The Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which was looted during rioting last spring. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
CAIRO (AP) – Egyptian security officials say they have thwarted an attempt by a British man and his wife to smuggle 19 artifacts out of the country.
Police say the couple was stopped in Luxor International Airport on Sunday with pieces in their luggage ranging from Pharonic statues and pottery to a Greco-Roman bronze coin.
Security officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with police rules.
Security around the country has deteriorated since last year’s uprising when several pieces went missing from the Egyptian museum.
For centuries, Egyptian antiquities have been looted from the country, but authorities are demanding key pieces be returned.
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-02-26-12 2107GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which was looted during rioting last spring. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
Actors Joan Fontaine and Gary Cooper holding their Oscars at the Academy Awards party in 1942. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – A U.S. auction house is selling a collection of Oscar statuettes valued at over $1 million two days after the Academy Awards, despite an official protest, organizers and a report said Monday.
The collection of 15 of the gold-plated prizes includes one for the Best Screenplay Academy Award for iconic movie Citizen Kane, given to Herman Mankiewicz in 1941.
The 1933 Best Picture Oscar for Cavalcade, a 1939 cinematography Oscar for Wuthering Heights and Charles Coburn’s 1943 best supporting actor Oscar for The More the Merrier will also go under the hammer.
“This is the most significant collection of Oscars to ever be auctioned. It contains Academy Awards from epic films such as Citizen Kane and The Best Years of Our Lives,” said Los Angeles auction house owner Nate Sanders.
“Furthermore, Cavalcade is the earliest Best Picture Oscar to ever be offered in an auction,” he added.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organizes the Oscars, condemned the sale.
“The Academy, its members and the many film artists and craftspeople who’ve won Academy Awards believe strongly that Oscars should be won, not purchased,” said an Academy statement cited by the Los Angeles Times.
“Unfortunately, because our winners agreement wasn’t instituted until 1950, we don’t have any legal means of stopping the commoditization of these particular statuettes,” it added.
The Academy did not respond to a request for comment or confirmation of its view on the sale.
The online and telephone auction is due to finish at 5 p.m. Tuesday. In December the same auction house sold the Oscar statuette given to Orson Welles for Citizen Kane for nearly $900,000.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Actors Joan Fontaine and Gary Cooper holding their Oscars at the Academy Awards party in 1942. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Collection of Chinese stamps in stock book. Estimate: $1,200-$1,500. Image courtesy Michaan’s Auctions. ALEMEDA, Calif. — The Michaan’s Auctions Stamp and Coin Sale is slated for Monday, March 5, and will offer a vast selection of international stamps. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
Stock includes thousands of stamps from across the globe with a large Chinese representation in the sale. Of note are three lots of People’s Republic of China commemorative stamps issued in 1949 by North China’s Postal and Telegraph Administration, which are estimated at $600-$800 per lot. Also available is a collection of 120 18th and 19th century Imperial Russian silver and copper coins at an estimate of $1,200-$1,500.
Unique to this particular auction are the ephemera lots. Thousands of vintage postcards were acquired from the estate of a gentleman with an affinity for collectable stamps and postcards. The onetime owner of the Windsor Stamp Co. collected postcards as a hobby throughout his life, even as he served during the World War II. The assortment reflects his personal love of collecting, spanning numerous topics and genres.
Of note are postcard groupings including religious Roman figures, Italian images and old film star cards featuring actors such as Greta Garbo, Rudolfo Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks and Gloria Swanson. Collectors may also find great interest in cards from the early 1900s containing numerous depictions of Italian buildings destroyed during World War II. There are hundreds of these rare postcard images to choose from, making it a unique collection.
Another worthy find is a substantial album of over 450 whimsical vintage postcards from various locations. The rare grouping includes Hawaiian, Philippine, Japanese, Mexican, Chinese and California related images. The assortment has been grouped with many humorous, novelty themes sure to amuse and delight.
Local nostalgia buffs may also find great interest in the collection of Bay Area images, primarily from the early 1900s. Depictions include those of the Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge, U.C. Berkeley, Shattuck Avenue, Lake Merritt, the Federal Building in Oakland, the Scottish Rite Masonry, the Webster Posey Tube and Neptune Beach. A delight for collectors of all ages, the postcard accumulation offers an educational trip back in time.
Previews open at Michaan’s Auctions on March 2 and continue until the day of sale. For details visit our www.michaans.com or call the front desk at 510-740-0220.
Collection of Chinese stamps in stock book. Estimate: $1,200-$1,500. Image courtesy Michaan’s Auctions.
Collection of over 450 international postcards, including Norwegian, German and Great Britain images from the early 20th century, some real photos. Estimate: $200-$300. Image courtesy Michaan’s Auctions.
Collection of over 1,000 postcards from the 1940s through 1960s. Estimate: $100-$150. Image courtesy Michaan’s Auctions.
Collection of People’s Republic of China stamps. Estimate: $1,200-$1,500. Image courtesy Michaan’s Auctions.
Woodpeckers are handles on this 8-inch-high Weller Woodcraft jardiniere. It sold for $76 last fall at Conestoga Auction Co. in Manheim, Pa.
Weller pottery was first made in 1872 in Fultonham, Ohio, but by 1882 Weller had moved to Zanesville, one of the main cities where pottery was made in Ohio. Hundreds of thousands of pieces of decorative art pottery and florist wares were made at Weller Pottery before it closed in 1948. It was a profitable pottery because its products were designed in the prevailing fashion and appealed to buyers.
By the end of World War I, many pieces were being made in molds, then glazed in a variety of color combinations. Vases, wall pockets, jardinieres and other pieces were made to resemble real logs or frogs, and traditional vases were made with molded shapes that look like branches, animals, birds, flowers and even carved ivory.
One very successful line, called Woodcraft, was made from 1917 to 1928. Each piece resembled a real log or tree trunk with raised birds, animals or fruit as extra decoration. The colors added to the illusion of real wood. The pattern is popular with Weller collectors today. “Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide 2012” lists a 19-inch Woodcraft vase with a squirrel and owl for $960, an 8-inch wall pocket that looks like a branch with berries for $173 and a 14-inch tree trunk vase with an owl for $325.
Q: My husband inherited an unusual oak chair from his grandmother. Our children call it “the scary face chair” because the chair’s back is a carved wooden face that does indeed look scary. A label on the bottom says “Made in Dayton, Ohio, by Stumps-Barnhardt.” Please tell me how old this chair is and what it’s worth.
A: Your chair is called a North Wind chair, a style popular during the late Victorian era (1880-1900) into the early 20th century. The face, from folklore, was supposed to blow evil spirits away. Many U.S. companies made them. But take another look at the label on your chair. It says “Stomps-Burkhardt,” not “Stumps-Barnhardt.” Gustave Stomps and his brother Joseph founded a furniture manufacturing business, G. Stomps Brothers & Co., in Dayton in 1859. The company became G. Stomps & Bro. in 1869, then Stomps-Burkhardt Co. in 1890, when Richard Burkhardt was named vice president and general manager. The company closed in about 1928. Your chair was made during the 1890s. Today it would sell for close to $500 if it’s in excellent and original condition.
Q: One of our sons found an interesting bottle in the woods near our cabin. It’s a lovely green-blue color and is embossed “Dr. Kennedy’s/Medical Discovery/Roxbury, Mass.” We would like to know who Dr. Kennedy was, what the “medical discovery” was and when this bottle was made.
A: Donald Kennedy (1812-1889) was born in Scotland and immigrated to the United States in 1833. Kennedy apprenticed with a currier, a person who works with leather, and studied medicine in his spare time. He began selling his “Medical Discovery” in 1848. A newspaper ad in 1854 claimed it was “the greatest medical discovery of the age” and that it was “warranted to cure every kind of humor [related to body fluids]” except “thunder humor.” It sold for $1 a bottle and probably contained a mixture of herbs and alcohol. Dr. Kennedy made several other patented medicines and became wealthy. His son, Dr. David Kennedy, took over the business when Donald died, and he continued to sell the Medical Discovery until 1928. The value of your bottle in good condition with no stains is $100.
Q: Please help me learn more about an old piece of luggage I own. It’s heavy, covered in burlap and has leather handles. The name tag and zippers are marked “Amelia Earhart Luggage.” The manufacturer is the Baltimore Luggage Co. Was the suitcase made for her, or did she just endorse the brand?
A: Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) was a famous aviator who disappeared in 1937 while trying to fly around the world. Before that, she had made a lot of money promoting her career. One of the products she endorsed was a line of luggage that bore her name. She didn’t design the luggage, but she did approve its construction and insisted that it be well-made. The brand continues to be sold today, although the Baltimore Luggage Co. is out of business. A lot of vintage Earhart luggage sells online.
Q: I own a miniature metal building that has the words “State Bank” on the front. It’s about 8 inches tall. There are no other marks on it. I’d like to know what it’s worth.
A: Your bank may have been made by Kenton Hardware Manufacturing Co., which was founded in Kenton, Ohio, by F.M. Perkins in 1890. At first, Kenton made locks. It became Kenton Hardware Co. in 1894 and began making cast-iron banks and toys. At one time, it was one of the largest cast-iron toy factories in the world. Kenton Toys was a trade name used by the company. Kenton closed in 1952. Most Kenton toys and banks were not marked, and many have been reproduced. The company made several versions of the State Bank in different sizes. Some were made with the name of the bank in letters arched over the door, and some with the letters in a straight line. Some versions were japanned or painted. An original Kenton State Bank sells for about $400 to $600, depending on size and condition.
Tip: Never stack cut glass bowls. They chip easily.
Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.
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.
Popeye the Sailor soap on a rope, tag reads “A Kerk Guild Product,” 1930s, 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches, $25.
Shortwave radio, Rincan AM, Hi-Fi, dual speakers, medium-blue case, circa 1960, 17 1/4 x 5 3/4 inches, $50.
Madame Alexander Bellows-Anne doll, open-shut eyes, blond hair, white cotton blouse trimmed in lace, black Mary Janes, 14 inches, $100.
Toy cook stove, electric plug, green, cream trim, painted scene of child, marked “Metal Ware Corp., Two Rivers, Wis., 75 Watts, 110 Volts,” 1930s, 8 x 7 1/2 inches, $125.
Coin silver fish server, bead handle, openwork blade with engraved fish and scroll border, marked, Wood & Hughes, circa 1850, 11 5/8 inches, $175.
Howdy Doody cookie jar, full face, large smile, red hair is lid, Purinton, circa 1953, 9 inches, $395.
Tea table, walnut, tilt top, turned pedestal base, tripod cabriole legs, elongated pad feet, early 1800s, 20 x 28 inches, $795.
Galle cameo vase, chalice shape, white ground, green & deep pink to rim, orchids in deep brown and bright green, circa 1900, 7 1/2 inches, $3,600.
Tulip Soap advertising string-holder, lithographed tin, cast-iron base, three-sided, C.E. Jones & Co., brown tulip on beige ground, dated 1884, 12 x 18 inches, $5,500.
New! A quick, easy guide to identifying valuable costume jewelry made since the 1920s. “Kovels’ Buyer’s Guide to Costume Jewelry, Part Two” is a report on the most popular styles, makers and designers of costume jewelry. The report makes you an informed collector and may get you a great buy. Photos, marks, histories and bibliography. Special Report, 2010, 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches, 36 pages. Available only from Kovels. Order by phone at 800-303-1996; online at Kovels.com; or send $19.95 plus $4.95 postage and handling to Kovels, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.
The ‘heavy metal’ section of the sale includes steam locomotive engine bells (as shown), spittoons, brass railroad locks and keys; plus an extremely rare cast-iron caboose stove. A&S image. WACO, Texas – There is no more enduring symbol of how the Old West became part of the New World than the American railroad, with its steam-powered “iron horses” that linked East to West. It is the lifelong fascination with early trains and the culture that surrounded them that inspired the late Roy Gay’s 65-year collection of railroadiana, which will be auctioned in its entirety on March 10-11. A&S Antique Auction Co., specialists in Western Americana, will conduct the sale of the approximately 2,000-piece single-owner collection at its Waco, Texas gallery, with Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com.
“Mr. Gay, who passed away on January 11th of this year, gave his whole working life of 40-plus years to the Union Pacific Railroad. He was an auditor for the company and traveled a three-state region in the course of his job, so that opened all the necessary doors to acquire railroad relics. When a depot closed down, he would know about it and be in a position to buy the pieces he wanted,” said A & S’s owner Scott Franks.
Roy Gay’s collection of lanterns, railroad advertising signs, tableware, tinware, whiskey crocks and literally anything else that would have been part of a train journey from the late 19th- through mid-20th centuries grew to such size that an unusual step was taken.
“This was the worst case of a passionate collector I’ve ever seen,” Franks said with a chuckle. “When he retired, Mr. Gay bought the old railway station at Troup, Texas, and literally had it moved to his East Texas farm. Later, Mr. Gay spent $35,000 to restore the station, which is where he displayed his remarkable collection.”
Most of the items Gay collected are from the “golden era” of railroads – the 1880s through middle “teens” – with a smattering of later objects whose timeline ends around the 1970s.
The Waco auction gallery’s walls are a spectacle to behold with the massive sub-collection of approximately 160 railroad lanterns now on display. Many of the lanterns have green, ruby and amber colored glass panels; while a few were made with richly hued cobalt-blue glass. Franks noted that most are signal or switch-type lanterns made by Dietz or other manufacturers. Each is marked with the name of an American railroad.
Additionally, there are some very scarce inspectors lanterns with matching IDs on the casing and globe components, and one particularly rare presentation lantern. The grouping also includes many as eight brass firemen’s lanterns, which have a distinctive shape and large, rolled handles that prevented the user’s hands from getting burned.
“The lanterns will be accessible to every level of collector,” said Franks. “Their book values range from $50 to $700 apiece.”
Franks predicts crossover competition from antique advertising collectors for the scores of old railroad signs in the Gay collection. Highlights include a beautiful, all-original circa 1890-1930 MKT porcelain sign, conservatively estimated at $2,000-$3,000; and a 36-inch-diameter “buzzsaw” sign, referring to its serrated edges, which advertises Texas Pacific Lines on one side and Missouri Pacific on the other. Franks explained that the sign would be flipped over when a train crossed a state line where one or the other of the companies had jurisdiction.
A vast array of railroad tableware incorporates 200-300 pieces of marked china, including a rare dinner plate for the Great Northern Iron Mountain Route’s Sunshine Special, estimate $2,000-$3,000. Other railroad china comes from Missouri Pacific (including service plates), Texas Pacific, MKT, NY Central, Union Pacific and Southern Pacific. Additionally, there is a large assortment of blue china in B&O’s historical pattern.
Other food service goods include silver flatware and covered wares marked for dining cars or railroad companies; table linens, 65 railroad-marked sugar tongs, 2-cup pitchers for tea or coffee, creamers, sugar bowls, covered bowls, carafes, pedestaled dessert dishes, and salt and pepper sets.
Every train had a galley where beverages and other liquids were stored in crocks. One- and 2-gallon examples marked with railroad names are part of the Gay collection, as are more than 100 crocks marked for brands of whiskey and other alcoholic beverages; saloons and taverns.
“Right now, whiskey crocks are one of the hottest tickets in the auction market,” said Franks. “Mr. Gay’s crocks are marked with the name of a person or company, and also, in many cases, the location where the whiskey was distilled. They represent old-time whiskey companies from Texas all the way up to New York. We think collectors are going to really get excited when they see this selection.”
Many items kept train passengers occupied on long journeys of a century ago, and nearly all were marked with the names of particular railroads. Among the convenience articles to be auctioned are ashtrays, playing cards (some with an African-American theme), dozens of paper hand fans with advertising, blankets and numerous cast-iron footstools that ladies and children would step onto when boarding a train.
Manly metal from the steam-train era will be front and center on auction day, with such contents as railroad-branded locomotive engine bells, spittoons, and brass railroad locks and keys; plus an extremely rare cast-iron stove made by Hart Mfg. of Louisville, Ky., and embossed with the word “Caboose.” Auctioneer Franks, who has handled numerous railroad items over the years, said it is the first of its type he has ever seen.
Framed decorative artworks from train stations of a bygone era are led by a spectacular panoramic, shadowboxed wildlife photo titled “An Elk Lodge in the Jackson Hole Country Reached via the Union Pacific System.” Measuring 48 inches wide by 12 inches high, the circa-1920s picture was taken on the Steven N. Leek resort lodge and ranch, an elk refuge in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Leek’s Lodge, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was destroyed by fire in 1998.
The auction offering contains many other desirable railroad mementos, such as caps from conductors, inspectors and engineers; railroad passes, railroad station thermometers that advertise train lines and various products, and 75-80 pieces of railroad-marked tinware for use with diesel cans and other containers.
In addition to railroad antiques, the Roy Gay collection includes an extensive selection of early automobilia, 30 to 35 gas pump globes, an 8ft. Mobil Pegasus sign and other advertising; and even a beautiful emerald green 1929 Model A rumble-seat Ford. The car has always been garaged and is drivable.
The March 10-11 auction will be held live at A&S Antique Auctions’ gallery, 900 E. Loop 340, Waco, TX 76716, and will start at 10 a.m. Central Time/11 a.m. Eastern Time each day. For additional information on any item in the auction, call 254-799-6044 or e-mail asantiques@yahoo.com.
View the fully illustrated online catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
Railroad sign whose design was in use from 1890-1930 to advertise MKT (Missouri-Kansas-Texas Lines), one of a multitude of signs in Roy Gay collection. A&S image.
Decks of cards in the Roy Gay collection include this rare pack advertising the St. Louis Southwestern Railway’s Cotton Belt Route. A&S image.
These antique and vintage railroad employee caps represent such occupations as Conductor, Brakeman, Auditor, and Wells Fargo Railway Post Office Agent. A&S image.
This MoPac (Missouri Pacific) railroad lantern with ruby-colored glass is one of approximately 160 lanterns from various train lines in the Roy Gay collection. A&S image.
The ‘heavy metal’ section of the sale includes steam locomotive engine bells (as shown), spittoons, brass railroad locks and keys; plus an extremely rare cast-iron caboose stove. A&S image.
Railroad dining cars of the golden era of train travel rivaled the nicest restaurants in terms of service and table arrangement. This selection includes silver sugar tongs from a number of railroads and routes. A&S image.
The late Roy Gay prized this beautiful plate from the Great Northern Railroad’s Sunshine Special above all other china in his vast collection. A&S image.
This Wachenheim & Gilbert Fine Whiskies crock is one of approximately 100 stoneware crocks in the Roy Gay collection. Most are marked for railroad lines, brands of whiskey or other alcoholic beverages; or saloons. A&S image.
Rivaling a contemporary art display with their vivid colors, these vintage railroad platform step stools assisted passengers in boarding trains. A&S image.
Roy Gay’s 1929 emerald green Model A with camel upholstery and rumble seat. A&S image.
Close-up of rumble seat, Roy Gay’s 1929 Model A. A&S image.
The automobilia section of the sale includes this Mobil Pegasus advertising sign in crisp condition. A&S image.
A 10-inch-diameter micaceous pottery bowl made by Virginia T. Romero. Image courtesy LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Allard Auctions Inc.
TAOS PUEBLO, N.M. (AP) – There were no clouds in the sky. The view toward Taos’ snow-capped mountains was unobstructed, the sun was warm and a bald eagle soared overhead.
The perfect day is how dozens of members of Taos Pueblo described Saturday, when the community gathered to dedicate a historical marker in honor of famed pueblo potter Virginia T. Romero. It’s one of the newest roadside markers erected as part of an initiative to honor women’s contributions to New Mexico history.
Before 2007, only one of the 500 roadside markers in New Mexico mentioned a woman, state officials said. Now, more than 100 women are recognized by 64 markers that dot the state’s roadsides.
“This marker initiative was really to bring out the unsung women in New Mexico,” said Beverly Duran, co-founder of the project. “We know that if one little marker can encourage a young woman today to follow her dreams, then it’s all worth it. We want young women to be inspired.”
Duran and others at Saturday’s ceremony described Romero, a mother of 10, as a woman who was a focal point for her community. An accomplished potter and gifted linguist, Romero also designed and built adobe fireplaces and shared her knowledge of clay with others.
On Saturday, her family shared stories about the time they spent with her preparing clay and the occasions when she would put her work aside to make fresh tortillas and beans. Pueblo War Chief Benito Sandoval recalled it was Romero who crafted his wife’s traditional bridal shoes.
Romero began making pottery in 1919 and continued through her 100th birthday. She is credited with helping to keep the micaceous pottery tradition alive at Taos Pueblo.
Her pieces found their way into private collections and museums such as the Los Angeles County Museum, the Southwest Museum of the American, the School of American Research, the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe.
Romero died in 1998 at the age of 102.
New Mexico Cultural Affairs Secretary Veronica Gonzales said Romero was an amazing woman and there was nothing she couldn’t do.
It’s women like Romero who “contribute to the landscape of what makes this New Mexico, of what makes us unique,” Gonzales said.
The women recognized over the last five years with the roadside historical markers include other artists, businesswomen, attorneys, activists, architects, ranchers, educators and politicians. The markers can be found in every corner of the state.
While funding approved by the New Mexico Legislature in 2006 was only meant for the creation of the first 64 markers, Duran is hopeful the program can continue.
A 16th generation New Mexican, Duran said her father used to drive the family around when she was young and would stop at all the markers to teach his children bits of history.
“All of this holds a very special place in my heart,” she said.
For the pueblo, Gov. Laureano Romero said the marker will serve as a symbol of pride.
“A grandmother, mother and auntie—she was a focal point,” he said of Virginia Romero. “She was a great woman.”
The dedication of Romero’s marker was also part of the “Remarkable Women of Taos” celebration. Art exhibitions, lectures and film screenings are scheduled throughout the rest of the year.
___
Follow Susan Montoya Bryan on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/susanmbryanNM
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-02-26-12 1644GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
A 10-inch-diameter micaceous pottery bowl made by Virginia T. Romero. Image courtesy LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Allard Auctions Inc.
BOCA RATON, Florida (AP) – Two brothers’ unique private museum of classic cars, rare musical instruments and other collectibles was emptied Saturday with the final strike of an auctioneer’s gavel, bringing in $38.3 million in sales.
Two days of bidding on 550 lots neared their conclusion with the biggest sale of them all, $3.3 million for the only known surviving 1912 Oldsmobile Limited, more than double its estimate.
The final tally came in just below the roughly $40 million the auction houses estimated they’d yield.
Most of the automobiles sold at or above their estimates, though bids for many of the rare musical instruments came in below expected ranges. The centerpiece of the collection, a stunning custom-built merry-go-round, sold for nearly $1.3 million.
“Think of all the friends you could have over,” said the auctioneer, Max Girardo, as the carousel went up for sale.
Bob Milhous, 75, and his brother Paul Milhous, 73, spent decades building their collection. The Milhous Collection, as it has become known, is housed in a 39,000-square-foot building. It was never opened to the public, though it played host to charity fundraisers and some small private tours.
The brothers made their fortune in the printing business and a variety of other ventures. They decided to sell off their collectibles, though, as they planned their estates. They hired two auction houses, RM Auctions and Sotheby’s, to sell their prized possessions.
The offerings were eclectic, to say the least. A vintage barber chair sold for $28,875, and a toy Mercedes-Benz car went for $34,500, both far above their estimates. Also fetching higher-than-expected bids was a grandfather clock that netted $103,500, a neon sign from a Chevrolet dealership that went for $82,800 and a 1941 PT-22 airplane that sold for $241,500.
All manner of other items were sold, too: giant toy soldiers that once stood at FAO Schwarz in New York, funhouse mirrors, Tiffany lamps, vintage gas pumps, fine furniture and antique guns.
The real highlights of the collection, though, were the antique cars, which sat perfectly shined in the showroom, and the rare music boxes, player pianos, organs and orchestrions, which are made to simulate the sound of an orchestra all in one piece.
Many of the instruments are elaborately decorated with oil paintings, stained glass, gold leaf and moving figurines and are considered among the finest in the world. But bids often came in low. Of the eight automated musical instruments with estimates of $1 million or more, only three netted bids of seven figures.
Afterward, the Milhouses and some guests gathered around an organ in the museum. Paul Milhous said he was happy with the auction’s result, saying it was simply time to move on. A woman sang, the carousel below twirled, and for one final time, the music continued to play.
___
Follow Matt Sedensky at www.twitter.com/sedensky
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Poster for the Academy Award-winning film ‘Hugo.’ Fair use of low-resolution copyrighted image used to provide commentary about the film. Copyright Paramount Pictures.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — An Academy Award-winning movie is casting a bright spotlight on an unusual machine at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
The science museum’s 200-year-old automaton is a mechanical doll animated by a complex system of motors and cams. It can write three poems and draw four pictures.
Martin Scorsese’s movie Hugo was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won five. The story has a similar machine playing a key role.
The film itself is based on Brian Selznick’s award-winning The Invention of Hugo Cabret, an illustrated novel about a Parisian boy and a broken automaton with a secret buried inside its mechanical memory.
The author visited the Philadelphia automaton while researching his book.
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Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
RMS Titanic departing Southampton on April 10, 1912. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
LONDON (AP) – The descendants of a surgeon who died on the Titanic nearly 100 years ago are appealing for a benefactor to purchase a soon-to-be-auctioned letter he wrote from the doomed ship—and to return it to the city where the vessel was built.
A two-page note John Edward Simpson wrote to his mother days before the ship sank in April 1912 is to expected to fetch at least $50,000 at the auction later this week in Long Island, New York.
Simpson’s great-nephew John Martin said Sunday that the family can’t afford to buy it, but would love to see it back in Belfast.
“It would be great if a donor or benefactor could be found who would purchase and return it to Northern Ireland for public display,” he said.
Simpson’s letter, dated April 11, 1912, is written on notepaper headed RMS Titanic and is addressed to his mother, who was living in Belfast.
In the letter, Simpson, 37, said his cabin was larger than the accommodation on board the Titanic’s sister ship the Olympic, where he had previously worked. He also complained that he had found one of his trunks unlocked and that some money had been stolen from his pocketbook.
The surgeon, who treated second- and third-class passengers, signed off: “With fondest love, John.”
The letter was brought ashore at Cobh (now called Queenstown), Ireland—the Titanic’s last port of call before the ship set sail for America. It was dispatched to Simpson’s mother, Elizabeth, who lived on Belfast’s Dublin Road
Three days later, he died along with 1,500 others after the ship struck an iceberg.
Martin said his family had held onto the letter for generations, but that Simpson’s 81-year-old daughter-in-law gave it to a Titanic enthusiast in Holland 15 years ago. The family lost track of the letter until learning it is to be auctioned by Philip Weiss Auctions.
Simpson’s story will form part of a new Titanic Belfast visitor attraction opening in Belfast next month ahead of the 100th anniversary of the sinking.
Martin said the letter provided a rare insight into the life of one of the ship’s officers.
“There are references within the letter which give a bit of humanity to the man who died, and he did die bravely,” he said. “It puts a human face on what could be another statistic.”
An account of the last moments of the Titanic written by 2nd officer Charles Lightoller, who survived the disaster, is going on sale in the same auction.
In his letter, Lightoller describes Simpson walking calmly along the deck with other officers as the ship sank. Lightoller wrote: “They were perfectly calm in the knowledge they had done their duty,”
He continued: “We exchanged the words, ‘Goodbye, old man.’ This occurred shortly before the end and I am not aware that he was seen by anyone after.”
Lightoller’s letter is expected to fetch $20,000 at the same auction on March 2.
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-02-26-12 1614GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
RMS Titanic departing Southampton on April 10, 1912. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Pablo Picasso’s 1937 masterpiece ‘Guernica.’ Image courtesy Wikipaintings.org.
MADRID (AP) – Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, one of the world’s most iconic paintings, is getting a full health check as it marks its 75th anniversary.
A giant robotic machine is taking tens of thousands of microscopic shots of the black-and-white anti-war masterpiece to allow experts to penetrate the work like never before and see its real condition after a hectic life traveling the globe.
Madrid’s Reina Sofia museum, where Guernica is housed, has teamed up with Spanish telecommunication company Telefonica to develop the technology, which uses advanced infrared and ultraviolet photography.
The machine was built so that Guernica does not have to make the risky move to a conservation laboratory, where normally such investigative work would be done.
“The painting is in delicate condition given that it has suffered a lot of movement and many alterations,” said Jorge Garcia Gomez-Tejedor, the museum’s head of conservation.
“You could compare it to a major medical checkup in the sense that it needs to be constantly monitored and watched over.”
Every night after the museum shuts its doors—and on Tuesdays when the museum is closed—’Pablito’ as the robotic mechanism has been dubbed, is dragged out and placed roughly a meter from the 291-square-foot painting.
Throughout the night the 30-foot-long, 16-foot-tall structure weighing 1.5 tons painstakingly scans the masterpiece, slowly compiling photographic DNA.
It can be programmed to take the camera lenses closer or farther away from the painting depending on the shot needed and has a precision of movement of 25 microns, or 25 thousandths of a millimeter, allowing analysts to see even air bubbles and scratches undetectable by the human eye.
“It will give us untold information about the painting,” said Humberto Duran, the restoration computer technician who presided over the project’s design. Duran said the process will give a complete view of the painting’s underlying preparatory drawings and all the later touchups it was subjected to.
“The principal idea behind the project is to be able to present to the scientific world and the public the state of conservation of the painting,” said Garcia Gomez-Tejedor. He said that for the moment Guernica does not need to be restored.
The cost of the machine has not been revealed but leading newspaper El Pais said it was close to 300,000 euro ($400,000).
The painting underwent a similar photographic combing in 1998 albeit with much less advanced camera equipment and without the precision of the robotic machine. That study turned up 129 imperfections ranging from cracks to creases to marks and stains—all attributed to the painting’s hectic past.
Picasso created Guernica as a commission for Spain’s Republican government to represent the country at a Universal Exposition in Paris in 1937, as Spain writhed in a bloody civil war started by future dictator Gen. Francisco Franco.
The painting then went on the road for nearly 20 years, visiting dozens of cities on both sides of the Atlantic. Every time it was moved it had to be taken off its support and rolled up, a process that took its toll over the years.
The painting made its final trip when it was transferred to Spain in 1981 from New York’s Museum of Modern Art, where it had been deposited on a long-term loan by Picasso until democracy was restored in Spain.
For fear of attack, it was initially housed behind bulletproof glass and under armed guard at the Prado Museum in Madrid before it was eventually transferred to the Reina Sofia.
Picasso was a world-renowned figure at the time of its composition and the work quickly became an artistic and political icon.
The oil-on-canvas piece comprises tormented and distorted figures—human and animal—and represents the horrors of mechanized war. It took its name from Guernica, the ancestral capital of northern Spain’s Basque country, which was bombed on April 26, 1937, a spring market day, by German and Italian air forces supporting Franco in a civil war that set the stage for World War II.
Although estimates of the number of people killed in the bombing vary greatly, town historians say local records show at least 120 deaths.
The Basque region has long demanded that the painting be moved there, at least temporarily, but both the Reina Sofia and Spain’s parliament flatly refuse.
“The painting is very fragile, its format is big and complex, any movement would involve a lot of risk.” said Garcia Gomez-Tejedor.
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AP-WF-02-24-12 1553GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Pablo Picasso’s 1937 masterpiece ‘Guernica.’ Image courtesy Wikipaintings.org.
