NAPLES, Fla. – A century of fashion steps into the spotlight on Saturday, July 24 as Auctions Neapolitan presents its 404-lot Ladies with Style sale, part II, with Internet live bidding provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.

Fashionistas will have a field day choosing from the selection of dresses and accessories that were chosen for the event, said Auctions Neapolitan’s owner, Kathleen Pica. “It’s a nice mix of ladies’ favorites from the 19^th century up to about the 1990s. Some of the items are very beautifully made – it’s incredible to see the fine workmanship that went into many of these pieces, especially when compared to what we see today.”

In addition to standard apparel, the auction includes antique lace and satin bridal wear, and gorgeous beaded dresses and gowns that bring to mind the days of Joan Collins and Linda Evans on Dynasty. Estimates and opening bids are extremely reasonable. For instance, lot 124, a 1970s Balenciaga-designed Jeffrey and Dave side-draped velvet gown has a starting bid of only $10 and an estimate of $80-$100. An early 1960s Yves Saint Laurent-designed black satin and lace top with peplum waist and long sleeves also has an opening bid of $10 and is estimated at $40-$60.

Costume jewelry has never been more popular, and Auctions Neapolitan’s sale is the place to look for bracelets, necklaces, earrings and brooches sold in generous “tray” lots. For instance, lot 42 is a tray loaded down with assorted costume jewelry – some of it signed – by such makers as Marvella, Trifari and Monet. Many of the pieces feature faux diamonds, faux pearls and rhinestones. This mini trove of costumer treasures has an opening bid of $10 and an estimate of $50-$100.

The auction also features many pieces of fine jewelry, which is not surprising, since Auctions Neapolitan is located in the upscale waterfront community of Naples, Florida. Lot 212, a platinum ring featuring a 1-carat center ruby stone and .60 carats of diamonds is estimated at $1,800-$2,200; while a 14K yellow gold ring featuring six square-cut, channel-set blue sapphires and 24 round-cut, channel-set diamonds is conservatively estimated at $900-$1,200. Both rings have an opening bid of $900-$1,200.

Accessories include designer hats, shoes, compacts, gloves, wraps, vintage eyewear, antique handbags and both crystal and beaded purses. A standout is lot 343, a vintage micro-beaded, silk-lined handbag displaying a Venetian scene. “This is just the sort of bag that collectors love,” said Pica. “The artistry is superb.” The purse is estimated at $300-$500 and has an opening bid of $10.

In addition to fashion, the auction also includes a selection of old sewing machines, including a miniature hand-crank model by singer (lot 7) that is estimated at $50-$100.

“We think this sale is going to be a lot of fun, and of course with LiveAuctioneers making it possible to bid online, collectors anywhere in the world can come to our virtual boutique online and place their bids,” said Pica.

For additional information about any item in the sale, call 239-262-7333 or e-mail sales@auctionsn.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.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

NORTHBROOK, Ill. – On Thursday, July 22, the suburban Chicago auction house Universal Live will present a 269-lot auction of fine art prints, original art and sculptures. Within the selection to be sold are 11 Pablo Picasso prints, serigraphs and posters; and three prints by Salvador Dali, two of which are hand-signed by the artist.

“At least six of the Picasso and Dali lots already have pre-bids,” said Universal Live’s auctioneer, Martin Shape. “We’re always pleased to see this kind of activity, which in this case may have been spurred by the reasonable opening bids we’ve placed on the artworks.”

A limited-edition 16-by20 (sight) Picasso print titled Jacqueline with Flowers – a depiction of the artist’s second wife – is from a painting created in 1954. Numbered 129/500 in pencil at lower left, the custom-framed artwork is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Picasso Masterpieces. Is is expected to sell for $1,500-$2,300.

Wonderfully abstract, a 1978 print of Picasso’s 1949 Le Corsage Raye is a limited-edition lithograph hand-signed by the artist’s lithographer, Fernand Mourlot. With an image size of 15¾ inches by 20 5/8 inches, it carries a presale estimate of $6,440-$8,050.

A Salvador Dali print depicting an ethereal woman with flowing hair measures 3½ inches by 6½ inches, and is hand-signed by the artist in black marker. Double-matted and custom framed, it could fetch $3,500-$5,500 in the sale.

For additional information on any lot in the sale, call Martin Shape at 847-412-1802 or email sales@universallive.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.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – Skinner’s July 22 Discovery Auction session will include more than 800 lots of country Americana, with featured selections of Val-Kill furniture and more than 200 lots of Wedgwood. The sale will be held at Skinner’s Marlborough gallery, with Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com.

The session will start at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. Among the categories represented in the sale are painted furniture, children’s furniture, blanket chests, pottery, pewter, weathervanes, duck decoys, lighting, woodenware, mirrors, basketry, portraiture, paintings, lithograph prints, wallpaper boxes, hooked rugs, quilts and textiles, and Wedgwood.

Three examples of Colonial Revival-style furniture (lots 1005-1007) by Val-Kill Industries will be available in the auction. The Val-Kill furniture workshops were established in 1927 by Eleanor Roosevelt and two other women to provide supplemental income for farming families.

Kerry Shrives, Director of Skinner’s Discovery department, observed: “Skinner has offered Val-Kill pieces before at auction, but it doesn’t come up very often, so it’s a great opportunity to bid on a wonderful slice of American history. Val-Kill furniture is very well constructed, has great design and offers an interesting back-story. What better to fill your home with?”

For additional information on any item in the sale, call 508-970-3202 or e-mail discovery@skinnerinc.com.

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Read more about Val-Kill furniture online at http://www.valkill.com/index.html

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.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

DES MOINES, Iowa – More than 500 lots of petroliana items – mostly gas and oil signs but to include globes, cans and a great collection of rest room signs – will be sold by Matthews Auctions on Friday, Aug. 6, at 9 a.m. (CST). The auction will be conducted at the Airport Holiday Inn in Des Moines on the final day of the 2010 Iowa Gas Show, held at the same venue, and Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.

“The Iowa Gas Show is a hugely popular annual event, and it’s our good fortune to be able to cap the festivities with an auction of this high caliber,” said Dan Matthews of Matthews Auctions. “We’ve got a lot of rare items in this sale, a wide variety of fresh to the market petroliana collectibles. There will be something for just about everybody.”

Headlining the sale will be three major collections, consigned by Ray and Mary Sue Seider of California, the late Ace Feeks of Oregon, and Ron Ueberhein of Lincoln, Nebraska. Other consignments will also be featured.

Several Mobil signs will be offered, to include a Mobil Marine double-sided porcelain sign with Pegasus graphic, 30 inches, with original base, rated 9+ out of 10 for condition; a Mobil Pegasus cookie-cutter single-sided porcelain sign, dated 1954, the 4-piece version (8.75); and a Mobil Pegasus single-sided porcelain die-cut sign with great color and gloss (9.75).

Gas signs will be offered up in abundance. Highlights include a rare Bulko porcelain sign with elephant graphic and white background, 12 inches by 12 inches (rated 9+); an Associated Gasoline “More Miles to the Gallon” single-sided porcelain sign with pitcher graphic (8.9); and a Washington Chief Gasoline double-sided porcelain sign with full headdress Indian profile (8.9).

Other gas signs of note include an early Conoco double-sided porcelain sign with ethyl logo, 26 inches, with great color and gloss (rated 7.9); another Conoco double-sided porcelain sign, this one with the Minuteman logo, 26 inches, also with great color and gloss (8.4); and a Red Hat Motor Oil Gasoline double-sided porcelain sign with logos, 32 inches, rated 8 and 7.5.

Motor oil signs should do well, too. Leading the pack will be an RPM Motor Oil single-sided tin sign with Mickey Mouse graphic, 23.5 inches, dated 1939, rated 6.9; another RPM Disney-themed sign, this one showing Donald Duck, saying “A Knockout For Winter” (9); and a Socony Air-Craft Oils Standard Oil Company of New York single-sided porcelain sign rated 8.5.

Other signs expected to pique bidder interest include a Super Chevrolet double-sided porcelain die-cut sign marked Walker & Co., 42 inches by 48 inches (rated 8.9 front, 8+ back); and a Veltex Company Fletcher Oil single-sided porcelain truck door sign, 18 inches (9). Also sold will be an Indian Motorcycle by Valvoline 1-gallon flat metal can with great graphic (7.5).

Petroliana thermometers will feature a Champion Spark Plugs “Dependable in All Weather” tin thermometer (user spins the wheel to tell what needs to be done to his car); and a rare Ace High & Wil-Flo Motor Oil porcelain thermometer, 38 inches by 8 inches (8.75). Also offered will be a Sunoco double-sided porcelain rest room sign with man and lady logos (8.5).

A pair of Hood Tire Man single-sided tin signs, both 36 inches by 12 inches, are expected to get paddles waving. One is a dealer sign with a straight tie graphic, rated 9; the other features a bow-tie graphic and is rated 8.9, with great color and shine. A top lot in the gas globes group is a Midway New Navy Gasoline 15-inch perforated globe with metal lenses in a metal body (7.5).

Other globes worthy of mention include a super rare Veltex Motor Oils Gasoline 15-inch globe with single lens in a metal body, 19.5 inches by 17.5 inches, rated 8+; a Clipper 15-inch single-lens globe with airplane graphic in a metal repainted body (9); and a Little Bear Gasoline gill single-lens globe in a gill glass body, with the lens rated a high 9+ and the body a solid 9.

A Mule Battery “It Has Kick” double-sided tin sign with a great graphic in the original wooden frame (24 inches by 24 inches) is rated 8.25 on the front, 7 on the reverse. Other signs include a Snowboy “Picked For Flavor” single-sided porcelain sign, 20 inches, rated 9; and a BP single-sided porcelain sign with a graphic of early cars and planes, 24 inches by 40 inches (7.9).

Rounding out the day’s expected top lots: a Richfield and State of New York “Don’t Pass on Hills” cloth poster, 42 inches by 28 inches, rated 8.5; a Red Rooster Fruit & Produce single-sided porcelain sign with great graphic and super gloss and color (8.9); and an Arden Protected Milk porcelain die-cut flange sign with a wonderful bottle and boy graphic, both sides rated 9.

For additional information on any lot in the auction, call 217-563-8880 or e-mail Dan Matthews at danm@matthewsauctions.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.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE