January 20, 2011 - Auction Central News

John Wayne’s ‘True Grit’ getup to star at High Noon sale Jan. 29

John Wayne’s ‘True Grit’ vest, shirt and neckerchief has a $20,000-$30,000 estimate. Image courtesy of High Noon Western Americana.

MESA, Ariz. — Before Jeff Bridges so vividly reinterpreted the Rooster Cogburn character for a new generation, John Wayne immortalized the crusty U.S. marshal in Paramount’s original 1969 film production of True Grit. Appealing to Hollywood memorabilia collectors, John Wayne fans and Western aficionados, High Noon is excited to announce that the original shirt, vest and scarf worn by Wayne in the now-classic movie will be a showcase lot at their High Noon Western Americana Auction, which will be held on Saturday, Jan. 29, at the Phoenix Marriott Mesa.

LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live budding.

This famous getup donned by the one-eyed marshal was originally acquired in the 1970s by Gary Hess, an employee of the Duke Engineering Co., from Wayne himself. This lot will be offered with notarized letters of provenance. Lot 172 – John Wayne’s True Grit shirt, vest and scarf carries an estimate of $20,000-$30,000.

High Noon Western Americana of Los Angeles has announced that their Jan. 29-30, 2011 Western Americana Weekend Event will begin their year-long celebration of the powerful cultural and historic influences that the more than 560 American Indian tribes have had on the this country. Their culture, spirit and endurance are deeply woven into each of our lives. High Noon is committed to ensuring that, through education and promotion of who they were and continue to be, that their culture will continue to thrive and grow even stronger.

2010 for High Noon was a landmark year, seeing record sales in both Mesa and New York fueled by the Roy Rogers Museum sales and the Maximilian saddle, being catapulted to the front of major media with a two-page spread in the Wall Street Journal and countless other national media attention from ACB News to CNN.

“2010 was an amazing year for the American cowboy,” said Linda Kohn Sherwood, co-owner of High Noon, “but we are ready to take a step back and turn our attention to those peoples who created the backbone of our land.”

To that end, the Jan. 29 High Noon Western Americana Auction will feature some of the most important American Indian art and artifacts to ever come to market.

“It’s through offering these treasures from these powerful nations, that we can do our part to ensure that their legacy is passed on to future generations,” said Kohn Sherwood.

The High Noon Western Americana Weekend Event will be held Jan. 29-30 at the Mesa Convention Center.

The High Noon Western Americana Antique Show will begin Saturday morning, Jan. 29, 9 a.m. when the doors open to the most extraordinary Western Americana shopping experience. For two days, Saturday and Sunday, over 150 of the nation’s finest exhibitors featuring the best in historic to contemporary Western Americana will fill the exhibit halls. The richness of the West will be exemplified in the fine selection of antique cowboy, Native American and Vaquero art and artifacts. On the contemporary side, shoppers can indulge in original creations from some of the country’s top artisans in leather and silver — from clothing to furniture.

The High Noon Western Americana Auction on Saturday will feature extremely important pieces of the history and heritage of the American Indian. Sioux, Plateau, Kiowa, Cheyenne, Blackfoot and other tribes will be represented. Among the highlights in this category is a plateau pony beaded dress, circa 1860, in fine condition, estimated to achieve $40,000 to $80,000. Surpassing this estimate will be a Sioux man’s beaded shirt, circa 1880, also in fine condition. A wonderful Cheyenne beaded baby carrier, circa 1880, is estimated at $25,000 to $50,000 followed by an enchanting Sioux quilled elk dreamer dress (estimate: $30,000 to $50,000).

American Indian offerings won’t be the only category with extremely important lots. Likely one of the most important collection of bronzes to come to market will also be offered. Works by Joe Beeler, John Coleman, Harry Jackson and Bill Nebeker, among others, will draw national bidding. Coming from Joe Beeler will be his signed bronze on wood base Crazy Horse, which is expected to achieve $15,000 to $25,000. Keokuk Sac and Fox Chief, a signed bronze in wood base by John Coleman is estimated at $6,000 to $8,000.

Western American fine art offerings will also be exceptional with artist Will James highlighting this category. Entitled Wild Horses, this important signed oil on board is estimated to earn $50,000 to $100,000.

For over 20 years, High Noon has deservedly earned a reputation for representing the most important and finest saddles in the world. This is what caught the attention of the Wall Street Journal resulting in their Sept. 21 two-page editorial coverage of saddles as an investment with High Noon noted as the auction house which represents the finest and most important.

The January 2011 auction won’t disappoint saddle collectors. Several historic saddles will be offered with three Bohlin saddles at the top of this category. An Edward H. Bohlin Machris model parade saddle is estimated at $35,000 to $60,000 followed by a Taxin model Edward H. Bohlin parade ensemble expected to achieve $40,000 to $60,000. An Edward H. Bohlin Dick Dickson Jr. Saddle is estimated at $25,000 to $50,000.

Furthering exceptional works from Bohlin will be truly one-of-a-kind pieces from the car of a Southern California, Yucca Valley personality. From the Bohlin mounted longhorns on the front, to the Bohlin engraved Colt knobs, handles, Bohlin saddlebags and the Bohlin silver saddle center console, these works of art that adorn this vehicle will all be sold as separate lots — nothing like it ever seen before. Even Elvis’ signature (among others) adorns the tonneau cover.

The High Noon auction will feature the finest bits, spurs, gun rigs, and as always, captivating pieces of Western Hollywoodiana. Boots? Oh, yes, the boot category is over the top.

The High Noon auction will feature over 300 lots in all. To order the fully illustrated printed catalog call the offices of High Noon at (310) 202-9010.

Bidding for the auction is available in person, by phone, absentee and live online through LiveAuctioneers.

The auction will begin promptly at 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, in the ballroom of the Phoenix Marriott Mesa Hotel adjacent to the Convention Center. Preview and bidder registration hours are: Thursday, Jan. 27, 3-7 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 28, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Saturday, Jan. 29, 9 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.

For more information on this and the other very important lots to be showcased at this event, visit www.highnoon.com, email: info@highnoon.com or phone (310) 202-9010.

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

Three Sioux pictorial beaded vests, circa 1880s, are each is estimated at approximately $6,000-$12,000. Image courtesy of High Noon Western Americana.

This rare and important Sioux man’s beaded pictorial shirt, circa 1880, is expected to sell for $50,000-$100,000. Image courtesy of High Noon Western Americana.

Blackfeet tomahawk and beaded drop, circa 1870, comes to the sale with an estimate of $10,000-$20,000. Image courtesy of High Noon Western Americana.

Highlighting the important bronze collection will be Joe Beeler’s signed bronze on wood base ‘Crazy Horse,’ which is expected to achieve $15,000-$25,000. Image courtesy of High Noon Western Americana.

Reyne Gauge: More on repurposing antiques

Image courtesy of Laura Trueman of Truetiques, www.truetiques.com

It’s a new year and many of you resolve to get your life and your homes in order. That can often mean tossing things that seem to have no use; clutter from the attic, basement or garage you promise to put in this spring’s yard sale, and odds and ends you’ve inherited or collected over the years needs to go.

Have you ever wondered if the item you are about to throw out could have a second life? In its current state, it seems to have no purpose, but is there something you can do with it to change that?

I’m always interested in repurposing antiques. It’s the ultimate in recycling. It’s like a challenge to see if you can make that “trash” into a “treasure.”

Recently, my friend Laur sent me images of a recycled item that I just loved. Who doesn’t love candles? I buy them all the time. I love to have them burning in the kitchen, something on the dining room table for ambiance, in the bathroom, bedroom … You get the picture.

In the past, I’ve taken single porcelain coffee cups and turned them into a candleholder of sorts by mixing coloring and scent with wax beads, melting them and inserting a wick in the bottom of the cup. Tada …a unique gift that has function and a bit of history behind it.

Laur showed me how to take a candleholder concept to new heights.

She’s taken vintage sugar molds from Mexico and – yes, I had the very same question: What is a sugar mold?

She explained that sugar molds were made during the 1920s-30s from wood. One would pour liquid sugar into the cones, which are known as pilloncillo.

Once the sugar hardened, pieces could be chipped away as needed for cooking.

These would look fabulous in your fireplace for summer use, along the backsplash of a bathtub, down the center of a long dining room table or on a hall table in an entryway.

To learn more about the sugar molds, check out her website: Truetiques – www.rvt01.com

If you have an idea for repurposing antiques, I’d love to hear from you. E-mail me!

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Iconic mid-century furnishings in Morton Kuehnert’s Jan. 20 sale

Sauze Cassiope hanging light, circa 1970. Morton Kuehnert image.

HOUSTON – More than 150 lots of designer and designer-style 20th century home and office furnishings will go on the auction block Thursday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. local time at Morton Kuehnert Auctioneers & Appraisers in Houston, Texas. LiveAuctioneers will provide the Internet live bidding.

“There is great interest in the clean geometry of 20th century furniture, lighting, wall sculpture and art objects,” said Lindsay Davis, Fine Art Specialist at Morton Kuehnert. “Italian, Spanish and Northern Europe produced brilliant designers who worked with great manufacturers we have represented in our auction, such as Knoll International, Herman Miller, TUBAX Belgium and Pace Furniture.”

A total of 260 items, the balance from European and American family estates, will be auctioned.

A few of the interesting lighting features are Lot 159, which features three Sergio Bustmante table lamps with bronze sculpture bases, for a pre-auction estimate of $250-$350. Lot 161, a Max Sauze “Cassiope” hanging light fixture, circa 1970, is estimated at $250-$400. Lot 163 is a vintage Fase lamp, an icon of Spanish design, circa 1970s, with a pre-auction estimate of $300-$500.

Lot 164, a vintage Willy Van Der Meeren “FI Chair,” Belgium, circa 1952, is estimated at $300-$500. Three Harry Bertoia Diamond Wire Chairs, circa 1970s from the original 1952 design, includes one in Lot 222 for an estimate of $700-$1,000 and two in Lot 226 for a pre-auction estimate of $800-$1,200.

A pair of Warren Platner Lounge Chairs, circa 1960s, is estimated to sell at auction for $1,500-$3,000. Six Tulip Chairs by Eero Saarinen for Knoll International, is estimated at $2,500-$4,500.

Lot 201, a Diamond Line Shoemaker based on the 1970s Diamond Line or Z line desk, has a pre-auction estimate of $2,000-$3,500. Lot 171, an Arturo Pani bronze round center (coffee) table, is expected to make $900-$1,100. A Danish style mid-century modern solid wood coffee table, circa 1950-60s, is estimated at $250-$300. Lot 208, a mid-century Van Beuren wooden credenza, is estimated at $800-$1,200. Eero Saarinen’s Tulip Table with walnut top could reach $1,000-$1,500.

Unusual collectibles include Lot 271, four vintage Russian posters, early 20th century, for $800-$1,000. Lot 156 is a Junghams Art Deco-style table clock, circa 1940, estimated at $250-$400. Lot 199 is a Curtis Jere-style vintage sunburst wall sculpture, estimated at $250-$300. Lot 179 is a Michael Van Beuren desk estimated at $600-800.

For more information on any lot in the sale, contact Lindsay Davis, Morton Kuehnert’s fine art specialist, at ldavis@mortonkuehnert.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

Jere-style vintage sun sculpture wall hanging. Morton Kuehnert image.

Diamond Line Shoemaker desk. Morton Kuehnert image.

Pair of Platner lounge chairs, circa 1960s. Morton Kuehnert image.

Bertoia Diamond Wire Chair. Morton Kuehnert image.

Fine art, Asian, antiques to be featured in McInnis auction Jan. 30

Hot water kettle, London 1815, makers Rebecca Emes and Edward Barnard, 153 troy ounces, height: 16 1/2 inches. Estimate: $6,000-$9,000. Image courtesy of John McInnis Auctioneers.

AMESBURY, Mass. – John McInnis Auctioneers will conduct an Important January Auction at their gallery at 76 Main St. in historic downtown Amesbury. The auction will be held Sunday, Jan. 30, beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern and will feature fine art, Americana, Asian, important silver, bronzes, clocks, porcelains, toys, advertising and custom furnishings.

LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

Over 500 fresh estate lots will be sold featuring property from an Exeter, N.H., estate and the estate of Natalie G. Stone of Palm Beach, Fla., and property from other local estates.

The auction will start right off with a highlight – a panoramic view of White Mountain by John W.A. Scott, (American, 1815-1907) . The signed oil on canvas painting measures 15 inches by 24 inches and carries a $3,000-$5,000 estimate.

Several bids have already been placed on Lot 5, a Louis XVI-style gilt bronze and mantel clock with two putti figures and swan decoration. The clock also features Sevres porcelain hand-painted inserts. The clock, which is 14 inches high and 20 inches wide, has a $3,000-$6,000 estimate.

Furniture highlights begin with a Massachusetts Hepplewhite reverse serpentine chest with original stylized lion brasses on French feet. The four-drawer chest, 36 3/4 inches high, 41 1/2 inches wide and 22 3/4 inches deep, has a $3,000-$6,000 estimate and has already met the $1,500 starting bid.

A sterling flatware set made by George Adams, London, 1867, has a silver gilt openwork grape and leaf design. The service for 12 includes two serving spoons and two sugar shakers. It weights 109.7 troy ounces. It has a $6,000-$9,000 estimate and the $3,000 starting bid has already been met.

Meticulously restored, a classic 1973 Volkswagen Type 2 Transporter van is ready for a camping trip. It carries a $17,000-$22,000 estimate and a reserve.

A Chinese patinated bronze censer with zoomorphic handles and marked with an archaic seal script on the base has a $1,000-$2,000 estimate. It stands 5 1/2 inches high without the stand and is 8 1/4 inches in diameter.

John McInnis Auctioneers accepts absentee and phone bidding. Friendly and experienced staffers are available to assist customers from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Eastern Monday through Friday.

Exhibition hours are Thursday, Jan. 27, through Saturday Jan. 29, from 2 p.m.-7 p.m. and auction day at 9 a.m.

John McInnis Auctioneers is conveniently located off major routes I-95 and I-495, 45 minutes north of Boston and 30 minutes south of Portland. There is plenty of parking, easy loading and delivery service will be available.

For details visit mcinnisauctions.com or call 800-822-1417.

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

Gorham Martele hand-hammered bowl shaped with leaf and floral edge, marked 9584, initialed 'L.I.S.', 24.6 troy ounces, length: 11 inches, height: 3 inches. Estimate: $4,000-$6,000. Image courtesy of John McInnis Auctioneers. — Gorham Martele hand-hammered bowl shaped with leaf and floral edge, marked 9584, initialed ‘L.I.S.’, 24.6 troy ounces, length: 11 inches, height: 3 inches. Estimate: $4,000-$6,000. Image courtesy of John McInnis Auctioneers.

John W.A. Scott (American (1815-1907) ‘White Mountain Panorama,’ signed J.W.A. Scott, oil on canvas, 15 inches x 24 inches. Estimate: $3,000-$5,000. Image courtesy of John McInnis Auctioneers.

Austrian cold-painted bronze cockerel with Franz Bergman foundry mark, height: 12 inches. Estimate: $3,000-$5,000. Image courtesy of John McInnis Auctioneers.

Constantin Westchiloff (Russian American, 1877-1945) ‘Venice Lagoon,’ signed C. Westchiloff, oil on panel, 8 1/2 inches x 10 1/2 inches. Estimate: $2,000-$3,000. Image courtesy of John McInnis Auctioneers.

Chinese Cantonese export ivory box, 19th century, height: 3 1/2 inches, width: 11 inches, depth: 5 inches. Estimate: $3,000-$5,000. Image courtesy of John McInnis Auctioneers.

Met’s Feb. 5 Lunar New Year Festival celebrates Chinese arts, culture

Qi Baishi (Chinese, 1864–1957). Two Rabbits, 20th century. Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper; 8 9/16 x 18 5/16 in. (21.7 x 46.5 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, in memory of La Ferne Hatfield Ellsworth, 1986 (1986.267.232). Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. All rights reserved.

NEW YORK – Visitors of all ages are invited to The Metropolitan Museum of Art on February 5, 2011, to enjoy a day-long Lunar New Year Festival celebrating Chinese arts and culture. The Museum will ring in the Year of the Rabbit with interactive programs, art-making workshops, and lively performances. Nearly all Lunar New Year programs are free with Museum admission.

The Lunar New Year Festival is presented by the Museum’s Multicultural Audience Development Initiative and its Education Department.

The festival begins with family programs, including a performance by Sesame Street’s Alan Muraoka and friends at 11 a.m. in the Carson Family Hall and storytime in the Nolen Library at 11:45 a.m. Afternoon programs begin with a dramatic lion dance procession up the Museum’s front steps and into the building at 12:15 p.m., followed by calligraphy and face painting workshops at 1 p.m.; a youth orchestra performing on traditional Chinese instruments at 1:30 p.m.; a Chinese tea ceremony at 2:15 p.m.; and fan and ribbon dances at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

The Lunar New Year Festival will culminate with Peking Opera performances at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Chinese Theatre Works’ production of the Peking Opera Little Red Riding Hood features stage acrobatics, martial arts, music, dance, pantomime, face painting, and lavish costumes to create a breathtaking, cross-cultural journey. A one-hour children’s version of Little Red Riding Hood, performed in English to a pre-recorded score, will be presented at 3 p.m. (tickets: $15). A full-length production of the classic tale will be presented at 7 p.m. (tickets: $30). The evening performance, introduced by an informative talk, will be spoken in English and sung in Chinese, accompanied by live music. Both concerts are in the Museum’s Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, and tickets include free Museum admission on February 5. To order tickets for Peking Opera: Little Red Riding Hood, call 212-570-3949 or go to www.metmuseum.org/tickets.

Event Information:

Lunar New Year Festival information will be available at the Information Desk inside the Museum’s main entrance on Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street, and in the Uris Center for Education, which is reached from the ground-floor entrance on Fifth Avenue at 81st Street. All Lunar New Year programs are free with Museum admission, with the exception of the Peking Opera Little Red Riding Hood. Recommended Museum admission is $20 for adults, $15 for seniors (65 and over), and $10 for students. Children under 12 accompanied by an adult are free.

A complete schedule of Lunar New Year programs can be found on the Museum’s website: www.metmuseum.org/lunarnewyear.aspx.

Museum information in Mandarin, including hours, admission, and directions, can be found online: http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/general_information_mandarin

In addition, the Museum’s cafeteria will be celebrating the Lunar New Year with a traditional Chinese menu including soy sauce chicken, pork buns, and napa cabbage with garlic and ginger.

Related Exhibition:

Visitors are also invited to explore the special exhibition The Emperor’s Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City, featuring 90 exquisite objects that once adorned an exclusive compound in the Forbidden City. The exhibition, on view February 1 – May 1, 2011, presents works of art that demonstrate the highest levels of artistic accomplishment in 18th-century China, including sumptuous murals, furniture, architectural elements, Buddhist icons, and decorative arts—almost all of which have never before been seen publicly. A lecture on The Emperor’s Private Paradise: Its Survival and Conservation will be presented by Henry Tzu Ng, Executive Vice President of the World Monuments Fund on Friday, February 4, at 6 p.m. In addition, on Saturday, February 5, at 11 a.m. there will be a public gallery talk for this exhibition.

The exhibition was organized by the Peabody Essex Museum in partnership with the Palace Museum and in cooperation with World Monuments Fund and has been made possible through generous support from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and American Express. Additional support was provided by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, The Freeman Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and ECHO (Education through Cultural & Historical Organizations).

Education programs are made possible by The Freeman Foundation.

College Group at the Met Event:

On Friday, February 4, at 8 p.m., the College Group at the Met will present Gilded Ink: Write like an Emperor, a reading of original prize-winning short stories by four college students. The event, hosted by David Rakoff (author of Half Empty and frequent contributor to NPR’s This American Life), will feature stories on the theme of a “private paradise” in conjunction with the exhibition The Emperor’s Private Paradise. The event is co-sponsored with Selected Shorts.

About the Metropolitan Museum:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the world’s largest and finest museums, with collections of more than two million works of art that span 5,000 years of world culture, from prehistory to the present and from every part of the globe. The Metropolitan Museum, located at the edge of Central Park along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, received 5.24 million visitors last year and is New York City’s number-one tourist attraction.

The Multicultural Audience Development Initiative began more than ten years ago at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It reflects the Museum’s founding mission to educate and inspire by reaching out to all of its constituencies, including the many diverse communities of the New York Tristate area. Its objectives are to increase awareness of the Museum’s encyclopedic collections and programs, to diversify its visitorship and membership, and to increase participation in its programs.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Tell-tale letdown: true Poe visitor again a no-show

Edgar Allan Poe in an 1848 daguerreotype. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

BALTIMORE (AP) – Telltale hearts beat with anticipation during a rainy, midnight dreary and beyond, hoping the mysterious visitor to Edgar Allan Poe’s grave would return after a one-year absence.

But once again, the unknown person who for decades has left three roses and a half-empty bottle of cognac at Poe’s grave on the anniversary of the writer’s birth failed to appear Wednesday, fueling speculation that he may have died.

Four impostors came and went overnight. The real one never showed. Around 5 a.m., the dozen Poe fans who were left began to wonder if the eerie ritual is indeed nevermore, so they walked to Poe’s tombstone and performed their own tribute by leaving roses and drinking a cognac toast.

A fascinating tradition that ran for some 60 years and was never fully explained appears to have ended at the downtown Westminster Hall and Burying Ground.

“I think we can safely say it’s not car trouble, and he’s not sick,” said Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum. “This doesn’t look good.”

It would be an ending befitting of the legacy of Poe, the American literary master of the macabre who was known for haunting poems such as The Raven and grisly short stories including The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of the House of Usher and The Pit and the Pendulum. He is also credited with writing the first modern detective story, The Murders in the Rue Morgue. He died in 1849 in Baltimore at age 40 after collapsing in a tavern.

Sometime in the 1940s, it seems, an anonymous man began the annual tribute at Poe’s grave. It was first referenced in print in 1949 by The Evening Sun of Baltimore.

Those who have glimpsed the “Poe toaster” always saw him dressed in black, wearing a white scarf with a wide-brimmed hat. Jerome has kept watch over the vigil since 1978, watching from inside the Presbyterian church, while Poe fans peered through the locked gates of the cemetery.

After last year’s no-show, Jerome this year was expecting Poe toaster wannabes imitating the real thing, and they showed up in brazen style. One emerged from a white stretch limo shortly after midnight. Two others appeared to be women. The fourth was an older man. All walked in clear sight of the Poe fans, contrary to the secretive nature of the real Poe toaster. All wore black hats and left roses and cognac, and two left notes, but none of the four gave the secret signal that only Jerome knows, and none of the four arranged the roses in the unique pattern established by the Poe toaster over the decades.

The “faux Toasters” provided excitement for the Poe fans who braved rain and near-freezing temperatures through the night. One couple traveled from France, another from Chicago. Two friends came from New York. A mother from Cleveland brought her 19-year-old son because it’s on his bucket list. Raven See, who was named after the Poe poem, took time off from her studies at Elmira College in New York to make her sixth appearance at the vigil. Some sang “Happy Birthday” at midnight and read aloud from Poe’s writings.

“There’s so many conspiracy theories,” See said. “Like it ended in ’98 and now the church does it. Or maybe in ’09 they wanted to end it because it was the bicentennial. It just adds to the mystery. The best part of it is meeting people.”

In 1993, the visitor began leaving notes, starting with one that read: “The torch will be passed.” A note in 1998 indicated the originator of the tradition had died and passed it on to his two sons.

The sons didn’t seem to take the duty as seriously as the father. One left a note in 2001 referencing the Super Bowl and another in 2004 implying criticism of France over its objections to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, upsetting many of the traditionalists. When the Poe toaster didn’t show last year, Jerome theorized that the 200th anniversary of Poe’s birth in 2009 might have been considered the appropriate stopping point.

Or, it was thought at the time, perhaps the toaster just had a flat tire on the way to the cemetery.

But that’s the sort of happenstance unlikely to happen two years in a row. Jerome says he’ll return one more year. If the visitor fails to show in 2012, he’ll considered the tradition over and done.

“It’s sort of like a marriage that ends,” Jerome said. “Part of you still wants the warmth that was part of it, and you go looking for the same woman. No, it’s over with. And if it’s over with, it’s over with. If people want to continue the tradition, it’s going to be without me.”

It appears at least some sort of Poe tradition will indeed continue every Jan. 19. Most who attended this year said they plan to return next year, and maybe beyond. Cynthia Pelayo, who traveled from Chicago with her husband for the second straight year, handed out roses after the gates were open shortly before 5 a.m., and those were the flowers that were presented – one by one – at Poe’s grave.

Pelayo also left a note.

“Dear, Edgar,” it said. “You are what all us macabre writers only hope to be. Thank you. ’Til next year.”

AP-WS-01-19-11 0910EST

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Royal Wedding Watch: Pubs may stay open late to honor Wills and Kate

Ye Olde Man & Scythe, a pub in Bolton, Lancashire, England, one of many thousands of public houses that are expected to get the go-ahead to stay open late on the occasion of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Photo taken by Michael Ely on July 19, 2007. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 2.0 license.

LONDON (AP) – Britain’s government says the country’s pubs will likely be allowed to stay open late to toast Prince William and Catherine Middleton’s Royal Wedding.

Home Office minister James Brokenshire said in a public statement that all licensed premises will be allowed to serve customers until 1 a.m.

The government plans to consult with the entertainment industry on the plan. Brokenshire said the wedding was “an occasion for national celebration.”

Currently, only bars and pubs with special licenses are allowed to stay open past the traditional final drinks call at 11 p.m.

Brokenshire said the relaxation will apply April 29, the date of the Royal Wedding – which has already been made a public holiday, meaning Britons have the day off – and the following day.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Memorabilia commemorating the upcoming Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton runs the gamut, pricewise. For those on a budget, this satirical coaster might be just the thing to accompany one's pint glass during the late-night celebration in Britain's pubs on April 29, 2011. Novelty item produced by The Coaster Company, www.thecoastercompany.com. Image courtesy of The Coaster Company. — Memorabilia commemorating the upcoming Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton runs the gamut, pricewise. For those on a budget, this satirical coaster might be just the thing to accompany one’s pint glass during the late-night celebration in Britain’s pubs on April 29, 2011. Novelty item produced by The Coaster Company, www.thecoastercompany.com. Image courtesy of The Coaster Company.

CEO’s pick: Stolen Treasures on Ovation

One of several versions of Edvard Munch's (Norwegian, 1863-1944) The Scream, painted in 1893, held in The National Gallery, Oslo, Norway. This painting was stolen from the National Gallery in 1994 and again in 2004. After its most recent recovery, in 2006, the painting underwent restoration to repair damage it had incurred while in the hands of thieves. The painting is the subject of a documentary included in Ovation’s week of special programming titled Stolen Treasures.

NEW YORK – Murder! Espionage! Blackmail! Embezzlement! – Are these the words that come to mind when discussing fine art? Probably not, but there’s no denying the art world has a long history of tales involving sins and misdeeds. Thanks to a tip from Julian Ellison, CEO of our parent company LiveAuctioneers LLC, we’ve tapped into a special week of broadcasting on the Ovation network that probes the seedy underworld of fine art.

Running all this week, the specials, documentaries and films included in Ovation’s “Stolen Treasures” week explores art’s greatest crimes and the devious minds behind them. Here’s a sampling of what’s included in the week’s programming:

The Train, a film starring Burt Lancaster and Paul Scofield – A train bound for Berlin marks the track to victory for German commander and art thief Colonel von Waldheim. After stealing a small fortune’s worth of paintings, he stows them on a train bound for Berlin, in hopes of evading the Allied army. The escape route won’t be easy, however. A member of the Resistance named Labiche is hot on his trail and determined to make sure the train does not make it to Berlin without von Waldheim’s being accosted. It’s a showdown between both sides of the law. Who will persevere?

Art Crimes and Mysteries – This series takes a look at some of the world’s most famous art crimes.

Art of the Heist – Step into the world of the heist with this series. How do the criminals do it, and why does it seem so easy, sometimes, for them to get away with it?

Popaganda, a film about the culture-jamming and billboard-liberation antics of Ron English. The modern day Robin Hood of Madison Avenue, English paints, perverts, infiltrates, reinvents and satirizes modern culture on canvas, in songs and directly on hundreds of pirated billboards. Shot entirely guerilla style, the film chronicles the evolution of an artist who offers an alternative universe where nothing is sacred, everything is subverted and there’s always room for a little good-natured fun.

Check local listings for programs and air times.

About Ovation:

Ovation is the only multi-platform network devoted to arts culture. Ovation gives its viewers access to the artists who define our cultural landscape through its one-of-a-kind mix of hand-picked documentaries, series, movies and specials.

The channel reaches a national audience of 43 million households through cable systems, including DirecTV (channel 274), Dish Network (channel 157) and telco systems nationally. Ovation is also available in HD and VOD (both in standard and high definition). Ovation extends its linear channel experience for viewers online via its website, www.ovationtv.com.

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One of several versions of Edvard Munch's (Norwegian, 1863-1944) The Scream, painted in 1893, held in The National Gallery, Oslo, Norway. The painting was stolen from the National Gallery in 1994 and again in 2004. After its most recent recovery, in 2006, the painting underwent restoration to repair damage it had incurred while in the hands of thieves. The painting is the subject of a documentary included in Ovation’s week of special programming titled Stolen Treasures. — One of several versions of Edvard Munch’s (Norwegian, 1863-1944) The Scream, painted in 1893, held in The National Gallery, Oslo, Norway. The painting was stolen from the National Gallery in 1994 and again in 2004. After its most recent recovery, in 2006, the painting underwent restoration to repair damage it had incurred while in the hands of thieves. The painting is the subject of a documentary included in Ovation’s week of special programming titled Stolen Treasures.

Oswald’s brother sues over sale of JFK assassin’s coffin

Mourners at Lee Harvey Oswald’s funeral included his wife, Marina; a brother, Earl; and mother, Marguerite. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Alexander Autographs Inc.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – Lee Harvey Oswald’s brother is suing a Texas funeral home and California auction house after the presidential assassin’s original coffin was sold at an auction.

Robert Edward Lee Oswald said he thought the water-damaged wooden coffin had been destroyed after Lee Harvey Oswald’s body was exhumed from a Fort Worth cemetery in 1981 amid conspiracy theories surrounding the death of President John F. Kennedy. Another coffin was used for the reburial.

The lawsuit filed last week in Fort Worth accuses Baumgardner Funeral Home of invasion of privacy, negligence, gross negligence and breach of contract. Robert Oswald, 76, of Wichita Falls, is seeking unspecified damages, including the proceeds of last month’s auction that raked in at least $160,000 for various items, including Lee Harvey Oswald’s death certificate and porcelain embalming table.

Oswald was shot to death at a Dallas police station two days after Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Oswald was never put on trial, but authorities concluded he was the killer.

An anonymous bidder bought the coffin for nearly $87,500 after a spirited round of bidding that Nate D. Sanders Auctions of Santa Monica, Calif., said continued two hours past the original closing deadline.

Neither the Fort Worth funeral home nor Nate D. Sanders Auctions immediately returned calls Tuesday. Oswald referred questions to his attorney, who did not immediately return calls.

Robert Oswald told The Associated Press last month that he had no plans to sell the coffin. Oswald also gave the AP a copy of his original funeral home receipt, showing he paid $710 – including $300 for the casket and $25 for flowers in 1963.

“The funeral items sold were of a personal and sentimental value. The damages suffered by (Robert Oswald) as a result of the circulation of these confidential items far outweighs the market value brought at auction,” Oswald said in the lawsuit. “(The funeral home) purposefully concealed their possession and the very existence of the funeral home items for many years . . . and kept the casket so as to profit from it at a later date.”

Oswald tried to stop the sale after learning about it through media reports, according to the lawsuit. He gave the auction house’s attorneys a copy of documents showing he owned the items, but the sale was held anyway, the suit says. Oswald also is upset that pictures of his brother’s body in the casket were shown as part of the auction’s publicity.

Allen Baumgardner, the funeral home’s owner, previously told the AP that he kept the coffin in a storage room at the mortuary, saying he hoped someone interested in its historical significance would buy it.

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Associated Press writer John Rogers in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

AP-CS-01-18-11 2052EST

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N.J. bridge dig turns up Native American artifacts

EWING, N.J. (AP) – A $1.1 million archaeological dig that has been under way for months as part of the proposed Scudder Falls Bridge replacement project has turned up evidence that Native Americans lived at the site as long ago as 500 B.C. and as recently as 1500 A.D.

“The most intriguing evidence (in Ewing) are the physical remains of a large number of hearths,” said John Lawrence, a senior archaeologist with AECOM, the Trenton-based engineering firm hired by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, which owns and operates the Scudder Falls Bridge and is paying for the dig.

“They are the remains of where the Native Americans would have been cooking food for storage and for daily meals,” Lawrence said of the hearths.

AECOM is conducting the dig with the New Jersey and Pennsylvania historic preservation offices to determine if any artifacts might be affected by the proposed bridge project, said Joe Donnelly, a spokesman for the commission.

The dig started in October, with 10 people in the field and two in the laboratory working 40-hour weeks in all kinds of weather.

Lawrence said archeologists should be done digging in Ewing this week. A dig across the Delaware River in Yardley is projected to take three or four months once it begins, which could happen within a month, Lawrence said.

In Ewing two weeks ago, the archaeological team found the charred remains of nutshells that might be evidence of the Native Americans’ diet.

Other artifacts found so far include chips of stone that the Native Americans might have used to create a tool, such as an arrowhead.

“Many of the artifacts would just be a piece of stone to a layman, but information about the technology being employed by Native Americans to make their tools tells us about their ways of life,” Lawrence said.

About 10 percent of the artifacts are tools, including projectile points, pottery, markers used for drawings, and hammer stones, Lawrence said.

The artifacts are taken from the site to an offsite lab where they are cleaned, processed and cataloged.

Some objects, such as ceramics that might contain plant or animal residue, are sent to a specialized lab for analysis, Lawrence said.

When the project is done, the artifacts will be taken to the New Jersey State Museum, where researchers and others who are interested can analyze them.

Donnelly said archaeological digs like this one are standard procedure when large-scale public projects such as bridges or highways are proposed.

If the site has been determined to contain significant information about the past, the archeologists will recover that information before the project moves ahead and affects the site, Donnelly said.

The Scudder Falls Bridge carries Interstate 95 across the Delaware River between Mercer County, N.J., and Bucks County, Pa.

The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission is working with transportation departments in New Jersey and Pennsylvania to advance a $310 million I-95/Scudder Falls Bridge improvement.

Construction is set to begin in 2013.

AP-ES-01-18-11 1724EST

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