Coca-Cola soda fountain made by Liquid Carbonic for the Columbian Exposition of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. The bar back is 10 ft. high and 19 ft. 9 in. long. It realized $4.5 million in Richard Opfer Auctioneering’s March 24-25 sale of contents of the Schmidt Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Richard Opfer Auctioneering. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – An antique soda fountain that brought in $4.5 million at a recent auction of Coca-Cola items seemed to catch everyone by surprise.
Before the auction, the marble and alabaster fountain that was displayed at the 1893 World’s Fair assessed for $125,000. The owner, Schmidt Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia, hoped the piece might bring $1 million. But it surpassed that after just three minutes of bidding.
Museum head Larry Schmidt told The Courier-Journal that he was “shocked” at the final price.
Phil Mooney, head archivist for the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co., said it was “electrifying” to be in the room as the price kept rising. He says people were “literally gasping for breath” when the price started jumping in $500,000 increments.
Auctioneer Richard Opfer said it is the highest-priced item he’s ever sold.
Click below to view the fully illustrated catalogs for both the March 24 and 25 sessions of Richard Opfer’s auction of contents of the Schmidt Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia, complete with prices realized, at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
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Information from: The Courier-Journal, http://www.courier-journal.com
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Coca-Cola soda fountain made by Liquid Carbonic for the Columbian Exposition of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. The bar back is 10 ft. high and 19 ft. 9 in. long. It realized $4.5 million in Richard Opfer Auctioneering’s March 24-25 sale of contents of the Schmidt Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Richard Opfer Auctioneering.
This life-size cast-iron rabbit sits on a grass-green base. It was made in Germany in about 1920 and sold at RSL Auction Co. for $55.
If you don’t already have rabbits hopping around your garden, you might want to buy an antique garden rabbit to fool your friends.
The wealthy English and French of the 17th century liked formal gardens with paths, fences and planned flower beds. They put urns, statues, fountains, sundials, gates, furniture and odd pieces like finials and wall sculptures into their gardens. In America, ornaments and furniture were being used in gardens by the 1600s. A brass sundial from 1630 is the earliest American garden piece that still exists. A wooden bench from the 1700s is the earliest known wooden piece. Gardens first had wrought-iron furniture and gates in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
By the mid 19th century, most garden pieces were made of cast iron, not wrought iron, because cast iron was stronger. Gardens were filled with iron ornaments and fences. Full-size deer, dogs and other animals, tiered fountains, iron benches made to look like twining vines or tree branches, obelisks and sundials were all made of cast iron. So were armillary spheres that help map the “movement” of the stars around the earth.
In the 1930s, there was even more interest in cast-iron objects. Inside houses you could find cast-iron doorstops, bookends, planters, hardware and toys. And in today’s gardens, life-size rabbits, squirrels, frogs and even alligators and tall birds are among the many iron guests. Many of these figures were made years ago and have survived with just a little loss of paint.
A vintage rabbit or squirrel can cost from $50 to $200 today. A full-size deer or dog sells for $500 to $2,000, and a three-tier iron fountain with a bird pedestal and leafy edges costs $3,000. Look in backyards when you go to a house sale. You might find a garden figure no one noticed.
Q: I have four cafe-style chairs, each marked with a paper label that says “Jacob Josef Kohn & Mundus.” The chair-backs have a bentwood frame with three horizontal splats. Can you tell me age and value?
A: Your chairs were made after 1914, the year Mundus, a German chair manufacturing conglomerate, merged with Jacob & Josef Kohn, a competitor based in Vienna. And they probably were made before 1923. Thonet, the company whose founder invented the bentwood chair in the 1830s, merged with Mundus in 1923. Many different styles of bentwood chair-backs have been made. If yours are in excellent condition, each one would sell for about $100.
Q: I own a square porcelain platter with flowers painted around the border and a central scene of two young girls playing in a grassy field. It’s marked “PM” on the bottom. I was able to do enough research to learn that it was made between 1895 and 1910 by the Moschendorf Porcelain Factory of Hof-Moschendorf, Bavaria, Germany. But I can’t find another platter like it online, and I’m hoping it’s rare and worth a lot. Is it?
A: No. Your platter is in a traditional Victorian-style popular at the turn of the 20th century. Assuming it was made by the factory you identified, the dish is not by a famous manufacturer and it’s probably not part of a set that can be matched with other dishes. It would sell today for $25 to $50. But do take another look at the mark. Other German companies used marks that ended in “PM.” One of those was the Royal Porcelain Manufacturing Co., which marked its wares “KPM.”
Q: I have a small collection of vintage molded glass religious figurines. There’s one that’s a mystery to me. It’s a 7 1/2-inch light-blue glass sculpture of a standing Madonna and Child. It’s signed “P. d’Avesn.” I have learned that Pierre d’Avesn once worked at Lalique, but I also found his name connected with Daum art glass. So I’m confused. Can you help?
A: Pierre d’Avesn designed for Lalique in the early 1920s, then later that decade became a designer and manager at Daum. He managed Daum’s factory at Croismare, near Luneville, France, from 1927 until 1932. The factory specialized in making decorative but affordable glass pieces that were marked in various ways. One of the marks is the “P. d’Avesn” signature on your figurine. Pieces made at the Croismare factory do not sell for as much as other prewar Daum designs. Your Madonna and Child figurine, if perfect, could be worth $100 to $150.
Q: I have a set of dishes marked “Losol Ware, Chusan, Keeling & Co. Ltd., Burslem, England.” I would like to know more about them and if they are valuable. They are in perfect condition with no chips.
A: Keeling & Co. was one of many potteries that once operated in Staffordshire, a county in England. Keeling was in business from 1886 to 1936. Pottery marked “Losol Ware” was made from about 1912 until the pottery closed in 1936. “Chusan” is the pattern name. Not all Keeling marks include the pattern name. Sets of dishes don’t sell well. Serving pieces do better. A few show up at auctions. A 7 3/8-inch Losol Ware pitcher sold for $59 last year, and a 5 7/8-inch milk jug sold for $150.
Tip: Silver saltshakers should be emptied after every use or lined with gold plating to avoid corrosion.
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.
Crystal water goblet, Cardinal pattern, stem, signed “Webb Corbett, Made in England,” 1947, 6 inches, $35.
Easter Bunny pinata-type candy container, crepe paper-wrapped ball with hand-painted features, filled with candy & toys, label reads “An Original Gregor Surprise Toy,” 1950s, 5 x 3 1/2 inches, $45.
Larry the Lion plush toy, felt, pull string, Mattel, 1960s, 11 inches, $90.
1918 advertising calendar, James Cardi Bread Co., lithograph of baker giving cookies to customer’s children, full pad, 1918, 21 x 15 inches, $175.
Fire King mixing bowls, Modern Tulip pattern, red and black, 4 inches, 6 inches and 9 1/2 inches, 3 pieces, $195.
Royal Doulton figurine, Lunchtime, HN 2485, gentleman sharing lunch with squirrel, 1973-1981, 8 inches, $250.
Corkscrew, lady’s leg, celluloid, green-and-white striped stockings, German silver high-top shoes, legs open & close, Germany, circa 1900, 2 5/8 inches, $490.
D’Argental cameo glass vase, ruby bougainvillea flowers and leaves, amber ground, marked, early 1900s, 8 7/8 inches, $765.
Sheraton drop-leaf dining table, curly maple and poplar, rectangular top and leaves, circa 1820, opens to 63 inches, $810.
Order the set: “Buyers’ Guide to 20th Century Costume Jewelry,” Part One and Part Two. Both for our special price of $34.95. These special reports help you identify the most popular makers and designers of costume jewelry. Spot mid-century costume jewelry, Mexican silver jewelry and European and North American pieces. Learn who Hobe and Sigi are and how to recognize a rare piece of Bakelite. Accurate, comprehensive and valuable whether you’re a serious collector or just a beginner. Available only from Kovels. Order by phone at 800-303-1996; online at Kovels.com; or send $34.95 plus $4.95 postage and handling to Kovels, P.O. Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.
A particular highlight in the Judaica from the Fromer estate is this Middle-Eastern Sephardic Torah wood case, circa 1840, which measures 35 inches high. Image courtesy Clars Auction Gallery.
OAKLAND, Calif. – Clars Auction Gallery will be offering many items from the estate of Rebecca and Seymour Fromer at the April 14 and 15 antiques and fine art auction. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
Seymour Fromer founded the Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley, Calif., in 1960. The museum has grown to hold one of the largest collections of Judaica and is the third largest Jewish museum in North America. It is dedicated to preserving the contributions of Jewish Americans and their contributions to the development of the West. The Judah Magnes Museum was originally located in a turn-of-the-century mansion on the University of California-Berkeley campus and has recently moved to a new location in Berkeley. It holds more that 10,000 artifacts and historical documents from around the world. In addition, the museum is home of the Western Jewish History Center, also founded by Fromer, which houses letters, diaries, business documents and photographs dating back to the California gold rush in the 1840s and 1850s.
To be offered at Clars in April from this important estate will be fine art, decorative objects and Judaica. The Fromers collected throughout their lifetime and their worldwide travels. Some special items were donated to the museum.
Among the fine art to be offered from their collection is a Mary DeNeale Morgan (California, 1868-1948) tempera on paper depicting a serene Carmel Coast (estimate: $4,000-$6,000); a Gordon Coutts’ (Californian, 1868-1937) oil on canvas, Musician at a Red Doorway (estimate: $3,000-$5,000); and a luminescent 1902 watercolor, Sunset Over the Oaks, by Lorenzo Latimer (Californian, 1857-1941) (estimate: $2,000-$4,000). Additional Californian and Israeli paintings, prints, and sculptures will also be offered including an untitled bronze sculpture by Peter Kraslow (Russian/Californian).
A particular highlight in the Judaica to be offered is a Middle-Eastern Sephardic Torah wood case, circa 1840, which measures 35 inches high (estimate: $2,000 to $4,000). One of Fromer’s most famous acquisitions was made during a trip to Cochin, India in 1967 where he found, in an abandoned synagogue, a 13 foot-high and 8-foot-wide Torah ark. This piece is one of the most valued in the Magnes Museum collection where it remains today.
In addition to the number of pieces from the Fromer estate, Clars’ April auction will feature fine offerings in art, furnishings, jewely, decoratives and Asian lots.
Among the highlights in the decoratives category will be a large collection of American and European art pottery, iridescent art glass including Tiffany Studios, Quezal and Steuben, lighting including Tiffany Studios, Steuben, and Arts and Crafts table lamps. Highlighting the furniture offerings will be a wonderful collection of 1950s era furniture and appliances which are popular today.
In special collections, a large assortment of acetate publicity negatives from MGM will be offered in several lots. They include negatives from London After Midnight aka The Hypnotist staring Lon Chaney. London after Midnight is a lost film, perhaps the most famous of all missing films, and it has become the Holy Grail of archivists and film collectors throughout the world. The last known record of the film existing was in the mid-1950s.
Rounding out the fine art category, highlights will include Thomas Blackwell’s photorealistic oil Issue (estimate: $7,000-$9,000) and Dan Bodelson’s bronze The Epic Battle (estimate: $5,000-$7,000).
Paul Cezanne’s 1914 color lithograph Le Dejeuner sur l’Herbe (estimate: $4,000-$6,000), derived from Manet’s masterwork, represents a significant European and Latin American print selection, which also includes work by Joan Miro and Rufino Tamayo.
Turning to the Asian category, the offerings in Japanese art for April are especially strong, including good examples of Meiji era cloisonné enamel and other metalwork. An Edo period 25-leaf album of the Tosa school, originally attributed to Tosa Mitsuoki, will be one of the highlights of the section. Works by modern Japanese artists include an oversize folio of lithographs and calligraphy, in a limited edition of 10, by the famous Buddhist abbot Shimizu Kosho (1911-1999) and three decorated ceramic plaques by Morino Hiroaki Taimei (1934-), a renowned Kyoto artist. As for Chinese works of art, Clars will feature an interesting group of jade, hardstone and steatite carvings, together with snuff bottles of various mediums.
This category will finish with an assortment of various ceramics, furnishings and impressive multipanel screens.
The highlights of the jewelry category will be a three-stone ring, featuring a cushion-cut natural blue sapphire weighing 10.54 carats and two trapeze-cut diamonds weighing 1.48 carats. There will be a diamond solitaire Tiffany ring with a 1.32-carot round cut diamond with certificate. A collection of 18k yellow gold pocket watches, including a Tiffany & Co. open faced minute repeater, an enameled erotic automaton repeater, a triple function captain’s pocket watch and several other repeaters.
Clars’ April 14 and 15 antiques and fine art sale brings to auction investment level opportunities in all categories. The Saturday session will begin at 9:30 a.m. Pacific and the Sunday session will start promptly at 10 a.m. Previews for this sale will be Friday, April 13, from 1 to 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday or by special appointment.
A particular highlight in the Judaica from the Fromer estate is this Middle-Eastern Sephardic Torah wood case, circa 1840, which measures 35 inches high. Image courtesy Clars Auction Gallery.Among the fine art to be offered from the Fromer estate will be this Gordon Coutts (Californian, 1868-1937) oil on canvas, ‘Musician at a Red Doorway,’ which carries an estimate of $3,000-$5,000. Image courtesy Clars Auction Gallery.This untitled bronze sculpture by Peter Kraslow (Russian/Californian) comes to the block from the Fromer estate. Image courtesy Clars Auction Gallery.Clars is honored to offer significant pieces from the Seymour and Rebecca Fromer estate, founders of the Judas Magnes Museum in Berkeley, Calif. Image courtesy Clars Auction Gallery.
Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.
