London’s Chiswick Auctions plans festive Dec. 11 toy and doll sale

English, French, German and American dolls, circa 1790-1930, estimate range: £200-£5,000. Chiswick Auctions image.
English, French, German and American dolls, circa 1790-1930, estimate range: £200-£5,000. Chiswick Auctions image.

English, French, German and American dolls, circa 1790-1930, estimate range: £200-£5,000. Chiswick Auctions image.

LONDON – Most British antique dealers are very well acquainted with Chiswick Auctions, the West London firm whose sales bring to the market a myriad of exciting discoveries from their popular valuation days. Chiswick’s Dec. 11 auction presents an especially appealing opportunity for buyers in the run-up to Chrismas – a 300-lot selection of wonderful toys, dolls and textiles. Online bidding will be possible from anywhere in the world via LiveAuctioneers.com.

It was precisely from one of Chiswick’s valuation days that a rare and important Grodner Tal wooden doll, known more commonly as a Tuck comb doll, emerged from a neatly boxed bundle. The appealing carved and painted doll had been hidden away in an attic for many years and, obviously having been kept away from damp and light, is none the worse for wear. Its decorative yoke is highly colored and very bright, making it an exceptional find.

The doll was lathe turned and has tenon joints at her shoulders, elbows, hips and knees, allowing full circular movement. Its face is finely carved and delicately painted, with soft blue eyes and a rose tint to the ears and chin. The doll’s ears have tiny metal loops made to accommodate earrings. Made in the Groden Valley, Groden Tal and South Tyrol, Germany, this doll dates to 1810-1830. It has a slim, elongated body and measures 27½ inches. Its clothing includes two pairs of split knickers, two chemises, one full-length petticoat with puffed sleeves and a white open-backed drawstrung white dress with extremely long arms; a velvet and silk bonnet, and a old dimity printed scarf.

Also to be auctioned is a magnificent George III wooden doll, often called a “Queen Anne,” and also standing 27½ inches tall. Made in England circa 1790–1820, this doll is a later Queen Anne but also a very early George III with blue enamel eyes, carved ears, gesso and painted features including fine dot eyebrows and lashes. It has wooden fork-like hands with individually carved fingers. The sought-after doll wears a boned blue silk bodice that ties at the back, and a pale blue silk skirt in delicate condition. this has held together well but her skirt in pale blue silk is in delicate condition.

Chiswick Auctions’ Toy, Doll and Textile Specialist Tracie Vallis remarked, “The art of doll holds significant resonance with me. Through my interest, I begin to understand the social history of childhood, fashion, art and particularly the importance of cottage industry. While men mostly carved these dolls, it was women who sat, often by candlelight, sewing these dresses – an important role for women ‘without substance’ who certainly could never have afforded to own one such as the ones for whom they created clothing.”

Tracie Vallis is available to assist collectors with further information, advice and condition reports prior to the Dec. 11 sale. E-mail: tracie@chiswickauctions.com. Tel. (from USA) 011 44 20 8992 4442.

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

English, French, German and American dolls, circa 1790-1930, estimate range: £200-£5,000. Chiswick Auctions image.

English, French, German and American dolls, circa 1790-1930, estimate range: £200-£5,000. Chiswick Auctions image.

Automaton and mechanical toys, American, French and German, circa 1870–1880, estimate range: £250 - £2,500. Chiswick Auctions image.

Automaton and mechanical toys, American, French and German, circa 1870–1880, estimate range: £250 – £2,500. Chiswick Auctions image.

George III wooden doll, English, circa 1790-1820, est. £3,500-£5,500. Chiswick Auctions image.

George III wooden doll, English, circa 1790-1820, est. £3,500-£5,500. Chiswick Auctions image.

Grodner Tal wooden doll, German, circa 1810-1830, est. £2,000-£3,000. Chiswick Auctions image.

Grodner Tal wooden doll, German, circa 1810-1830, est. £2,000-£3,000. Chiswick Auctions image.

Poured wax bride doll, English, circa 1870, est. £700-£900. Chiswick Auctions image.

Poured wax bride doll, English, circa 1870, est. £700-£900. Chiswick Auctions image.

Four Schoenhut (Philadelphia) Humpty Dumpty circus animals, circa 1930, estimage range £150-£250. Chiswick Auctions image.

Four Schoenhut (Philadelphia) Humpty Dumpty circus animals, circa 1930, estimage range £150-£250. Chiswick Auctions image.

(Foreground) Marklin TWE 700 diesel rail car, German, circa 1900, est. £200 - £300. Chiswick Auctions image.

(Foreground) Marklin TWE 700 diesel rail car, German, circa 1900, est. £200 – £300. Chiswick Auctions image.

Ceramics Collector: Merry Meissen! Setting a Dresden-style table

In September, the Dallas Auction Gallery sold a 31-piece Meissen coffee and tea service from the 19th century for $10,625 with buyer’s premium. This detail of the coffeepot reveals the exquisitely painted topographical scenes for which the firm was celebrated. Courtesy Dallas Auction Gallery.
In September, the Dallas Auction Gallery sold a 31-piece Meissen coffee and tea service from the 19th century for $10,625 with buyer’s premium. This detail of the coffeepot reveals the exquisitely painted topographical scenes for which the firm was celebrated. Courtesy Dallas Auction Gallery.
In September, the Dallas Auction Gallery sold a 31-piece Meissen coffee and tea service from the 19th century for $10,625 with buyer’s premium. This detail of the coffeepot reveals the exquisitely painted topographical scenes for which the firm was celebrated. Courtesy Dallas Auction Gallery.

“Meissen was Europe’s first factory to make ‘true’ or ‘hard paste’ porcelain in the manner of the Chinese. It is also widely acknowledged as the greatest of all European porcelain factories,” writes John Sandon in the introduction to Meissen Porcelain, published in 2010 on the tercentenary of the establishment of the renowned German factory.

Today brainpower may focus on inventing new software or digital devices, but 300 years ago unlocking the formula for porcelain production was the Holy Grail. At that time, China had the know-how, and King Augustus II the Strong was buying up porcelain from the Orient, while longing to learn the secret of its manufacture.

Approaching the holidays, the host or hostess in charge may open the china cabinet, pondering what dishes will look the best and inspire a festive spirit. The king may have enjoyed a far more extravagant lifestyle at his palace in Dresden, the capital of Saxony, but his motivation was the same. He wanted to set the royal table to impress his guests.

Sandon continues the tale: “The world’s finest porcelain was discovered by an alchemist imprisoned in the king of Saxony’s castle. Working in a dungeon jail, Johann Friedrich Bottger found the ‘arcanum’, the secret process that made pure white porcelain. This precious commodity was known as ‘white gold’, for in 1710 porcelain was worth more than its weight in gold. Three centuries later, Meissen is still precious.”

Once the process of producing dining services and figures from the white porcelain was perfected, the factory focused creating new decorative techniques. Sandon’s comprehensive volume breaks down the history of decoration into chronological periods. Several strong personalities stand out, notably Johann Gregor Horoldt, who was famous for his fantastic chinoiserie landscapes around 1713-1740.

The most famous artist to work at Meissen was probably Johann Joachim Kandler (1706-1775). The skilled modeler and his workshop of craftsmen produced prototypes for Meissen’s famous figurines – often used as table centerpieces – as well as sculptural dining and serving wares. Among his creations was a series of characters from the Italian commedia dell’arte in their colorful costumes and amusing figures of formally dressed monkeys playing musical instruments.

Collecting Meissen and porcelain from other German factories should involved serious study and advice from experts in the field, because numerous pitfalls exist. Right from its 18th century beginnings, everybody else wanted to “be Meissen.” Industrial espionage was common, and styles and marks were imitated by other wannabe makers. The familiar blue crossed swords mark was added, appropriated and faked on lesser porcelain throughout Europe.

From the beginning, pieces made at Meissen – sometimes “seconds” – were purchased in the white and decorated elsewhere. And Meissen continued to replicate its own popular painting styles and figurine types from the 18th century throughout the 19th and into the 20th. These later-made pieces have become collectible in their own right.

John Sandon gives this collecting advice: “The finest specimens from the 18th century are deservedly expensive, but not every piece costs a king’s ransom. Choice pieces of 19th- and 20th-century Meissen present today’s collectors with an enormous opportunity.”

A good buying opportunity arose earlier this year when an important collection came on the auction market. Caroline Shuford, consignment director at the Dallas Auction Gallery, commented: “The Meissen in our Sept. 27th sale came from private collections in Texas, Oklahoma and from the estate of Mimi and Herman W. Lay, founder of H.W. Lay & Co. (makers of Lay’s potato chips) and former CEO of Frito Lay and Pepsico. Group lots of Meissen figures gained the most interest from buyers, as did figural cabinet plates and an exceptional topographical coffee service. The majority sold within or exceeded our presale estimates confirming that with the right pieces and conservative estimating, the Meissen market can bring strong prices.”

The coffee and tea service is an excellent example of how Meissen continued to turn out wonderful porcelain in the 19th century, which replicated the topographical painting style and colored grounds that originated in the first half of the 18th century. The 31-piece service included coffee and teapots, sugar and cream vessels, 12 cups and saucers, two small trays and a bowl. They are marked with crossed swords in underglaze blue as well impressed and painted numerals.

Whether gathering a few decorative pieces or planning more serious acquisition, potential buyers can start by visiting one of the excellent collections on view in American museums. “White Gold: Highlights from Arnhold Collection of Meissen Porcelain” – on view through Jan. 6 at the Frick Collection in New York City – displays approximately 70 pieces from Henry Arnhold’s promised gift to the museum. The Arnhold Collection of Meissen Porcelain, 1710-50 by Maureen Cassidy-Geiger, Sebastian Kuhn and Heike Biedermann is available from the bookstore.

On view at the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens in Jacksonville, Fla., is the Wark Collection of Early Meissen Porcelain. Research on the collection appears in a 600-page catalog authored by Ulrich Pietsch, director of the state collection of Meissen porcelain in Dresden, Germany.

Warda Stevens Stout left her Meissen collection to the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, a special house museum in Memphis, Tenn. Visitors can see the best pieces in the current exhibition “Fire and Desire: A Passion of Porcelain in the 18th Century” through Jan. 20. A catalog of the collection by Christina H. Nelson and Letitia Roberts will be available in March.

 

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

In September, the Dallas Auction Gallery sold a 31-piece Meissen coffee and tea service from the 19th century for $10,625 with buyer’s premium. This detail of the coffeepot reveals the exquisitely painted topographical scenes for which the firm was celebrated. Courtesy Dallas Auction Gallery.
In September, the Dallas Auction Gallery sold a 31-piece Meissen coffee and tea service from the 19th century for $10,625 with buyer’s premium. This detail of the coffeepot reveals the exquisitely painted topographical scenes for which the firm was celebrated. Courtesy Dallas Auction Gallery.
Each piece in the elaborate service was painted with a unique view of figures on the shoreline. The lot was part of a consignment of Meissen from the family of Mimi and Herman W. Lay, founder of H.W. Lay & Co. and former CEO of Frito Lay and Pepsico. Courtesy Dallas Auction Gallery.
Each piece in the elaborate service was painted with a unique view of figures on the shoreline. The lot was part of a consignment of Meissen from the family of Mimi and Herman W. Lay, founder of H.W. Lay & Co. and former CEO of Frito Lay and Pepsico. Courtesy Dallas Auction Gallery.
The collection of Warda Stevens Stout at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis is one of the most important Meissen collections in American museums. This teapot, circa 1725, is decorated with the chinoiserie scenes popular in the factory’s early years. Courtesy Dixon Gallery and Gardens.
The collection of Warda Stevens Stout at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis is one of the most important Meissen collections in American museums. This teapot, circa 1725, is decorated with the chinoiserie scenes popular in the factory’s early years. Courtesy Dixon Gallery and Gardens.
This elegant swan platter, 19th century after an 18th century model by J.J. Kandler, brought $1,125 at auction in Dallas this fall. The original Swan Service – over 2,000 pieces commissioned by Count Bruhl – was the most famous ever made at Meissen. Courtesy Dallas Auction Gallery.
This elegant swan platter, 19th century after an 18th century model by J.J. Kandler, brought $1,125 at auction in Dallas this fall. The original Swan Service – over 2,000 pieces commissioned by Count Bruhl – was the most famous ever made at Meissen. Courtesy Dallas Auction Gallery.
Another elaborate Meissen service, made for Saxon Prime Minister Count Sulkowski, circa 1735, included this tureen and cover now in the Stout Collection in Memphis. View highlights in the current Dixon Gallery exhibition ‘Fire and Desire: A Passion for Porcelain in the 18th Century.’ Courtesy Dixon Gallery and Gardens.
Another elaborate Meissen service, made for Saxon Prime Minister Count Sulkowski, circa 1735, included this tureen and cover now in the Stout Collection in Memphis. View highlights in the current Dixon Gallery exhibition ‘Fire and Desire: A Passion for Porcelain in the 18th Century.’ Courtesy Dixon Gallery and Gardens.
This satirical figure of Count Bruhl's tailor astride a shaggy goat, late 19th century after the 18th century model by J.J. Kandler, sold for $14,340 in 2009. The original statuette appeared on the king’s table as part of a complex centerpiece. Courtesy Dallas Auction Gallery.
This satirical figure of Count Bruhl’s tailor astride a shaggy goat, late 19th century after the 18th century model by J.J. Kandler, sold for $14,340 in 2009. The original statuette appeared on the king’s table as part of a complex centerpiece. Courtesy Dallas Auction Gallery.
Meissen master Johann Joachim Kandler began modeling figures from the Italian commedia dell’arte in 1735. This circa 1744 group from the Stout Collection depicts a dancing harlequin and columbine. Courtesy Dixon Gallery and Gardens.
Meissen master Johann Joachim Kandler began modeling figures from the Italian commedia dell’arte in 1735. This circa 1744 group from the Stout Collection depicts a dancing harlequin and columbine. Courtesy Dixon Gallery and Gardens.

 

 

LiveAuctioneers adds advanced analytics to bidder-approval process

NEW YORK (LAPRS) – In its ongoing mission to provide auction houses with the most dependable method of pre-screening potential online bidders, LiveAuctioneers.com has added comprehensive bidder analytics to its existing approval process. The new data suite provides aggregated information and statistics culled from several sources to create the most reliable bidder profile currently available anywhere in the Internet-auction sector.

Auction houses using LiveAuctioneers for their Internet live-bidding services may now view the following amalgamated information for any potential bidder via the company’s back-end bidder analytics:

• How long the person has been a registered member of LiveAuctioneers

• How many past auctions they have signed up for

• How many bids they have placed through LiveAuctioneers in previous auctions

• How many searches and catalog items they have saved, indicating how involved they have been on an ongoing basis

• An Experian bar chart that rates how closely the personal information entered by the potential bidder, e.g., name, address, telephone number, etc., matches up with data held in the credit bureau’s records. (Note: It is not a credit check.)

In tandem with the introduction of LiveAuctioneers’ bidder analytics, the company has added several other new features to the back-end dashboard. Now auctioneers can click on an icon to designate a person as being a “regular” or “blocked” bidder, and to view their LinkedIn or Facebook profile if the member has opted to add those links during the sign-up process.

Also, auctioneers now have the ability to view the number of potential bidders whose approval is currently “pending,” as well as a list of bidders categorized according to status: pending, approved, declined or suspended. Another useful feature tells auctioneers how many bids have been placed so far in an upcoming sale.

“We are confident that auction houses who use LiveAuctioneers’ services for their Internet live bidding now have available to them the world’s most advanced and accurate method of pre-screening online bidders,” said LiveAuctioneers CEO Julian R. Ellison. “With the addition of bidder analytics, auctioneers now have unprecedented access to each and every potential bidder’s online history and other information that is appropriate and germane to the approval process.”

Online: www.LiveAuctioneers.com. Contact: info@liveauctioneers.com

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Record set at Kaminski Auctions for English glass decanters

Kaminski Auctions determined the decanters were the work of London glassmaker William Collins, circa 1810-1820. Kaminski Auctions image.
Kaminski Auctions determined the decanters were the work of London glassmaker William Collins, circa 1810-1820. Kaminski Auctions image.

Kaminski Auctions determined the decanters were the work of London glassmaker William Collins, circa 1810-1820. Kaminski Auctions image.

BEVERLY, Mass. – A pair of rare English glass decanters brought in on a Tuesday free appraisal day at Kaminski Auctions soared to a $46,215, a record price for a pair of decanters.

The stunning price for the decanters marked a rousing start to Kaminski’s annual Thanksgiving Sale held on Nov. 24, with Internet live bidding through LiveAuctoneers.com.

The consignor knew little of the history of the decanters, only that they belonged to his grandmother and had been in the family, sitting on the sideboard for many years.

Harry Morgan, senior appraiser for Kaminski, and glass expert, determined they were almost certainly 19th century due to the sunburst stoppers and possibly Baccarat, as they were one of the few companies producing glass of that quality at the time. They also featured a large ground pontil, characteristic of Baccarat.

The most unusual feature of the decanters was the transparent enameling depicting classical woman on each, later determined to represent the continents of Europe and America. Suspecting they were of historical significance, Morgan continued to research the decanters and found that they were English, not French, most probably the work of William Collins, a London glassmaker circa 1810-1820 who held the patent for the enameling technique in the UK. Uncertain of the attribution they were given a very conservative estimate.

With two determined phone bidders and a third bidder on the Internet, the decanters were finally hammered down at $46,215, including buyer’s premium. They were purchased by a collector from the UK who had tried to buy what he thought was the same pair in London 20 years ago, that then sold for 15,000-20,000 pounds. Ten years later he tried again, when they came up at auction. This time he was determined not to lose out.

When Morgan assured him these could not possibly be the same two decanters, as they had remained in the Massachusetts family for 30 or more years, he was especially thrilled with the prospect. He said it substantiated the rumor that there were indeed, four decanters made originally as part of a dinner set and representing the four continents for the Duke of Sussex. These were the missing two, representing the continents of America and Europe.

View the fully illustrated catalog, complete with prices realized, at www.liveauctioneers.com.

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

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Kaminski Auctions determined the decanters were the work of London glassmaker William Collins, circa 1810-1820. Kaminski Auctions image.

Kaminski Auctions determined the decanters were the work of London glassmaker William Collins, circa 1810-1820. Kaminski Auctions image.

The large, polished pontil marks are characteristic of Baccarat. Kaminski Auctions image.

The large, polished pontil marks are characteristic of Baccarat. Kaminski Auctions image.

The enameled scenes are thought to depict America and Europe. Kaminski Auctions image.

The enameled scenes are thought to depict America and Europe. Kaminski Auctions image.

Reading the Streets: Colored blocks by Anthony Sneed

Mural by Anthony Sneed, Brooklyn, N.Y. Photo by Kelsey Savage.
Mural by Anthony Sneed, Brooklyn, N.Y. Photo by Kelsey Savage.
Mural by Anthony Sneed, Brooklyn, N.Y. Photo by Kelsey Savage.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Anthony Sneed’s colored blocks make an impact in the streets of Williamsburg. The added color emphasizes the unique architecture of some of the buildings lining Brooklyn.

Sneed’s mastery of shading creates optical illusions and is reminiscent of a Lego structure come to life, or of an extreme close-up of a digital screen with bars of pixelation. To get the precise edging between colors, Sneed uses painter’s tape and painstakingly measures and levels out each segment. The rigid angles contrasts with the imperfect geometry of the older buildings as their foundation begins to sag with age and the quality of their bricks erodes.

Sneed is a multiplatform artist who has had shows across the country and has worked as an illustrator as well. While his canvas works reflect much of the same style, which Sneed has attributed to old-school video graphic aesthetics as well as Legos, seeing his pieces on the street gives them dramatic heft. He utilizes the nostalgia such items bring and layers them with social commentary.

For more of his work, check out Sneed’s mural on the side of Rag and Bone in Soho.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Mural by Anthony Sneed, Brooklyn, N.Y. Photo by Kelsey Savage.
Mural by Anthony Sneed, Brooklyn, N.Y. Photo by Kelsey Savage.
Mural by Anthony Sneed, Brooklyn, N.Y. Photo by Kelsey Savage.
Mural by Anthony Sneed, Brooklyn, N.Y. Photo by Kelsey Savage.
Mural by Anthony Sneed, Brooklyn, N.Y. Photo by Kelsey Savage.
Mural by Anthony Sneed, Brooklyn, N.Y. Photo by Kelsey Savage.

USS Enterprise carrier taken out of active service

USS Enterprise under way in the Atlantic Ocean. U.S. Navy photo sourced from Wikimedia Commons.
USS Enterprise under way in the Atlantic Ocean. U.S. Navy photo sourced from Wikimedia Commons.
USS Enterprise under way in the Atlantic Ocean. U.S. Navy photo sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) – The world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was retired from active service on Saturday, temporarily reducing the number of carriers in the U.S. fleet to 10 until 2015.

The USS Enterprise ended its notable 51-year career during a ceremony at its home port at Naval Station Norfolk, where thousands of former crew members, ship builders and their families lined a pier to bid farewell to one of the most decorated ships in the Navy.

“It’ll be a special memory. The tour yesterday was a highlight of the last 20 years of my life. I’ve missed the Enterprise since every day I walked off of it,” said Kirk McDonnell, a former interior communications electrician aboard the ship from 1983 to 1987 who now lives in Highmore, S.D.

The Enterprise was the largest ship in the world at the time it was built, inheriting the nickname “Big E” from a famed World War II aircraft carrier. It didn’t have to carry conventional fuel tanks for propulsion, allowing it to carry twice as much aircraft fuel and ordnance than conventional carriers at the time. Using nuclear reactors also allowed the ship to set speed records and stay out to sea during a deployment without ever having to refuel, one of the times ships are most vulnerable to attack.

“Nuclear propulsion changed everything,” said Adm. John Richardson, director of Naval Reactors.

Every other aircraft carrier in the U.S. fleet is now nuclear-powered, although they only have two nuclear reactors each compared to the Enterprise’s eight. The Enterprise was the only carrier of its class ever built.

It was only designed to last 25 years, but underwent a series of upgrades to extend its life, making it the oldest active combat vessel in the fleet

The ship served in every major conflict since participating in a blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis, helping earn its motto of “We are Legend.”

Enterprise was headed back to Virginia following a regularly scheduled deployment when the Sept. 11 attacks happened. As soon as the ship’s captain saw the attacks he turned around without orders to steam toward southwest Asia, where it later launched some of the first attacks against Afghanistan. The ship’s captain was Adm. James A. Winnefeld, who now serves as the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

It has been returning to that region of the world ever since then, including during its 25th and final deployment that ended last month.

“She just served on the cutting edge at the tip of the spear when she returned here in November,” Chief of Naval Operations Jonathan Greenert said. “It’s shown that the aircraft carrier can evolve as a platform with many payloads relevant for five decades and will be part of our national security for the foreseeable future as we bring on the Gerald Ford to replace the Enterprise.”

The Gerald R. Ford will be the first of a new class of aircraft carriers, but it will be several more years before it joins the fleet. Temporarily reducing the number of aircraft carriers to 10 required special congressional approval. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert said the Navy would closely watch how the increased operational tempo will affect sailors. In February, the USS Abraham Lincoln will begin a four-year refueling complex overhaul in Newport News, Va., which will also take it out of rotation.

Greenert said the Navy wants to continue having two aircraft carriers operating simultaneously in the Middle East through March, but he said he wasn’t sure if that would continue past then.

While the Enterprise was inactivated Saturday, it will be several more years before it is fully decommissioned. Its nuclear fuel must first be removed by punching gigantic holes in the ship, rendering it unfit for service or turning it into a museum. It will eventually be towed to Washington state for scrapping.

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was the eighth U.S. ship to bear the name Enterprise, but it won’t be the last. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said in a video message that a future aircraft carrier would be named USS Enterprise, after the delivery of the USS Gerald R. Ford and the USS John F. Kennedy.

Mabus’ announcement drew a standing ovation from those on hand at Saturday’s ceremony. Current and former crew members have lobbied heavily to preserve Enterprise’s name so its legacy will live on.

“It just seems to be a neat name for a ship. It’s better than being named for a politician,” said Larry Kosnopfal, one of the ship’s original crew members, who now lives in Chatfield, Minn.

When the future USS Enterprise joins the fleet, its commanding officer will be handed a 200-pound time capsule filled with Enterprise memorabilia that includes notes from sailors, insignia and small pieces of the ship. The time capsule was delivered to Greenert for safekeeping until that future commanding officer is chosen.

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Brock Vergakis can be reached at www.twitter.com/BrockVergakis

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

AP-WF-12-02-12 0525GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

USS Enterprise under way in the Atlantic Ocean. U.S. Navy photo sourced from Wikimedia Commons.
USS Enterprise under way in the Atlantic Ocean. U.S. Navy photo sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

Boston church votes to sell book published in 1640

Old South Church in Boston. Image by Jim Hood. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Old South Church in Boston. Image by Jim Hood. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Old South Church in Boston. Image by Jim Hood. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

BOSTON (AP) – Congregants of one of the nation’s oldest churches have voted to auction off a 372-year-old hymn book that’s expect to fetch $10 million to $20 million at auction.

Members of the Old South Church in Boston authorized the sale of one of its two copies of the Bay Psalm Book, which was published in 1640. It is among the first books ever published in North America, and only 11 copies remain.

Board of Trustees Chairman Phil Stern says the church wants to continue growing its endowment and take care of some “critical capital needs.”

He says although there was loud opposition to the sale, the vote wasn’t close, with 271 votes cast in favor and 34 against.

Members also authorized the sale of 19 pieces of Colonial-era silver.

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

AP-WF-12-03-12 0333GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Old South Church in Boston. Image by Jim Hood. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Old South Church in Boston. Image by Jim Hood. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

US customs officials seize dinosaur skull in Wyo.

A frontal view of a tarbosaurus skull similar to the one seized by U.S. customs officials. Image by Jordi Paya. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
A frontal view of a tarbosaurus skull similar to the one seized by U.S. customs officials. Image by Jordi Paya. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
A frontal view of a tarbosaurus skull similar to the one seized by U.S. customs officials. Image by Jordi Paya. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) – U.S. customs officials have seized a dinosaur skull from a Jackson home as part of a federal Homeland Security Department investigation.

The Tyrannosaurus bataar skull, also known as the tarbosaurus, is estimated to be worth between $250,000 and $400,000.

The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports that federal officials have declined to provide any details about the case, saying it remains under investigation.

The tarbosaurus is an Asian species that lived about 70 million years ago. It’s closely related to Tyrannosaurus rex.

Federal officials recently seized a nearly complete tarbosaurus skeleton that was sold at auction in New York and arrested a Florida man for illegally importing dinosaur fossils.

It’s unclear whether there’s any connection between the Jackson skull and the New York case.

___

Information from: Jackson Hole (Wyo.) News And Guide, http://www.jhnewsandguide.com

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

AP-WF-12-03-12 1637GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

A frontal view of a tarbosaurus skull similar to the one seized by U.S. customs officials. Image by Jordi Paya. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
A frontal view of a tarbosaurus skull similar to the one seized by U.S. customs officials. Image by Jordi Paya. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Hong Kong heiress wins fight to demolish historic mansion

An early 1900s postcard shows Ho Tung Gardens on the left foreground. Image courtesy of Wikemedia Commons.
An early 1900s postcard shows Ho Tung Gardens on the left foreground. Image courtesy of Wikemedia Commons.
An early 1900s postcard shows Ho Tung Gardens on the left foreground. Image courtesy of Wikemedia Commons.

HONG KONG (AFP) – Hong Kong has reversed a decision to declare one of the city’s last colonial-era mansions a heritage site after objections from the owner who plans to demolish the property, officials said Tuesday.

Built by and named after Sir Robert Ho Tung in 1927, the Ho Tung Gardens sits on a site of just over a hectare (two and a half acres) in a high-end residential neighborhood on The Peak.

The city announced plans in October last year to preserve the site, but the bid faced fierce opposition from the owner – Ho’s granddaughter – who reportedly wanted to demolish the mansion and replace it with 10 cottages.

“The owner has objected and appealed to the chief executive,” development minister Paul Chan told reporters, saying that the government could have faced legal action if it was to continue with the plan without the owner’s consent.

“The owner can now go ahead … with the redevelopment plan,” Chan said.

Government officials said they had met with the owner, Ho Min-kwan, and representatives to discuss options for preservation despite their differences. She reportedly rejected a government offer for a land swap.

Ho Tung Gardens is the only remaining residence directly related to Ho, who was a prominent community leader and the first non-European to receive permission from the then British colonial administration to reside on The Peak.

Authorities have called the house a “rare history building” and “probably the earliest surviving example, of Chinese renaissance architecture in Hong Kong.”

Hong Kong, a former British colony, was returned to China in 1997 and remains a semiautonomous city with its own legal and administrative system.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

An early 1900s postcard shows Ho Tung Gardens on the left foreground. Image courtesy of Wikemedia Commons.
An early 1900s postcard shows Ho Tung Gardens on the left foreground. Image courtesy of Wikemedia Commons.

Louvre opens branch museum in northern France

The church of Saint Léger de Lens (Pas-de-Calais) is a landmark in Lens, where the new branch of the will open soon. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
The church of Saint Léger de Lens (Pas-de-Calais) is a landmark in Lens, where the new branch of the will open soon. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
The church of Saint Léger de Lens (Pas-de-Calais) is a landmark in Lens, where the new branch of the will open soon. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

LENS, France – The Louvre museum opened a new satellite branch among the slag heaps of a former mining town Tuesday in a bid to bring high culture and visitors to one of France’s poorest areas.

Greeted by a group of former miners in overalls and hardhats, President Francois Hollande inaugurated the Japanese-designed glass and polished-aluminum branch of the Louvre in the northern city of Lens.

Officials hope the museum, set to host masterpieces by Delacroix and Raphael for its first year, will help revive a region blighted by the closure of its last coal mines 20 years ago and with unemployment at a stubbornly high 16 percent.

“We know that a museum does not bring spring. But it is a sign at least of the end of winter,” regional council chief Daniel Percheron said.

Just one hour by train from Paris, the Louvre-Lens hopes to attract 700,000 visitors for its first year, and half a million per year after that, comparedto 9 million annual visitors for the Louvre itself.

The 150 million euro ($196 million) project was 60 percent financed by regional authorities in the Nord-Pas-De-Calais region, on the English Channeland the border with Belgium.

The museum’s five sober buildings were intended by Japanese architectural firm Sanaa to blend into the former industrial site, with the rail tracks that once linked its pits turned into access roads.

From within its giant glass cube entrance hall, visitors can see the enormous slag heaps at Loos-en-Gohelle, the largest in Europe.

For its first five years, the museum’s central gallery will showcase 200 works spanning from antiquity to 1850.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

The church of Saint Léger de Lens (Pas-de-Calais) is a landmark in Lens, where the new branch of the will open soon. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
The church of Saint Léger de Lens (Pas-de-Calais) is a landmark in Lens, where the new branch of the will open soon. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.