PHILADELPHIA – One of the star lots at Freeman’s Hindman on Tuesday, May 21 is this fascinating study for Rackstraw and Pamela, a 1976 oil on Masonite by figurative artist and father of what would become the 1960s Pop Art movement, Alex Katz (b. 1927-).
The study by Katz features his artist friend Rackstraw Downes and Downes’ then-wife Pamela Berkley. Set against the serene backdrop of coastal Maine, it features close cropping that eliminates background detail in favor of a focus on the figures. Using simplified forms, flat planes of color, and minimal shadow, Katz achieves depth and complexity. The study for Rackstraw and Pamela is estimated at $60,000-$100,000.
WOLCOTTVILLE, IN – The fight between American boxer John C. Heenan and the English boxer Tom Sayers in Hampshire, England on April 17, 1860 is often touted as the first ‘world title’ international boxing match. An illegal affair, it lasted two hours and 27 minutes – 42 rounds – until the police, brandishing magistrates’ warrants, stormed the ring to stop it.
This Staffordshire flatback figure commemorating the event has an estimate of $200-$300 as part of a sale of Staffordshire pottery figures at Strawser Auction Group on Friday, May 24. It is one of a series of sales the auction house is holding in May, including Antique Glass and Victorian Silver on Tuesday, May 21; a Pottery and Ceramics Auction on Thursday, May 23; the aforementioned Staffordshire sale; and one simply titled Majolica on Saturday, May 25.
LYNBROOK, NY – One of the rarest factory-error items from the A. C. Gilbert Co. period of American Flyer S gauge comes to market at Weiss Auctions on Wednesday, May 22 as part of its Vintage Train Auction.
Sometime in January of 1958, the AC Gilbert production line in New Haven, Connecticut was running the Alco PA and PB lines in Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway’s blue-and-gold freight scheme. A very small number of B-units (so called because while being motive power, they lack an engineer’s compartment) were stamped with the number 21720 rather than the correct 21910-1. The factory finished the misprinted items and packed and shipped them to dealers.
Only in the 1970s did American Flyer collectors begin to realize the true rarity of the 21720 B-unit. The example at the Weiss sale is equipped with the standard air-chime whistle and diesel roar unit. It is missing part of one step and the box is worn, but an estimate of just $800-$1,600 renders it tempting to seasoned American Flyer S gauge collectors.
CHICAGO – A battle-worn French Imperial Marine shako from the Napoleonic Wars period will be presented at Potter & Potter on Thursday, May 23 as the 19th Century Historical and Military Rarities sale’s top-estimated lot. It has been assigned an estimate of $20,000-$30,000.
Original and complete, the hat was issued and in use during the Napoleonic Wars, which, as Potter & Potter states in the lot notes, makes it “virtually unique”. The Imperial Marines were a small, elite branch of the Garde Imperiale, formed in 1803 by Napoleon Bonaparte to serve in the planned (but eventually scrapped) invasion of England. Consisting of only 1,200 members, most were killed or captured during the Battle of Bailen in Spain. The remainder served at the Battle of Waterloo as a force of approximately 200 men. As a result, their uniforms and equipment survive in vanishingly small numbers today.
AGOURA HILLS, CA – When Fiat Chrysler America (FCA, the precursor to today’s Stellantis) reintroduced the Challenger nameplate to its Dodge brand in 2008, it had to match years of 1970s pony car glory earned by the original Challenger, which was in production between 1970 and 1974. Built on the same platform as the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger, the Challenger was a rarity in the contemporary automotive market – a coupe, and increasingly, one with radically strong power plants, making it a street beast of the likes not seen since the original late-1960s muscle car era.
Sadly, rather than retool and evolve, the platform was discontinued in December 2023 by Stellantis at its Brampton, Ontario plant ‘to focus on electric vehicles’ as mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency. However, it is likely this decision will be reversed as continued declines in EV sales worldwide lead to six-month (and greater) EV inventories sitting on dealer lots.
In the meantime, muscle car enthusiasts can enjoy the last years of production, including this 2021 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Super Stock. Professionally modified by Petty’s Garage – yes, that Petty, as in Richard, Lee, and Maurice of Level Cross, North Carolina – this Challenger pushes all the right buttons. It boasts a 6.2L (378 cubic inch) V8 supercharged high-output engine with more than 900 horsepower, mated to a TorqueFlite 8-speed automatic transmission.
When new, vehicles such as the 2021 Challenger Hellcat would routinely receive dealer markups in excess of $30,000 above the sticker, so GWS Auctions’ estimate of $125,000-$135,000 represents an excellent buying opportunity when it brings the Estate of Bibi Hilton Case to market on Saturday, May 25.
