Majority of lots in Joan Rivers auction sold through LiveAuctioneers

 

LITCHFIELD, Conn. – Joan Rivers fans and admirers who purchased items from the late entertainer’s estate auction on July 20-21 relied heavily on LiveAuctioneers.com. While Litchfield County Auctions conducted the two-day estate auction at their gallery, most of the 650 lots were bought by bidders placing absentee or Internet bids through LiveAuctioneers.com.

Day 1 had a 64 percent sell-through rate through LiveAuctioneers.com, while on Day 2 LiveAuctioneers.com bidders won 58 percent of the lots.

All of the auction goods were personally owned by Joan Rivers and were from either her Connecticut country estate or New York apartment. Some were family heirlooms.

As the highly successful Christie’s estate auction of her fine and decorative art collection revealed in June, Rivers appreciated quality and consistently bought the best of every category. While many pieces in the Manhattan auction sold for prices beyond the reach of the average person, Litchfield County Auctions’ sale gave buyers an opportunity to acquire beautiful furniture, decorative art, jewelry, silver and artworks from the Rivers estate, but at more accessible price points.

The auctions totaled approximately $350,000.

The Wednesday session was devoted to fine and decorative art, while Thursday’s lineup featured Rivers’ collection of jewelry and accessories.

An oil painting by Louise Braithwaite, a contemporary British artist, of a Dutch Canal summer scene (above) sold for $2,750. (All prices are inclusive of the buyer’s premium.)

One of the oldest items in the auction – probably 17th century – was a Greek icon of either Christ Pantocrator or King Solomon in a   filigree and enamel frame (below). It sold for $2,750.

 

 

A seven-piece aluminum faux bronze garden set (below) consisting of two armchairs, four side chairs and a glass-top table, sold for $2,125. This set had been used on Rivers’ Manhattan terrace.

 

 

Royal Copenhagen’s “Saxon Flower” pattern was in demand as a partial dinner service (below) including 12 dinner plates, 12 soup bowls, 12 luncheons and 12 desserts totaled $1,375.

 

 

A fine porcelain china fish set (below) consisting of 12 plates, a platter and a sauce boat, sold for $1,750. Marks on the pieces indicated the set was made by in England by George Jones & Sons for J.E. Caldwell & Co., one of Philadelphia’s oldest jewelers.

 

 

Two sterling silver water pitchers (below) by Wallace in the “Grande Baroque” pattern, 63.9 troy ounces, sold as one lot for $2,500.

 

 

One of the highlights of Day 2 was a 19th century gold and agate egg-form pendant/box (below), which brought $3,750.

 

 

All of these lots and many other top lots in the auctions sold to bidders utilizing the LiveAuctioneers.com bidding platform.

A portion of the proceeds went to benefit charities that were important to Rivers.

 

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