century, 63 x 77 x 57 inches, $776.
Newcomb College vase, dogwood blossoms in blue, green, pink and yellow underglaze, marked, 1923, 10 1/2 inches, $4,182.
Keep up with changes in the collectibles world. Send for a free sample issue of our 12-page, full-color newsletter, Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles, filled with prices, news, information and photos, plus major news about the world of collecting. To subscribe at a bargain $27 for 12 issues, write Kovels, P.O. Box 420347, Palm Coast, FL 32142; call 800-571-1555; or subscribe online at Kovelsonlinestore.com.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Three southern Utah men who admitted selling ancient artifacts taken from public land are the latest to plead guilty after a lengthy federal crackdown on theft and trafficking of American Indian relics in the Four Corners area.
At a hearing in Moab on Friday, Nick Laws and Dale Lyman each pleaded guilty to one count of violating federal laws aimed at protecting artifacts on public and tribal lands. Aubry Patterson pleaded guilty to trafficking in stolen artifacts and theft of government property.
The Blanding men were among 26 people charged after a two-year federal sting operation.
The operation relied on Ted Gardiner, a former Utah antiquities dealer who worked undercover for the FBI, eventually spending more than $335,000 to buy artifacts from a host of diggers, sellers and collectors.
Many of the deals were secretly videotaped.
In conversations with Gardiner, Patterson admitted to digging up artifacts on federal land and bragged that rangers had tried to unsuccessfully catch him, according to court documents.
In a plea agreement Friday, Patterson – initially charged with six felonies – admitted he dug up an Abajo bowl worth more than $1,000 from U.S. Bureau of Land Management Land and sold it to the undercover source in 2007.
He faces a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
Lyman admitted in his plea deal that he sold a Clovis point from BLM land. Gardiner bought the item for $1,200, according to court documents. He also told the operative about trips he’d take to dig up artifacts on public land, including one where he hiked in 10 miles after spotting a set of ruins from an airplane.
Laws admitted to taking an item called a “twin effigy” from BLM land and selling it to the operative. It was worth more than $500, court papers said.
He and Lyman each face up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
All three will have to give up their artifact collections, according to the plea deal.
In March, two other defendants pleaded guilty to two felonies each. A mother and daughter pleaded guilty in the case last year.
Two defendants committed suicide in June after the charges were announced. The remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.
Gardiner died from a self-inflicted gunshot in March.
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
