AUBURN, Ind. (AP) — Northeastern Indiana officials have issued an arrest warrant for embattled former auction house owner Dean V. Kruse, who’s faced years of legal battles over his business practices.
DeKalb County officials tell The Journal Gazette of Fort Wayne they’re looking for the 69-year-old auctioneer.
The newspaper reports Pennsylvania court records show Kruse was charged Monday with felony theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received.
Indiana suspended Kruse’s auctioneer’s license last year and he’s been sued repeatedly in recent years for business practices that include not releasing funds to vehicle consignors or vehicle titles to purchasers.
Kruse’s former Auburn-based auction house Kruse International was stripped of its license last year by the Indiana Auctioneer Commission.
A message seeking comment was left Tuesday for the DeKalb County sheriff.
___
Information from: The Journal Gazette, http://www.journalgazette.net
# # #
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
18K Breguet Type XX Transatlantique Chronograph. Estimate $10,000-$15,000. Image courtesy of Leighton Galleries. UPPER SADDLE RIVER, N.J. – Leighton’s Sept. 15 auction will feature one of the finest jewelry collections they’ve ever assembled, with a real emphasis on quality. Immediately following their Premier Book Auction that starts at 5 p.m. Leighton will launch right into the 123 lots of fine jewels and timepieces at about 6:30 p.m. Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.
The sale offers an exciting assortment of men’s and women’s timepieces, rings, brooches, pendants, necklaces and bracelets set in diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires, as well as semiprecious jewels, natural pearls, heavy gold pieces and more, all from local estates and all for sale to the highest bidder.
Featured timepieces include an 18K Breguet Type XX Transatlantique Chronograph (est. $10,000-$15,000), rare Corum Bubble XL Jolly Roger Chronograph (est. $5,000-$7,000), Corum Bubble wristwatch (est. $4,000-$6,000), Audemars Piquet 18K and stainless Chronograph (est. $3,000-$4,000), 18K Corum Symbiose Ventrella wristwatch (est. $3,000-$5,000), Panerai Monte Carlo 01 Limited Edition Luminor Marina automatic watch (est. $4,000-$6,000), lady’s diamond Bucherer Pathos Square Midi wristwatch (est. $2,500-$3,500), Corum automatic Admirals Cup Chronograph watch (est. $1,500-$2,000), Corum automatic 18K man’s stainless wristwatch (est. $1,500-$2,000), man’s Rolex Oyster perpetual watch (est. $1,000-$1,500) and more.
Elegant jewels highlights include a diamond tennis bracelet and earring set, 14.4CTW (est. $7,000-$9,000), pearl and yellow diamond bracelet by Arthur King, 3.2CTW, (est. $5,000-$7,000), yellow and white diamond pendant, 6.5CTW (est. $5,000-$7,000), pair of diamond cluster earrings, 6.7CTW (est. $4,000-$6,000), emerald and diamond ring, 9.7CTW (est. $3,000-$5,000), diamond and ruby bangle, 6.0CTW (est. $2,500-$3,500), sapphire and a man’s diamond ring, 2.6CTW (est. $2,000-$3,000), alexandrite and diamond ring, 2.2CTW (est. $1,500-$2,500), diamond cocktail ring, 1.6CTW (est. $800-$1,200), man’s diamond, 1.8CTW (est. $800-$1,200).
More affordable examples include a ruby and diamond cocktail ring (est. $500-$700), diamond and sapphire cocktail ring (est. $400-600), free-form pearl and sapphire brooch (est. $300-$400), dinner ring with citrine-colored stone (est. $500-$700), rose-form pin with ruby accents, retro dinner ring with amethyst-color stone (est. $300-$350), emerald and seed pearl ring (est. $200-$250), marquise dinner ring with topaz-color stone (est. $200-$300), and a ring with large amethyst-color stone, ruby-accented floral pin (est. $200-$300).
For lovers of heavy gold pieces, the sale will offer an Italian yellow and white gold fancy link necklace (est. $1,700-$1,900), anchor link necklace and bracelet set (est. $1,600-$1,700), wide link bracelet (est. $1,500-$1,700), fancy link necklace (est. $1,200-$1,500), fancy link bracelet (est. $1,200-$1,400), two Italian chain link necklaces (est. $1,000-$1,200 each), and a charm bracelet (est. $400-$500).
Rounding out the jewelry lots for the evening, Leighton will also offer a large opal and diamond pendant, 1.20CTW (est. $2,000-$3,000), diamond and platinum ring, 2.25CTW (est. $1,800-$2,400), diamond engagement ring, 1.25CT (est. $1,800-$2,400), a gem-set 14K gold link wristwatch (est. $1,500-$2,000), 10K heavy gold wide mesh bracelet (est. $1,100-$1,300), diamond and seed pearl bangle, .80CTW (est. $800-$1,000), diamond loop-design hinged bangle, 1.50CTW (est. $800-$1,200), sapphire flower brooch by Tiffany (est. $500-$700), and a French gold and enameled portrait brooch (est. $500-$700).
The auction is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. It will be held at the Knights of Columbus Banquet Hall at 79 Pascack Road, Washington Township (Bergen County), N.J. Previews are scheduled for Wednesday, Sept.14, from 5-8 p.m., and on Thursday, Sept. 15, from 1-4 p.m. An illustrated web-based catalog is available at www.LeightonGalleries.com. For details email info@Leightongalleries.com or call 201-327-8800.
NEW YORK – Gene Shapiro Auctions LLC on Manhattan’s Upper East Side announces Free Appraisal Wednesdays, beginning Aug. 31. The auction house is the only one in the United States specializing in Russian Art. At the same time, it maintains strong underpinnings of European and American art. GSA currently holds auctions twice yearly. Works of art consigned now will be placed in the November sale.
Gene Shapiro, founder and auctioneer, commented on the appeal of Free Appraisal Wednesdays. “Convenience is often the deciding factor in selling a work of art,” he said.
“Besides, we are always looking for the next big surprise—art that may have been undervalued previously but has since become desirable on the global art market.” Potential sellers need only look to the prominence of international buyers to understand the sea change that has affected the art market.
Among the items that command the interest of Gene Shapiro’s worldwide audience are Russian paintings, icons, porcelain, silver, enamels, bronzes, books and other Russian items. In addition, European art and applied arts, as well as American art, are staples of the GSA formula. Interested consignors are invited to bring any and all items for appraisal, regardless of where those items are from.
Recent successes achieved at Gene Shapiro Auctions include a 16th-century Russian icon of St. Nikolai Chudotvorets and St. Christopher that commanded $33,600, an op-art painting by Colombian artist Omar Rayo that brought $19,200, and an Italian bronze by Antonio Pandiani that sold for $10,800.
At Free Appraisal Wednesdays, items can generally be brought in person for an appraisal on the spot, but can also be made by photographs. For large collections, Shapiro will also make on-site visits. He is of the old-school of belief that personalized service is the foundation for a successful relationship between consignor and auctioneer.
Free Appraisal Wednesdays are held at the Gene Shapiro Auctions gallery, 506 E. 74th St., from noon to 8 p.m. He is also available daily to speak with trust and estate managers, succession attorneys and private collectors wishing to consign.
In business since 2007, Gene Shapiro Auctions are conducted live in the gallery, by phone and absentee bid, along with live Internet bidding.
Gene Shapiro was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and raised in the United States. Having started his career at Sotheby’s auction house in New York, Shapiro worked as a private dealer in Russian art for many years before starting his auction house in 2007. His educational credentials include studies at the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Pennsylvania; Christie’s; and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. Shapiro is a licensed and bonded auctioneer in New York City.
Shapiro speaks frequently on the renaissance in Russian art, the breadth of Russian fine and decorative art and its importance to Russian culture and identity. His next talk is scheduled for the Salmagundi Club in October.
For more information about Free Appraisal Wednesdays at Gene Shapiro Auctions. or upcoming and past auctions, visit www.geneshapiro.com or phone 212-717-7500.
Colonial Williamsburg’s historic buildings, including the 1722 Virginia royal governor’s residence, escaped major damage in the storm. Copyright 2011 The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) – Cleanup is under way at Colonial Williamsburg following Hurricane Irene.
Officials say the historic area, its museums and merchants square escaped major damage from the storm.
Crews cleared downed trees and debris, but continued to deal with the challenges of widespread power outages.
Selected sites at the historic area were set to re-open Monday, but the museums will remain closed because they don’t have electricity. The area’s lodge and restaurant are open and receiving guests.
Officials expect to resume full operations on Tuesday, depending on the availability of power.
The preserved 18th-century site that serves as an educational and tourist venue is operated and maintained by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-08-29-11 1239GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Colonial Williamsburg’s historic buildings, including the 1722 Virginia royal governor’s residence, escaped major damage in the storm. Copyright 2011 The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Kansas Citizens for the Arts plans to have a Statehouse news conference to demand that legislators and Gov. Sam Brownback reinstate state funding for the arts next year.
Tuesday’s event will include comments from Kansas House Minority Leader Paul Davis, a Lawrence Democrat.
The Republican governor pushed this year to abolish the Kansas Arts Commission and have arts programs rely more on private funding. Legislators rejected the idea, but Brownback vetoed the $689,000 lawmakers set aside for the Arts Commission and its authority to retain its small staff.
Those moves didn’t eliminate the commission, and Brownback has replaced seven of its 12 members.
The decision led the federal government and a regional arts alliance to deny Kansas funding, a loss of about $1.3 million.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Morphy Auctions sold a scarce 1928 Doraldina fortune-teller machine in May 2010 for $12,500. Unlike the Mills Gypsy in Montana, Doraldina told fortunes on printed cards. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Morphy Auctions. VIRGINIA CITY, Mont. (AP) – The Gypsy sat for decades in a restaurant amid the Old West kitsch that fills this former gold rush town, her unblinking gaze greeting the tourists who shuffled in from the creaking wooden sidewalk outside.
Some mistook her for Zoltar, the fortune-telling machine featured in the Tom Hanks movie Big. Others took one look at those piercing eyes and got the heebie-jeebies so bad they couldn’t get away fast enough.
But until a few years ago, nobody, not even her owner, knew the nonfunctioning machine gathering dust in Bob’s Place was an undiscovered treasure sitting in plain sight in this ghost town-turned-themed tourist attraction.
The 100-year-old fortune-teller was an extremely rare find. Instead of dispensing a card like Zoltar, the Gypsy would actually speak your fortune from a hidden record player. When you dropped a nickel in the slot, her eyes would flash, her teeth would chatter and her voice would come floating from a tube extending out of the 8-foot-tall box.
Word got out when the Montana Heritage Commission began restoring the Gypsy more than five years ago, and collectors realized the machine was one of two or three “verbal” fortune-tellers left in the world.
One of those collectors, magician David Copperfield, said he thinks she is even rarer than that.
“I think it’s only one of one,” Copperfield said in a recent telephone interview with The Associated Press.
Copperfield wanted the Gypsy to be the crown jewel in his collection of turn-of the century penny arcade games. It would occupy a place of pride among the magician’s mechanized Yacht Race, Temple of Mystery and various machines that tested a person’s strength.
Copperfield acknowledged approaching the curators about buying the Gypsy a few years ago but declined to say what he offered. Janna Norby, the Montana Heritage Commission curator who received the call from Copperfield’s assistant, said it was in the ballpark of $2 million, along with a proposal to replace it with another fortune-telling machine. On top of that, he pledged to promote Virginia City in advertisements.
But Heritage commission curators, representing the Gypsy’s owner—the state of Montana—rejected the idea, saying cashing in on this piece of history would be akin to selling their soul.
“If we start selling our collection for money, what do we have?” said Norby, the commission’s former curator of collections.
The commission’s acting director, Marilyn Ross echoed Norby’s sentiments: “That is not something we would ever consider, selling off these antiques.”
That dismissal has set collectors grumbling. Theo Holstein, a California collector and renovator of such machines, said he thinks the Gypsy is wasted in Virginia City and should be placed in a private collection for proper care. He said he is trying to gather investors to make a $3 million bid that would top Copperfield’s offer.
“They don’t have any idea what they have. It’s like they have the world’s best diamond and they just pulled it out of their mineshaft,” Holstein said. “It’s good that it’s there and it survived, but now it really needs to be part of the world.”
Holstein said he wouldn’t be surprised in the machine ultimately sold for $10 million or more. Copperfield also said he is still interested in purchasing it.
That could put pressure on the state, which, like the rest of the nation, is facing hard fiscal times. Montana’s budget is in the black, but keeping the effects of the recession at arm’s length has meant deep budget cuts.
Those cuts have hit the Montana Heritage Commission particularly hard. Just weeks after Norby spoke to the AP, her position and three others were eliminated as part of a larger reorganization to cut $400,000 from the commission’s budget, Ross said.
The state agency that oversees the commission, meanwhile, is not so quick to reject the idea of selling the Gypsy. Department of Commerce deputy director Andrew Poole said he has not seen any offers in writing, and if one were made, it would go through a bid process that includes the scrutiny of the commission and input from the public.
The state inherited the Gypsy in 1998 when it paid $6.5 million to buy nearly 250 buildings and their contents in Virginia City and nearby Nevada City from the son of Charles Bovey. The Montana collector spent years buying up the buildings to preserve the two crumbling ghost towns and he stocked them with his ever-growing collection of antique games, music machines and oddities.
Bill Peterson, the heritage commission’s former curator of interpretation, said the collection includes hundreds of thousands of items, so many that curators are still discovering them.
The Gypsy was made sometime around 1906 by the Mills Novelty Co. In restoring her, the curators either replaced or repaired frayed, worn or broken parts with exact replicas. When they couldn’t find replicas or period materials, they didn’t replace the parts.
“We don’t want to make her anything that she wasn’t,” Norby said.
In 2008, they installed the Gypsy as the centerpiece of the Gypsy Arcade amid the ancient wooden buildings of Virginia City’s main street. Calliope music spills out into the street, beckoning the tens of thousands of visitors to enter and view the stereoscopes, shock tests, tests of strength, fortune-telling machines and love letter machines. The Gypsy presides over the menagerie in the rear, ropes keeping visitors at a distance.
All of that care in restoring, preserving and displaying the Gypsy causes state curators to reject Holstein’s argument that the machine should be removed from Virginia City and placed in a private collection.
“A lot of these collectors, they come and say the same thing: `Why is this out in the public? Why don’t you just take the money and have a collector restore it the way it should be restored and have it in his private collection?’ Well, nobody would ever see it,” said Peterson, whose position also was eliminated in the cutbacks.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) – Authorities in Annapolis say burglars stole $68,000 worth of Confederate memorabilia from a man’s home last week.
The Capital newspaper of Annapolis reported Sunday that the victim told officers he left home Tuesday and found his house had been burglarized when he returned Wednesday.
The war artifacts include $52,000 worth of Confederate certificates and $16,000 worth of other memorabilia such as tin-type photographs, belt buckles and buttons.
_____
Information from: The Capital of Annapolis, Md., http://www.hometownannapolis.com/
# # #
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
Camillo Mandelli di Calco violin, 1929, having original case and bow, bearing label: ‘Camillo Mandelli, Fidibus Anno 1929.’ Estimate: $10,000-$15,000. Image courtesy of Roland Auctions. NEW YORK – The Camillo Mandelli di Calco violin and collection of 16 electric guitars going under the hammer at Roland Auctions on Sept. 17 may make for strange bedfellows, but that, according to Roland Auction’s president, is both the beauty and opportunity of a well-curated general estates auction.
Bill Roland, whose fledgling auction house in Greenwich Village is the new place for great bargains, stated that modern designer furniture and lighting are strong too. Underpinning the big items are several collections of boxes in tortoiseshell, silver, lacquer and wood plus a fine collection of antique portrait miniatures and silhouettes.
LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
The day’s marquee item is a powerful professional instrument crafted in 1929 by the famous Italian luthier Camillo Mandelli. Mandelli, who studied under both Bisiach and Antoniazzi, lived in Italy and Argentina. The violin (Lot 249) was most likely made in Milan. Ensuite with bow and recital programs, the Mandelli violin’s auction value is expected to exceed $12,000.
On a different note, a collection of 16 electric guitars going off around noon Eastern will have professional musicians and garage bands waking up in time to bid on LiveAuctioneers.com.
The collection kicks off with a fiesta red Pino Palidiono signature Fender Precision bass (Lot 250) followed by an ivory, gold-top Gibson Les Paul signed by Les Paul (Lot 258). It continues with offerings of the most sought after of guitar brands. For instance, there are two Gibson Firebirds, a Fender Dreadnaught, a 1959 Fender bass, and a Rickenbacker with fireglo finish, to name a few. The complete electric guitar collection can be seen at https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/26144/page1.
Fans of mid-century furniture will marvel at a Brutalist-style mirror of welded concave steel and rough cut edges. Designed in the manner of Curtis Jere, it is moderately estimated at $300-$400. Meanwhile, a Trienele floor lamp, circa 1950, designed by Gino Sarfatti marries chrome and marble with three adjustable conical shades for a sculptural effect. There are at least three more architectural mid-century floor lamps, including a pair of attenuated lamps composed of white Lucite panels and blackened steel. Another is a stunning Italian chrome pillar just 8 inches wide and more than 5 feet tall.
Among the seating, Milan’s own contemporary designer Paolo Rizzatto is represented by a classic pair of tubular steel chairs with cantilevered seats and leather upholstery. They could easily be paired with a modernist drop-leaf glass and chrome dining table at Lot 158 or complemented by a two-tier corner with mosaic inlay.
Industrial designer Paul McCobb, who came to prominence in the late 1940s and continued to hold influence until his death in 1969, is also represented. The first item is a lush mahogany sideboard on bronze base created for the Irwin Collection. It has six paneled doors that open to reveal a fitted interior and a travertine marble top. The second McCobb item is a mahogany headboard of four sections framed in bronze, also designed for the Irwin Collection.
For details on these and the collections of boxes and portrait miniatures, please visit http:rolandantiques.com
Roland Auctions will hold the fall opener on Sept. 17, beginning at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Previews are Thursday, Sept. 15 and Sept. 16, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Guitarists wishing to check out the electric guitars are reminded to bring a portable amp.
Roland Auctions is located at 80 E. 11th St. Buyers may bid live in the gallery, on the phone, by absentee bid or on the Internet at LiveAuctioneers.com. For condition reports, call Roland Auctions at 212-260-2000.
Signed Les Paul Gibson ivory electric guitar, dated ‘2-92.’ Estimate: $2,500-$3,500. Image courtesy of Roland Auctions.Trienale floor lamp designed by Gino Sarfatti, circa 1950, 71 inches by 41 1/2 inches. Estimate: $1,200-$1,800. Image courtesy of Roland Auctions.Fender, 1959 Precision Bass Relic, manufactured 2007 with a fiesta red finish. Pino Paladino signature model. Estimate: $3,000-$5,000. Image courtesy of Roland Auctions.
