‘Untitled,’ Hanksy, New York. Photo by Ilana Novick.
NEW YORK – It’s October in New York City, which means changing leaves, chilly temperatures, and apparently, now 31 days of Banksy? Yes, that enigmatic British street artist has been alternating inspiring cheers of joy and groans of jadedness with his “Better Out Than In,” a New York City residency where he creates a new piece in a different neighborhood every day in October.
So far, they’ve encompassed everything from a Ronald McDonald having his shoes shined by a boy outside a McDonald’s in the South Bronx, to a dog urinating on a fire hydrant with the words “you complete me” floating above in a comic book bubble. The media coverage has constant and impressive. If, like me, you enjoy and respect Banksy, but need a break from the hype, a similarly anonymous artist is here for you. His name is Hanksy.
Hanksy started with pasting Tom Hanks’ face in various incarnations, usually over existing Banksy pieces, but now includes other celebrities and original work. His website title is Hansky Street Fartist. He is a lover of puns and wheat paste, and while not nearly as famous as his British counterpart, it’s easier to see his work without crowds. Most recently, he put James Gandalfini’s face over a gray wizard cloak and staff, and called him Gandolfini. It was a lovingly irreverent tribute to the late actor. This was first spotted on Mulberry Street, but I’ve also caught him on Orchard just below Grand.
Around the corner is Bryan Cranston over a bald eagle’s wings, which appeared shortly before Breaking Bad’s final episode. Even street artists love their television. Other works include Ted Dancin‘ featuring Ted Danson mid-jump.
His work doesn’t ignite either Banksy’s controversy or his crowds, but in a month of constant coverage, it’s nice to just be able to laugh.
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ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
‘Untitled,’ Hanksy, New York. Photo by Ilana Novick.‘Gandolfini,’ Hanksy, New York. Photo by Ilana Novick.Day 3, ‘Better Out Than In,’ Banksy, New York. Photo via Banksyny.com.Day 16, ‘Better Out Than In,’ Banksy, New York. Photo via Banksyny.com.
Skylights inside the Reliant Astrodome render a sci-fi effect. Photo by Montrose Patriot.HOUSTON (AP) – In the market for a couple of seats from the landmark Houston Astrodome? Or a turnstile or two?
An auction will be held Saturday at Reliant Center, adjacent to the aging and dilapidated Astrodome, for anyone wanting a memento from the stadium once dubbed the “eighth wonder of the world.”
A square-foot of turf will cost $20, a pair of seats goes for $200 and a turnstile will cost more. The Houston Chronicle reports that higher-priced items include dugout benches, on-deck circles and possibly sand from the mound once patrolled by Astros pitchers.
Proceeds will go toward the Astrodome renovation project.
Harris County voters will decide Nov. 5 whether to approve a referendum authorizing up to $217 million to turn the stadium into a convention center and exhibition space.
One side of the Chinese carved jade panel, which sold for $392,000. Woodbury Auction image. WOODBURY, Conn. – A Chinese carved two-sided jade panel sold for an astonishing $392,000 at Schwenke’s Woodbury Auction Fall Fine Estates Auction on Sept. 29.
LiveAuctioneers.com provided Internet live bidding.
Seven phone bidders, multiple Internet bidders and three bidders in the room competed for the carved jade landscape panel. Auctioneer Tom Schwenke commented that the lot had drawn tremendous interest during the three weeks prior to the auction. Immediately the lot opened with an Internet starting bid of $90,000 and within just a few moments Schwenke had knocked the lot down for $330,000 hammer to a bidder present in the room, acting as agent for an absent buyer from China.
After selling the jade panel Schwenke related that it had been discovered in the drawer of a chest sold at one of the firm’s Opportunity Auctions in August. The panel, roughly 6 inches high and 8 inches wide, had a carved mountain landscape scene on one side and a carved scene of boaters on a lake on the other.
Silver-related lots fared well in the sale, also attracting international interest, with a sterling silver mounted boar’s tusk cigar clipper from a local Southbury estate hammering down to a West Coast phone bidder for $7,200 against a presale estimate of $700-$900. Two silver fire trumpets from a local consignor, estimated at $2,000-3,000, also went to a phone bidder for a $4,320 bid.
Jewelry lots saw active competition, with a vintage diamond encrusted brooch being claimed for $3,480 by a phone bidder, and other jewelry lots also selling well. A cameo glass vase was won by an Internet bidder for $3,130, and the Internet also succeeded on a rare pair of Royal Vienna steins fetching $2,875, with an estimate of $700-$900.
Two other lots featured were a William Van Zandt oil on canvas painting of a sulky and rider, signed and dated 1897 and remaining in the original frame, which was claimed by an Internet bidder for $6,875. The driver of the sulky had been identified as Walter Harrison Cornell of upstate New York, and three related portraits of family members were offered but failed to find buyers. A sideboard attributed to Thomas Seymour, from the same estate as the Van Zandt, went for $4,500 to an Internet bidder.
A rare pair of American folk art portraits were claimed by a phone bidder for $3,120. The portraits were signed and dated “Martin E. Clark, Ridgefield Connecticut – 1847” and were still in their original frames.
The auction included several mid-century modern lots. The feature lot was an Italian modernist satellite-form brass chandelier, made by Artfluce, which was knocked down for $6,000 to a bidder in the room. Other items from the estate of Ada Louise Huxtable, noted New York architectural critic, also fared well. The top lot of several art glass groupings was a group of six signed Louis C. Tiffany Favrile glass shades, which sold for $6,000.
The sale included over 200 lots of framed and unframed artworks. A framed etching by Paul Cadmus “Two Boys On Beach, No. 2” was a late addition to the sale but claimed top price among the artworks, selling for over $4,000 to an Internet bidder in Seattle, Washington. The work had been inherited by the private consignor from ancestors who purchased it from the Albany Institute of Art in the 1930s.
There was a large assortment of Oriental rugs in the sale, and the top rug lot was a room-size Persian garden design rug that went to an Internet bidder in Texas for $2,900.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium.
Woodbury Auction’s next sale is the annual Holiday Fine Estates Auction, scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 8, at 1 p.m. Consignments are still being accepted for that sale, with the consignment deadline set for Monday, Nov. 19. Contact the gallery at 203-266-0323 to discuss consigning to that sale, or email photos to info@woodburyauction.com.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Metropolitan Museum of Art image.
NEW YORK – Today, Justice Shirley Werner Kornreich of the Commercial Division of the New York State Supreme Court ruled in favor of The Metropolitan Museum of Art by granting its motion to dismiss claims that the Museum’s longstanding pay-what-you-wish admissions policy violates both its 1878 lease with the City and a State appropriations act from 1893. The following is a statement from the Museum on this decision:
“The Met is delighted with the ruling and trusts this decision once and for all validates its longtime pay-what-you wish admissions policy—which, as the judge has declared, guarantees fairness and access for visitors of all economic means.
In describing the Museum’s existing admissions policy, the judge said: ‘All members of the public can afford to visit the Museum under the present scheme.’
The court also made reference to the recent lease amendment executed by the Museum and the City of New York, noting that ‘not only does it not alter the analysis in this decision, if anything, it bolsters the court’s ruling.'”
[End of Statement]
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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Metropolitan Museum of Art image.
Maki-e Japanese Edo Period incense box. Manatee Galleries image. PALMETTO, Fla. – Keeping in the tradition of Manatee Galleries’ emphasis on important Chinese works of art, Mrs. Elisabeth Dufeu, the daughter of Gylfe Burdin and sister of Mrs. Ingrid Petri, has consigned her fabulous collection of Chinese porcelain to be auctioned on Sunday, Nov. 10, at noon Eastern by Manatee Galleries. The auction company will also present the second half of the collection from Ambassador Ragnar Petri’s family home in Sweden.
LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live biding.
The Petri collection includes fine sculpture; artwork and Gustavian pieces; a collection of Frechen stoneware jugs, Bartmann Krug, Germany, 16th century; along with an important 18th century Gustavian commode from the Georg Haupt workshop. Manatee Galleries will also offer the rest of the G.V. Burdin collection of important Chinese porcelain, which comes from Elisabeth Dufeu, sister of Mrs. Ingrid Petri, from the south of France.
Manatee Galleries has the distinction of offering selected pieces of museum-quality, fine and decorative art from the collection of world travelers and multigenerational collectors, Ambassador Ragnar Petri and Mrs. Ingrid Burdin Petri. Many of these pieces to be auctioned at Manatee Galleries’ Nov. 10 auction have never before come to the auction block.
“Ambassador Ragnar Petri served as Swedish ambassador and consulate to many nations, including Japan, Ecuador, Germany, Spain, Zaire and Colombia,” said Adrienne Falconer, president of Manatee Galleries. “Ingrid Petri was born into a family of collectors. Her father was Gylfe Burdin, a prosperous Stockholm businessman and art aficionado, who acquired only the finest antique Asian porcelain, which Ingrid eventually inherited.” In 2001, after a lifetime of traveling, the Petris moved to Sarasota, Fla., where they built a home worthy of housing this exceptional private collection.
Some of the fine art highlights in this auction hail from their collection including a 16th century Flemish ink wash allegorical scene by Karel I van Mander (1548-1606). His style of drawing, which utilized strong lines and lengthened proportions, became instrumental in developing the Dutch Mannerism style. This is likely due to his travel in the late 16th century to Rome, where he absorbed the Classical Renaissance and later Mannerist styles. In addition to his artistic prowess, Van Mander was a prolific author; his most notable work being, Het Schilderboeck, a 15th century history of Flemish and Netherlandish painters. This is the largest Van Mander that we have ever come across, said Falconer.
Another Flemish delight on offer is an ink and wash maquette drawing by Jan Jozef I Horemans (1682-1759). This scene depicts a family celebrating the birth of twins. In this scene the happy father pours wine for the women who attend the babies and new mother. This piece is a maquette for an existing oil on canvas painting by Horemans, which was offered for auction in Amsterdam in 2011. It is remarkable that both the maquette and oil have survived over hundreds of years.
Bidders can also expect a fabulous 17th century Old Masters Dutch oil on wood panel female portrait by Jan Anthonisz van Ravesteyn (1570-1657). Van Ravesteyn was one of the finest portraitists of the regent and aristocratic classes of the Netherlands in the early 17th century. This piece hails to the golden age of Dutch portrait painting and depicts a woman of the upper class wearing an austere gray on black patterned dress covered with a translucent gauzy mantle held by a black rosette. This piece is signed and dated 1650 on the face and verso.
The Petri family also owned a number of pieces by leading Swedish artists, which will be offered for auction. Three of these are original etchings by Swedish artist, Anders Leonard Zorn (1860–1920). These are classic works by the artist, which had been received as wedding gifts by the Petris in 1956. Sappo is a classic example of the artist’s ability to modulate light through his etching technique. The trio, Sappo, Gulli II and The New Maid, show Zorn’s ability to depict young women in the in the flower of youth and innocence through the fine lines of etching.
The Petris did not confine their collection to paintings. Several sculptures will also be on offer one of which is by Swedish artist Christian Berg (1893-1976). Dekorativ Skulptur I is an elegant, gravity defying, polished bronze sculpture, which renders the human form into cubist proportions infused with movement. This piece is mounted to a solid marble plinth. This is one of the larger Bergs. The sculpture is signed and dated 1929 by the artist.
Swedish items also included are from the sculptor Carl Milles (1875-1955). Milles trained in Auguste Rodin’s studio and later became the sculptor-in-residence at Cranbrook Academy of Art at Blomfield Hills, Mich. He is known for large fountains which adorn public spaces throughout the world as well as more intimately sized compositions. Manatee Galleries is privileged to offer a rare exceptional sterling silver variation of his bronze sculpture Girl with Bucket. This outstanding piece bears Swedish sterling silver hallmarks and was cast at the foundry of Herman Bergman. The auctioneers has been unable to find any recording of any other silver pieces by this artist.
Not to be outdone by the Swedish and Flemish pieces being offered is an original drawing by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. This double-sided graphite on paper drawing resided in the family collection of Paul Schrieber, grandfather of Jacques Dufeu. It depicts a ballerina on horseback as well as a circus ringmaster, and has documentation stating its authenticity.
No comprehensive fine art collection would be complete without original hand-signed Salvador Dali (1904-1989) lithographs. The pair being offered were purchased in Stockholm at the time of their release in 1966 by Mrs. Petri. The Red Shoes and The Ugly Duckling hail from Dali’s “The Hans Christian Anderson Tales” series. The Red Shoes is the épreuve d’artiste of this lithograph.
This auction provides an exciting opportunity to bid on early 1800s, neoclassical, Gustavian furniture. An exceptional example hails from the Royal Palace of Stockholm. This chair has descended from the King of Sweden, Karl XIV Johan, who reigned between 1818 and 1844. This Empire-style chair is attributed to Ephraim Ståhl and the design exhibits a markedly Egyptian flair with carved Pharaoh’s heads at the arms and deep sabre legs. In the Grand Guest Apartments of Stockholm Palace an almost exact match to this chair can be found in a fine suite of gilded chairs.
Another excellent example of Gustavian furniture is the important 18th century inlaid commode from the Georg Haupt workshop. This commode is typical of the cabinet maker Nils Petter Stenstrom who was a pupil of Georg Haupt and went on to make masterpieces in Gustavian furniture. This piece has a marble top, double locks and has been inlaid with a child’s bust in the center of inlaid ribbon work and uniform beaded inlay throughout.
As stated earlier, Mrs. Elisabeth Dufeu , the daughter of Gylfe Burdin and sister of Mrs. Ingrid Petri, has consigned her fabulous collection of Chinese porcelain to be auctioned on Nov. 10. This fine porcelain collection was up until recently, housed in Euzet les Bains in the south of France. Included is a pair of Chinese 18/19th century Famille Verte Gu vases with fabulous form and painting; double blue underglaze mark. Also presented is a magnificent rare formed Chinese Kangxi period (1662-1722) Famille Verte teapot with a fine and scarce painted scene and form, along with many other wonderful pieces of Chinese porcelain. Also being auctioned from the Burdin estate is an important 17th century Shunzhi transitional period (1644-1661) blue and white gu-shape Chilong dragon vase. The upper body is painted with a fabulous dragon with a center band that separates the top and bottom. It is painted with leaves and fruit, while the lower body retains stiff leaves.
One of the highlights of the Asian pieces is a museum-quality rare scene signed Japanese Maki-e incense container (kogo) with two lacquer on wood with gold and silver maki-e decoration interior boxes residing in another fitted hardwood box. This is in perfect condition. From Japan, Edo period, circa 1810, the container was purchased in Japan in 1969 by Mrs. Petri’s father. This comes with a certificate. The virtuosity of the lacquer artist is displayed in the number of maki-e (sprinkled design) techniques that have been used to decorate these small containers. The vine leaves, some of the snowflakes, and the rafts are in slight relief (takamaki-e); the raised lines of the grasses over the snow-flakes, raised veining of the leaves, and the undulating waves illustrate the tsukegaki technique, while accents of carefully placed small squares of gold leaf (okibir-ame) are visible on some of the leaves and on the dark snowflake near the center, which is colored with a mixture of silver and charcoal dust (gin kuro). The background of the outer box is nashiji (pear-skin ground), with the densely sprinkled gold flecks suspended in translucent amber-colored lacquer.
Another exceptional piece is the rare Chinese Famille Rose Mandarin punchbowl with the finest painting the auction house has seen. The 21-inch bowl is decorated and gilded with shaped panels surrounded by gold dragons enclosing alternating scenes of officials and ladies at leisure and birds among flowers, all reserved on a gilt ground with further scrolling foliage. A Chinese Famille Verte porcelain circular dish, Kangxi period, 14 inches in diameter, is another superb piece.
Featured as well is a set of four antique Chinese scrolls, 19th century but very possibly 18th century. They are ink and color on paper-backed silk weave, a pair of phoenix beneath a tree, peonies growing around the base, a retinue of birds in the branches and on the ground and remounted with brocade fabric. Manatee Galleries will also have in addition to many more Famille Verte Kangxi period pieces and Chinese works of art, a nice selection of ivory, jade and Chinese paintings and an extensive array of Tibetan Chinese bronze. This 500-lot auction represents a rare opportunity to acquire museum-quality pieces that have been held in private hands for generations.
Grueby Pottery Kendrick vase with leaded glass shade. Estimate: $28,000-$30,000. Cowan’s Auctions Inc. image. CINCINNATI – Cowan’s Auctions Inc., in partnership with Garth Clark and Mark Del Vecchio, will host their semiannual Modern and Contemporary Ceramics auction on Thursday, Nov. 7. Immediately following the ceramics sale is Cowan’s 20th Century Art + Design Auction. LiveAuctioneers.com will facilitate Internet live bidding.
The ceramics sale will begin at 10 a.m. Eastern and feature a group of rare, early pieces by Peter Voulkos, as well as a fine selection of works by Toshiko Takaezu, Viola Frey, Lucie Rie, Betty Woodman and Beatrice Wood. Cowan’s 20th Century Art + Design sale will highlight exceptional works of mid-century and contemporary design, art Nouveau, fine art, works on paper, photography and art glass.
Highlighted in the ceramics portion of the auction is a canvas piece by Peter Voulkos, titled Falling Red, estimated at $60,000-$90,000. This was one of the paintings shown in Voulkos’ one-man show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1960. The exact number of these large canvases painted by Voulkos is unknown but believed to number less than 20. Another piece by Voulkos, a stack pot titled Goshun, is estimated to bring anywhere between $48,000-$60,000. This piece stands as a singular masterpiece among the iconic stack pots of Peter Voulkos.
Important works by Toshiko Takaezu will also hit the auction block in the ceramics portion of the auction. Two pieces, titled Oval Moon and Exploded Moon are both estimated to bring $8,000-$12,000. A third Takaezu work, titled Tree with Seed Pod, is also expected to sell for $8,000-$12,000.
Cowan’s will offer pieces by Beatrice Wood. An 18-piece matte blue luncheon set for two is estimated to bring $4,000-$6,000, Wood’s personal sketchbook acquired directly from the artist is also estimated at $4,000-$6,000, and a beaded necklace is estimated at $3,000-$5,000.
Additional selected works in the ceramics portion of the Nov. 7 auction include a Squared Vessel by Lucie Rie, expected to fetch $9,000-$11,000, a piece titled Totem for the Fifth Day by Michael Lucero is estimated at $8,000-$12,000, a teapot by Jason Walker, titled First into a Wasp Nest: War, is expected to bring $6,000-$7,000, and a Letter Holder by Betty Woodman is estimated at $2,000-$3,000.
The 20th Century Art + Design sale, which will immediately follow the ceramics auction, will include a Grueby Pottery Kendrick vase with a leaded glass shade. The vase is expected to sell anywhere between $28,000 and $30,000.
Exceptional photography will be offered in the 20th Century Art + Design portion of the auction. A photograph by Harry Callahan titled Eleanor, Chicago 1948” is expected to sell anywhere between $6,000 and $8,000. Three photographs by Ansel Adams titled Point Pur Storm, Golden Gate Bridge and El Capitan will be up for sale and are all estimated to bring $2,000-$4,000.
Fine 20th century furniture will cross the auction block on Nov. 7. A set of Hans Wegner Peacock Armchairs are estimated to sell for $3,000-$6,000, a pair of Grosfeld House tufted leather benches are estimated at $2,000-$3,000, and a Florence Knoll triple dresser is expected to bring $1,000-$2,000.
To request additional information about the Contemporary Ceramics auction, contact Garth Clark at garth@clarkdel.com. To request additional information about the 20th century auction; please contact Sam Cowan at sam@cowans.com.
View of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Photo by William J. Hebert.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) – Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is releasing a new book about the Grand Rapids attraction titled “America’s Garden of Art.”
The 240-page hardcover coffee table book details the history of Meijer Gardens and shows it throughout the seasons. It features more than 230 photos as well as essays by president and CEO David Hooker, chief curator Joseph Becherer and historian Larry ten Harmsel.
The book is for sale at the Meijer Gardens’ gift shop or by phone from the shop.
English artist Banksy’s ‘The banality of the banality of evil,’ a 2013 oil on oil on canvas. The thrift store painting was vandalized, then re-donated to the thrift store. It has been authenticated by Banksy and is being auctioned online to benefit the New York City charity Housing Works. Image courtesy of Banksy.
NEW YORK (AFP) – British artist Banksy has donated a “vandalized” oil painting to a New York thrift shop to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for HIV patients and the homeless.
It is the latest stunt in the graffiti superstar’s month-long pop-up exhibition on the streets of the US city which has fascinated hipsters and enraged critics.
Bought from and donated back to the same charity shop run by Housing Works, which provides life-saving services to the homeless and HIV/AIDS patients, an online bidding war is now under way for the painting.
Bids opened at $74,000 and have already risen to at least $220,200 with some expecting them to reach $1 million by the time the auction closes Thursday evening.
Artworks by the England-based graffiti maestro, who has never been formally identified, can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars in upmarket galleries.
Rebecca Edmondson, public relations director at Housing Works, described the gift as “pretty exciting” and told AFP all money raised would go to its charity programs.
“We’re constantly, constantly looking for funding… so anytime we get something so unexpected, so generous that can provide such immediate help…that’s always just a real gift to all of us and to our clients,” she said.
The gift was dropped off anonymously at the Housing Works store in chic Gramercy Park where two months earlier a customer had bought the original canvas for $50.
To the landscape of a lake, snow-capped mountains and autumnal trees, Banksy painted in a bench and a Nazi soldier sitting with his back to the viewer.
He renamed the picture “The banality of the banality of evil” and under the signature of the original artist, “K. Sager,” he added his own “Banksy” flourish.
It has been hung back in the Housing Works shop on East 23rd Street.
Edmondson said Housing Works had no idea who originally bought the painting but said a woman returned it on Tuesday morning.
“Pretty much simultaneously someone from the Banksy team contacted our visual team, which does our stores and windows, to let us know that it was authentic.”
It was Banksy’s intention to auction it off, Edmondson told AFP. His exhibition comes to an end on Thursday.
Housing Works, one of the biggest grass-roots aid organizations in New York, sees it as Banksy’s way of donating something of benefit for people in the city.
“We’re now more than $200,000. A couple of art folks have said to us this could go for a million. Already we’re happy,” Edmondson told AFP.
Banksy posted photographs of the painting on his website www.banksyny.com and his instagram account, which each day announces his pop-up exhibition.
His “Better Out Than In” residency has attracted a cult following, but has enraged the owners of defaced property and has been criticized by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
English artist Banksy’s ‘The banality of the banality of evil,’ a 2013 oil on oil on canvas. The thrift store painting was vandalized, then re-donated to the thrift store. It has been authenticated by Banksy and is being auctioned online to benefit the New York City charity Housing Works. Image courtesy of Banksy.
‘The Four Justices’ by Nelson Shanks; 2012; Ian and Annette Cumming Collection, on loan to the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.WASHINGTON (AP) – The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has installed a loaned painting of the first four female Supreme Court justices.
The large-scale portrait of Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan was installed Monday. The museum will display “The Four Justices” for three years.
Artist Nelson Shanks painted the 9-foot-6-inch-tall portrait depicting the first four women to serve on the nation’s highest court.
Museum Director Kim Sajet (Sayet) says the scale of the painting speaks to the “grand accomplishments made by these four women” and the example they have set for future generations.
Art collectors Ian and Annette Cumming commissioned Shanks to paint the piece. It was completed in 2012.
Shanks’ work is also represented in the museum’s collection in a portrait of President Bill Clinton.
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Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
‘The Four Justices’ by Nelson Shanks; 2012; Ian and Annette Cumming Collection, on loan to the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
1963 Fleer Bubble Gum #72 football collector card depicting Lance Alworth, then flanker back for the San Diego Chargers. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Fusco Auctions.ENCINITAS, California (AP) – NFL Hall of Famer Lance Alworth is getting back his Super Bowl championship ring, 25 years after it was stolen.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday the 1971 ring was scheduled to be sold Nov. 20 at an auction house in Laguna Niguel with an opening bid of $44,000. The ring was reported stolen in 1988 from a San Diego bar that displayed sports memorabilia.
Investigators say Alworth received a phone call last month demanding $40,000 for the ring he won in the National Football League championship. The former receiver for the San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys contacted authorities.
No arrests have been made.
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Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
1963 Fleer Bubble Gum #72 football collector card depicting Lance Alworth, then flanker back for the San Diego Chargers. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Fusco Auctions.
