A fine and rare pair of imperial white jade cups, bearing ‘Jiaqing Nian Zhi’ marks and of the period, has an estimate of $100,000-$150,000. Image courtesy Golden State Auction Gallery.

Asian antiques span dynasties at Golden State sale June 18

A fine and rare pair of imperial white jade cups, bearing ‘Jiaqing Nian Zhi’ marks and of the period, has an estimate of $100,000-$150,000. Image courtesy Golden State Auction Gallery.

A fine and rare pair of imperial white jade cups, bearing ‘Jiaqing Nian Zhi’ marks and of the period, has an estimate of $100,000-$150,000. Image courtesy Golden State Auction Gallery.

SAN FRANCISCO – Golden State Auction Gallery will conduct their summer sale of Asia arts on Monday, June 18, at 6 p.m. PDT. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide the Internet live bidding.

The auction will consist of more than 280 lots of fine Chinese ceramics and works of art from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Categories represented will be violet arenaceous (Zisha), china, jade, jewelry, bronze, furniture, painting and calligraphy.

A special item of interest is a Zhu San Song superbly carved bamboo brush pot, 5 5/8 inches tall, which has a $120,000-$200,000 estimate.

A violet arenaceous (zisha) teapot is one of more than 60 items—archaic age to Qing—from a California collector. More than 60 pieces of jade are consigned from an estate.

“We believe in honesty, and trust is our first priority. Our specialists all have many years experience and keep up the current market,” said Calvin Wong of Golden State Auction Gallery. He maintains the Chinese art (antique) market is the best investment tool of the 21st century, better than investments in finance and real estate.

Golden State Auction Gallery is currently accepting consignments for the autumn auction. Call Calvin Wong at 415-379-4700 or 415-722-9487, or e-mail calvin168@sbcglobal.net for details.

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


A fine and rare pair of imperial white jade cups, bearing ‘Jiaqing Nian Zhi’ marks and of the period, has an estimate of $100,000-$150,000. Image courtesy Golden State Auction Gallery.

A fine and rare pair of imperial white jade cups, bearing ‘Jiaqing Nian Zhi’ marks and of the period, has an estimate of $100,000-$150,000. Image courtesy Golden State Auction Gallery.

A detailed scene of Bodhiharma crossing the Yangtze on a stalk is carved on the exterior of this bamboo brush pot having a ‘San Song Zhi’ mark. Estimate: $120,000-$200,000. Image courtesy Golden State Auction Gallery.

A detailed scene of Bodhiharma crossing the Yangtze on a stalk is carved on the exterior of this bamboo brush pot having a ‘San Song Zhi’ mark. Estimate: $120,000-$200,000. Image courtesy Golden State Auction Gallery.

The auction will open with 43 lots of teapots from a private California collection. Image courtesy Golden State Auction Gallery.

The auction will open with 43 lots of teapots from a private California collection. Image courtesy Golden State Auction Gallery.

Dealers competing on the new Discovery series 'Final Offer' are (from left) Billy Roland, Jordan Tabach-Bank, Patrick Painter and Jacob Chait. Image courtesy Discovery.

Stakes are high for Discovery’s ‘Final Offer,’ premiering tonight

Dealers competing on the new Discovery series 'Final Offer' are (from left) Billy Roland, Jordan Tabach-Bank, Patrick Painter and Jacob Chait. Image courtesy Discovery.

Dealers competing on the new Discovery series ‘Final Offer’ are (from left) Billy Roland, Jordan Tabach-Bank, Patrick Painter and Jacob Chait. Image courtesy Discovery.

LOS ANGELES – Discovery Channel will launch its new antiques-focused series “Final Offer” tonight, May 31, at 10 p.m. Eastern Time, 7 p.m. Pacific. The show is about four successful dealers — including Jake Chait of the Beverly Hills auction company I.M. Chait — who battle it out to buy desirable items.

Episode one is titled “A Cool Quarter Million.” In this episode, sellers match wits with the dealers in an effort to secure the best price for their treasures. But there’s a catch: pass on an offer and you can’t go back. The seller must gamble that the next bid is at least as high as the first. It’s an intense and dramatic high stakes face-off. If they jump the gun, they may deny themselves a subsequent offer that is much higher.

Tonight’s featured items include a king’s solid gold sword handle, NASCAR hoods, Babe Ruth’s baseball and more.

Join Jake Chait and his fellow dealers tonight for the exciting debut of Discovery Channel’s “Final Offer.”

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE


Dealers competing on the new Discovery series 'Final Offer' are (from left) Billy Roland, Jordan Tabach-Bank, Patrick Painter and Jacob Chait. Image courtesy Discovery.

Dealers competing on the new Discovery series ‘Final Offer’ are (from left) Billy Roland, Jordan Tabach-Bank, Patrick Painter and Jacob Chait. Image courtesy Discovery.

Widely associated with pirates and known as the 'Jolly Roger,' the skull and crossbones flag was first used by Irish-born pirate Edward England. Image licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Milwaukee museum plans ‘Real Pirates’ exhibit

 Widely associated with pirates and known as the 'Jolly Roger,' the skull and crossbones flag was first used by Irish-born pirate Edward England. Image licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Widely associated with pirates and known as the ‘Jolly Roger,’ the skull and crossbones flag was first used by Irish-born pirate Edward England. Image licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

MILWAUKEE (AP) – Pirates will be taking over the Milwaukee Public Museum this winter.

The museum is planning an exhibit, “Real Pirates,” which tells the stories of four crew members of the pirate ship Whydah. It sank off the Cape Cod coast nearly 300 years ago, killing the famous Captain “Black Sam” Bellamy and all but two of its 146 crew members.

The Whydah was located in 1984 and underwater explorer Barry Clifford is still finding treasures.

Among the objects featured in the exhibit are cannons, muskets, pistols, cutlasses and swords, a treasure chest filled with coins last touched by pirates and Whydah’s bell.

The National Geographic and Arts & Exhibitions International organized the show, which will run from Dec. 14 through May 27, 2013.

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Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE


 Widely associated with pirates and known as the 'Jolly Roger,' the skull and crossbones flag was first used by Irish-born pirate Edward England. Image licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Widely associated with pirates and known as the ‘Jolly Roger,’ the skull and crossbones flag was first used by Irish-born pirate Edward England. Image licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Former champion auctioneer arrested on charge of pimping

FARGO, N.D. (AP) – A Fargo man has been arrested for allegedly recruiting prostitutes through the Internet and acting as a sex trafficker in the area.

WDAY-TV reports that 40-year-old Chad Lindley is facing felony charges for human or sex trafficking and drug possession. Lindley is a former state champion auctioneer.

Fargo police say Lindley was targeting local women. They say they got a tip from an informant and tracked Lindley’s ads that recruited women though an Internet site.

Police Lt. Joel Vettel says some people look at prostitution as a victimless crime, but it’s not. He says authorities are worried because pimps target minors.

Human trafficking is a felony that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

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Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Tiffany Studios table lamp with fine Dogwood shade. Estimate: $95,000-$125,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Rago presents huge 20th Century Design auction June 16-17

Tiffany Studios table lamp with fine Dogwood shade. Estimate: $95,000-$125,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Tiffany Studios table lamp with fine Dogwood shade. Estimate: $95,000-$125,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – Rago Arts and Auction Center will auction an impressive collection of 20th century furnishings and decorative arts on Saturday, June 16, and Sunday, June 17. Among the 1,100 lots are hard-to-find and one-of-a-kind pieces, many coming to the auction house straight from the artists or craftsmen.

LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding. The auction will begin at 11 a.m. EDT both days.

Day one of the sale consists of Arts & Crafts pottery and furnishings, early 20th century glass, metalwork and prints, concluding with 20th century ceramics. Day two consists of mid-20th-21st century modern furnishings, art glass, fine art (including sculpture), lighting, jewelry, tapestries and much more, all by famous makers and designers.

“Every sale finds its own personality,” says David Rago. “This one is particularly rich in glass, from early enameled Gallé to a large collection of Lalique vessels, statuettes, and perfume bottles, and many fine examples by contemporary artists such as Toots Zynsky. The auction also includes several important Tiffany lamps, among the best we’ve ever offered, important studio furniture and art pottery.”

Previews will be Saturday, June 9, through Thursday, June 14, from noon to 5 p.m. or by appointment and Friday, June 15, noon to 8 p.m. Doors open on day of sale at 9 a.m. An open house featuring a lecture by Judith Gura, “After Modernism: What’s New, What’s Next,” followed by a book signing will be held Wednesday, June 13. A reception will begin at 5 p.m. followed by the lecture at 6 p.m. An open house at 10 Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, featuring 20th Century Design auction highlights will be June 2 and 3, noon-5 p.m. Kindly RSVP to 609-397-9374 ext. 119 or email raac@ragoarts.com.

Saturday’s sale begins with 380 lots of early 20th century Arts and Crafts, consisting of pottery, furnishings, glass, metalwork, lighting, fine art and more. This sale is immediately followed by 78 lots of 20th century ceramics.

The sale begins with American art pottery—two important pieces decorated in cuerda seca with roosters by Frances Rocchi at Saturday Evening Girls. Lot 1, a large center bowl incised “Early to bed & early to rise makes a child healthy, wealthy & wise,” is estimated at $17,500-$22,500; and lot 2, a pitcher incised “This is the cock that crew in the morn,” estimated at $10,000-$15,000. Also of note is an exceptional vessel by Frederick Rhead at University City decorated with mushrooms, lot 17, estimated at $10,000-$15,000. Lot 23, a late arrival, is a spectacular, tall Rookwood Iris glaze vase painted by Kataro Shirayamadani with geese in flight, perfectly fired (uncrazed), for $8,000-$12,000.

European ceramicists include Zsolnay, Martin Brothers, Moorcroft, Riessner, Stellmacher & Kessel, Ernst Wahliss, Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland Gouda, Sarreguemines, Clarice Cliff and Wedgwood.

Famous lighting makers include Tiffany Studios, Duffner & Kimberly, Fulper, Gustav Stickley, Handel, Pairpoint, Suess, Dirk Van Erp, Roycroft and Charles Schneider.

There are several remarkable Tiffany Studios lamps, including lot 373, a fine and large floor lamp with Tulip shade, estimated at $100,000-$150,000; and lot 274, a table lamp with a Dogwood shade, estimated at $95,000-$125,000.

Arts and Crafts furniture makers in Saturday’s sale include Gustav Stickley, J.M. Young, L. & J.G. Stickley, Lifetime, Limbert, Roycroft, Stickley Brothers, Shapland and Petter, Charles Rohlfs, Walfred Thulin and Wilhelm Schmidt.

Furniture by Gustav Stickley includes lot 64, a drop-arm Morris chair (no. 369), estimated at $6,500-$9,500; lot 69, a rare and early five-leg dining table with square top, at $5,000-$8,000; lot 85, four Harvey Ellis inlaid dining chairs, at $8,000-$12,000; and lot 75, a Harvey Ellis double-door bookcase with leaded-glass panes, for $10,000-$14,000. Impressive L & J.G. Stickley lots include lot 80, a rare-form paneled Prairie settle, estimated at $10,000-$15,000; and lot 150, a rare and massive Mouse-hole dining table, estimated at $4,000-$6,000. Furnishings in the sale by Charles Rohlfs include lot 86, a pair of rare tall-back chairs, estimated at $10,000-$15,000 (an identical example of these chairs is shown in a 1920 photo of Charles Rohlfs’ living room).

Notable glassmakers of the early 20th century represented in the sale include Bigelow/Kennard, Daum, Gallé, Jacques Gruber, Loetz, Moser, Schneider, Steuben, Tiffany Studios, Vallerysthal, Almeric Walter, Auguste C. Heiligenstein, Bergun-Schverer and Gabriel Argy-Rousseau.

The finest assortment of Lalique glass to be offered at Rago’s for several years (lots 269-310), consists of perfumes bottles, statuettes and vases.

The sale contains an impressive group of Gustav Baumann woodblock prints (lot 87-91a), the finest Rago’s has presented to date. Three of these were gifted by the artist to the consignor’s mother. One of these is lot 87, Tulips, estimated at $8,000-$12,000.

Other fine art in the sale includes paintings by George H. Hallowell and Lamont Warner, and an Orotone photograph, Bear Legs, by Carl Moon.

Famous metalworkers represented in the sale include: Samuel Yellin, Roycroft, Gustav Stickley, Gorham, Joseph Heinrichs, Dirk Van Erp, Hugo Levin, and John Pearson.

The sale contains a large and important pair of doors by Samuel Yellin, estimated at $10,000-$15,000, from Goodhart Hall, Bryn Mawr College. Also of note is lot 178, a rare and large Dirk Van Erp hammered copper kindling box, $6,000-$9,000.

Following the early 20th Century Design sale is a run of modern ceramics, by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Viktor Schreckengost , Jun Kaneko, Vally (Valerie) Wieselthier, Axel Salto, Betty Woodman, Otto & Gertrud Natzler, Aaron Bohrod, Adrian Saxe, Anish Kapoor, Anne Hirondelle, Carl Walters, Claude Conover, Colin Pearson, David Gilhooly, Edwin Scheier, Gudrun Baudisch, Harrison McIntosh, Hiroaki Morino, Hui Ka Kwong, Jais Neilsen, Michael Frimkess, Otto and Vivika Heino, Paul Soldner, Paula Winokur, Peter Voulkos, Steven Montgomery, Toshiko Takaezu, Viola Frey, Wayne Higby and Wilhelm Kage.

Studio pottery begins with lot 400, a massive Jazz bowl, made by Viktor Schreckengost for Cowan, estimated at $40,000-$60,000. This is one of the few original and possibly one of the last Jazz bowls still in private hands. The Jazz bowl was originally commissioned by Eleanor Roosevelt in celebration of her husband’s re-election as governor of New York in 1931. Mrs. Roosevelt was so taken with the bowl that she commissioned two more. Immediately after, a New York City gallery placed an order for approximately 50. No one knows with certainty how many hand-incised Jazz bowls were made, but fewer than 20 are known. The one to be sold at Rago’s in June is the latest to emerge.

Sunday’s Modern Design auction features over 630 lots of furniture, lighting, decorative arts, art glass, and fine art including a vast collection of sculpture.

Sunday’s sale has an impressive collection of sculpture in a variety of media by artists such as Harry Bertoia, Benjamin Moore, Bernard Brenner, Bob Bennett, Christopher Hiltey, Feliciano Bejar, Franz and Karl Hagenauer, Greg Nangle , Kay Bojesen, Kent Forest Ipsen, Klaus Ihlenfeld, Leo Sewell, Miles Van Rensselaer, Paul Evans and Sydney Cash. There are several lots of enameled panels by Edward Winter and Thelma Frazier Winter, and paintings by Rolph Scarlett and Smokey Tunis.

A notable Bertoia lot is 729, a bronze and copper Bush sculpture, estimated at $20,000-$30,000, which comes with the original drawing by the artist.

Another notable lot in the sale is no. 500, an important sculpture by Paul Evans, estimated at $45,000-$65,000, originally purchased by the consignor from the Paul Evans studio in New Hope, Pa. This is a rare piece, and only one of two of these organic forms that Rago’s has ever seen.

Famous makers of modern furnishings in the sale include Albert Paley, Arne Jacobsen, Arne Vodder, Borge Mogensen, Bruno Mathsson, Carlo De Carli, Charles And Ray Eames, Dorothy Draper, Edmund Spence, Edward Wormley, Eero Aarnio, Federico Armijo, Finn Juhl, Florence Knoll, Frank Gehry, George Nakashima, George Nelson, Gio Ponti, Hans Wegner, Harvey Probber, Isamu Noguchi, Jacques Adnet, James Mont, Jean Royere, Jens Risom, John Cederquist, Karl Springer, Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, Maison Jansen, Milo Baughman, Oscar Bach, Osvaldo Borsani, Paolo Buffa, Paul Evans, Paul Frankl, Paul McCobb, Phil Powell, Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, Pierre Paulin, Poul Kjaerholm, Silas Seandel, T.H. Robsjohn Gibbings, Tommi Parzinger, Vladimir Kagan, Warren Platner, Wendell Castle and Wharton Esherick.

There are many lots by George Nakashima in the sale (lots 514-530, and 923-938). Among the most notable is a fine turned-leg dining table with exceptional top, at $35,000-$45,000.

Featured Modern lighting lots include 544, a pair of sculpture table lamps by Karl Springer, estimated at $8,000-$10,000; lot 536, a lamp of cast plaster hands by Richard Etts, offered at $1,500-$2,000; and lot 604, a pair of floor lamps by Max Bill, estimated at $2,000-$3,000. Lot 608 is an Artichoke fixture by Poul Henningsen for Louis Poulsen, estimated at $4,000-$6,000. The idea behind the staggered design of the Artichoke fixture is that it may be viewed from any angle while concealing the light source located in the center.

The sale features a collection of glass vessels by Mary Ann “Toots” Zynsky, a studio glass artist and innovator, known for her distinctive heat-formed “filet de verre” (glass thread) vessels, which are represented in over 70 museum collections worldwide. A featured Zynsky piece is lot 752, an unusually large vessel titled “Ramingo,” estimated at $14,000-$19,000. Zynsky’s colleague, famous glassmaker Dale Chihuly, is also well represented in the sale, as with lot 759, a basket from the rare Soft Cylinder series, which is offered at $6,000-$8,000.

Jewelry includes a necklace, brooch and ring by New York artist Ed Wiener, a ring by Sam Kramer and a fibula (brooch) by designer Albert Paley. Notable is lot 887, an Ed Wiener textured yellow gold necklace, which was designed for the consignor by the artist, offered at $7,000-$10,000.

Silver includes a set of Diamond sterling flatware by Gio Ponti for Reed & Barton and an Art Deco coffee and tea service by Arthur Krupp for Berndorf.

Tapestries and rugs in the sale include designers and makers such as Alexander Calder, Pablo Picasso, Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Lurcat, Olga Fisch, Andy Warhol, and Max Papart.

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


Tiffany Studios table lamp with fine Dogwood shade. Estimate: $95,000-$125,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

 

Tiffany Studios table lamp with fine Dogwood shade. Estimate: $95,000-$125,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Important Saturday Evening Girls center bowl decorated with roosters and motto. Estimate: $17,500-$22,500. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Important Saturday Evening Girls center bowl decorated with roosters and motto. Estimate: $17,500-$22,500. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Important Jazz bowl by Viktor Schreckengost for Cowan Pottery, 1929. Estimate: $40,000-$60,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

 

Important Jazz bowl by Viktor Schreckengost for Cowan Pottery, 1929. Estimate: $40,000-$60,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Pablo Picasso hand-painted and glazed tile, ‘Tête de Garçon.’ Estimate: $30,000-$40,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Pablo Picasso hand-painted and glazed tile, ‘Tête de Garçon.’ Estimate: $30,000-$40,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Large Mary Ann ‘Toots’ Zynsky filet-de-verre vessel, ‘Ramingo.’ Estimate: $14,000-$19,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Large Mary Ann ‘Toots’ Zynsky filet-de-verre vessel, ‘Ramingo.’ Estimate: $14,000-$19,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Rare Jacques le Chevallier and Rene Koechlin desk lamp, circa 1928. Estimate: $18,000-$22,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Rare Jacques le Chevallier and Rene Koechlin desk lamp, circa 1928. Estimate: $18,000-$22,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Early Wharton Esherick side chair, 1932. Estimate: $15,000-$20,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Early Wharton Esherick side chair, 1932. Estimate: $15,000-$20,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Fine and rare Albert Paley custom dining table, 1981. Estimate: $18,000-$24,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Fine and rare Albert Paley custom dining table, 1981. Estimate: $18,000-$24,000. Image courtesy Rago Arts and Auction Center.

Vintage Heuer Solunagraph watch in original box. Image courtesy Blue Moon Coins.

Blue Moon Coins to sell gold, coins, fine watches June 5

Vintage Heuer Solunagraph watch in original box. Image courtesy Blue Moon Coins.

Vintage Heuer Solunagraph watch in original box. Image courtesy Blue Moon Coins.

VANCOUVER, Wash. – On June 5, Blue Moon Coins, an established bullion and numismatic coin dealer in the Pacific Northwest, will conduct a sale of large lots of Swiss 20-franc gold coins, anniversary lots of American Silver Eagles and certified high-grade numismatics. This auction also includes some stunning vintage chronometers from well-known companies such as Heuer and Waltham.

LiveAuctioneers.com will provide the live bidding.

The auction, which begins at noon PDT, will lead off with a custom five-piece American Silver Eagle Anniversary set in a mint case. First struck in 1986, the American Silver Eagle is composed of .9993 fine silver bullion and .0007 percent copper. This fine silver bullion coin whose obverse was based on the Walking Liberty Silver Half Dollar, designed by Adolph Weinmann, is among one of the most desirable silver bullion coins today.

On the obverse, Lady Liberty carries laurel and oak as she walks toward the sun. The coin’s reverse, designed by John Mercanti, shows an eagle with shield holding and olive branch and arrows in its talons, a combination that references military and civil strength. An inverse pyramid with the original 13 Colonial stars is positioned above the eagle’s head.

These five coins are displayed in an original 25th anniversary box from 2011. The winner of this lot will receive: one 1986 proof American Silver Eagle, one simulated-reverse-proof 2011 American Silver Eagle and three 2011 American Silver Eagles. According to the Liberty Coin Act in 1985, which authorized the production of the American Silver Eagle, these coins are minted entirely from silver bullion mined in America. The American Silver Eagle is the only bullion coin whose value, purity and weight are guaranteed by the U.S. government. According to current IRS rules, the American Silver Eagle is eligible for inclusion in the Self-Directed IRA, a fact that makes them attractive to investors.

Additional 2011 Red Label Anniversary MS70 Silver Eagles are available in Lot 100.

Lot 50 is a vintage Heuer Solunagraph watch in its original box. This vintage chronograph was made by a Heuer, a company that dates to 1860 and includes such distinctions as being the inventor of the oscillating pinion (1887), the mechanism on which all automatic watches are based. As management passed from fathers to sons, innovation remained a hallmark for the renowned firm. The company created the Pulsometer, on which modern stethoscopes are based; the Time of Trip, the first dashboard chronometer designed to be installed in airplanes and automobiles to measure time as well as trip duration; and the Microsplit, a stopwatch that could measure two events simultaneously and made Heuer’s pieces the choice for timekeeping at the 1920 and subsequent Olympics.

Heuer is a company of firsts: the first company to make watches that attached to wrists, women’s watches, and water-resistant watches. Luminaries such as President Dwight D. Eisenhower, President Harry S Truman, Prince William of Sweden and Steve McQueen have worn Heuer watches. The company became an official sponsor for Ferrari in 1971. It was a Heuer chronometer that first made its way into space in 1962 on the wrist of astronaut John Glenn.

In 1985 TAG, manufacturers of high-tech items such as ceramic turbochargers for Formula One cars, acquired Heuer, creating today’s TAG Heuer.

This lot is from Heuer’s line of Solunagraph timepieces, the name of which is a clever play on the selenography technology. Mariners have been using selenography since ancient times, and in creating the Solunagraph, they put the tracking of tides in the hands of modern-day sailors and fishermen. This watch is in good working order and will be shipped in its original box with a photocopy of the original paperwork. The auctioneer notes that this fine specimen is the heaviest watch he has ever held in his hand.

Bankruptcy has brought a large collection of high-grade coins to market. The winner of this lot will receive 53 high-grade ICG (Independent Coin Graders) coins, shown here and packaged in their original ICG holders: four 1958 MS67 Red; 12 1964-D MS67 Red; two 1970-P MS67 Red; one 1970-D MS67 Red; one 1972 MS67 Red; one 1974 MS67 Red; three 1974-S MS67 Red; one 1975-D MS67 Red; one 1978-D MS67 Red; 22 1986-S Statue of Liberty $.50 MS70 DCAM; two 1999-S Kennedy $.50 MS70 DCAM; one 2000-S Kennedy $.50 MS70 DCAM; one 1992 Olympic MS70; and one 1993 Madison MS70.

Professional Coin Grading Service is one of the numismatic industry’s leading coin grading companies and publishes the PCGS pricing sheet, the standard pricing guide for coin valuators. This lot contains 53 high-grade coins graded by ICG, a rival grading service. To determine the wholesale cost of this lot, the auction house reduced each coin’s ICG grade one level lower; in other words, for an ICG MS 70 coin, a PCGS MS 69 value was assigned to it. According to the May 18, 2012 PCGS grading sheet, the wholesale value of the collection (one grade-level lower than the coins are actually graded) is $2,100.

Lot 150 is composed of 50 20 gold Swiss francs. Minted sporadically throughout the last of the 19th century and throughout the first half of the 20th century, Swiss francs have enjoyed popularity as a collectors coin throughout Europe. At just under one-fifth of a troy ounce (.1867), these 22-karat francs are about one-fifth of the size of their full-ounce gold bullion coin cousins. Their bullion gold content makes them an internationally recognizable mechanism of trade, and because of their smaller size, they are more divisible than other bullion coins when it comes time to liquidate.

Neutral since the Vienna Congress in 1815, Switzerland has long been recognized as a politically stable country with strong fiscal health. The obverse of the Swiss 20 Franc gold coin features a bust of Vreneli, the “Swiss Miss” with a garland of braided flowers before a backdrop of the Alps. The word “Helvetia” above her head refers to the five-year period of the Helvetic Republic, when France’s expanding military decided the inhabitants of the area now comprising Switzerland needed to be “liberated.” The coins were minted in Berne and carry the “B” mint mark.

For additional information about the auction, contact Misti Haasl-Martinez by telephone at 888-655-2646 (COIN) or by email: misti@bluemooncoins.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


Vintage Heuer Solunagraph watch in original box. Image courtesy Blue Moon Coins.

Vintage Heuer Solunagraph watch in original box. Image courtesy Blue Moon Coins.

Five-piece American Silver Eagle Anniversary set in a mint cast. Image courtesy Blue Moon Coins.

Five-piece American Silver Eagle Anniversary set in a mint cast. Image courtesy Blue Moon Coins.

2011 Red Label Anniversary MS70 Silver Eagles. Image courtesy Blue Moon Coins.

2011 Red Label Anniversary MS70 Silver Eagles. Image courtesy Blue Moon Coins.

Fifty 20 gold Swiss francs comprise Lot 150. Image courtesy Blue Moon Coins.

Fifty 20 gold Swiss francs comprise Lot 150. Image courtesy Blue Moon Coins.

View of pond with Ferris wheel in background at Moscow's Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure, where Dasha Zhukova plans to install a 'paper tube' venue. Image by Valeriy Shustov, provided to Wikimedia Commons by Russian International News Agency (RIA Novosti) and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Zhukova to open ‘paper tube’ art venue in Moscow park

 View of pond with Ferris wheel in background at Moscow's Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure, where Dasha Zhukova plans to install a 'paper tube' venue. Image by Valeriy Shustov, provided to Wikimedia Commons by Russian International News Agency (RIA Novosti) and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

View of pond with Ferris wheel in background at Moscow’s Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure, where Dasha Zhukova plans to install a ‘paper tube’ venue. Image by Valeriy Shustov, provided to Wikimedia Commons by Russian International News Agency (RIA Novosti) and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

MOSCOW (AFP) – Dasha Zhukova, the partner of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, presented plans Thursday to move her Moscow art gallery to a structure built of giant paper tubes in historic Gorky Park.

“I think this is a really beautiful pavilion and it’s really exciting for Moscow. There hasn’t been anything quite like this built here,” Zhukova said at a presentation in the park.

Zhukova, who is also known by her formal Russian name Darya, opened her Garage gallery in Moscow in 2008, hosting lavish shows of international contemporary art. It had to move out last year, but a new permanent venue in Gorky Park will not be ready until next summer.

“While we are a little bit homeless, we thought a temporary pavilion would be a good solution,” Zhukova said.

Opening this autumn, the pavilion will have a six-meter (20-foot) high outer wall of paper tubes, enclosing a shop and cafe and a 800-square-meter (8,600 square-feet) steel-walled exhibition hall.

The paper tubes, 60 centimeters (24 inches) in diameter, will be insulated and waterproofed, meaning the heated structure could even be used permanently, said Japanese architect Shigeru Ban.

“This is going to be a temporary structure, but I am hoping to stay longer,” he said.

Ban has previously built a paper tube gallery for fashion designer Issey Miyake and also temporary homes for earthquake victims.

The project’s budget is still being fixed, Garage director Anton Belov told AFP.

The gallery will stand beside a pond in Moscow’s Gorky Park, which has been transformed from a Soviet blue-collar fairground in a huge regeneration project and now hosts foodie events and free yoga classes.

Zhukova opened her Garage gallery after restoring a Constructivist former bus garage and put on major exhibitions including an Ilya and Emilia Kabakov retrospective and sculptures by Britain’s Antony Gormley.

It had to move out to make way for a planned Jewish Museum of Tolerance.

In a massive project funded by Abramovich, Zhukova’s gallery is due next summer to move into a disused 1960s-era former restaurant in Gorky Park.

Ultimately the gallery plans to occupy an historic pavilion called the Hexagon dating back to the 1920s but the building is currently just a roofless shell sprayed with graffiti.

“We are developing various concepts for the Hexagon, nothing is ready yet,” Zhukova said.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE


 View of pond with Ferris wheel in background at Moscow's Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure, where Dasha Zhukova plans to install a 'paper tube' venue. Image by Valeriy Shustov, provided to Wikimedia Commons by Russian International News Agency (RIA Novosti) and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

View of pond with Ferris wheel in background at Moscow’s Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure, where Dasha Zhukova plans to install a ‘paper tube’ venue. Image by Valeriy Shustov, provided to Wikimedia Commons by Russian International News Agency (RIA Novosti) and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Vik Muniz (Brazilian, b. 1961-), 'The Dream, after Picasso,' digital color coupler print from the 2007 series 'Pictures of Pigment.' Sold by Phillips de Pury on April 14, 2011. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Phillips de Pury & Co.

Brazil art scene booms, reflecting strong economy

Vik Muniz (Brazilian, b. 1961-), 'The Dream, after Picasso,' digital color coupler print from the 2007 series 'Pictures of Pigment.' Sold by Phillips de Pury on April 14, 2011. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Phillips de Pury & Co.

Vik Muniz (Brazilian, b. 1961-), ‘The Dream, after Picasso,’ digital color coupler print from the 2007 series ‘Pictures of Pigment.’ Sold by Phillips de Pury on April 14, 2011. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Phillips de Pury & Co.

SAO PAOLO (AFP) – Brazil’s art scene is booming, with international aficionados snapping up the latest creations and fresh talent rising, a reflection of the South American giant’s growing economy.

“We have seen an incredible increase in the number of sales, buyers and collectors,” Eliana Finkelstein, president of ABACT, the country’s contemporary art association, told AFP. “All this makes Brazil a very prosperous and promising market.”

Ricardo Trevisan, of the Casa Triangulo Gallery in Sao Paulo, agrees.

“The Brazilian economy is going through a good phase right now and that is benefiting the art market,” he said.

This year alone, Trevisan has taken part in art fairs in cities as far-flung as Madrid, Hong Kong, London and Miami.

Brazil’s rising profile in the art world in part reflects its growing economic might — currently the world’s sixth largest economy, Brazil has steered clear of much of the global economic turmoil of recent years.

Sao Paulo, a pulsating metropolis in this nation of 191 million, is positioning itself to become a hotspot in the global art market.

So far so good: the last SP-Arte fair hosted here in May drew a record number of 110 gallerists, 27 of whom were foreign.

In September, the city will host the 30th Sao Paulo Biennial, which is also expected to attract more than 100 artists from around the world.

“Many eyes are on Brazil right now, not only because it’s ‘in’ at the moment, but also because it produces quality,” artist Estela Sokol told AFP during an interview in her studio filled with colorful creations.

At Sotheby’s in New York, works by Brazilians are currently considered a hot commodity.

“There’s a boom of Brazilian art,” said Carmen Melian, a Latin America expert at the renowned auction house.

Last week, Sotheby’s sold a piece by Brazilian sculptor Sergio de Camargo (1930-1990) for $1.5 million — twice its starting price.

Pieces by de Camargo, as well as by the painters Candido Portinari (1903-1962), Emiliano di Cavalcanti (1897-1976) and others tend to be expensive and of interest to a more exclusive group of buyers.

Lately, however, less expensive contemporary Brazilian art has turned heads of younger collectors with cash to spare.

“It’s the young who travel, who know about art, nouveaux riches who have good taste and who don’t just buy a painting to go with the sofa in the living room,” Adriano Casanova, of Sao Paulo’s Baro Gallery, told AFP.

So far, prices are reasonable.

According to the ABACT contemporary art association, the average cost of contemporary Brazilian artwork is $550, which experts say contributes to “the democratization of art.”

“This helps young artists live and produce,” Melian said. “Every period needs patrons and the more, the better.”

Among the best-known young contemporary artists are Vik Muniz, Beatriz Milhazes and Adriana Varejao, whose works can cost up to $500,000.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE


Vik Muniz (Brazilian, b. 1961-), 'The Dream, after Picasso,' digital color coupler print from the 2007 series 'Pictures of Pigment.' Sold by Phillips de Pury on April 14, 2011. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Phillips de Pury & Co.

Vik Muniz (Brazilian, b. 1961-), ‘The Dream, after Picasso,’ digital color coupler print from the 2007 series ‘Pictures of Pigment.’ Sold by Phillips de Pury on April 14, 2011. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Phillips de Pury & Co.

Police: Antique bowl stolen from Hong Kong fair

HONG KONG (AFP) — An antique bowl worth HK$1.35 million ($174,000) has been stolen from an international antiques fair in Hong Kong, police said Thursday.

An unidentified foreign exhibitor alerted police on Wednesday as the three-day International Antiques Fair at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre wrapped up.

“The antique bowl was stolen from one of the display cabinets. We have classified the case as theft,” a police spokeswoman said. “We are still investigating and no arrests have been made so far.”

The fair’s organizer, Chak’s Investment, said it had no information about the crime.

The annual fair drew more than 50 exhibitors from Asia, Europe and the United States.

Hong Kong has emerged as one of the biggest auction centers after New York and London, fuelled by China’s economic boom and demand from Asian collectors, especially mainland Chinese buyers, who have pushed up Chinese art prices.

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'Tension,' charcoal-on-paper drawing by Isabella Gabriel Niang, signed and dated 2004, 70 x 50 cm, to be auctioned June 2 at Bassenge's Modern Art Spring Auction 99. Image courtesy of Bassenge.

Niang charcoal artworks lead Bassenge’s June 2 Modern sale

'Tension,' charcoal-on-paper drawing by Isabella Gabriel Niang, signed and dated 2004, 70 x 50 cm, to be auctioned June 2 at Bassenge's Modern Art Spring Auction 99. Image courtesy of Bassenge.

‘Tension,’ charcoal-on-paper drawing by Isabella Gabriel Niang, signed and dated 2004, 70 x 50 cm, to be auctioned June 2 at Bassenge’s Modern Art Spring Auction 99. Image courtesy of Bassenge.

BERLIN – Bassenge’s June 2 Modern Art Spring Auction 99, with Internet live bidding available through LiveAuctioneers.com, includes two paintings and three charcoal drawings by Berlin artist and charitable benefactor Isabella Gabriel Niang. The charcoal drawings are from a suite created over several years. Bassenge describes the artworks as representing “existential, emotional states in powerful and very dynamic figures elaborated to the point of dissolution reflect different conditions of the human being.”

The works will be auctioned to benefit Stiftung Internationales Forum Trust. The trust is preparing an intercultural and transcontinental project titled “Approximation” for display in Senegal, China and Germany in 2013. The project explores how the universal languages of art and the mental enrichment provided by it can be maximized to understand other cultures.

Within the emotional and sensitive density shown in the works of Isabella Gabriel Niang, the individual’s body becomes the connecting empathic figure to embrace the body of humanity. “As such, the unique potential hidden in art figures as an ambassador in the dialogue of interior and exterior connectivity both of individual and intercultural spheres. Personality and the world as a whole become perceptible and tangible in new ways,” says a press release issued by Bassenge.

For additional information, contact Bassenge by emailing info@bassenge.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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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


'Tension,' charcoal-on-paper drawing by Isabella Gabriel Niang, signed and dated 2004, 70 x 50 cm, to be auctioned June 2 at Bassenge's Modern Art Spring Auction 99. Image courtesy of Bassenge.

 

‘Tension,’ charcoal-on-paper drawing by Isabella Gabriel Niang, signed and dated 2004, 70 x 50 cm, to be auctioned June 2 at Bassenge’s Modern Art Spring Auction 99. Image courtesy of Bassenge.

'Intimite,' charcoal-on-paper drawing by Isabella Gabriel Niang, signed and dated 2004, 70 x 50 cm, to be auctioned June 2 at Bassenge's Modern Art Spring Auction 99. Image courtesy of Bassenge.

‘Intimite,’ charcoal-on-paper drawing by Isabella Gabriel Niang, signed and dated 2004, 70 x 50 cm, to be auctioned June 2 at Bassenge’s Modern Art Spring Auction 99. Image courtesy of Bassenge.

'L'Elan,' charcoal-on-paper drawing by Isabella Gabriel Niang, signed and dated 2004, 70 x 50 cm, to be auctioned June 2 at Bassenge's Modern Art Spring Auction 99. Image courtesy of Bassenge.

‘L’Elan,’ charcoal-on-paper drawing by Isabella Gabriel Niang, signed and dated 2004, 70 x 50 cm, to be auctioned June 2 at Bassenge’s Modern Art Spring Auction 99. Image courtesy of Bassenge.