November 18, 2013 - Auction Central News

Prehistoric point sells for record $276K at Morphy’s

Star of the auction, the Rutz Clovis Point, sea green obsidian, 9¾ in, discovered by Les Ira Kreis in the early 1950s in a wheat field on Badger Mountain, near the community of Badger Creek Springs, Washington. Sold for $276,000. Morphy Auctions image.

DENVER, Pa. – A buzz filled the room at Morphy’s November 9 auction after the hammer fell on Lot 57, a 9¾-inch sea-green obsidian artifact known as the Rutz Clovis point. The star of Morphy’s 159-lot Prehistoric American Artifact & Arrowhead debut auction, the point discovered on a mountain in Washington state in the early 1950s is known to collectors far and wide as one of the great treasures of its type. Entered with a $200,000-$400,000 estimate, the Rutz Clovis did not disappoint, selling to a Texas collector for $276,000. All prices quoted are inclusive of 20% buyer’s premium.

“How famous is the Rutz Clovis point? Ask the floor bidder who had an image of it tattooed on his calf!” said an amused John Mark Clark, who heads Morphy’s Prehistoric American Artifact & Arrowhead department. “Unfortunately for him, he’ll have to be satisfied with the tattoo, because he wasn’t the winning bidder.”

With the sale of the Rutz Clovis, Morphy’s has established what experts believe is a world-record price for a North American flaked stone artifact at auction.

Many other lots in the sale achieved strong prices. A ferruginous quartz bottle bannerstone found on the Bell Farm in Davidson County, Tennessee, in 1910, handily surpassed its estimate at $38,400. Another unusual figural piece, a rat-tail spud of polished metamorphic material, described in the auction catalog as “one of the rarest spud forms within the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex,” was bid beyond its estimate range to $31,200. Also attracting an impressive price was the lot of 20 points from the grouping known as the Motley Cache, of Todd County, Kentucky. It concluded its bidding run at $28,800.

“Top lots in the sale attracted fantastic prices, and many collectors around the country were paying close attention,” said Morphy Auctions CEO Dan Morphy. “There was a lot of positive feedback after the sale, and we had several phone calls regarding the potential consignment of important collections. It’s an exciting new category for Morphy’s, and we’re definitely well guided with Mark Clark as head of our department. All of the collectors know how incredibly knowledgeable and honest he is.”

Commenting on the success of Morphy’s debut in the category of prehistoric American artifacts and arrowheads, Clark remarked: “I think buyers had confidence in our authentication process and with our introduction of scientific procedures to that process. Right out of the gate, Morphy’s has established itself as the place to buy and consign top-quality artifacts.”

Morphy’s next specialty auction in this category, slated for June or July of next year, will be considerably larger than the Nov. 9 Prehistoric premiere and will continue to focus on the upper end of the market. Premium-quality artifacts have already been consigned, including a one-of-a-kind proto-historic pottery pipe, blades and projectile points from a three-generation northern Ohio family’s collection.

To contact Morphy’s, call 717-335-3435 or email serena@morphyauctions.com. Visit their website at www.morphyauctions.com.

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

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Rat-tail spud with unusual tally marks on each side of the bit. Origin: Polk County, Tennessee. Sold for $31,200. Morphy Auctions image.

Cumberland fluted point found on farm near Marion, Tennessee. Sold for $26,400. Morphy Auctions image.

Tennessee bottle bannerstone of ferruginous quartz. Found on the Bell Farm in Davidson County, Tennessee, in 1910. Provenance: John Mark Clark collection. Sold for $38,400. Morphy Auctions image.

Faulkner first edition sells for $18,750 at Hindman auction

Lot 162: Audubon hand-colored engraving, 'Great Blue Heron. Area herodius.' Plate CCXI, 1834. Sold for $62,500. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers image.

CHICAGO – Printed and manuscript literature and Americana were among the top lots that soared past presale estimates at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers’ Fine Books and Manuscripts auction Nov. 6. Over 90 percent of the books, autographs, natural history prints, maps and numismatics sold.

Internet live bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com.

The sale opened with an impressive collection of eclectic literary offerings. This session featured a fine collection of Dickens’ first editions, including Great Expectations, which brought $3,750, and a rare first edition, first printing of William Faulkner’s first novel, The Marble Faun, which, being in its rare dust jacket, brought $18,750.

Another headlining item of the sale was an archive of letters and typescripts from the modernist critic and poet, Ezra Pound, to Saint Louis artist Ernest Trova from Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Pound was housed at the facility after being deemed unfit for trial for treason due to his fascist sympathies and broadcasts in Italy during World War II. With a presale estimate of $10,000-$15,000, the archive exceeded all expectations bringing $35,000.

Achieving an unexpectedly high price was a group of more than 150 early American lottery tickets culled by Patricia Lyons Simon Newman and her second husband, Ralph Newman, founder of Chicago’s Abraham Lincoln Bookshop. Newman recently received national attention due to a touching public farewell from her son, National Public Radio’s Scott Simon, who kept vigil by her bedside and tweeted to his 1.3 million followers reports of her final hours. The archive, spread across five lots by category (institutions, public works, Revolutionary War, etc.) brought a combined total of $19,125 against a low estimate of $4,200.

Presidential manuscript letters and documents also drew high prices, including a fine autographed George Washington letter from the collection of Lewis and Clark historian and former University of Illinois professor Donald Jackson, which sold for $7,500. Rare early American travel books housed in custom wooden boxes also drew strong prices.

The highest prices of the auction came from a session of rare Audubon prints, including a Whooping Crane, $25,000, and a Great Blue Heron, $62,500. Rounding out the top lots were Turgot’s mammoth bird’s-eye view plan of Paris, $12,500; Benner’s series of portraits of the Romanov family, Collection de vingt-quatre portraits de la famille imperiale, $7,500; and a fine incunable, Herolt’s Sermones discipuli de tempore, et de Sanctis, March 25, 1477, $4,000.

The sale closed with a session of coin and paper currency, including a series of rare 16th-century Papal gold coins and a 17th-century silver marriage medal. A collection of 45 1928 Series $100 Federal Reserve Notes sold for $6,250.

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

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Lot 32: Ezra Pound letters to Ernest Tino Trova. Sold for $35,000. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers image.

Lot 50: group of 29 early American lottery tickets for universities, 1753-1814. Sold for $6,250. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers image.

Lot 143: [Plan de Turgot] Bretez, Louis. Plan de Paris. Paris, 1739. First edition of famed bird's-eye view map, on 21 sheets. Sold for $12,500. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers image. — Lot 143: [Plan de Turgot] Bretez, Louis. Plan de Paris. Paris, 1739. First edition of famed bird’s-eye view map, on 21 sheets. Sold for $12,500. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers image.

Rago Dec. 3 open house features panel presentation: Japonisme

Tiffany & Co. Japanesque mixed metal centerpiece designed by Edward C. Moore, 1880. Estimate $80,000-$120,000. Image courtesy of Rago.

LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – Rago Arts and Auction Center will host an open house on Tuesday, December 3 at 6 p.m., featuring a panel presentation, “Japonisme, The Opening of Japan in 1854 and Its Influence on Western Art and Design.” Featuring Rago specialists and staff, the presentation takes place during the preview week for the Rago Great Estates, Jewelry, Silver, Coins and Currency Auctions to be held on December 6, 7 and 8.

When Commodore Perry convinced the Japanese to open ports to the west in 1854, traders started carrying back objects and works of art. Europeans and Americans were amazed and delighted by what they saw. Western painters, jewelers, silversmiths, designers of textiles, furniture and gardens began making work influenced by the Japanese aesthetic and techniques. The name that was given to such works by the French is Japonisme.

Join Carol Cruickshanks, Executive Director of New Hope Arts and Rago specialists Suzanne Perrault, Sebastian Clarke and Sarah Churgin for a talk on Japonisme in jewelry, silver, art and furnishings, where you will be introduced to a few of the significant objects set to sell in the December 6-8 Great Estate auction.

The auction house opens on Tuesday, December 3 at noon. A reception begins at 5 p.m. The presentation will begin at 6 p.m. RSVP to 609.397.9374 ext. 119 or raac@ragoarts.com. All are welcome, even if unable to RSVP in advance.

Visit Rago online at www.ragoarts.com.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Rarities stand out in Fontaine’s clock auction Nov. 23

E. Howard & Co. No. 68 floor standing astronomical regulator clock with exceptional color and patina (est. $100,000-$150,000). Fontaine’s Auction Gallery image.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Three exceptional E. Howard & Co. astronomical regulator clocks—including a No. 68 astronomical regulator expected to realize $100,000-$150,000, plus a pair of R.J. Horner mahogany grandfather clocks, one signed Tiffany & Co.—will all headline an antique clock auction on Saturday, Nov. 23, at Fontaine’s Auction Gallery.

LiveAuctioneers.com will proviede Internet live bidding for the cataloged session, which begins at 11 a.m. Eastern.

Session two, a discovery session, will follow and have an additional 100 or so lots, also of vintage and antique clocks.

“Any serious collector will agree, having three E. Howard astronomical regulators in one sale is unusual judging by there rarity,” said John Fontaine of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery. “Add to that the two R.J. Horner grandfather clocks, plus a wide assortment of rare and beautiful other clocks, and you’ve got the makings of a significant clock auction.”

The day will be packed with examples from Seth Thomas, Ansonia, Ithaca, Elmer O. Stennes, Foster Campos, Chelsea, Atkins, Walter Durfee, J.J. Elliot, Waltham, William Gilbert, F. Kroeber, New Haven, Waterbury, Eli Terry, E.N. Welch, E. Ingraham, Tiffany & Co., Sessions and Lecoultre. There will also be French silk thread clocks, industrial clocks, mystery clocks, annular and animated clocks, English fusee, animated bird boxes and barometers.

The three Howards, though, are expected to headline the sale. Fontaine’s Auction Gallery is no stranger to E. Howard regulators. Last November, the firm sold an E. Howard & Co. astronomical regulator No. 46 clock in fine condition, for a staggering (and record) $230,100.

The E. Howard No. 68 regulator will be joined by a No. 25 drumhead regulator (est. $60,000-$80,000), a No. 74 astronomical regulator (est. $30,000-$40,000), and, for folks on an E. Howard budget, a No. 7 figure 8 regulator (est. $12,000-$15,000). But only the No. 68 is expected reach or exceed the $100,000 mark – unless, of course, bidding wars break out over the others.

The No. 68 is a floor-standing astronomical regulator, impressive at 105 inches tall and boasting excellent color and patina. The silvered 14-inch bronze dial is signed “E. Howard & Co., Boston, Mass.” Same with the quality brass eight-day, two-weight time-only astronomical movement. The large walnut case is nicely carved and the glass on the door and sides is original.

The E. Howard No. 25 drumhead astronomical regulator is in excellent condition, with the original finish. The carved walnut No. 25 case, 75 inches tall, has a round “drumhead” top. The 14-inch silvered bronze astronomical dial is E. Howard-signed, and the clock has a quality brass 90-day, weight-driven, time-only astronomical movement with deadbeat escapement.

The Howard No. 74 astronomical observatory regulator is 60 inches tall, with a case that has an iron back, cast in one piece, on which the movement bracket and mahogany case front are mounted. The 12-inch silvered bronze astronomical dial is E. Howard-signed and numbered 305. The weight-driven movement has Graham deadbeat escapement with jeweled pallets and a clustered four-jar mercurial pendulum.

The Howard No. 7 figure-eight regulator is 50 inches high and housed in a refinished walnut case with carved crests, reverse painted throat and lower glasses and black painted weight baffle. The 12-inch painted metal dial has black Roman hour numerals, blued open-moon hands and a dial that’s signed “E. Howard & Co., Boston.” The dial has in-painting and a varnished overcoat.

Of the two R.J. Horner grandfather clocks being offered, the one expected to command higher dollars is a carved mahogany nine-tube grandfather clock in good original condition with the original finish (est. $40,000-$60,000). The brass dial has a 12-inch silvered chapter ring with engraved decorations, while the case is beautifully carved, with winged griffins and figural busts.

The other grandfather clock, also with a walnut case attributed to R.J. Horner, is 105 inches tall and in good running condition (est. $15,000-$20,000). It is signed “Tiffany & Co.” on a silvered plaque and the quality brass movement strikes on five silvered tubes are signed “Walter H. Durfee.” The body features winged griffins, carved lions’ heads and figural putti.

An astronomical regulator attributed to the U.S. Clock Co., 112 inches tall and in good overall condition, in the original finish and housed in a large carved walnut case with fine pediment crest and large turned finials, should hit $15,000-$30,000; and one of the best examples of an inlaid rosewood Vienna regulator, 73 inches tall, with inset porcelain dial having black Roman numerals, with a dial signed “Jacob Weber,” should breeze to $20,000-$25,000.

Three clocks have identical estimates of $12,000-$15,000. The first one is a Herschedes pattern 140 mahogany nine-tube grandfather clock, 106 inches tall, with blued pierced hands, silvered chapter ring and applied brass Arabic numbers, in an elaborately carved case. The second one is a French figural Three Graces annular clock on a white marble base having a fluted pedestal topped with an urn, dore bronze handles and trim, standing 26 inches tall.

The third is a Gothic triple fusee Whittington chime and bell skeleton clock, 23 inches tall, with two large cathedral-shaped plates and a drop hammer strike on a nest of eight bells with quarter-hour progressive Whittington strike, signed “Bennett, London” on a metal tag, perched on a white marble base. Also being sold is a Kroeber No. 25 hanging pinwheel jewelers regulator with a 12-inch porcelain dial having black Roman numerals, 98 inches tall (est. $8,000-$12,000).

Rounding out just a few of the day’s expected top lots are a mahogany and ormolu swinging portico clock, 22 inches tall, with the movement signed “Bechot” and the dial signed “Gittion a Paris”, in a portico-style case with turned tapered columns and bronze ormolu mounts and capitols (est. $8,000-$12,000); and an Ansel Turner mahogany tall-case clock, 90 inches tall, with original painted metal dial and moon phase with painted sailing ships (est. $8,000-$12,000).

For details call 413-448-8922 and ask for John Fontaine, or e-mail him at info@fontainesauction.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

E. Howard & Co. No. 25 drumhead astronomical regulator, in excellent condition with original finish (est. $60,000-$80,000). Fontaine’s Auction Gallery image.

Figural carved mahogany nine-tube grandfather clock attributed to R.J. Horner, 107 inches tall (est. $40,000-$60,000). Fontaine’s Auction Gallery image.

Tiffany & Co. grandfather clock with mahogany case attributed to R.J. Horner, 105 inches tall (est. $15,000-$20,000). Fontaine’s Auction Gallery image.

Astronomical regulator attributed to the U.S. Clock Co., in a large carved walnut case, 112 inches tall (est. $15,000-$30,000). Fontaine’s Auction Gallery image.

Inlaid rosewood Vienna regulator, 73 inches tall, with black Roman numerals and dial signed ‘Jacob Weber’ (est. $20,000-$25,000). Fontaine’s Auction Gallery image.

RSL to launch new gallery with Dec. 7 sale of banks, Euro. toys

Marklin Central Station with canopy, German. Est. $4,500-$6,500. RSL Auctions image.

WHITE HORSE, N.J. – Ray Haradin, Steven Weiss and Leon Weiss – the R, S and L of RSL Auction Company – will officially open the doors to their new headquarters on December 7th with a fantastic 700-lot auction of banks, toys and black Americana. Conveniently located on US Hwy 22 East, halfway between Allentown, Pa., and Newark, N.J., the partners’ spacious, new 6,000-sq-ft venue is only 20 miles from Newark Liberty International Airport, an easy exit off I-78.

Previously, RSL held its sales at the suburban Baltimore gallery of auctioneer Richard Opfer, who also presided over their events. “Only the location will change,” said Ray Haradin. “Rick will still be calling our auctions, and our friends in the toy hobby can count on the same hospitality and camaraderie they’ve always enjoyed at our sales.” Also as in the past, Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

The auction will begin with Part II of a New York collector’s architectural still bank collection that was introduced to bidders last December. There are many exquisite painted examples among the 100 lots of architectural “stills,” including the best red version of an Ives, Blakeslee Palace Bank Haradin says he has ever seen. On the back of the bank is the name and address of the original owner: “Horace Marion Fulton, 1211 Vermont Avenue.” Estimate: $18,000-$22,000.

A near-mint, green variation of a J. & E. Stevens Multiplying Bank must have mystified youngsters of a century ago. When a penny is inserted, two mirrors on the bank’s side panels cause the coin to “multiply” and appear as three pennies – possibly a parable to teach children that a penny saved is a penny earned, and then some. The ingenious bank is expected to make $10,000-$15,000.

Additionally, there are fine painted examples of a State Bank, City Bank, Boston State House, Crown Bank and 1882 Church. One of the rarest pieces in the sale is a circa-1915 Kenton Hardware Woolworth Building on base, with provenance from the Donal Markey collection. “The base is what makes this particular bank so rare,” Haradin noted. It will be offered with a $6,500-$8,500 estimate.

Next to cross the auction block will be a selection of ever-popular spelter banks, including a very rare, circa-1930s German-made Mickey Mouse with Ball on base. It is estimated at $3,000-$4,500. The spelters are followed by another 100 lots of still banks, led by a circa-1907 Lincoln Bust Safe, from the J.M. Harper series of safe banks. One of only two known, it is entered with a $5,000-$7,000 estimate.

Always a highlight of RSL’s auctions, the early American tin section features bell toys and Ives clockwork productions. An Ives Uncle Tom the Fiddler toy, which also appeals to collectors of black Americana, features a cloth-dressed character who plays his fiddle when wound up. It is a rare variation with an orange and yellow painted base with aqua striping. Estimate: $5,500-$7,500. Another wonderful Ives toy is a near-mint, Civil-War-themed Daughter of the Regiment, made in 1874. The historical toy depicts a pretty young woman in Southern attire. Retaining its rare original box, this very desirable survivor is estimated at $7,500-$10,500.

Cast-iron horse-drawn and automotive toys are the perfect lead-in for an assortment of mechanical banks in consistently superior condition. Haradin says the circa-1905 football-themed Calamity Bank to be auctioned is “in pristine-plus condition and one of the ten best examples known.” Estimate: $28,000-$35,000.

Another prized mechanical entry is an 1886 Breadwinners Bank designed by Charles Bailey and manufactured by J. & E. Stevens. Considered one of the greatest banks ever produced, it served as a three-dimensional commentary on the harmful nature of monopolies and the rise of unionism that subsequently led to the passage of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Near perfect and in very good working order, the bank could reach $35,000-$45,000 at auction. Yet another stellar lot is a near-pristine, circa-1930 Hubley Ferris Wheel Bank on base, estimated at $8,000-$12,000.

Part II of the 30-year Allen Liffman black Americana collection fills several hundred lots in the auction. The broad scope of this fabled collection encompasses trade stimulators, advertising, paintings and posters; wind-up, tin-litho and soft toys; bisques and porcelains. A subcollection of black-theme smoking accessories includes pipe holders, match safes and other tobacciana items.

Every imaginable type of “jigger” toy is found in the Liffman collection, as well as some of the scarcest early games. A circa-1895 black dandy ball-toss game is made of papier-mache, cardboard and wood, and is estimated at $3,500-$5,500.

An outstanding selection of European toys is highlighted by a 15-inch-tall Doll et Cie steam-accessory lighthouse. All hand-painted, it comes with two small steam-powered boats that circumnavigate the structure when the toy is activated. The colors of paint chosen for this beautiful French production include teal, coral, mustard yellow and a burnished red on the simulated-brick basin. Estimate: $6,000-$9,000.

The European lineup continues with a rare Marklin Central Station with canopy in excellent condition, est. $4,500-$6,500; several very nice Lehmann and Martin wind-ups; and a pristine, boxed Tippco Silver Racer motorcycle with sidecar, est. $3,500-$4,500.

The ultimate prewar Japanese tinplate auto, a circa-1930 KY Franklin 2-door car with working headlights, yellow-pinstriped turquoise body and deep blue chassis, will likely command a winning bid of $9,000-$12,000. It will be followed by an additional assortment of still banks, which will close out the session.

RSL’s Saturday, Dec. 7 auction will commence at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. For additional information on any item in sale, call Ray Haradin at 412-343-8733, Leon Weiss at 917-991-7352, or Steven Weiss at 212-729-0011. E-mail raytoys@aol.com or geminitoys@earthlink.net. Online: www.rslauctions.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

1886 J. & E. Stevens Breadwinners cast-iron mechanical bank. Est. $35,000-$45,000. RSL Auctions image.

Circa-1905 J. & E. Stevens Calamity mechanical bank, one of the 10 best known. Est. $28,000-$35,000. RSL Auctions image.

Circa-1930 Hubley Ferris Wheel cast-iron mechanical bank on base. Est. $8,000-$12,000. RSL Auctions image.

Doll et Cie steam-accessory lighthouse, 15in high, hand-painted, French. Est. $6,000-$9,000. RSL Auctions image.

Kenton Hardware Woolworth Building cast-iron still bank on base. Provenance: Donal Markey collection. Est. $6,500-$8,500. RSL Auctions image.

Circa-1895 dandy ball toss game of papier-mache, cardboard and wood. Est. $3,500-$5,500. RSL Auctions image.

KY Franklin 2-door sedan, prewar Japanese, tin, working headlights. Est. $9,000-$12,000. RSL Auctions image.

Tippco Silver Racer with sidecar, original box; tin, German. Est. $3,500-$4,500. RSL Auctions image.

Red version of circa-1885 Ives, Blakeslee cast-iron Palace Bank. Provenance: Richard Garthoeffner. Est. $18,000-$22,000. RSL Auctions image.

Kamelot auction takes on Continental flavor Nov. 23

Lot 150 - 19th Century Federal gilt carved girandole with convex mirror. Kamelot Auction House image. Kamelot Auction House image.

PHILA., Pa. – On Saturday, Nov. 23, Kamelot Auctions will present an English and Traditional Furniture Auction beginning at 10 a.m. Eastern. The auction will present 628 lots of English, Continental and 20th century furniture accompanied by a large selection of lighting fixtures and fine quality rugs.

LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

The sale will open with a strong collection of English furniture comprised of benches, settees, armchairs, dining tables, bookcases, breakfronts, vitrines, desks, highboys, mirrors and much more for discerning collectors of traditional furniture to choose from. A pair of red leather Napoleon III-style chesterfield love seats is presented with estimates of $1,500-$2,500 (lot 13), and carrying a similar appeal is a very good pair of leather library chairs, circa 1920, bearing the same estimate (lot 51). Expected to be one of the top earners is lot 29, a mid-19th century Adams-style satinwood vitrine ($2,000-$3,000). A great complementary piece to this is lot 44, a very good Adams- style satinwood and paint-decorated bookcase, circa 1890 ($1,000-$1,500).

Other standouts include a two-part English mahogany secretary desk, circa 1850 (lot 8, $1,500-$2,500); a set of six Queen Anne-style chinoiserie-decorated dining chairs, circa 1920 (lot 12, $600-$1,200); and a Regency cellarette having ball finials and paw feet (lot 72, $600-$800). The sale will feature over 20 Chippendale-style lots. Leading among them is lot 11, a pair of Chippendale carved mahogany armchairs having shaped and carved crest rail over period carved back splat above a shaped seat, circa 1920 ($300-$600). Highlighting the selection of Americana is a very good 19th century Federal gilt carved girandole with convex mirror (lot 150, $1,800-$2,400).

Kamelot’s sales have consistently offered a robust selection of fine quality Continental furniture, and with an excess of 200 lots to choose from, this sale will by no means be an exception. Among the most prominent of the Continental offerings is lot 429, a good 19th century Dutch marquetry inlaid breakfront, circa 1860, presented with estimates of $1,500-$3,000, and lot 416, an 18th century French carved walnut serpentine front commode having shaped top over two small and two large drawers ($1,500-$2,500). A somewhat uncommon find sure to catch the eye of collectors is an upholstered tete a tete having tufted and shaped backs raised on turned legs, circa 1920 (lot 423, $500-$700). Other highlights include lot 424, a pair of Edwardian spool-turned decorated settees, each having upholstered back and seat circa 1890 ($1,200-$1,800) and lot 275, a lot of four French burlap upholstered chairs including a Napoleon III slipper chair and three bergere chairs, circa 1890 ($1,200-$1,800).

Also up for auction are 10 games tables in various styles. Noteworthy among them is lot 250, a French marquetry Tric-Trac or games table having polychromed figural inlaid top with game board on reverse side, all over a backgammon board ($1,200-$1,800).

A small but select group of garden items will be showcased, including two good majolica glazed garden seats (lots 101 and 102, estimated at $600-$800 each) and an ominous looking carved wooden English bulldog retaining its original polychrome finish, circa 1930—perfect for anyone in need of a guard dog (lot 100, $500-$800).

Lighting will be represented in over 40 lots composed of chandeliers, sconces, lamps, floor lamps and torchieres from a variety of periods and styles. Choice highlights include a whimsical pair of French ’50s-era Lucite two-light wall sconces, circa 1950 (lot 459, $400-$600); a Louis XV-style bronze and alabaster chandelier having leaf form center supporting a bowl with six scrolling arms (lot 207, $300-$600); and an eight-arm Fer Forge Art Deco chandelier having two interior light sockets illuminating detailed geometric design, circa 1920 (lot 486, $500-$800). Art Deco will cross the auction block toward the end of the sale in a string of lots including a pair of French leather club chairs, circa 1940 (lot 472, $1,500-$2,500); and a stylish console table with ebonized wood top supported by two stylized bronze cats (lot 505, $600-$800); both great choices for design-savvy buyers. Closing out the sale will be 75 lots of mid-century/modern furnishings. Standouts include lot 597, a French modernist card table and chairs circa 1950 ($600-$800) and lot 590, a five-piece dining set including a table and four matching shell seat chairs ($300-$600).

The auction will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday Nov. 23, and doors will open at 8 a.m. For details phone 215-438-6990.

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

Lot 29 - Mid-19th century Adams-style satinwood vitrine. Kamelot Auction House image. — Lot 29 – Mid-19th century Adams-style satinwood vitrine. Kamelot Auction House image.

Lot 51 - Pair of English leather library chairs circa 1920. Kamelot Auction House image. — Lot 51 – Pair of English leather library chairs circa 1920. Kamelot Auction House image.

Lot 11 - pair of Chippendale carved mahogany armchairs, circa 1920. Kamelot Auction House image. — Lot 11 – pair of Chippendale carved mahogany armchairs, circa 1920. Kamelot Auction House image.

Lot 505 - Art Deco style console table with stylized bronze cats. Kamelot Auction House image. — Lot 505 – Art Deco style console table with stylized bronze cats. Kamelot Auction House image.

Lot 100 - Carved wooden English bulldog with original polychromed finish circa 1930. Kamelot Auction House image. — Lot 100 – Carved wooden English bulldog with original polychromed finish circa 1930. Kamelot Auction House image.

Lot 597 - French modernist card table and chairs, circa 1950. Kamelot Auction House image. — Lot 597 – French modernist card table and chairs, circa 1950. Kamelot Auction House image.

Wright to open new location in Manhattan on Nov. 22

Wright's new gallery at 980 Madison Avenue, New York City, which will open to the public on Nov. 22, 2013. Image courtesy of Wright.

NEW YORK – Wright, the Chicago auction house specializing in 20th century art and design, has announced the opening of a new location in New York. Located in the historic Parke-Bernet building at 980 Madison Avenue, Wright’s new space will serve as a unique venue for auction previews and a diverse program of exhibitions related to art and design. Wright will celebrate its new creative outpost with a champagne reception on the evening of November 21, 2013.

The gallery will feature a diverse program of exhibitions and events related to historic and contemporary art and design. “A space in New York gives us the opportunity to showcase art and design in new and creative ways,” said Richard Wright, president. “We are planning events related to our auctions, but also compelling exhibitions which are completely independent.”

Brent Lewis, formerly a vice president of Christie’s, New York, has been appointed director of the gallery. “Brent Lewis joins our team with broad expertise in the area of 20th century and contemporary design,” noted Michael Jefferson, senior vice president of Wright. “Establishing a gallery in New York with Brent at the helm offers our numerous New York clients a familiar and consistent face in the city.”

The first exhibition at 980 Madison will open to the public on November 22, featuring select highlights from Wright’s exclusive winter Design auction. The auction itself will be held in Chicago on December 12. This sale features impressive 20th century masterworks vetted for pedigree, rarity and beauty.

Highlights available for preview in New York include a rare Cloud ottoman by Isamu Noguchi, one of only four known examples (estimate: $150,000-200,000), as well as an important anthropomorphic coffee table by Carlo Mollino (estimate: $70,000-90,000). Also to be auctioned is a superb bush-form sculpture by Harry Bertoia (estimate: $100,000-150,000). Significant in scale and featuring a rare cast sculptural base with extended stem, this remarkable work is among the finest of Bertoia’s oeuvre. Other artists and designers represented in the preview include Leo Amino, Fernando and Humberto Campana, Ico and Luisa Parisi, Pierre Chareau and Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti.

“This selection of works encapsulates all which draws us to design,” said Brent Lewis. “Some are laden with artistic significance, others heralded for their innovations. To exhibit Isamu Noguchi’s seminal Cloud ottoman alone is a rare opportunity, and to place it in the context of such dynamic and important works is a fitting opening act for Wright at 980 Madison.”

Wright opens in New York on November 22 at 980 Madison Avenue. A public gallery preview will run from November 22 through December 12, Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment. All works will be auctioned in Chicago on December 12 at 12 p.m. Central Time, with Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com. Visit Wright online at www.wright20.com

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How children helped buy a copy of Gettysburg Address

A framed 'The Gettysburg Address' offset lithograph by Mort Kunstler. Image courtesy of LiveAucitoneetrs.com and Midwest Auction Galleries Inc.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – As a boy in the 1940s, Gene Rubley got a nickel allowance every week—money that would pay for a 4-cent ticket to see a double feature at a Springfield movie theater, with a penny to spare for candy.

“That was my Saturday,” the Illinois resident, now 83, said, adding that as the country recovered from the Great Depression and entered World War II, “We didn’t have anything.”

Yet Rubley gave that prized allowance up for a time as part of an effort by some of the youngest residents of Abraham Lincoln’s home state to obtain a copy of the president’s Gettysburg Address.

Rubley was one of the thousands of school children across the state who mobilized in the early 1940s to raise a majority of the $60,000 needed to purchase one of the five known copies of the speech written in Lincoln’s hand.

“It meant something to us, being part of something like that,” he said. “We were acquiring a piece of history.”

As Tuesday’s 150th anniversary of the famous 272-word address approaches, the memories of septuagenarians and octogenarians such as Rubley remain one of the only links to the effort, as few details were recorded after the original fundraising drive.

Illinois’ manuscript, often called the “Everett copy,” is housed at Springfield’s Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. James Cornelius, curator of the Lincoln collection at the museum, said the president wrote the copy at the request of Edward Everett, the main speaker at the Gettysburg National Cemetery in Pennsylvania in November 1863. Everett was collecting the speeches from Gettysburg’s dedication into one bound volume to sell for the benefit of stricken soldiers at a fair.

The exact wording of the address varies among the manuscript copies and media reports from the time. Cornelius said the Everett copy is the only handwritten copy of the address to include the phrase “under God,” which the Associated Press at the time reported that Lincoln said.

Records show that in October 1943, Illinois State Historical Library trustee Oliver Barrett suggested school children help raise the money to buy the Everett copy from New York manuscript and rare books dealer Thomas Madigan. State superintendent Vernon Nickell communicated the task to schools, and the fundraising drive, as a result, was nicknamed “Nickell’s Nickels.”

“It was a public morale booster,” Cornelius said, comparing it to scrap metal drives during wartimes.

Robert Iverson, the youngest in a family of eight children growing up in the Chicago suburbs, said he and several siblings recall penny jars being stationed in classrooms for the collection.

Children were asked to make an average donation of 5 cents apiece, and they raised more than $50,000 by March, state records show. Chicago department store heir Marshall Field III later donated the remainder.

The months-long effort became a friendly competition, as fundraising tallies were tracked across the state.

Kenneth Jones, then a high school student in southern Illinois’ Vandalia, was selected by his peers to present the manuscript to state officials in Springfield in March of 1944, along with three other children from other parts of the state.

Jones died in 1997, and family members don’t recall him recollecting his experiences with the collection, though they gave the AP local newspaper clippings that had been saved about the drive.

Two copies of the speech remain at the Library of Congress, another at the White House and the last at Cornell University. Cornelius said the Everett copy is in the best condition because of its years being sandwiched between other pages in the Gettysburg commemorative volume.

The two-page manuscript is currently on display at the museum until Dec. 1, when, Cornelius said, it will go back into the vault so that “it’s good and legible 100 years from now.”

Rubley’s participation in the school children’s coin drive spurred an interest in history that he says remains with him to this day. Now retired, he works as docent at the Lincoln museum, where he shows visitors the manuscript he helped bring in years ago.

“It just fascinates me that people are coming from all over the world to honor our president,” he said. “Our Springfield boy makes good.”

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Follow Kerry Lester on Twitter at https://twitter.com/kerrylester

AP-WF-11-16-13 2215GMT

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Kovels Antiques & Collecting: Week of Nov. 18, 2013

This copper teapot covered with enamel was made in China in the 19th century. It sold at Cowan's Auctions Inc. in Cincinnati last year for $660.

BEACHWOOD, Ohio – The Chinese enameling called cloisonne has been made for centuries. A thin metal wire is bent into shape on a metal vase and soldered into place. Then colored enamels are floated in to fill each space and form the decoration. The word “cloison” is French for “fence” and is the source of the word cloisonne. But there also was another type of enamel-on-metal object made in China by the 17th century. It is called “Peking enamel” or “Canton enamel.” A metal vase was covered with thick enamel, usually white, then fired. Then an artist painted a scene or pattern with colored enamels, and the vase was fired again. These enameled metal pieces were usually made to resemble European designs and most were exported. The quality of the work deteriorated during the next few centuries and this type of enamel is rarely made today. Recognizing cloisonne and its thin metal lines is easy, but Peking enamels closely resemble porcelain. A 5-inch-high Peking enamel teapot that held a single cup of water for tea sold in 2012 for $660. It was painted with a Chinese landscape of clouds over a lake but the painting style was European. No doubt it was made for export to Europe or the United States.

Q: My brother left me his “Brunswick Home Comfort Table” that dates from about 1908. It’s a combination billiards table and sofa. The tabletop folds over to form the back of the sofa, which has leather tufted upholstery on the seat and back. A metal label on the table says “Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co.” History and value?

A: John Moses Brunswick founded the J.M. Brunswick Manufacturing Co. in Cincinnati in 1845. After a couple of mergers, the company was renamed Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co. in 1884. Today the company, still in business, is named Brunswick Corp. It manufactures a variety of products, including billiards tables and bowling equipment. Your convertible sofa-billiards table was patented in 1910 by Jacob N. McIntire of New York. He assigned the patent to Brunswick, which made your unusual piece of furniture. It’s advertised in a 1911 Brunswick catalog as “a very popular design especially adapted for use in a den.” It sold then for $150 to $175. If yours is in excellent shape, it could sell today for close to $10,000.

Q: I have two paddles my mother used to card the cotton she used in making quilts. I think she ordered them from Sears Roebuck in the early 1930s. On the back each one reads, “The only Genuine Old Whittemore Patent No. 10, cotton, L.S. Watson & Co., Leicester, Mass.” What are they worth today?

A: Carding untangles wool or cotton fibers so they can be woven into cloth. Amos Whittemore was granted a patent for a machine that made wool cards in 1797. Leicester, Mass., was a textile center in the 19th century. Several factories that made cards for textile machines, hand cards and wire for the cards were located there. L.S. Watson & Co. was the largest manufacturer of cards and also made heddle frames and shuttles. Watson was founded in 1842. After Lory Sprague Watson died in 1898, his son took over the business and it became L.S. Watson Manufacturing Co. It was still in business in the 20th century. Your paddles are worth less than $100 a pair.

Q: Is there any value to a Disney World 25th Anniversary cup still in its box?

A: Walt Disney World opened in Orlando, Fla., in 1971. A variety of glass and plastic mugs and drinking glasses were sold to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 1996 – too many to make any one of them worth much today. The mugs and glasses, with or without an original box, sell online for $2.50 to $10.

Q: I inherited six-place settings of Normandie pattern Depression glass in iridescent marigold color. While I have always loved them and display them often, I seldom use them. What about using them for my everyday dishes? I have put several pieces through multiple cycles in the dishwasher with no obvious bad effects. I haven’t tested them in the microwave yet and would appreciate any thoughts you have on the safety of that. I’m more concerned about health effects than damage to the luster.

A: Normandie was made from 1933 to 1940 by the Federal Glass Co. of Columbus, Ohio. The pattern was made in amber, pink and crystal, as well as Sunburst, which is the name of your iridescent color. Normandie was the only iridescent Depression glass made during the 1930s and is sometimes mistakenly listed as a Carnival glass pattern called “Bouquet & Lattice.” Iridescent glass is made by spraying a molded glass piece with metallic salts and then re-firing it. Since the first microwave ovens weren’t common until the late 1960s, your dishes weren’t made to be “microwave safe.” The metallic salts in the iridescent glaze might cause “sparking” in a microwave oven, and that could damage the dishes or the microwave even if it doesn’t affect your health. Washing the dishes in the dishwasher eventually will remove the luster. If you enjoy using the dishes regularly, wash them by hand.

Tip: Do not store vintage fabrics or clothing in plastic or cardboard boxes. The boxes attract bugs. Natural fabrics like linen or cotton need oxygen and can’t be in airtight boxes. And white fabrics will yellow if kept in plastic.

Take advantage of a free listing for your group to announce events or to find antique shows, national meetings and other events. Go to Kovels.com/calendar to find, publicize and plan your antiquing trips.

Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel answer questions sent to the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of photographs, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The amount of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

CURRENT PRICES

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

Kayo ventriloquist’s dummy, composition, painted, ring moves mouth, circa 1930, $70.
Cocktail ring, sapphires, diamonds, 14K gold, circa 1920, size 5 1/2, $240.
Tea caddy, mahogany, round, quarter fan and string inlays, ivory escutcheon, lift lid, fitted interior, 19th century, 7 x 12 inches, $325.
Ivory mallet, walrus tusk, turned handle, circa 1890, 9 inches, $355.
Wall mirror, sawtooth frame, burl veneer, Italy, circa 1980, 35 x 35 inches, $470.
Sign, “Ask for Wolf’s Head Oil & Lubes,” logo, round, tin flange, 22 x 16 inches, $470.
Arts & Crafts draftsman table, oak, steel, leather, adjustable, two drawers, 30 x 46 inches, $565.
Clewell vase, copper clad, bulbous base, 7 x 15 1/2 inches, $690.
Paul Revere bowl, tulips, Edith Brown, S.E.G., 1926, 2 1/2 x 9 inches, $1,500.
Barbizon dollhouse, 12 rooms, elevator, garage, patio, stucco front, slate roof, Dan McNeil, 67 x 88 inches, $1,890.

Keep up with changes in the collectibles world. Send for a free sample issue of our 12-page, color-illustrated newsletter, “Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles,” filled with prices, news, information and photos, plus major articles and analysis of the world of collecting. An important tool for anyone who buys or sells antiques and collectibles. To subscribe at a bargain $27 for 12 issues, write Kovels, P.O. Box 8534, Big Sandy, TX 75755; call 800-829-9158; or subscribe online at Kovelsonlinestore.com.

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Civil War museums to merge, move into new complex

The White House of the Confederacy is now open year round in answer to increased demand during the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War. Image courtesy of the Museum of the Confederacy. Online: www.moc.org.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – One museum has among its vast Confederate-centric collection Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s sword and the flag that flew at Robert E. Lee’s headquarters. The other museum strives to tell the story of the American Civil War through the eyes of Northerners and Southerners, freed and enslaved blacks, soldiers and civilians.

Now the Museum of the Confederacy and the American Civil War Center are joining forces to build a $30 million museum in Richmond with the goal of creating the top Civil War museum in the nation 150 years after the deadliest conflict fought on U.S. soil from 1861-65 between the Northern states and the secessionist, pro-slavery Southern states.

The marriage of museums, announced to The Associated Press, will meld the collection of Confederate battle flags, uniforms, weapons and other historic relics with a narrative-based museum that uses bold, interactive exhibits and living history events to relate its 360-degree telling of the war.

What some might view as an unlikely partnership “makes so much sense” to Christy Coleman, president of the American Civil War Center, which opened in 2000 at a site where the new museum will rise.

“That’s part of the point,” Coleman said in an interview with The Associated Press. “They have an incredible collection that is absolutely Confederate strong, but there are a lot of artifacts that have not been able to be fully explored or used to relate to the African-American experience or immigrants or the role of Jews.”

Coleman said the Confederacy museum’s collection will complement her museum’s mission of looking at the social and political stories of the Civil War.

“The combination of that is what makes this so exciting to us,” she said.

In a joint announcement, the museums said the new historic attraction in the former capital of the secessionist Confederacy has yet to be named, but $20 million has been committed to its construction. Ground will be broken in 2014, with an expected opening the following year.

The new museum will be located along the James River, at the Tredegar Ironworks, where much of the South’s cannons were forged during the war. It’s also the home of the Civil War Center. The museums said bringing together both institutions will “further establish Richmond as the foremost Civil War destination in the United States.”

Richmond continues to draw from its past to bring tourists to the city. Efforts include the creation of a Slave Trail tracing the city’s past as a lucrative center in the commerce of enslaved people to a more contemporary narrative offering tours that highlight the Thomas Jefferson-designed Capitol and other central Virginia locations used in Steven Spielberg’s film Lincoln.

At the new attraction, Coleman will share the title of CEO with Waite Rawls, president of the Confederacy museum. It dates to 1890 and traces the origins of much of its collections to the men who fought for the South and their descendants, in particular Lee and other Southern military leaders. The museums have collaborated in the past, Rawls said the merger is “a natural evolution of that relationship.”

The Museum of the Confederacy claims the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of Confederate artifacts: thousands of carefully preserved battle flags, dolls used to smuggle medicine to troops, Jackson’s sword. Only a fraction of the collection is on display at the museum’s downtown Richmond site, next to the former White House of the Confederacy.

While the Civil War Sesquicentennial has drawn visitors to the museum, overall it has seen a sharp decline in attendance through the years as the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center and related facilities have grown around it, enveloping both buildings. Finding the museum can be a challenge even for city residents.

The James River location for the new attraction, a little more than one mile from Museum of the Confederacy, offers a more expansive and accessible site. It’s also home to the National Park Service’s Richmond Visitor Center, and already is a popular destination for Civil War buffs. Concerts and other events also draw city-dwellers and tourists to the grassy grounds along the river.

“The ability to attract a much bigger audience and really stake the claim that Richmond is the premier museum experience for the Civil War—this is a tremendous opportunity for us,” Rawls said.

Rawls agreed with Coleman that the combined museums will build on each other’s mission.

“Their strength is their site at the Ironworks and their access to the river and their room for living history,” he said. “Ours is our collection.”

For his part, Richmond National Battlefield Park superintendent Dave Ruth welcomes the new collaboration along the James.

The new museum, he said, “will define how visitors experience the dramatic story of the Civil War and will communicate the powerful and untold stories that provide transcendent meaning for this event, which shaped our country’s history.”

Coleman could barely contain her enthusiasm as she offered a sneak peak at some of the future exhibits at the yet-unnamed museum, including a look at the extraordinary growth of Richmond as the Confederate capital.

“The idea is to create experiences for our guests that are really different so they can understand the conflict more deeply,” she said. “It’s really exciting.”

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Steve Szkotak can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sszkotakap.

AP-WF-11-17-13 1617GMT

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