June 2012 - Page 8 of 18 - Auction Central News

Porsche Panamera, Rolex, jewels top Govt. Auction luxury list, June 24

Wurlitzer Model 71 automatic phonograph jukebox. Government Auction image.

TEHACHAPI, Calif. – In the world of sports cars, Porsche is a brand that has come to symbolize speed, quality and design excellence. On Sunday, June 24, Government Auction will make available for immediate liquidation a treasure trove of luxury items led by a sleek 2012 Porsche Panamera.

Fully loaded and in absolutely mint condition, the pre-owned Porsche has only 225 miles on its odometer. In addition to the sexy 3.6 liter V6, 300 hp engine, some of its extras include a Bose Surround Sound audio package, heated seats, heated steering wheel, anthracite birchwood interior package, blind spot detector, park assistant, front/rear camera and Porsche keyless entry and drive system.

A magnificent example of German engineering and design, the Panamera is estimated at $90,000-$120,000, but like most other items in the auction, it has an opening bid requirement of only $2. All lots in the sale are available for Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com. (Note: winning bidder of Porsche must arrange for pickup).

The Porsche is in dignified company with an auction selection that also includes a luxe array of fine jewelry, gold coins, art and investment-grade collectibles. Bidders can take their pick of beautifully crafted Rolex and Cartier timepieces. A handsome 1973 Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust stainless steel men’s watch, model #6694, Serial #3859072, features classic styling and a large face. It carries a presale estimate of $3,150-$6,300.

The perfect “go anywhere” women’s watch is the 1999 Cartier Santos stainless steel and gold watch, style #W90058C4. A link-bracelet style with secure Cartier-style clasp, the watch has a replacement value of $7,000. Government Auction is offering it with a presale estimate of $3,500-$7,000 and an opening bid of only $2.

Effortlessly elegant, a 14K white gold pendant on chain features a 3.64-carat round-cut tanzanite surrounded by 114 sparkling diamonds with a total weight of 1.40 carats. The eye-catching tanzanite center stone is purple in color and professionally evaluated as being “near flawless.” The necklace has a retail replacement value of $24,500, and its auction estimate range is $12,280-$24,559.

Putting one’s money into antique coins has become a popular hedge against inflation. A very desirable coin offered in the June 24 auction is an 1881 $5 U.S Liberty Head gold coin. Collectors call this coin the “Half Eagle”, in reference to the fact that its gold content is half that of the $10 Double Eagle. The coin was first introduced in 1839 and was minted until 1907. It contains 24.18% of an ounce of gold and is the only coin to have been minted at seven US mints.

“The Half Eagle is a must-have in any coin collector’s arsenal because of the rarity of this mintage in this condition,” said Government Auction’s chief auctioneer, Paul Sabesky.

High on the list of sought-after antiques and vintage collectibles is an antique Wurlitzer Model 71 phonograph jukebox features Art Deco styling and has a decorative mounted speaker emblazoned with the words “Strike up the Band.” An extremely rare survivor, the jukebox could make $20,000-$40,000 on auction day.

Other novelties to be auctioned include a 1952 Mills 5-cent high-top slot machine with bald eagle motif and three-reel, one-armed-bandit design, est. $4,050-$8,100; and a cast-iron candy store cash register. The register has been fully restored and features an ornate marquee embossed with the words “Amount Purchased.” It is expected to fetch $2,850-$5,700.

Government Auction’s Sunday June 24, 2012 sale of fine jewelry, gold coins, art and investment grade collectibles, highlighted by a 2012 Porsche Panamera, will commence at 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time/10:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Absentee, phone and Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com will be available. For additional information on any lot in the sale, call Debbie on 661-823-1543 or e-mail info@governmentauction.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

2012 Porsche Panamera, fully loaded. Government Auction image.

1898 $10 US Liberty Head Double Eagle gold coin. Government Auction image.

White gold 3-carat tanzanite and diamond necklace. Government Auction image.

Rolex men’s stainless steel watch. Government Auction image.

Cast-iron candy store cash register, restored. Government Auction image.

Cartier women’s stainless steel and gold watch. Government Auction image.

Circa-1952 Mills 5-cent high-top slot machine. Government Auction image.

14K white gold 1-carat tanzanite and diamond ring. Government Auction image.

1881 US $5 Liberty Head gold coin. Government Auction image.

Leland Little auction extends $1M streak to 6 sales

Sapphire (14.47-carat) and diamond ring that sold for $47,200. Leland Little Auctions and Estate Sales Ltd. image.

HILLSBOROUGH, N .C. – Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd. conducted their highly anticipated Summer Estate Cataloged Auction, June 15 and 16, selling over $1.5 Million in fine art, jewelry, antiques, fine wine and other valuable objects.

This sale marks the sixth consecutive $1 million-plus auction conducted by the North Carolina-based auction company. The complete auction results for the auction can be found on-line at www.llauctions.com.

The auction gallery was pleased to host over 350 floor bidders who attended the two-day sale. Bidders unable to attend the sale left over 2,200 absentee and phone bids. In addition, over 1200 bidders watched and participated in the auction on-line through LiveAuctioneers.com from more than 50 countries around the world.

LLAES Ltd. continues to acquire and offer top-level consignments from the Southeast region, with auctioneer Leland Little saying, “Our team is grateful for such extraordinary performance as we work towards prolonged growth in the auction industry. The momentum and demand for top-level objects in all categories continue to exceed expectations.”

Fine art offerings were diverse and of top quality, including a pair of Italian old master paintings, which, driven by strong phone and on-line bidding, achieved $67,850 (results include an 18 percent buyer’s premium). A charming work by William Lathrop (New York and Pennsylvania, 1859-1938) brought $11,800, and a group of three China Trade paintings sold for a total of $100,700.

Estate jewelry lots demonstrated considerable strength, led by an important 14.47-carat sapphire and diamond ring that sold for $47,200, and a platinum and diamond ring that brought $20,650. A pair of Tiffany & Co. aquamarine and diamond earrings achieved $11,800, while an 18K Cartier Tank watch with Arabic numerals sold for $2,360.

Other lots of interest included a Sicilian coral and gilt holy water stoup from the collection of Jeff and Betsy Penn of the Chinqua Penn Plantation in Reidsville, N.C., that attracted international bidders and soared to $86,250, a Southern tiger maple Federal sideboard selling for $10,915, a Dorflinger jar mounted with a sterling silver collar that achieved $38,940, and a Chinese painting of a horse with grooms selling for $37,760.

The rare and fine wine session of the two-day sale became the highest-grossing wine auction to date with over a quarter-million dollars in sales. It was led by a bottle of 1990 Romanee-Conti, Domaine Romanee-Conti, which sold for $16,520. Three lots of 1990 La Tache, Domaine Romanee-Conti, two bottles, each sold for $7,080.

LLAES Ltd. is always seeking quality consignments, whether it be an entire estate or a significant item. To discuss selling call the gallery at 919-644-1243 or email at info@llauctions.com. For more information regarding this sale call Joe Waddell at the above phone number or send an e-mail to joe@llauctions.com.

Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Chinese school view of Calcutta and the ship Rob Roy that sold for $64,900. Leland Little Auctions and Estate Sales Ltd. image.

This pair of Italian old master paintings sold together for $67,850. Leland Little Auctions and Estate Sales Ltd. image.

The Sicilian coral and gilt holy water stoup soared to $86,250. Leland Little Auctions and Estate Sales Ltd. image.

Il mercato dell’arte in Italia: L’arte italiana all’Art Basel 43

The booth of Magazzino d’Arte Moderna at Art Basel 43, courtesy Magazzino d’Arte Moderna, Rome.

Lo stand di Magazzino d’Arte Moderna a Art Basel 43, courtesy Magazzino d’Arte Moderna, Roma.

Camminando attraverso i corridoi della 43esima edizione di Art Basel, la più importante fiera per l’arte moderna e contemporanea che si è appena conclusa a Basilea, non si poteva fare a meno di notare la presenza di arte italiana di alto livello, in vendita agli stand di molte influenti gallerie internazionali.

Importanti gallerie di arte moderna newyorkesi come Acquavella Galleries e Helly Nahmad avevano in mostra opere di Morandi, De Chirico, Fontana e Burri, gli artisti italiani più ricercati a livello internazionale. Gli specchi di Michelangelo Pistoletto erano in diversi stand tra cui quello di Luhring Augustine (New York), Galleria Continua (San Gimignano, Beijing, Le Moulin) e Simon Lee Gallery (Londra). Gladstone Gallery aveva opere di Alighiero Boetti, Mario e Marisa Merz, ceramiche di Lucio Fontana e sculture di Fausto Melotti. Anche l’Arte Povera era ben rappresentata. La galleria tedesca Konrad Fischer Galerie, per esempio, aveva opere di Mario Merz e Giuseppe Penone, che è attualmente in mostra anche a dOCUMENTA(13) a Kassel. “Cerchiamo di rispondere alle richieste del mercato”, ci ha detto il direttore della sede di Düsseldorf Thomas W. Rieger, “e il mercato adesso vuole l’Arte Povera.” La galleria ha venduto una scultura di grandi dimensioni di Penone. Opere di tali dimensioni quotano di solito intorno ai 350.000 euro (440.000 dollari).

Anche gli artisti italiani più giovani erano ben rappresentati. La galleria francese Emmanuel Perrotin presentava una nuova opera di Paola Pivi (1971), formata da una catena di quaranta aeroplani di plastica che pendevano dal soffitto, in vendita per 70mila euro (88mila dollari). Dal 20 giugno l’artista italiana sarà in mostra a Central Park a New York, con un’installazione promossa dal Public Art Fund, e al Rockbund Art Museum di Shanghai.

La galleria torinese Franco Noero e la galleria francese Yvon Lambert presentavano nuovi lavori della star Francesco Vezzoli: coppie di busti formati da un ritratto antico e una risposta moderna dell’artista, in vendita per 150mila e 175mila dollari l’uno.

Un’ampia presentazione dell’arte italiana attraverso varie generazioni era offerta allo stand di Magazzino d’Arte Moderna, una galleria italiana con sede a Roma. Al centro dello stand c’era un’opera di Alberto Garutti (1948) formata da due vadi pieni d’acqua. Garutti rappresenta quasi una “figura paterna” rispetto agli altri artisti in mostra a Basilea, non solo perché è più anziano, ma perché insegna all’Accademia di Brera a Milano e all’Università IUAV di Venezia. Nel suo lavoro Garutti pone lo spazio pubblico al centro dell’attenzione; l’arte viene usata per connettere le persone. Questo è anche il senso dell’opera presentata a Basilea, che è parte di un’installazione mostrata alla galleria a Roma. L’acqua contenuta nei vasi proviene da una fontana nel cortile dell’edificio della galleria, da cui si dice si abbeverasse la lupa di Romolo e Remo. Rappresenta non solo un collegamento alla storia della città e un bene primario dell’umanità, ma anche un elemento che connette gli individui e le famiglie all’interno di un edificio. Per sottolineare questo fatti l’artista ha ricostruito il sistema idraulico di tubature che attraversa gli appartamenti in disegni e in un’installazione in galleria. Il prezzo di ogni vaso è di 20mila euro (25mila dollari).

Un’altra generazione di arte italiana, più giovane di Garutti ma già affermata, era rappresentata a Basilea da Massimo Bartolini (1962) e Elisabetta Benassi (1966). La ricerca di Bartolini si concentra sul rapporto tra l’essere umano e il suo ambiente. Nella serie “Rugiada”, per esempio, Bartolini ricrea la rugiada del mattino su un dipinto monocromo attraverso gocce d’acqua mischiate al silicone spruzzate sulla superficie, combinando in questo modo la meraviglia della natura e la storia dell’arte (l’opera della serie in mostra a Basilea costava 13mila euro o 16.500 dollari).

Massimo Bartolini, come Penone, è attualmente in mostra a dOCUMENTA(13) a Kassel con l’opera “Untitled (Wave)”, nella quale ricrea il movimento di un’onda in una vasca.

La generazione più giovane era rappresentata allo stand di Magazzino da Alessandro Piangiamore (1976), Daniele Puppi (1970), e Gianluca Malgeri (1974). L’opera di Malgeri “Wunderkammer” ha attratto molte attenzioni. L’installazione, composta di rami che ricordano le corna di cervo di un trofeo di caccia, è stata ispirata dal mito di Apollo e Dafne. È un’opera che parla d’amore, ma anche del collezionismo d’arte. È stata venduta ad un acquirente internazionale per 15mila euro (19mila dollari). Anche le opere di Puppi e Piangiamore hanno avuto successo commerciale e sono state vendute il primo giorno a collezionisti internazionali: una bella soddisfazione per la giovane arte italiana, che riesce ad affermarsi grazie alla sua qualità, nonostante la mancanza di un solido sistema dell’arte in patria.

Note sull’autore:

Silvia Anna Barrilà è una giornalista italiana specializzata sul mercato dell’arte. Collabora regolarmente con Il Sole 24 ORE. Inoltre scrive di arte, design, lifestyle e società per varie riviste italiane e internazionali tra cui ICON (Mondadori) e DAMn Magazine. Vive tra Milano e Berlino.

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Art Market Italy: Italian art at Art Basel 43

Walking through the corridors of the 43rd edition of ArtBasel, the most important fair for modern and contemporary art that has just closed in Basel, Switzerland, one could not help not to notice the presence of high-level Italian postwar art hanging at the booths of many important international dealers.

Major New York modern art dealers like Acquavella Galleries and Helly Nahmad showed works by Morandi, De Chirico, Fontana and Burri, the most sought-after Italian artists on the international level. Mirror works by Michelangelo Pistoletto were shown among others by Luhring Augustine (New York), Galleria Continua (San Gimignano, Beijing, Le Moulin), and Simon Lee Gallery (London). Gladstone Gallery had works by Alighiero Boetti, Mario and Marisa Merz, ceramics by Lucio Fontana, and sculptures by Fausto Melotti. Arte Povera was all around, as well. German gallery Konrad Fischer Galerie, for example, had works by Mario Merz and Giuseppe Penone, who is currently on show at dOCUMENTA(13) in Kassel, as well. “We try to respond to the market request,” director of the gallery’s base in Düsseldorf Thomas W. Rieger tells us, “and the market now asks for Arte Povera.” The gallery sold a large sculpture by Penone. Works of such dimensions usually quote around 350,000 euros ($440,000).

Younger Italian artists were represented, as well. French gallery Emmanuel Perrotin presented a new work by Paola Pivi (1971), consisting of a chain of 40 plastic airplane models hanging from the ceiling, on sale for 70,000 euros ($88,000). From June 20 the Italian artist is on show in Central Park in New York with an installation promoted by the Public Art Fund, and at Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai.

New works by Italian star Francesco Vezzoli, showing a pair made of an antique portrait bust and a contemporary response made by him, were presented at Turin gallery Franco Noero and at French gallery Yvon Lambert. Each sculpture cost between $150,000 and $175,000.

An extensive presentation of Italian contemporary art through different generations was offered at the booth of Magazzino d’Arte Moderna, an Italian gallery based in Rome. The center of the booth was occupied by a work by Alberto Garutti, 1948, consisting of two glass jars full of water. Garutti represents almost a paternal figure to other artists shown in Basel, not only because he is older, but because he is a teacher at the Brera Academy in Milan and at the IUAV University in Venice. In his work Garutti puts the public space at the center of attention; art is used to connect people. And this is also the case of the work shown in Basel, which is part of a bigger installation made in the gallery in Rome. The water contained in the vases comes from a fountain in the courtyard of the gallery’s building, which is said to be the fountain where the she-wolf who rescued Romulus and Remus used to drink. It represents not only a link to the story of the city, and a primary need of humanity, but also an element that connects individuals and families in a building. To underline this fact the artist has reconstructed the plumbing system of tubes, which goes through the apartments in drawings and through an installation in the gallery. The price of each vase is 20,000 euros ($25,000).

Another generation of Italian art, younger than Garutti but already established, was represented in Basel by Massimo Bartolini (1962) and Elisabetta Benassi (1966). Bartolini’s research focuses on the relationship between the human being and the environment. In the series “Rugiada,” which means “dew,” Bartolini recreates the morning dew on monochrome paintings through drops of water mixed with silicon sprayed on the surface, thus combining the wonder of nature and the history of art in one (the work from the series on show in Basel was priced 13,000 euros or $16,500). Massimo Bartolini, like Penone, is currently on show at dOCUMENTA(13) in Kassel with the work Untitled (Wave), where he recreated the movement of a wave in a pond.

The younger generation was represented at the booth of Magazzino by Alessandro Piangiamore (1976), Daniele Puppi (1970), and Gianluca Malgeri (1974). Malgeri’s work Wunderkammer attracted a lot of attention. The installation, composed of branches resembling the deer’s antlers of a trophy, was inspired by the myth of Apollo and Daphne. It deals with the theme of love, but also of collecting art. It was sold for 15,000 euros ($19,000) to an international buyer. The works by Puppi and Piangiamore had a great commercial success, as well, and they were sold on the first day to international collectors: a real satisfaction for Italian young art, which succeeds in asserting itself for its quality despite the lack of a solid art system in its homeland.

About Silvia Anna Barrilà:

Silvia Anna Barrilà is an Italian fine arts journalist and regular contributor to the Italian financial newspaper Il Sole 24 ORE (ArtEconomy24). She also writes about art, design, lifestyle and society for a number of Italian and international magazines, including DAMn Magazine and ICON (Mondadori). She is based in Milan and Berlin.

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Archaeologist claims he’s found oldest rock art in Australia

An example of aboriginal rock art, Ubirr Art Site, Kakadu National Park, Australia. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) – An archaeologist says he found the oldest piece of rock art in Australia and one of the oldest in the world: an Aboriginal work created 28,000 years ago in an outback cave.

The dating of one of the thousands of images in the Northern Territory rock shelter known as Nawarla Gabarnmang will be published in the next edition of the Journal of Archaeological Science.

University of Southern Queensland archaeologist Bryce Barker said Monday that he found the rock in June last year but only recently had it dated at New Zealand’s University of Waikato radiocarbon laboratory.

He said the rock art was made with charcoal, so radiocarbon dating could be used to determine its age. Most rock art is made with mineral paint, so its age cannot be accurately measured.

“It’s the oldest unequivocally dated rock art in Australia” and among the oldest in the world, Barker said.

The oldest known rock art is in Spain, where hand stencils and red disks made by blowing paint on to the wall in El Castillo cave are at least 40,800 years old, according to scientists using a technique known as uranium-thorium dating.

Australian National University archaeologist Sally May, who is not involved with Barker’s research, described his find as “incredibly significant.”

“I don’t think it will surprise anyone that rock art is that old in Australia because we know people have been here a lot longer than that and there’s no reason to believe they weren’t producing art,” she added.

Barker said he found evidence that the cave where he found the rock art had been occupied for 45,000 years.

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Michigan brewing company’s assets to be auctioned

Art of the brew -- Edouard Manet's (French, 1832-1883) 'La serveuse de bocks' ('The Waitress'), painted 1878-1879, depicting a woman serving beer. From the collection of Musee d'Orsay, Paris. Image from The Yorck Project.

WEBBERVILLE (AP) – An auction is planned for Wednesday to sell off assets of Michigan Brewing Co., known for making beers including musician Kid Rock’s own Badass Beer.

The Lansing State Journal reports brewing equipment and other assets including the Webberville-based brewery’s name are expected to be sold. The sale is to satisfy a Detroit-area creditor.

Bobby Mason, who founded the brewery roughly 17 years ago, says he’s trying to save what he can.

An on-site restaurant drew customers in recent years and its craft beers won medals. But Mason was evicted in April following foreclosure on the brewery.

Michigan Brewing had an agreement to brew Badass Beer. A statement on Kid Rock’s website earlier this month said an announcement is planned soon on a new brewer for Badass Beer.

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Firefighter donates 1927 hose truck to firehouse museum

A 1928 American LaFrance fire truck. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

FLINT, Mich. (AP) – Firefighter Rico Phillips recently sat behind the wheel of a red 1927 American LaFrance hose truck as it was hoisted onto a large flatbed, making its way to a new home on the state’s east side.

It’s not the last time the 19-year veteran of the Flint Fire Department will see the vehicle, but it’s the final time it will roll out of the former Fire Station 2 on Martin Luther King Avenue.

“It’s in remarkable shape,” said Matt Lee, executive director of the Michigan Firehouse Museum in Ypsilanti, of the 22-foot-long, 13,000-pound vehicle donated to Phillips. “The city took good care of it.”

Phillips said he received the truck in 2005, when a Metamora, Mich., resident contacted him about making a donation toward the Flint Firefighters Historical Society, a museum that was planned to honor the history of the city’s fire department.

Those plans dissolved with a downward turn in the economy and a break-in at the building housing the vehicles in late 2011, which led the building’s owner to give Phillips until June 1 to find a new home for the antique fire truck, as well as a 45-foot-long 1968 American LaFrance fire truck, 1980s Buick City industrial fire truck and other historical items.

Lee said he has more than 60 fire trucks, ranging from an 1834 rig to a 1982 truck out of Scio Township near Ann Arbor, which rotate three times a year at the 10-year-old museum started by Howard and Norma Weaver.

“Matt came up and saw it,” Phillips said of the antique truck. “He was really excited it came from Flint.”

As he looked at the three-speed, 150-horsepower vehicle, Lee discussed plans to replace parts on the vehicle—lantern bracket, bell mount, water pump—which he said eliminated horse-drawn stations between 1915 and 1925.

“I look forward to playing with it,” he said. “It’s going to have a good home.”

Phillips said he never took the opportunity to ride the fire truck, as opposed to the 1968 vehicle he purchased from the city in 2003 and drive in parades and other events.

“This one is so old, I was scared to drive it,” he said. “I didn’t want to venture out and crash this old truck.”

His chance behind the wheel will come during the July 27-28 Great Lakes International Antique Fire Apparatus Association’s Annual Antique Fire Engine Muster in Frankenmuth, Mich., when Lee plans to unveil it following restoration efforts.

“It’s bittersweet,” said Phillips of the move. “But what’s cool about it is (the truck) will get its due chance to be displayed.”___

Information from: The Flint Journal, http://www.mlive.com/flint

AP-WF-06-18-12 0809GMT

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US sues to force return of dinosaur to Mongolia

NEW YORK (AP) — The fossil of a dinosaur that roamed the earth 70 million years ago should be turned over to the United States by an auction house so that it can be returned to its home in Mongolia, a lawsuit brought by the U.S. government demanded Monday.

The nearly complete Tyrannosaurus bataar skeleton was imported from Great Britain to Gainesville, Fla., in March 2010 with erroneous claims that it originated in Great Britain and was worth only $15,000, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

It sold at auction on May 20 for more than $1 million even though Mongolia’s president had obtained a temporary restraining order from Texas State Civil District Judge Carlos R. Cortez prohibiting its auction, the suit said. The completion of the sale was made contingent upon the outcome of any court proceedings. The suit did not identify the buyer.

James T. Hayes Jr., head of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in New York, said criminal smugglers misrepresented the fossil to customs officials when they illegally imported it into the United States.

Jim Halperin, co-founder of the Heritage Auctions, a defendant in the lawsuit, said: “We auctioned the Tyrannosaurus bataar conditionally, subject to future court rulings, so this matter is now in the hands of lawyers and politicians.”

He added: “We believe our consignor purchased fossils in good faith, then spent a year of his life and considerable expense identifying, restoring, mounting and preparing what had previously been a much less valuable matrix of unassembled, underlying bones. We sincerely hope there will be a just and fair outcome for all parties.”

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a news release that the skeletal remains are “of tremendous cultural and historic significance to the people of Mongolia, and provide a connection to the country’s prehistoric past. When the skeleton was allegedly looted, a piece of the country’s natural history was stolen with it, and we look forward to returning it to its rightful place.”

The release included a quote from Tsakhia Elbegdorj, Mongolia’s president, saying he was thankful for the legal action to recover the skeleton, calling it “an important piece of the cultural heritage of the Mongolian people.”

He added: “Cultural looting and profiteering cannot be tolerated anywhere and this cooperation between our governments is a large step forward to stopping it.”

The lawsuit said the dinosaur’s remains were believed to have been discovered in the Gobi Desert between 1995 and 2005. An auction house catalog listing of the skeleton said it measures 24-feet long and 8-feet tall, the suit said.

A June 5 examination by at least five experts specializing in bataars resulted in unanimous agreement that the skeleton was a Tyrannosaurus bataar and almost certainly originated in the Nemegt Basin in Mongolia.

One expert, Khishigjav Tsogtbaatar, head of Paleontological Laboratory and Museum in Mongolia, said in a document filed with the lawsuit that it appeared some part of the skeleton’s skull and postcranium were destroyed by poachers who lacked professional knowledge about proper excavation techniques.

U.S. authorities said Tyrannosaurus bataars were first discovered in 1946 during a joint Soviet-Mongolian expedition to the Gobi Desert in the Mongolian Omnogovi Province. Since 1924, Mongolia has enacted laws declaring fossils to be the property of the government of Mongolia and criminalizing their export from the country.

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Genie’s out of the box at relocated American Sign Museum

The Carpeteria genie all the way from California welcomes visitors to the American Sign Museum. Photo courtesy dennygibson.com.

CINCINNATI (AP) – A brightly painted, 20-foot-tall fiberglass genie towering over the entrance of a renovated 1912 Cincinnati factory gives visitors just a hint of the nostalgic icons awaiting them inside a new showcase spanning nearly a century of American signs.

The gigantic genie that was used to advertise a carpet company in 1960s Los Angeles is only one of nearly 500 signs and other items included at the new home of the American Sign Museum, which opened Saturday in Cincinnati.

The new $3.3 million, 20,000-square-foot museum is more than four times the size of the original museum, which could no longer accommodate the growing collection.

“We ran out of space almost as soon as it opened,” founder and president Tod Swormstedt said of the Cincinnati site where the nonprofit museum debuted in April 2005.

New 28-foot-high ceilings now provide space for huge signs like a 1963 McDonald’s restaurant in Huntsville, Ala., that wouldn’t fit in the former museum. The 26-foot tall, 3,800-pound sign advertising 15-cent hamburgers features McDonald’s original Speedee mascot—a small figure wearing a chef’s hat and appearing to be running thanks to some rapidly moving neon lights.

Wooden panels from a Lanesville, Ind., barn that was painted with the slogan “Chew Mail Pouch Tobacco” also made it out of storage, covering almost an entire wall of the museum’s event area which will be rented out for conferences, wedding receptions and other private events.

The museum traces the evolution of American signs, from elegant hand-painted gold leaf on glass in the late 1800s and early 1900s and the first electric signs in the early 1900s, to neon signs from the 1920s through the 1960s. Plastic signs that emerged from World War II also are among the displays.

Visitors entering the new museum are greeted with a burst of motion and color. Some of the most eye-catching displays include a rotating 6-foot-diameter metal globe encircled by a Saturn-like ring of neon cars that advertised a 1950s auto painting company in Compton, Calif., and a spinning Sputnik replica that welcomed visitors to the Satellite Shopland shopping center in Anaheim, Calif., in the 1960s.

Nostalgia remains a key attraction for many visitors who say the signs bring back childhood memories.

But Swormstedt says the museum is more than flashing neon lights or the “warm and fuzzy memories” it evokes.

“It’s an educational experience,” Sworrnstedt said. “It’s a fun, colorful way to learn about American history and culture and track our technology and design trends.”

Experts in signs and urban landscape issues say the museum’s importance shouldn’t be overlooked.

“It’s a national treasure; there’s no doubt about that,” said John Jakle, co-author of several books on American roadside history and a professor emeritus of geography and landscape architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

“I don’t know any other place where you can go and get a firsthand look at what others of us write about in books,” Jakle said.

Patty Herbin, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Signage Foundation Inc., said the expanded museum is “a point of celebration for the on-premise sign industry” because it allows people to see how the industry has progressed.

Herbin also praised the museum’s Main Street section, complete with vintage storefronts and a cobblestone square. Most of the faux storefront windows are used for displays, but one storefront is an actual working neon shop where visitors can watch as signs are created and restored.

“It’s really cool,” she said.

AP-WF-06-17-12 1716GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

What looks like a montage of signs is an actual image of one area of the museum. Photo courtesy dennygibson.com.

An overview of Main Street during the sneak preview event.

Greg Pond of Neonworks plies his craft as museum visitors look on.

Tom Wartman of Neonworks 'reflects' the craft of tube bending for neon signs, as it has been done for generations. Photo courtesy Scott Beseler. — Tom Wartman of Neonworks ‘reflects’ the craft of tube bending for neon signs, as it has been done for generations. Photo courtesy Scott Beseler.

Trophy is top prize at Auction Gallery of Palm Beaches, June 25

Large-size Fontainebleu porcelain clock. Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches image.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Kentucky Derby Trophy is horse racing’s most desired prize, and on Monday, June 25, horse racing’s “Run for the Roses” will be sold at Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches Inc. The auction will sell at public auction the 1991 Kentucky Derby Tophy won by Calumet Farms’ Strike the Gold. Live Internet bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.

The trophy from the Palm Beach Estate of B. Giles Brophy is certainly the gallery’s most recognized lot to be offered to date. Gallery president Brian Kogan commented that “having the trophy for auction is like having a very special and one-of-a-kind jewel. There is only one trophy made for the breeders of the horse and no additional copies are made.” The auction will take place at 6 p.m. EDT at the gallery’s premises at 1609 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 5, West Palm Beach.

The Kentucky Derby Trophy is believed to be the only solid gold trophy awarded annually to the winner of an American sporting event. It is a created from a brick of 14K gold and the horse and jockey finial is 18K. The solid gold trophy is made by the New England Sterling, weighs 62 ounces and is 16 3/4 inches. To complete the trophy by April, craftsmen begin the process during the fall of the previous year and literally work hundreds of hours. The entire trophy is handcrafted with the exception of the horse and rider that are both cast from a mold. The horseshoe, fashioned from 18K gold, had pointed downward on each of the trophies since 1924. Strike the Gold went on to place third at the Belmont that same year and had a racing career with winnings over $3.5 million before being sold to the Jockey Club of Turkey for breeding. The trophy is estimated at $100,000-$150,000.

Additionally, the auction will include a selection of English, American, European and Oriental antiques; English, American and Chinese sterling silver; fine art; bronzes; ivory, chandeliers/sconces; and jewelry from estates and individuals in South Florida and the Palm Beaches. Over 350 lots will be offered including lot 325, an impressive English George IV sterling salver by Robert Garrard London 1816, 20 3/4 inches in diameter and weighing 126 ounces; lot 319, a late 19th century French Fountainbleu porcelain figural clock adorned with a standing almost 30-inch-tall classical lady with wreaths and bouquets of exotic flowers; lot 295, a superb Chinese white jade vase with cover subtly carved with rooster mask; lot 263, a 284-piece Coalport china service in the Hong Kong pattern; lot 224, a natural yellow fancy 2.4-carrat diamond ring; and lot 76 an American 18th century mahogany Chippendale inlaid extension dining table; and lot 154 a 1947 Seeburg Symphonola kukebox.

Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches Inc. is recognized as having been one of the first auctions to sell on-line, in 2003. Over the past nine years the gallery has become recognized as the leader in the selling of estates in Palm Beach and South Florida. The gallery preview will begin on Wednesday, June 20, and run daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Telephone, absentee, and Internet live bidding is available. Visit the auctioneer’s website at www.AGOPB.com for details or email the gallery at info@agopb.com. For condition reports contact Leslie Baker or Brian Kogan at 561-805-7115.

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

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