Part I of Schroeder toy collection rings up $3.1M at Bertoia’s

J&E Stevens Girl Skipping Rope cast iron mechanical bank, which sold for $156,000, a world auction record for the form
J&E Stevens Girl Skipping Rope cast iron mechanical bank, which sold for $156,000, a world auction record for the form

VINELAND, New Jersey – The excitement level leading up to Bertoia’s $3.1 million sale of the Aaron and Abby Schroeder mechanical bank and toy collection was already starting to build shortly after the Christmas holidays. As early as January, antique toy enthusiasts who knew of the extraordinary collection’s reputation were calling to make appointments for private previews at Bertoia’s New Jersey gallery. Some who were especially determined to attend the sale in person staked their claims for a coveted seat at the live event, held March 5 and 6.

Continue reading

Postcard from Titanic’s radio operator headed to auction

A March 1912 postcard from the Titanic’s senior radio operator, with a Belfast postmark, estimated at $15,000-plus
A March 1912 postcard from the Titanic’s senior radio operator, with a Belfast postmark, estimated at $15,000-plus

BOSTON (AP) – A postcard written by the Titanic‘s senior radio operator just weeks before the ocean liner sank in the North Atlantic in 1912 has been put up for auction. The card, with a glossy image of the ill-fated ship on the front, was written by Jack Phillips to his sister, Elsie Phillips, in March 1912 while awaiting the ship’s first sea trials, according to RR Auction in Boston.

Continue reading

Cape Ann: a picturesque magnet for artists and tourists

Gifford Beal’s oil on Masonite of Rockport Harbor brought $5,500 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2018 at Nadeau’s Auction Gallery.
Gifford Beal’s oil on Masonite of Rockport Harbor brought $5,500 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2018 at Nadeau’s Auction Gallery.

NEW YORK — While Cape Cod is better known as a tourist destination, Cape Ann has cemented its own legacy in the art world. About an hour’s drive north of Boston, Cape Ann juts out from Massachusetts on the Atlantic Ocean and demarcates the northern edges of Massachusetts Bay. The rocky cape has attracted legions of artists for more than 150 years and still enjoys a rich and diverse tradition in art-making.

Continue reading