Made by Wilhelm Krauss (Germany), this lithographed-tin, pulley-operated toy features two Mickey Mouse dancers. Previously documented examples include only a single dancing-mouse figure; this is the first of its type that Noel Barrett has ever seen. Estimate: $10,000-$13,000. Noel Barrett Auctions image.
NEW HOPE, Pa. – On Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 15-16, Noel Barrett opens a treasure chest of rare and unusual childhood antiques in his Fall 2008 auction of ‘Toys & Other Things.’
Collectors have become accustomed to the Houdini-like ways with which Barrett is able to unearth exquisitely rare antique toys, even within a collecting landscape that has been well trodden. Just when collectors think “all the good stuff” is accounted for, along comes a great surprise, together with a hefty price realized. A recent example of the unexpected consignments that can turn up in a Barrett sale is the original Monopoly “tie set” with hand-colored oilcloth roll-up board that was auctioned on April 12, 2008 for $46,750. Now in its new home – the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y. – it is typical of the rarity and desirability consistently seen in Barrett’s sales.
NEW YORK – J. Greenstein & Co. will conduct one of the most extensive auctions devoted entirely to antique and artisan Judaica on Monday, Nov. 10. The sale, to be held at New York’s Radisson Martinique Hotel on Broadway, will feature more than 100 ceremonial objects including menorahs, Kiddush cups, silver torah ornaments, spice boxes and paintings.
Works featured in the auction date to the 18th century and have been gathered from various longtime collectors in New York, London, Chicago and Belgium.
Highlights include an important silver Torah shield made in Brunn, Austria, in 1814 (est. $30,000-$50,000); a rare silver and large silver filigree spice box from 18th century Lemberg (est. $22,000-$30,000) and a magnificent set of three silver Kiddush cups made by J. Rimmonim in 18th century Germany. Also included is one of the most exceptional silver menorahs to appear at auction in recent years, the famed 18th century silver Jewish-maker menorah featured in Jay Weinstein’s book. Other items include various handmade silver Kiddush cups (starting at $3,500), Sabbath candlesticks and candelabras (starting at $3,000), and sterling silver menorahs (starting at $3,000).
Fully illustrated catalogs and hi-res images of select items are available upon request. Presale bidding and phone bidding will be offered for those unable to attend the auction. The sale will begin at 5:30 p.m.
J. Greenstein & Co. is the only auction house solely devoted to the sale of Jewish ritual objects. Founded in 2004 by Jonathan Greenstein, a lifelong collector of Judaica and Judaic art, the company’s twice yearly auctions feature rare Jewish ritual objects, works of art, books and manuscripts. To view the online catalog and for additional information go to the Web site: www.jgreenstein.com.
Face jug with china plate teeth, made in the 1960s by renowned potter Lanier Meaders (est. $4,000-$6,000). Image courtesy Slotin Folk Art.
BUFORD, Ga. – Nearly 1,000 lots of American folk art, in a mix of genres, will be sold Saturday, Nov. 8, by Slotin Auction. The sale will feature the art collection of Barbara Louviere, the santos collection of Chuck and Jan Rosenak and Florida Highwaymen artwork.
“American folk art is the only art form I can think of that’s not influenced by European masters or the academic community,” said Steve Slotin, who founded Slotin Auction with his wife, Amy, after they discovered some folk art pieces while on their honeymoon in 1994. “When you think of the South, you think of blues music and Southern cooking. But folk art is a great visual culture and a truly original art form.”
IVAN KLIUN (RUSSIAN 1873-1943) Composition with a Hollowed Brown Rectangle, 1926 oil on canvas 63 x 45.5 cm (24 3/4 x 17 7/8 in.) signed lower right, est: $200,000 – 300,000. Image courtesy Gene Shapiro Auctions.
NEW YORK – Gene Shapiro Auctions will sell important works of Russian, European and Latin art Saturday, Nov. 5, on the fifth floor of the Metropolitan Pavilion, 123 W. 18th St. in Manhattan. The auction will begin at 10 a.m.
The auction is expected to gross $4 million to $6 million, and the per-lot average is more than $20,000. The sale catalog has been posted online at www.geneshapiro.com. A printed full-color catalog is available for purchase.
“Due to the success of our previous several auctions, we have been fortunate to secure many high-quality consignments, especially from private collectors, that are fresh to the market,” said Gene Shapiro. “Serious collectors will not want to miss this sale.”
Flight suit and Distinguished Service Cross belonging to Brig. Gen. Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay. Estimate: $150,000-$250,000. Image courtesy Alexander Autographs.
STAMFORD, Conn. – Alexander Autographs, an auctioneer of historic autographs and collectibles, is offering the flight suit worn by Paul Tibbets on Aug. 6, 1945, when he piloted the Enola Gay to drop the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The uniform, an important piece of 20th-century military history, will be offered together with Tibbets’ Distinguished Service Cross in an auction slated for Nov. 6-7.
The suit was previously owned by an Ohio museum near Tibbets’ residence. It received the relic with a signed letter of provenance from Tibbets himself. Also included are a number of photographs and supporting documentation directly tying Tibbets to the offered flight suit. The suit, with the medal, are estimated to sell for $150,000-$250,000.
A large assortment of Steiff bears will be ready for their close-ups at Bertoia’s Nov. 7-9 auction, including a coveted and very rare “rod” bear (front and center) that was X-rayed to confirm that it contained the early Steiff rod mechanism. Image courtesy Bertoia Auctions.
VINELAND, N.J. – Nearly 2,500 lots of American, European and Japanese toys, and a special selection of folk art and antique advertising, will take the spotlight Nov. 7-9 at Bertoia Auctions’ gallery. Several prestigious collections anchor the sale. Automotive collectors will be treated to more of the late Bob Smith’s friction and pressed-steel toys, while holiday enthusiasts will be invited to take a third helping from the mind-boggling Fred Cannon collection and choose favorites from the revered Mary Lou Holt collection. In addition, Bertoia’s will present still banks from the collection of the late Dick Sheppard, European toys from the late Steve Olin and his wife Diane, and a remarkable Midwest private collection of horse-drawn cast-iron toys of every imaginable discipline.
Lot 171. Fernando Botero (Colombian, b. 1932) Hand With Cigarette, 1981, bronze with brown patina, 33¾ inches by 19 3/8 inches, edition 2/6, signed, numbered and stamped with circular foundry mark along the lower edge Botero 2/6 Fonderia / M / Italy. Est. $80,000-$120,000.
PHILADELPHIA – On Oct. 25, Fuller’s Fine Art Auctions will present an auction of 19th- and 20th-century fine art, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs and prints from various private estates, collectors and institutions. The sale will begin at noon Eastern Time.
Auction highlights include paintings from the 1950s by Kenneth Noland (lots 138, 143), a 1968 oil painting by the innovative Alan Davie (lot 161), a Harry Bertoia bronze (lot 183) and a maquette from the “Wave Series” by Lee Lozano (lot 153). The Lozano maquette is a rare instance in which the artist applied glazes to the painting’s surface, possibly in her quest to produce an invisible painting. Fuller’s set a world auction record for Lee Lozano and many other artists in its sale in December 2007.
A Queen Anne figured maple fan carved flat-top highboy circa 1776 from Massachusetts. Image courtesy Gray’s Auctioneers.
CLEVELAND – Gray’s Auctioneers will conduct an Oct. 25 Americana, Fine Arts and Antiques auction at its Cleveland gallery. Notable items include an 1885 cast-bronze bell by Meneely and Co., estimated at $3,000-5,000, a circa-1776 Queen Anne figured maple fan-carved flat-top highboy estimated at $5,000-7,000, and a very large selection of stick spatter hand-decorated tableware.
The Meneely Bell Foundry was established in 1826 in West Troy, N.Y., and produced more than 65,000 bells before closing in 1952. Some locations that house a Meneely Bell are the Washington Memorial Chapel at Valley Forge National Park in Pennsylvania, and Wofford College in South Carolina.
Park Sookeun (Korean, 1914-1965) A seated woman with jar, oil on panel retains original frame with label on reverse, signed in Hangul, 13 5/8 inches by 9 7/8 inches.
AMESBURY, Mass. – John McInnis Auctioneers will begin its Fall Auction schedule with an Important October Estates sale on Sunday, Oct. 19, commencing at 11 a.m. EST. The auction will feature Americana, silver, porcelain, sculpture, pottery, fine art and historical memorabilia.
The sale opens with a rare and important discovery from the descendants of Nicholas Pike, an author on mathematics from Newburyport, Mass. The lot includes the first 1786 edition Pikes Arithmetic, a new and complete system of arithmetic (Nicholas Pike’s copy with hand written notes), and a three-page letter from George Washington dated 1788 written to the author commending him on his accomplishments and the importance of the work.
LARCHMONT, N.Y. – Estate-fresh, unusual and exceptional works by artists such as Larry Rivers, Jane Freilicher, Jose Guerrero, Gladys Bates, Fabio Fabbi. A.T. Millar and Mary Cassatt will be offered at Clarke Auction Gallery’s fifth annual Fine Art Auction on Monday, Oct. 27. The sale will feature a dazzling array of 19th- and 20th-century paintings and sculptures.
Also slated to cross the block will be works of historical and artistic significance by African-American artists such as Beauford Delaney, Al Loving, Jr. and Purvis Young. International art will include works from Thomas Rowlandson, Eugene Berman, Cristobal Toval, Brett Whiteley, Wynne Apperley and Gabriel Spat.
