Saguaro cacti dot the landscape around Tucson. Copyrighted photo by Jeff Dean, taken Jan. 22, 2008.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) – A grassroots effort is developing a new map and guide of historic neighborhoods and sites in Tucson’s Old Pueblo.
A committee made up of neighbors and organizations is developing the free map and guide with information about more than two dozen historic neighborhoods, sites and landmarks in Tucson.
The Arizona Daily Star reports it will be printed in the spring and distributed in such places as resorts, shops, museums and galleries.
Alan Myklebust of the Blenman-Elm Neighborhood Association says the committee came together last spring after discovering a similar map and guide from the Phoenix area.
Each association is writing a description about its historic structures, home styles, famous people and events.
A core committee led by members of the Tucson Historic Preservation Office will ensure the information’s accuracy.
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Information from: Arizona Daily Star, http://www.azstarnet.com.
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Signed oil on canvas by Abraham Bisschop (1660-1731), titled Birds in a Landscape, $27,600. Image courtesy Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd.
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. – A gorgeous 19th-century Chinese pagoda-form wood and ivory display cabinet in overall good condition breezed to $34,500 at a two-session weekend cataloged auction held Dec. 3-4 by Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd. The cabinet was the highest price realized of the 650 items sold. All prices quoted are inclusive of 15% buyer’s premium.
The auction, which grossed $925,000 – the second-highest total ever posted by the firm – was held at Leland Little’s new, state of the art gallery in Hillsborough. Internet live bidding was provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.
“Our final cataloged sale of 2010 was such a success, a real statement to our dedicated team and quality consignments,” said company owner Leland Little.
Following are additional highlights from the Dec. 3-4 auction:
The entire first session, on Dec. 3, was dedicated to fine wine, a category the firm has nurtured along in recent sales. Top lots included a pair of cases (12 bottles each) of 1982 Chateau Haut-Brion, a fine French wine. Each case sold for $7,820. Also, two lots of three bottles each of Chateau Lafite Rothschild (French, 2000), with the original tissue, hammered for $6,440 per lot.
Asian arts seemed to dominate the Dec. 4 session. Top achievers included a monumental late 19th-century Chinese tester bed, 99 inches tall, made from mahogany with bone and lighter wood inlays throughout ($29,900); and a 19th-century Chinese porcelain jardinière (or goldfish bowl), with interior decoration simulating an underwater landscape of fish and plants ($26,450).
Other Asian objects included a beautiful Chinese Export orange Fitzhugh pattern platter, made for the American market and showing an eagle with spread wings ($10,350); a Southeast Asian standing Buddha, circa late 18th-century, bronze and gilt bronze on a circular lotus base ($4,600); and a large Japanese cloisonné floor vase with flaring mouth and decorations ($3,680).
Continental artwork did exceptionally well. An oil on canvas by Abraham Bisschop (1660-1731), titled Birds in a Landscape, signed and dated (1695) realized $27,600; a signed oil on canvas by Albert Dawant (Fr., 1852-1923), titled Eve of Austerlitz, rose to $16,675; and an oil on Masonite work by Rafael Durancamps (Sp., 1891-1978), titled Shoreline, garnered $4,600.
American art did well, too. A woodcut by Anna Heyward Taylor (S.C., 1879-1956), depicting vendors at the Old City Market in Charleston, signed and numbered (23) hit $4,600; an oil on board by Adele Williams (Va., 1868-1952), titled Market Scene, signed, rose to $3,450; and an oil on canvas by David B. Walkley (Ohio/Conn., 1849-1934), titled Boat House, made $3,220.
Southern American furniture was a big crowd-pleaser. A fine late 18th-century Eastern North Carolina center table, walnut with cedar secondary, topped out at $10,063; a circa 1800 Southern cellaret on frame, walnut with yellow pine secondary, rectangular form, made $8,625; and a North Carolina leather key basket with tooled line decoration changed hands for $4,600.
Tops in the Continental and English furniture category were an important 18th-century English Sheraton Pembroke table, satinwood veneer with oak secondary, coasted to $6,325; a finely crafted and visually stunning Louis XV-style bureau plat with a tooled black leather top went for $4,600; and an Italian gilded rococo-style console table with marble top brought $3,910.
Mid-century furniture featured a cabinet custom-designed by Tommi Parzinger in the early 1970s and consisting of a four-door front with central inset mirror ($3,910); a circa 1950 solid walnut sideboard attributed to Peter Hvidt and produced by John Stewart ($2,185); and an Eames-style modern reclining lounge chair with cream leather upholstery and chrome ($1,495).
Fine estate jewelry has been a strong and growing department for the firm. This sale featured a 2.10-carat diamond bypass solitaire ring nicknamed “Pure Perfection,” mounted by Claude Thibadeau in platinum and 18kt yellow gold ($10,925); a fine 1.68-carat emerald cut diamond ring flanked by tapered baguettes ($9,775); and a suite of Victorian coral jewelry, to include a necklace, brooch, bracelet and earrings ($7,188).
Additional jewelry pieces included necklace consisting of a long single strand of 89 near-round Akoya cultured pearls with great luster ($6,325); and a beautiful Victorian diamond and pearl bracelet with two finely detailed female period portraits on ivory ($4,600). Also sold was a circa 1920s Mariano Fortuny silk Delphos tea gown made of pleated silk, made in Italy ($6,038).
Continental silver wowed the crowd, beginning with a pair of George III entrée dishes and covers, each piece bearing the sponsor’s mark for Paul Storr (London, 1799). The set went for $10,925. Also, a George IV sterling silver tray with armorial crest (London, 1814) realized $6,038; and a Danish silver tea urn in the Regency style (Michelsen, 1980) brought $3,220.
American silver did nearly as well. A Tiffany & Company “Winthrop” sterling flatware service for 12, with the original price list dated Aug. 1921 and weighing 103.6 total troy oz., fetched $3,680; a set of 12 Mexican sterling stemmed wines, 81.28 total troy oz., commanded $2,185; and a Towle “Old Master” sterling flatware service for 8, 35 total troy oz., hit $1,725.
The undisputed king of the Southern pottery category was a monumental Dave the Slave jar (Edgefield, S.C., inscribed Oct. 1857). The jar, ovoid form with applied wide ear handles, knocked down at $25,300. Also, a late 1920s C. B. Masten earthenware glazed footed vase sold for $1,610; and a fine pair of circa 1940 North Carolina earthenware floor vases made $2,300/pr.
Tops among sculptures and bronzes was a large antique Italian blackamoor carving, circa 18th century or earlier, with polychrome decoration and attired in a plumed costume, on a custom black painted wood plinth ($10,925); and an Art Deco sculpture by Roland Paris (Ger., 1894-1915), depicting a dapper gentleman serenading a swooning woman with his guitar ($4,140).
Lighting examples illuminated the room, starting with a fine Georgian-style chandelier, made circa 19th century and featuring 10 lights, draped with crystal cut swags and five upper bell form crystal arms ($10,925). Also, a pair of Empire bronze and ormolu mounted candelabra, converted to table lamps and each raised on a stepped square base with four paw feet hit $2,185.
Militaria also prompted vigorous bidding. Among the offerings were a Confederate officer tintype with an 1864 letter pertaining to cavalryman Capt. William Jones White of Warrenton, N.C. ($4,370); antique bronze models of a cannon and caisson, elaborately engraved and based on weaponry from the Napoleonic wars ($1,955); and a Confederate-used Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle-musket ($1,265).
Leland Little’s next big cataloged auction is slated for March 18-19, 2011. To consign a single item, an estate or a collection, call 919-644-1243, or e-mail info@LLAuctions.com. For more information, log on to www.LLAuctions.com.
View the fully illustrated catalog for the Dec. 3-4 sale, complete with prices realized, at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
19th-century Chinese pagoda form wood and ivory display cabinet in good condition, $34,500. Image courtesy Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd.Two lots of three bottles each of Chateau Lafite Rothschild wine (2000) went for $6,440 each. Image courtesy Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd.Chinese export orange Fitzhugh pattern platter, made just for the American market, $10,350. Image courtesy Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd.Victorian diamond and pearl bracelet with a pair of female period portraits on ivory, $4,600. Image courtesy Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd.Pair of George III sterling silver entrée dishes and covers by Paul Storr (London, 1799), $10,925. Image courtesy Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd.
After the original winning bidder failed to consummate his purchase, a Philadelphia cardiologist stepped up to the plate and paid the auction price – $220,000 – for this rare Honus Wagner baseball card, one of about 60 known to exist. Image courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries.
BALTIMORE (AP) – It’s been a blessed year for the School Sisters of Notre Dame, who catapulted to prominence when they put a rare Honus Wagner baseball card up for auction to support their charitable mission. Problem was, the winning bidder never paid up.
On Monday, the Baltimore-based order of Roman Catholic nuns got their $220,000 – the original bid – but have a different collector to thank.
Dr. Nicholas DePace, a Philadelphia cardiologist, wired them the money and owns the card. He’s been collecting sports memorabilia for 30 years, and he’s a longtime client of Dallas-based Heritage Auctions. A staff member at the auction house reached out to him in early December after the winning bidder misse d a 30-day deadline to purchase the card, and DePace agreed immediately to buy it.
“God bless him,” said Sister Virginia Muller, the former treasurer of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, who was entrusted with the card.
The winning bidder was Doug Walton of Knoxville, Tenn., who owns seven sports card stores in the Southeast. He told The AP at the time that he was willing to overpay for the card because of the story behind it and said he was the highest bidder by $45,000.
Walton did not return a message left on his cell phone Monday. Greg Rohan, president of Heritage Auctions, said the auction house had been unable to reach Walton.
“Once in a blue moon, every auction company has a strange situation like this,” Rohan said. “It doesn’t happen very often, but you have to be prepared for it.”
The Wagner card, produced as part of the T206 series between 1909 and 1911, is the most sought-after baseball card in history. About 60 are known to exist, and one in near-perfect condition sold in 2007 for $2.8 million, the highest price ever for a baseball card.
The School Sisters of Notre Dame inherited their card from the brother of a deceased nun after he died earlier this year. It had been in the man’s possession since 1936 and was unknown to the sports memorabilia marketplace. It’s in poor condition, but collectors prize any Wagner card.
The American Tobacco Company ended production of the card shortly after it began. According to sports historians, Wagner was either upset about his image being used to promote tobacco products or the shortstop simply thought he wasn’t being paid enough.
“The Flying Dutchman,” played for 21 seasons, 18 of them with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He compiled a .328 career batting average and was one of the five original inductees into baseball’s Hall of Fame.
DePace, a Catholic, said he was moved that the nuns planned to use the money for their schools and ministries for the poor in 35 countries and didn’t want to see them shortchanged. He bid on the card when it was auctioned but thought the price was too high. Now, he feels the price is more than fair.
“I’m ecstatic about it. … I will argue that this Wagner card is the most significant Wagner card because it’s the American story about how people just get a baseball card and they hide it in the safe,” DePace said. “There’s a treasure there, and the treasure comes out, and now the treasure’s going to be shared with tens of thousands of people.”
Muller said the order wasn’t informed until Monday about the snag in the sale. She said she was surprised by the 11th-hour development but said Heritage Auctions handled the matter appropriately.
“If we hadn’t received the money today, then I would have been concerned,” Muller said. “They went ahead and pursued someone else. There was no reason for us to know.”
DePace’s vast memorabilia collection includes game-worn uniforms of Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson and Wilt Chamberlain and a game ball from the 1958 NFL championship game between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants, known as “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”
He plans to open a nonprofit museum next year in Collingswood, N.J., a Philadelphia suburb, to showcase his holdings, and will display the card there.
Copyright 2010 Associated Press and ACNI. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
This rare John Lehman stoneware political jar featured the head of Jefferson with ‘Hurrah for Jefferson’ on one side with George Washington and ‘Hurrah for Washington’ verso. In fine condition, the 20 3/4-inch jar may have been made in either Alabama or Georgia. The Birmingham Museum of Art purchased it for $74,750. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions. ASHVILLE, N.C. – Gail Andrews, director of the Birmingham Museum of Art, knew what she wanted and it didn’t take her long to get it. The two political jars she sought crossed the block during the first hour of Brunk Auctions sale on Nov. 13. Both were Alabama treasures made by one of the state’s most celebrated potters: German-born John Lehman (1825-circa 1885).
Lehman covered his stoneware jars with a Southern alkaline glaze and carefully decorated them with eagles, banners and vines. Just below the shoulder on one, he fashioned a relief head of George Washington; verso was the head of Thomas Jefferson. “I had seen the jars before in Joey Brachner’s exhibition at the museum,” said Andrews, “and I wanted to add them to our collection. But I was worried they could go very high.” With the help of the Frank and Nelle Newton Fund and the museum’s acquisition fund, Andrews bid the Washington/Jefferson jar to $74,750 (est. $40,000-$50,000). It will be added to the two other Lehman pieces in the Birmingham collection. All selling prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
A second Lehman jar with the heads of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson was taller than the 20 3/4-inch Washington/Jefferson jar by a half inch, but carried a lower estimate – $30,000-$50,000. Perhaps our third and seventh presidents had a bit less cache than presidents No. 1 and No. 3. And the word “Hurrah” in the banner over the heads of Jefferson and Jackson was misspelled as “Hurah.” Nevertheless, the jar was an almost perfect match to the Washington/Jefferson.
The couple that traveled with Andrews to Asheville took the lead in bidding for the second Lehman jar. After winning it for $32,200, the benefactors told Andrews that they would like to live with the Lehman jar a while before gifting it to the museum. Both jars will be exhibited at the museum in January.
The jars came from the extensive collection of Mr. and Mrs. Levon C. Register of Franklin Springs, Ga. In addition to the Alabama pots, the Registers had consigned silver, clocks, etchings, painted furniture and a stunning 14K gold basket by Gorham. Of the more than 100 items they consigned, the basket tied for fourth high dollar lot after the Lehman jars and six Chippendale chairs. With flared rim, openwork scroll, engraved border and openwork bellflower handle, the gold basket sold to the phones for $12,650 (est. $10,000-$15,000). That equaled the selling price of their banjo clock by Simon Willard. The early 19th-century mahogany and gilt clock with cast eagle finial and leaf and berry decoration carried an estimate of $4,000-$6,000.
Like the Willard banjo clock, the Registers six Chippendale chairs from 1760-1770 consigned also doubled its high estimate. The mahogany chairs were exhibited at the White House and pictured in the book, The White House: An Historic Guide. A phone bidder took the chairs for $19,550 (est. $5,000-$7,000) making them the Register’s third highest selling lot.
Exceeding high estimates was taken to extremes by bidders for a 1909 Steinway grand piano. From a New York family, the professionally restored grand was cherry with ornate gilt Louis XVI-style ornamentation. It opened at $5,000, its low estimate, and finished with a crescendo at $74,750. The piano’s selling price, almost seven times its high estimate, was tied with the Washington/Jefferson jar as the sale’s top lot.
Not quite as spectacular was a doubling of the high estimate on a 16th-century Italian majolica footed bowl. The scene was the slaying of Medusa by Perseus with Pegasus emerging from the Gorgon’s spilled blood. From the Umbrio workshop, the 12 1/2-inch bowl sold for $12,650 (est. $3,000-$5,000). From the same collection as the bowl was a Tuscan majolica two-handled jug. It too more than doubled its high estimate. Dating from the mid-16th century with sea creatures for handles and decorated with fruit, flowers and pinecones, the 13 1/2-inch jug opened at $1,500 and closed at $7,475.
Among the nonpainted Southern furniture in the sale, possibly the most dramatic was a walnut and poplar sideboard attributed to the Burgner family of Greene County, Tenn., dating from the 1840s. Even from across the wide Brunk gallery one could not miss its boldly cut dovetailed splash panel. The panel resembled crashing waves or large animal ears. Its surface was original untouched varnish. A collector of Tennessee furniture in the room bought it for $33,350 (est. $20,000-$30,000).
Then there was the 100 1/2-inch-high inlaid tall-case clock from Northern Virginia or Baltimore. What made this clock so clever and attractive were the birds painted in the arched dial and a bird figure inlaid in the tympanum. In figured walnut with poplar and yellow pine secondary, it went to a phone bidder for its reserve, $16,100 (est. $20,000-$30,000).
Between 1730 and 1830, furniture makers along Virginia’s famed Eastern Shore, that strip of land on the Delmarva Peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, produced attractive raised panel furniture. A prime example surfaced at this sale: a single-case construction Chippendale sideboard from the second half of the 18th century. Its patina may best be described as “mellow.” In yellow pine with maple cornice molding and standing on its original straight bracket feet, the sideboard opened at its $10,000 reserve and sold within estimate for $13,800.
There are six dovetailed drawers in this sideboard that descended in the Burgner family of Greene County, Tenn. From the 1840s and with its original varnished surface, original and ornate splash panel and original drawer pulls, the sideboard sold for $33,350 (est. $20,000-$30,000). Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.A paneled Chippendale sideboard from Eastern Shore Virginia, nearly identical to this one, sold at Sotheby’s. Wrought iron H-hinges are original and its backboards were undisturbed. It sold for $13,800 (est. $12,000-$18,000). Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.Dating to 1795-1805, this 100 1/2-inch-high case clock from Northern Virginia or Baltimore sold for $16,100 (est. $20,000-$30,000). Look carefully for the proud bird inlaid in the tympanum. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.One of five banjo clocks consigned by Mr. and Mrs. Levon Register, this one topped all. From the early 19th century by Simon Willard of Roxbury, Mass., it brought $12,650 (est. $4000-$6000). Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.Inscribed ‘50th Anniversary/Oct. 7, 1956,’ and weighing 516 grams, this Gorham gold basket measured 11 inches x 16 1/4 inches x 8 1/4 inches. It sold for $12,650 (est. $10,000-$15,000). Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.A description of the scene on this 16th-century Italian tin-glazed earthenware footed bowl was on the bottom in blue under glaze. From a private New York City and Chapel Hill, N.C., collection, it brought $12,650 (est. $3,000-$5,000). Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.Each of these 18th-century Chippendale chairs was 37 1/4 inches x 24 inches x 19 inches with needlepoint embroidered slip seats. The six sold for $19,550 (est. $5,000-$7,000). Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.The sale’s big surprise was this 1909 Steinway long model A grand piano. It rose from a humble $5,000 to $74,750. Its professional restoration was probably by Steinway. Image courtesy of Brunk Auctions.
Very fine Regency period carved and gilt girandole mirror with eagle and candle arms by Thomas Fenthan, retaining the original label. Image courtesy of William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers. CHESTER, N.Y. – William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers will open their early winter season with an auction on Sunday, Jan. 9, that will include a fine collection of vintage and antique watches and pocket watches including Rolex, Tudor and Le Coultre; antique and vintage fine jewelry; Chinese pottery, porcelain and artwork; fine art including works by Burliuk, Tauzin, Firado and Alken; Oriental rugs and carpets; furniture and accessories of the 19th and 20th centuries.
LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
Lots of major interest to collectors will be several 19th-century micromosaic brooches, which include a view of St. Peter’s Rome, floral an elaborate Etruscan Revival brooch with a beetle; Renaissance Revival silver, enamel and gem set necklace, circa 1880; Victorian 18K gem set and enameled brooch/pin; 18K gold dragon ring set with diamonds and lapis; 18K gold Etruscan-style ring; antique silver rose-cut diamond bow pendant pin with 33.3 carat aquamarine, circa 1880; Renaissance Revival silver enameled cross; a very rare miniature portrait painting of Bahaullah, founder of the Ba’Hai faith in Persia, signed and dated 1914; and an Egyptian Revival 800 silver plique au jour brooch/pendant set with malachite and paste stones.
For watch enthusiasts Jenack will be selling several lots of vintage watches and pocket watches including a Tudor Stainless Prince Oyster Date wristwatch; Tudor Submariner; Vintage Zenith stainless El Primero 31 jewel chronograph; Le Coultre stainless Memovox HPG wristwatch; Longines 14K white gold Admiral 1200 wristwatch with diamond chapters; Gruen 18K white gold 17-jewel precision wristwatch; and a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust.
Notable artwork will be offered including a portrait by David Burliuk; Louis Tauzin, oil on canvas lakeside with figures; F. Firado, oil on panel, interior with figure; attributed to Samuel Henry Alken, oil on canvas, hunt scene; Peter Max, acrylic and silkscreen on canvas, Liberty Head, also a rare complete set of six mixed medium lithography’s commemorating the Spirit of America.
For the interior designer or the collector of furniture and decorative accessories the sale will offer a fine, probably Philadelphia Federal, swan lyre-base carved mahogany games table; a fine French figural bronze and parcel gilt shelf clock, circa 1810; Art Deco snake form standing vase; collection of Vienna Augarten blanc de chine porcelain Lipizzaner stallion figures; KPM plaque pastoral scene with figures; seated bronze figure of a young Apollo by Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse; and a pair of Victorian cranberry glass covered urns with portrait plaques.
Chinese works of art will again be sold including a monumental head of Buddha from the late Song to Yuan Dynasty; several watercolor and ink scrolls; and ceramics, jades and ivories.
Previews will be held at the William Jenack auction facility located at 62 Kings Highway Bypass, Chester NY 10918 on Wednesday-Saturday, Jan. 5-8, noon-5 p.m. and on the day of the sale, 9-10:45 a.m.
For details contact (845) 469-9095 or e-mail kevin@jenack.com.
Fine Federal carved mahogany lyre base game table with swan head terminals, Philadelphia, circa 1820. Image courtesy of William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers.Louis Tauzin (French 1845-1914) oil on canvas, lakeside landscape with figures, signed. Image courtesy of William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers.Chinese Ming lacquered, carved and inlaid table, of the period. Collection of Ben Birillo; collected in London in the 1960s. Image courtesy of William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers.Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (French 1824-1887) Bronze of the young Apollo. Image courtesy of William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers.Collection antique and vintage jewelry. Image courtesy of William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers.Collection of fine vintage watches. Image courtesy of William Jenack Estate Appraisers and Auctioneers.
Harry Schaare (American, b. 1922), World War II G. I.s, gouache on board, 28 x 20 inches, from the Estate of Charles Martignette, auctioned by Heritage Auction Galleries on May 7, 2010. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Heritage Auction Galleries.
GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) – In March 1942, shortly after Charles J. Gilland of Fairfield was inducted into the U.S. Army, he found himself at Camp Forrest, Tenn.
Assigned to the 317th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Army’s 80th Infantry Division, he spent two years in training there, as well as in Kansas and Arizona. While in Tennessee, Pvt. Gilland wrote a letter home or to a friend, suggesting that the letter and his picture might be published in the Christmas edition of the local paper.
A review of several editions of the Gettysburg Times around Christmas that year failed to find Gilland’s letter. Nearly seven decades later it has been printed.
All units of the 80 Division were sent to Europe in July 1944 for more training. They landed on Utah Beach, Normandy, France, on Aug. 3.
Gilland’s 317th Regiment engaged the enemy in the Saar Basin and in Bastogne, France, before fighting in December at the Battle of the Bulge.
According to official military records, Gilland was a Staff Sergeant when he was killed in action on Sept. 17. He was 23 and unmarried.
Returned home by the Army, he was buried in the Fairfield Union Cemetery.
Because he was one of the first casualties from the area, charter members of Fairfield AMVETS, when they founded the organization in 1953, named it The Charles J. Gilland AMVETS Post 172. A painting of Gilland hangs in the lobby of the post.
Gilland’s letter was never turned over to the Gettysburg Times in 1942. But it was never destroyed.
Found recently among old papers by a stepbrother, the letter was turned over to the Fairfield post and recently posted on its bulletin board.
Post Adjutant Marlyn Ringler sent a copy of it to the Times late last month. It’s printed below.
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November 7, 1942
Kind Gentlemen:
Many, many thanks for sending the home town paper. I enjoyed it very much for it helps me to picture what’s going on back home. And that helps a soldier keep up the good morale.
The United States expects to win this war! And it will with all the “spirit” our men and women are putting into their work.
I have a little item for you to publish in your Christmas edition, for all the folks back home, who would like to know how their “boys” feel. I also have a photograph of myself, if you care to publish it too.
If the American citizens keep up the good spirit which they now have, we’ll soon return all the presents which go to end this struggle and restore the same peace and happiness to this land which we had before.
We wish you all a Merry, Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!
The “silent” 80th never talks, it only moves forward.
Sincerely,
Pvt. Charles James Gilland
Co. “C” 317th Infantry
APO (No.) 80
Camp Forrest, Tenn.
U.S. Army Services
“On to Victory”
___
Information from: Gettysburg Times, http://www.gettysburgtimes.com
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
LOS ANGELES (AP) – The simple wooden coffin that was supposed to be John F. Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald’s final resting place will soon have a new resting place of its own after a mystery bidder bought it at auction for more than $87,469.
The coffin was put on the auction block late last month by a Texas funeral home owner who swapped it with Oswald’s family for a new one when the body was briefly exhumed in 1981.
It sold Thursday evening for $87,469, which includes a 20 percent buyers’ fee.
“Anything connected to the JFK assassination sells for really high,” said Nate D. Sanders of Nate D. Sanders Auctions in Santa Monica.
He declined to provide details on the winning bidder.
The auction was extended two hours because of a last-minute rush of bidding. Sanders said two bidders battled it out until the end.
Oswald was arrested in President Kennedy’s 1963 death, but was slain two days later by nightclub owner Jack Ruby.
Funeral home owner Allen Baumgardner had held onto the coffin since Oswald’s body was dug up in 1981 in an effort to put to rest conspiracy theories that he really wasn’t buried in his grave. After the body was identified through dental records, it was returned to Rose Hill Memorial Burial Park in Fort Worth, Texas.
Because water had gotten into a cracked burial vault and damaged the original coffin, Baumgardner swapped it with Oswald’s family for a new one.
The original shows signs of the water damage. Its metal ornamentation is rusted and parts of it, including the roof, have rotted. Its satin lining has long since disintegrated.
Still, the curator of a museum dedicated to Kennedy’s Nov. 22, 1963, assassination said when bidding opened on Nov. 30 that he expected it would generate a lot of interest.
“My experience as a curator has been, if people have room and it’s a Kennedy item, they will collect it,” said Gary Mack of the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas.
The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation has declined to comment.
Baumgardner was a 21-year-old funeral home assistant when Oswald was shot to death in a Dallas police station just two days after Kennedy was assassinated while riding through Dallas in a motorcade.
“I’ve never seen so many security police and FBI and Secret Service and news media just everywhere,” he recalled earlier this month.
Copyright 2010. Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be publishd, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
This 10-inch-tall Santa Claus wears a blue cloth coat and carries the traditional fir tree and a basket of goodies. The blue coat suggests he dates from before 1915. The figure was made in Germany, probably to be used as a candy container. Morphy Auctions sold Santa for $4,025 in 2010.
Santa Claus hasn’t always been a fat, jolly man with a beard and a red coat. He hasn’t even always lived at the North Pole. The Santa of today often is called the “Coca-Cola Santa” because he was first drawn in the 1930s for a series of Coke ads. Before that, a similar Santa had been drawn for magazine covers by N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell. Even the name “Santa” isn’t very old. The child of the 19th century called the famous Christmas figure “Santa Claus” only after 1863, when Thomas Nast’s illustrations included the name and pictured him at the North Pole. Santa’s early suits were shown in many different colors, including blue. Earlier 19th-century Christmas figures were named “St. Nick” or “St. Nicholas” because of the poem The Night Before Christmas. He was then a plump elf, small enough to fit down a chimney. Why he had become so small is a mystery, because in the 18th century he was a tall saint dressed in a bishop’s coat. He had a long white beard and a staff. Early Dutch settlers in America added a round belly and a clay pipe. And all of these versions of Santa go back to the original saintly Bishop Nicholas of Myra, who lived in Greece in the third century. He was known for good deeds and for secretly putting coins into shoes left outside.
Q: You recently answered a question about a 1976 Joey Stivic doll and said it was the first anatomically correct boy doll. But I have a Mattel “Baby Brother Tenderlove” doll with a body marked “1975.” He’s also anatomically correct.
A: It’s likely that both dolls were on the market around the same time in the mid-1970s. Mattel may have introduced its 12-inch Baby Tenderlove “brother” doll a little earlier than Ideal sold the 14-inch Joey Stivic doll. Stivic is better-known because the baby was a character on the TV show “All in the Family.” Both dolls sell for about $50 today.
Q: I have a chair with the label “Stanley Furniture Co., Stanleytown, Virginia.” I would like to know the history of this company.
A: Stanley Furniture Co. was founded by Thomas Bahnson Stanley (1890-1970) in 1924. A factory and houses for workers were built on 150 acres of open land in an area that became known as Stanleytown. The company owned the houses and rented them to workers for a few dollars per month. The first Stanley furniture was a dining-room suite, produced in 1925. Your chair was made after 1929. During the Depression, the company promised that no one would be let go, and the workers and executives took pay cuts so the company could stay open. The company is still in business in Stanleytown. The founder became active in politics, and in 1953 Thomas Stanley was elected governor of Virginia.
Q: My mother left me a china plate that’s marked “Xmas 1916 with compliments from James Norris Ltd. Wine and spirit merchants, Burslem.” Can you tell me something about it?
A: James Norris Ltd. was the name of a bottling plant and brewery in Burslem, England, from at least the late 1800s into the 1930s. Its buildings were demolished in the 1950s. James Norris apparently contracted with local potteries to make Christmas gifts for his customers. Unless you can find a manufacturer’s mark on the plate, it’s impossible to tell which pottery made your plate. But at least you know that it dates from 1916.
Q: I collect Christmas dishes and glassware to use during the holidays. I have a Holly Amber cream pitcher and a Star Holly goblet on a stem. Who made them?
A: Holly Amber, also known as Golden Agate, was made for just six months by the Indiana Tumbler and Goblet Co. of Greentown, Ind. It is a shaded amber-colored pressed glass. It was reheated to create shading from amber to cream. The most popular of the patterns used on this secret recipe of amber glass was Holly Amber. It has a band of holly leaves as the decoration. The glassware was introduced in January 1903, but was discontinued when the factory burned down six months later. Star Holly is a glassware that looks like Wedgwood’s jasperware pottery. Pieces have a raised border of holly leaves, and plates also have a center medallion that looks like a star made of seven holly leaves. It was made in blue, green or rust with white leaves. The factory mark of the intertwined and raised letters “IG” is on the bottom. Star Holly was made for a short time in about 1951 by the Imperial Glass Co. of Bellaire, Ohio. A large collection of the glass was found in the 1950s by a new dealer who was told it was very old. For many years, the glass was listed as 19th-century American. That error has now been corrected in all but the old books.
Q: I have an old Christmas ornament that has been in the family for a long time. It is a glass clown with the number 500,000 printed on his chest. What does that mean?
A: You have an ornament from the days of German inflation after World War I; 500,000 was the number of marks it cost to buy a loaf of bread. There was actually a 500,000-mark bill. Why that was a Christmas message, we can’t imagine. It is a rare ornament, but be warned that reproductions have been made since 2000.
Tip: Never burn Christmas greens in a fireplace. The wood will send sparks up the chimney, and some evergreens burn so hot they could cause a fire in the flue or a buildup of creosote in the chimney.
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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.
Canada Dry store display, die-cut, kids in pajamas holding Christmas gifts, boy holding bottle of Canada Dry and girl holding glass, 1950s, 20 x 34 inches, $85.
Disney’s Donald and Mickey Merry Christmas comic book, Firestone promotion, story titled Three Good Little Ducks, 8 pages, 1943-49, 7 x 10 inches, $125.
F.A.O. Schwarz 1936 Christmas catalog, Santa in sleigh behind Christmas tree, featuring Shirley Temple & Dionne Quintuplet dolls, Gilbert erector set, 64 pages, 9 x 12 inches, $170.
Horse windmill weight, docked tail, black paint over red, cast iron, Dempster Mill Mfg. Co., circa 1930, 13 x 17 inches, $180.
Delft plaque, portrait of Rembrandt, blue and white glaze, signed on front, marked on back, metal hanger, 1920s, 17 5/8 inches, $285.
Mares Laig “Western Rapid Fire” toy “rifle pistol” cap gun, on card, picture of Steve McQueen as Josh Randall in Wanted Dead or Alive TV show, with roll of caps, 13 1/2 inches, $400.
William and Mary-style stool, ebonized, gilt highlights, cabriole legs, scroll feet, Rococo-style pierced stretchers front and back, 16 x 23 inches, $425.
Madame Alexander Polly Pigtails doll, hard plastic, blue sleep eyes, long lashes, blond floss pigtails, closed mouth, red knit sweater, red felt hat, skates, 1949, 17 inches, $860.
American National Duesenburg Racer pedal car, cream, red and green stripes, rubber pneumatic tires, green disc wheels, exhaust caps on hood, 1930s, 67 inches, $3,450.
New! Contemporary, modern and mid-century ceramics made since 1950 are among today’s hottest collectibles . Our special report, Kovels’ Buyers’ Guide to Modern Ceramics: Mid-Century to Contemporary identifies important pottery by American and European makers. Includes more than 65 factories and 70 studio artists, each with a mark and dates. You’ll find color photos of works by major makers, including Claude Conover, Guido Gambone and Lucie Rie, as well as potteries like Gustavsberg, Metlox and Sascha Brastoff. Find the “sleepers” at house sales and flea markets. Special report, 2010, 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches, 64 pages. Available only from Kovels. Order by phone at 800-303-1996; online at Kovels.com; or send $25 plus $4.95 postage and handling to Kovels, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.
