Wyo. museum gets oilman’s lifetime art collection

Pablo Picasso lithograph. Image courtesy of the Nicolaysen Art Museum.
Pablo Picasso lithograph. Image courtesy of the Nicolaysen Art Museum.
Pablo Picasso lithograph. Image courtesy of the Nicolaysen Art Museum.

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) – Eric Wimmer was in shock when he stepped into a Casper home full of art.

The curator of the Nicolaysen Art Museum was visiting the home in March because its owner, who recently died, had donated his vast collection to the Nic. Wimmer entered and was immediately greeted by a painting.

Was that an authentic Thomas Moran?

Wimmer has a master’s degree in art history. In grad school, Moran, a titan in Western art, was one of his all-time favorites. He’d spend hours at a Denver art museum looking at Moran’s paintings, and now there was one sitting right in front of him in the foyer of the Casper home.

But that was only the start.

Around the corner from the Moran was an authentic Pablo Picasso lithograph. There was a signed engraving from Salvador Dali. A lithograph from famed French artist Toulouse Lautrec.

Art was in every room, except for the bathrooms. There were paintings from legendary Western artists like Charlie Russell, Frederic Remington and W.R. Leigh.

“I’m like, ‘Where am I?’” Wimmer recalled.

Wimmer was in Harry Ptasynski’s home. Before he died last December, Ptasynski donated his beloved art collection to The Nic, more than 140 pieces valued at $4 million to $5 million.

“It was just an incredibly generous gift,” Wimmer said. “When he passed, we came in and packaged all of the art and took it to the museum. As his wishes were, we could determine which pieces we wanted to keep in our permanent collection. It was up to the museum to find a new home for the remainder (of the art) and use the new funds to help and keep the doors open for years to come.”

Ptasynski was an independent petroleum producer. He was a strong supporter of the Nic and served on its board for years. He started collecting art about 50 years ago, and as his collection grew, so did his connections to art dealers, spanning from San Francisco to Paris to New York.

He attended auctions and traveled the world to find the art he loved.

“He bought art I think not as an investment, but as a true passion,” said daughter Lisa Ptasynski, who grew up in Casper but now lives in Washington state. “He never sold any of those paintings. Once they were obtained, never was one traded or sold for one another.

“He knew what he liked, and that’s what he got.”

Ptasynski’s collection ranged from the well-known to the unknown. There were no labels or plaques naming the artists. You just had to know.

At night, he would linger in front of his art with a glass of wine. Instead of moving from one to another, he’d pick out a piece, study and appreciate its beauty. There were bronze sculptures, watercolors, oil paintings, engravings, lithographs and more.

“It was like being in a museum,” Lisa said.

Some of the pieces cost more than a sports car. For example, three months before Ptasynski died, Lisa asked her father if she could have her favorite painting. It was by Frank Tenney Johnson, depicting an Indian scout coming through a valley on a white horse in the moonlight.

“And he said, ‘Honey, that’s just too much responsibility. I don’t know how you would insure it. That is a $110,000 painting,’” Lisa recalled. “And he was right. When your $100,000 renter’s insurance doesn’t even cover one painting, it’s clearly too much.”

Instead, Lisa selected a less expensive painting.

She wasn’t the only member of the family who loved art. Harry’s wife Nola, who died just months before him, painted. Their son Ross, who also died last year, was a photographer, painter and drawer. Lisa studied art history and portraiture photography.

“Sometimes (Harry) would go out and buy (Nola) a $75,000 W.R. Leigh (painting) for her birthday,’ Lisa said. “Much better than any Helzberg diamond, in my book.”

Art is what brought the Ptasynski family together, and now Lisa is happy to share her family’s passion. She was thrilled when she learned of her father’s plan to donate his collection to the Nic.

The exhibit is titled “Recent Acquisitions from the Ptasynski Collection’ and features 24 pieces of art. ‘It goes from his wife’s work, Nola, all the way up to Picasso,” Wimmer said.

It will remain on display until Jan. 25. The works will appear at other shows in the future.

In honor of his donation, the Nic named a section of the museum the Ptasynski Gallery. As for the pieces that were not selected, the museum is in the process of finding the right institutions to house the classic pieces of art.

“We’re very happy to be able to show this to the community. It’s awesome,” Wimmer said. “To be able to say, ‘In Casper, you can go down and see a Picasso or a Dali,’ that’s really cool.”

___

Information from: Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune, http://www.trib.com

Copyright 2014 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WF-12-23-14 1505GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Pablo Picasso lithograph. Image courtesy of the Nicolaysen Art Museum.
Pablo Picasso lithograph. Image courtesy of the Nicolaysen Art Museum.
Signed engraving by Salvador Dali. Image courtesy of the Nicolaysen Art Museum.
Signed engraving by Salvador Dali. Image courtesy of the Nicolaysen Art Museum.
Lithograph by Toulouse Lautrec. Image courtesy of the Nicolaysen Art Museum.
Lithograph by Toulouse Lautrec. Image courtesy of the Nicolaysen Art Museum.

Koons sculpture pulled from museum over plagiarism claims

The Pompidou Centre in Paris. Image by Leland. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license.
The Pompidou Centre in Paris. Image by Leland. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license.
The Pompidou Centre in Paris. Image by Leland. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license.

PARIS (AFP) – A sculpture by U.S. pop artist Jeff Koons has been pulled from a retrospective of his work at the Centre Pompidou in Paris after he was accused of ripping off a French clothing advert, the museum said Tuesday.

The multimillion-euro artwork depicts a large pig and a tiny penguin with the bust of a woman lying on snow in a fishnet top revealing her breasts.

Titled Fait d’Hiver – a play on the French term for a short news item fait divers – the sculpture resembles a 1985 advertising campaign of the same name for French clothing brand Naf-Naf.

The Naf-Naf campaign showed a young girl lying in snow, apparently the victim of an avalanche, being nosed by a pig with a barrel of rum under its neck in reference to the famous Saint Bernard rescue dogs.

Koons’s porcelain artwork shows a similar looking woman being approached by a pig with a barrel under its neck.

Franck Davidovici, the creator of the campaign, accused Koons of stealing his idea.

The president of the Pompidou Centre, Alain Seban, defended the artist however, noting that “similar questions” had already been raised in the United States about other works from Koons’s Banality sculpture series, “the very principle of which is to draw on objects bought in shops or images seen in the press.”

“It is essential that museums be able to continue to give an account of these artistic endeavours,” he said in a statement, which emphasized that the contentious piece had been withdrawn “at the request of the lender.”

A bailiff was called to the Pompidou Centre last month to photograph Koons’s creation and compare it with the Naf-Naf ad.

The sculpture, which was sold at Christie’s auction house in New York for about 3 million euros ($3.7 million) in 2007, is one of four copies of the artwork.

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

The Pompidou Centre in Paris. Image by Leland. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license.
The Pompidou Centre in Paris. Image by Leland. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license.

An American classic, Barrel of Monkeys opens up about turning 50

Before Lakeside picked up Barrel of Monkeys, the game was called Chimp to Chimp. Photo by the author
Before Lakeside picked up Barrel of Monkeys, the game was called Chimp to Chimp. Photo by the author
Before Lakeside picked up Barrel of Monkeys, the game was called Chimp to Chimp. Photo by the author

NEW YORK – Everyone of a certain age remembers playing the game Barrel of Monkeys. The author provides a behind-the-scenes account of how the popular 1960s game came to be.

When Pixar featured Barrel of Monkeys in all three Toy Story movies, it was proof that this celebrated toy was not only iconic, but still a whole lot of fun. It’s hard to believe that it has been hanging around us since early 1965, and yet, 2015 will mark Barrel of Monkeys’ 50th year in stores. As popular as it is, finding facts relating to this classic game’s origin is nearly impossible.

Milton Dinhofer, now 91, provides the missing links regarding this nostalgic toy’s evolution. After earning his engineering degree at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Dinhofer went on to design the recognizable monkeys found in those plastic barrels today. Dinhofer didn’t work for a big toy company; it was at his Long Island home where he toyed with his many game ideas.

Leonard Marks, the Barrel of Monkeys inventor on file, was a schoolmate of Dinhofer’s. Marks told Dinhofer in 1961 that he had an idea for a game – an idea that came to him while waiting to sell his line of greeting cards to a small mom-and-pop shop. Dinhofer recounts the story Marks told him: “As he waited for the shop’s owner [Robert Gilbert], Marks started fiddling with [an open box of] snow-tire-replacement-chain links that were on the counter – hooking them together. Later when the owner approached to look at Marks’ greeting cards, Marks was still playing with the links.” Dinhofer adds: “Marks was so interested in playing, he hadn’t realized so much time had passed. He said to the owner, ‘this would make a great toy.” Gilbert then said to Marks he was friends with a successful toy promoter named Milton Dinhofer.” Marks immediately reached out to his old school friend.

Dinhofer had already had two major toy achievements to his credit. He created what he believes to be “the first full-size wearable space helmet.” His helmet made the covers of both The Saturday Evening Post (Nov. 8, 1952 issue) and Collier’s magazine (April 18, 1953 issue). Prior to that, he invented, designed and successfully brought to market Sip-n-See. This was a line of twisted plastic drinking straws with characters on them. Dinhofer says it was not only the “first twisted straw,” but also the “first plastic drinking straw” on the market. It provided an alternative to the glass and paper straws being sold at the time, and Dinhofer says it sold over “five million pieces.” One of those straws would influence the design of Barrel of Monkeys.

Recounting his first business meeting with Marks, Dinhofer said: “Marks brought a pile of his links over and started playing with them.” They are in Dinhofer’s possession today and are red, s-shaped links made from a one-quarter-inch plastic rod. Each link has pinched ends for connecting. Dinhofer said that as he watched Marks play with the links, he thought to himself, ‘monkeys!’

“I told [Marks] he had a winner …  I would develop it and he should sell it … We signed an agreement that night.” Asked why he chose monkeys, Dinhofer responds: “What else would you make them? Monkeys came to my mind instantly.” Dinhofer modeled the monkey’s arms after his Sip-N- See cowboy straw which had s-shaped arms just like a link.

“Our first step,” Dinhofer explained, “was to have a patent search made. Many linking games were disclosed but nothing with animals.” Dinhofer said that while none of those patented toys were successful, he still believed in theirs. It would take Dinhofer three months to go from a sketch to a functional monkey – in other words, likable and linkable. “We had to have 10 to 15 perfect pieces in order to see how they played,” he said, adding that the biggest challenge in designing them was the monkey’s balance. After that, he said, “I researched monkey photographs and made numerous sketches until I got a cute face down on paper.” Dinhofer selected a body he liked from another of his sketches and then hired a professional model maker. A. Santore of A.S. Plastic Model Co. carved, under Dinhofer’s supervision, one perfect sample. Dinhofer then found a company that would make a beryllium mold from Santore’s monkey and run sample monkeys from it. Looking at Dinhofer’s first-run monkeys, one sees that they look exactly like Lakeside Toys’ 1965 debut version. The only difference between Dinhofer’s monkeys and today’s is that shortly after the toy’s release, more hair was added to their bodies.

Next Dinhofer had to name it. “More fun than a barrel of monkeys,” was a common phrase in the ’60s that dated back to at least the 1800s. But that was not where Dinhofer and Marks got the name for their toy. Dinhofer disclosed, “I also have one package…with the name Chimp to Chimp on it.” Chimp to Chimp was Barrel of Monkey’s initial name and like BOM, it had 12 monkey playing pieces. Twelve monkeys “seemed just right,” said Dinhofer. “Three to 12-year-olds had to stand to link all 12.” Thus too many links would require actually lifting the children higher to accommodate the growing chain of monkeys – a situation where more wasn’t necessarily better. Asked if Chimp to Chimp monkeys came in a cardboard tube like Lakeside’s 1965 version, Dinhofer says: “Lakeside had more experience at $1[retail prices]. I had designed very expensive packaging. It was much more expensive than the cardboard can that Lakeside used and much more expensive to load.”

At last Chimp to Chimp was ready to be shown to retailers. Dinhofer says, “Marks showed to Woolworth’s … it was the biggest chain with 2,100 stores. They liked it but wanted a guarantee that we would put it on TV for 13 weeks (approximately $150,000-$275,000 worth of commercials).” TV advertising was becoming the norm, but was impossible for Marks and Dinhofer to agree to Woolworth’s deal; it was too expensive and too risky for them to chance a failure. After that, Marks told Dinhofer there was no further interest from retailers. Marks moved on and partnered with another man named Herman Kesler.

In 1969, Dinhofer met James R. Becker at Lakeside. Becker would eventually become Lakeside’s president and go on to help pioneer global licensing as we know it today. But at the time, Becker was a vice president and still relatively new at Lakeside. Through Becker’s recounting, Dinhofer came to learn how Lakeside picked up Barrel of Monkeys from Kesler and Marks. In 1964, Kesler called Zelman Levine, the chairman and president of Lakeside Toys, and set a November meeting in New York City. At the meeting were Levine, Becker and Lakeside’s soon-to-be national sales manager, Stanley Harfenist (Harfenist was trying to bring the Gumby toy line to Lakeside, which he eventually did in February 1965. Harfenist then went on to become Lakeside’s general manager.)

Becker told Dinhofer that Kesler walked into Levine’s room and just as Marks had done with his links at Dinhofer’s, Kessler uncupped his hands, dropped the monkeys onto a table, and started to link them together. Becker also said that the phrase “more fun than a barrel of monkeys” was brought up at that meeting by Becker himself. Zelman Levine immediately approved the item, and Zelman took all the samples back with him to Minneapolis.

Dinhofer’s legal documents show Kesler and Marks signed an agreement with Lakeside on Jan. 29, 1965. Dinhofer also has royalty statements showing gross sales beginning in the first quarter of 1965. He speculates that if Lakeside used his original mold, that would explain how the toy got to market so fast after contracts being signed. Lakeside also used similar packaging to their already successful Pick-Up-Sticks game, which probably sped up the release process. Dinhofer’s news clippings show that that by April of 1967, Barrel of Monkeys was No. 2 on Toy and Hobby World magazine’s “Toy Hit Parade” chart. Coincidentally, at No. 3, was BOM’s future Toy Story co-star and eventual Hasbro-brand mate, listed simply as Potato Head.

Today BOM is part of Milton Bradley under the Hasbro umbrella. As one of Time magazine’s “All-Time 100 Greatest Toys,” (2011) prepares to turn 50, Dinhofer can’t help but reflect. Taking it all in, he shares: “I had a lot of talent. Too bad it took me 50 years to realize it.”

But thanks to Dinhofer and many other talented people, Barrel of Monkeys has successfully run without batteries for almost half a century. Why is it so successful? Is it the barrel, the monkeys or the links? Maybe it’s the game’s simplicity? It certainly doesn’t hurt that it brings a smile for under $10. Quite possibly, it was just a perfect storm of ideas, people, timing and luck.

Whatever the reason for BOM’s longevity, after hearing Dinhofer’s recounting, one can’t help but imagine a big 50th bash with monkeys swinging from chandeliers, barrels of champagne flowing, and Dinhofer photoBOMbing us all. At the very least, we can raise a glass and toast to him and all who put those monkeys in a barrel, and those barrels into tiny happy hands. And when Milton raises his glass, may he be beside his favorite links – his family, his children, his great-grandchildren, and his great-great-grandchildren, because, truly, what could be more fun than that?

Tracy Leshay 
is the granddaughter of Milton Dinhofer.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Before Lakeside picked up Barrel of Monkeys, the game was called Chimp to Chimp. Photo by the author
Before Lakeside picked up Barrel of Monkeys, the game was called Chimp to Chimp. Photo by the author
These are the original links Marks brought to Dinhofer. With them are Dinhofer's original drawings that the links inspired him to create. Photo by the author
These are the original links Marks brought to Dinhofer. With them are Dinhofer’s original drawings that the links inspired him to create. Photo by the author
Dinhofer's Sip-n-See straw sold over 5 million pieces. Photo by the author
Dinhofer’s Sip-n-See straw sold over 5 million pieces. Photo by the author
Leading toys from the April 3, 1967 ‘Toy and Hobby World’ magazine. Photo by the author
Leading toys from the April 3, 1967 ‘Toy and Hobby World’ magazine. Photo by the author
Barrel of Monkeys inventor Milton Dinhofer. Photo submitted
Barrel of Monkeys inventor Milton Dinhofer. Photo submitted
Covers of leading magazines featured the toy space helmet designed by Dinhofer. Photo by the author
Covers of leading magazines featured the toy space helmet designed by Dinhofer. Photo by the author

Stephenson’s to launch New Year with sparkling Jan. 1 auction

22K gold ring with lapis lazuli and turquoise stones, possibly Egyptian, 15.3 grams. Est. $400-$600. Stephenson's Auctioneers image

22K gold ring with lapis lazuli and turquoise stones, possibly Egyptian, 15.3 grams. Est. $400-$600. Stephenson's Auctioneers image

22K gold ring with lapis lazuli and turquoise stones, possibly Egyptian, 15.3 grams. Est. $400-$600. Stephenson’s Auctioneers image

PHILA., Pa. – Philadelphia is a city of decorum and tradition, and to those in the region who collect and sell antiques, the first tradition of each year is attending Stephenson’s New Year’s Day Auction. Family owned since 1962, Stephenson’s, in suburban Bucks County, specializes in fresh to the market estate goods and collections from the Mid-Atlantic states. Throughout the year, the company’s specialists carefully curate and set aside rare, beautiful and interesting objects specifically to offer in their New Year’s auction. Their Jan. 1, 2015 sale selection is characterized by the soft glow of silver, gold and platinum; the mystery and serenity of a rare 15th-century Tibetan Buddha, and a variety of important art with a Philadelphia connection.

LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

During the opening hour of the sale, Stephenson’s auctioneer and owner, Cindy Stephenson, will present fine glass, crystal and porcelain, including oyster plate collections from two gracious Philadelphia-area homes. Some of the plates have a turkey depiction on them and are less commonly seen than standard oyster plates. Lot 60 consists of nine Haviland & Co., Limoges turkey oyster plates. Wonderfully decorated, the set is expected to make $500-$800.

Also included in the porcelain section are several fish service plates and sets. Lot 58, a 15-piece Limoges porcelain fish set, contains 12 plates, a sauceboat, under tray and platter. Each piece is hand painted and has fancy gilt edges. The set is entered in the sale with a $500-$800 estimate.

An Asian treasure attributed to 15th-century Tibet, Lot 90B is a bronze-dore statue of Amitayus (Sanskrit), the Buddha of Infinite Light and Infinite Life. The 4¾-inch-high depiction of the ancient deity was cast using the lost wax method. It comes to auction from a Philadelphia estate and, according to its provenance, it was purchased in 1989 from Jaipaul Gallery in Philadelphia. The statue’s estimate is $500-$800, and according to auctioneer Stephenson, it is already attracting “a lot of interest.”

Close to 90 lots of outstanding American, Continental and Russian silver will follow. Flatware offerings include two sets by Stieff (Williamsburg Queen Anne and Princess patterns) and two sets by Gorham (Chantilly and Lyric). Whether the preference is for tea or coffee, there will be many services available to do double duty. Among them are tea and coffee sets by J.E. Caldwell, C.M. Cohr, David Andersen, Gorham and other premier names.

Estimated at $800-$1,200, Lot 116 is a silver tankard of .830 silver hand-crafted by J. Tolstrup of Oslo, Norway. Masterfully engraved and decorated with floral and foliate repousse embellishments, it stands on three ball-and-claw feet and has a three-dimensional lion “tipper” on its lid. The estimate is set at $800-$1,200.

A prime example of Russian excellence in cloisonné enamel artistry, Lot 153 is a silver kovsh with jeweled cabochons and floral decorations. Beneath its base is the mark for Kokoshnik Moscow. Measuring 4 inches by 2 inches and having a total weight of 2.61 ozt, the kovsh displays all of the aesthetic features that appeal to collectors of Russian fine metalwork. Its estimate is $300-$600.

Lot 342, a bronze plaque with figures by Stella Elkins Tyler, has a strong connection to Philadelphia. In 1964, Bucks County Community College was founded on the estate formerly belonging to Tyler – heiress to a Gilded Age fortune – and her husband, George. With its grand architecture and sumptuous formal gardens, the suburban Newtown property was the perfect setting for many of Stella Tyler’s bronze sculptures. Decades earlier, in 1935, her first home, located in Philadelphia’s exclusive Elkins Park, became the Stella Elkins Tyler School of Fine Arts of Temple University.

The signed 20th-century bronze plaque in Stephenson’s New Year’s Day auction measures 16 by 21 inches and is estimated at $1,200-$3,000.

The City of Brotherly Love was also the setting in 1838 for the printing of a series of hand-colored folio lithographs for McKenney & Hall’s History of the Native American Tribes of North America. Lot 355 consists of four lithographs from the publication, each measuring 18 by 12½ inches (sight). At one point in their trail of ownership, they were acquired from the Philadelphia Print Shop in the city’s historic Chestnut Hill neighborhood. Accompanied by a letter and brochure from the print shop, they will be offered as one lot with a pre-auction estimate of $1,200-$3,000.

Lots 362 and 363 are watercolors on paper by Philadelphia artist John B. Lear Jr. (1910-2008). Each is a quintessential example of Lear’s style – which focused on figures and human anatomy – and carries a $500-$1,000 estimate.

Almost every Stephenson’s event includes an extensive selection of estate jewelry, and the Jan. 1 sale is no exception. Among the top highlights is Lot 282, an unusual 18K white gold eternity band designed with alternating single and stacked double diamonds. In total, there are 18 marquise-cut diamonds with a total carat weight of 3.42 carats. Stylish and very different from traditional eternity bands, it is expected to reach $3,000-$4,000 on auction day.

Also poised for the spotlight is Lot 180, a 22K gold ring, possibly of Egyptian origin, with lapis lazuli and turquoise artfully arranged around a center lapis cabochon stone. A true statement piece, the circa-1980 ring is estimated at $400-$600.

Stephenson’s Thursday, Jan. 1 New Year’s Day Auction will begin at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. For additional information on any lot in the sale, call Cindy Stephenson at 215-322-6182 or e-mail info@stephensonsauction.com.

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

Limoges porcelain fish service. Stephenson's Auctioneers image

Limoges porcelain fish service. Stephenson’s Auctioneers image

Limoges porcelain fish service. Stephenson's Auctioneers image

Limoges porcelain fish service. Stephenson’s Auctioneers image

Nine Haviland & Co. Limoges turkey oyster plates. Stephenson's Auctioneers image

Nine Haviland & Co. Limoges turkey oyster plates. Stephenson’s Auctioneers image

Dore bronze statue of Amitayus, Buddha of infinite life and infinite light, attrib. 15th century, Tibet. Est. $500-$800. Stephenson's Auctioneers image

Dore bronze statue of Amitayus, Buddha of infinite life and infinite light, attrib. 15th century, Tibet. Est. $500-$800. Stephenson’s Auctioneers image

Stieff Williamsburg Queen Anne sterling silver flatware set, one of many silver services to be offered. Stephenson's Auctioneers image

Stieff Williamsburg Queen Anne sterling silver flatware set, one of many silver services to be offered. Stephenson’s Auctioneers image

J. Tolstrup, Oslo, .830 silver tankard with ball and claw feet. Est. $800-$1,200. Stephenson's Auctioneers image

J. Tolstrup, Oslo, .830 silver tankard with ball and claw feet. Est. $800-$1,200. Stephenson’s Auctioneers image

Russian kovsh, enameled silver, cloisonne and jewels, Moscow Kokoshnik mark on bottom, 2.61ozt. Est. $300-$600. Stephenson's Auctioneers image

Russian kovsh, enameled silver, cloisonne and jewels, Moscow Kokoshnik mark on bottom, 2.61ozt. Est. $300-$600. Stephenson’s Auctioneers image

Set of 4 folio lithographs from 'History of the Native American Tribes of North America, printed in Philadelphia in 1838 for McKenney & Hall. Lot estimate $1,200-$3,000. Stephenson's Auctioneers image

Set of 4 folio lithographs from ‘History of the Native American Tribes of North America, printed in Philadelphia in 1838 for McKenney & Hall. Lot estimate $1,200-$3,000. Stephenson’s Auctioneers image

18K diamond eternity band. Est. $3,000-$4,000. Stephenson's Auctioneers image

18K diamond eternity band. Est. $3,000-$4,000. Stephenson’s Auctioneers image

Closeup of detail on Stella Elkins Tyler bronze plaque. Est. $1,200-$3,000. Stephenson's Auctioneers image

Closeup of detail on Stella Elkins Tyler bronze plaque. Est. $1,200-$3,000. Stephenson’s Auctioneers image

Pittsburgh old-school booksellers thrive in digital age

Limited collector's edition of Michael Chabon's 'The Yiddish Policemen's Union,' in wooden slipcase. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com archive and PBA Galleries.
Limited collector's edition of Michael Chabon's 'The Yiddish Policemen's Union,' in wooden slipcase. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com archive and PBA Galleries.
Limited collector’s edition of Michael Chabon’s ‘The Yiddish Policemen’s Union,’ in wooden slipcase. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com archive and PBA Galleries.

PITTSBURGH (AP) – John Schulman didn’t think much of the Internet back in the early 1990s, when he and his wife opened Caliban Book Shop in Pittsburgh.

He still has reservations about the web, but he and his wife, Emily Hetzel, have learned to benefit from it: About 60 percent of their sales happen online.

Caliban specializes in hard-to-find, out-of-print and author-signed books: It has 30,000 books at its shop on Craig Street in Oakland and 150,000 more in a Wilkinsburg warehouse.

The real joys of owning a bookstore, Schulman said, come from meeting interesting people who pass through the shop’s door and the serendipity of finding a rare book.

“Despite the Internet, Pittsburghers are prone to going out shopping, being friendly and not being isolated,” said Schulman, 50, of Squirrel Hill. “There’s something about the culture of Pittsburgh that lends itself to the book scene.”

Even in the age of e-books and Amazon.com’s dominance of online book sales, old-school retailers in Pittsburgh are finding a niche from trading on their knowledge of books, their connections to local authors and the customer experience of poring over shelves of dusty tomes.

“Some are just beautiful to look at,” said Jenny Soracco, 22, of Lawrenceville, who was flipping through the pages of a book on Eskimo basketry with a friend from Singapore. Both graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in the spring.

“There’s a little bit of history in each book with the people who owned it before,” she said.

Independent booksellers who feared the Internet would put them out of business have found advantages online, said Susan Benne, executive director of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America, a trade group based in New York.

The group has 440 members – fewer than it did 20 years ago, but a consistent number over the past decade. Books once deemed to be scarce are common online, and booksellers have gotten smart about selling wares by using social media, Benne said.

“Certainly it’s still evolving, but one thing we do notice is that different methods of selling, like social media, are having a positive impact,” she said. “Using social media as advertising and promotion really requires only the cost of one’s time and the use of wit.”

Inventory from varied sources

Caliban gets many books from people unloading them for one reason or another – a death in the family, downsizing, divorce.

Bruce Miller, 57, of Oakmont hoped to sell an 1897 copy of Messages and Papers of the Presidents. A friend gave Miller the book in return for painting a room, but Schulman said so many copies exist that it has little financial value.

Playwright Attilio “Buck” Favorini, 71, of Squirrel Hill stopped by a short while later with a box of books from his career in the theater. He gave away about half of his collection before retiring last year, but he has 22 cartons at home. Schulman gave him $20.

Books at Caliban range from free, donated items on the street to rare books worth thousands of dollars, including a first edition of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin priced at $12,000. Schulman acquired the book from the widow of a collector.

Signed books fetch big bucks

A set of six signed books by author Michael Chabon is listed for $2,500. The autographs are inscribed to Jay Dantry, the former owner of Jay’s Book Stall, an Oakland shop that closed in 2008, or his partner, Harry Schwalb.

Chabon, who worked for the bookstore while attending CMU, is the acclaimed author of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (1988); Wonder Boys (1995); The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2000); The Yiddish Policemen’s Union (2007); Gentlemen of the Road (2007); and Telegraph Avenue (2012).

Schulman recently purchased a handmade book, Im Nebel, published in Rheinback, Germany. Beyond its craftsmanship, Schulman said, the book has value because only 40 copies were made and none is available on the Internet.

Other books are more affordable: Signed copies of David McCullough’s The Johnstown Flood and Hillary Clinton’s It Takes a Village are listed at $125 each. The store recently sold a signed copy of August Wilson’s Three Plays for its list price of $170.

The store has a “signed” first edition of Jack London’s White Fang for $100. Unsigned copies can go for $200, but this copy has a bogus signature – written in ballpoint pen and dated 1907, years before the pens were invented. The seller purchased the book online.

Schulman said he bought the book as proof of the uncertain authenticity of items online and the relevance of booksellers who can verify them.

“Indie bookstores do worry about an age that will come when we’re no longer regarded as purveyors of information but as curio shops of things that people used to find useful and interesting,” he said.

___

Online:

http://bit.ly/1AQvERx

___

Information from: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, http://pghtrib.com

Copyright 2014 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WF-12-22-14 1639GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Limited collector's edition of Michael Chabon's 'The Yiddish Policemen's Union,' in wooden slipcase. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com archive and PBA Galleries.
Limited collector’s edition of Michael Chabon’s ‘The Yiddish Policemen’s Union,’ in wooden slipcase. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com archive and PBA Galleries.