DENVER, Pa. – An imposing lithographed-tin visitor from both the future and times past, a Masudaya Machine Man robot claimed the top position in Morphy Auctions’ March 13-14 toy auction, selling for $86,100. Big, boxy and 15 inches tall, the late 1950s/early 1960s Japanese production is one of few known examples of its type from the fabled “Gang of Five” robot series.
NEW YORK – Yuhua Showzhi Wang’s Pomegranates in Bamboo Basket commanded $1,270,000 at Gianguan Auctions on March 18. The sale set a world record price for the Chinese contemporary artist. The masterpiece led a strong slate of traditional art, porcelains and carved jades, all of which reached or exceeded their estimates. Absentee and Internet live bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.
YORK, Pa. – Fresh-to-market original comic book art spurred a fan frenzy at Hake’s March 13-14 auction and produced a $1.26 million result, with new auction records set by several prize entries. Absentee and Internet live bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.
MONROVIA, Calif. – Moran’s first Traditional Collector auction of the year achieved strong prices across the board for fine art and objects sourced from Southern California estates as collectors vied for rare examples of fine French furniture and masterworks of European art. If this trend continues, Moran’s next Traditional Collector auction in July is sure to perform just as well. Absentee and Internet live bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.
LOS ANGELES – Andrew Jones Auctions’ first Design for the Home and Garden auction of the New Year, on Sunday, March 3, featured about 400 lots of market fresh fine furniture, art, jewelry, silver, ceramics, decorative arts, carpets and design from prominent local collections and estates. The sale achieved a 95 percent sell-through, grossing $1.1 million. Absentee and Internet live bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.
CRANSTON, R.I. – A matching pair of samplers, done by young sisters in Ohio in 1806 and 1808, sold as one lot for $10,000 at an Antique, Fine Art & Jewelry Auction held March 2 by Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers. Absentee and Internet live bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Every auction has its surprises, but no one expected the prison correspondence of Boston gangster Whitey Bulger Jr., to steal the spotlight at Urban Culture Auctions’ (UCA) Feb. 24 debut. The 289-lot Sunday session that piggybacked a modern design sale hosted by UCA’s parent company, Palm Beach Modern Auctions, featured a mix of what auctioneer Rico Baca called “the fun stuff – from iconic pop furniture and graffiti art to street fashion, celebrity memorabilia and Space Age electronics.” But it was the Bulger material that ignited a media frenzy.
DALLAS – Original comic cover art by legendary artist Frank Frazetta soared beyond its presale estimate, claiming top-lot honors and leading Heritage Auctions’ Comics & Comic Art auction to $9,432,650 Feb. 21-23. The auction boasted sell-through rates of 99.5 percent by value and 99.6 percent by lots sold through the world’s largest comics auctioneer.
BOULDER, Colo. – Antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art of exceptional quality continue to put Artemis Gallery on the international map as a discerning and trustworthy source for buyers. That message was driven home most recently on Feb. 21 as the suburban Boulder, Colorado, auction house set a new house record exceeding $1.4 million, inclusive of 24.5 percent buyer’s premium and after-sales. Absentee and Internet live bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.
OAKLAND, Calif. – The energy in the saleroom at Clars Auction Gallery was electrifying as bidders waited anxiously for numerous historic lots to be presented for sale on Sunday, Feb. 17. Phone bidders were poised from around the world as well for what would become an international bidding event, at which a 34-carat diamond ring topped $500,000, a historic Japanese vase from the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair soared to $135,000 and a new fine art record was set for Tadeusz Brzozowski. Absentee and Internet live bidding was available through LiveAuctioneers.