LAS VEGAS (AP) – A one-time O.J. Simpson golfing buddy whose conviction in their 2007 armed robbery and kidnapping case was overturned in October took a plea deal Tuesday to be freed from prison and avoid a retrial.
Clarence “C.J.” Stewart, 56, stood in shackles before a Nevada judge and pleaded an equivalent of no contest to felony robbery and conspiracy. The so-called Alford plea didn’t admit guilt, but acknowledged that prosecutors could prove their case at trial.
“Mr. Stewart will be released after he pleads … with the understanding and agreement that he will begin house arrest,” his attorney Brent Bryson told the judge.
For his part, Stewart declared himself “guilty by way of the Alford plea.” He was released Tuesday evening, Bryson said.
O.J. Simpson is now the only person convicted in the case to remain in prison. Now 63, the pro football Hall of Famer is more than two years into a nine- to 33-year sentence at Lovelock Correctional Center in northern Nevada.
Clark County District Court Judge Jackie Glass agreed Stewart can serve nine months of home detention in Louisiana to be near family members, if parole and probation officials in both states agree.
Stewart also faces an unspecified additional term of probation under terms of the plea deal worked out with prosecutors. Glass ordered Stewart released from the Clark County jail to house arrest in Las Vegas pending sentencing Jan. 11.
Clark County District Attorney David Roger said later he was satisfied the 27 months Stewart has served behind bars, plus the additional time restricted to home, was appropriate punishment for his role planning and taking part in the gunpoint robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers at a Las Vegas hotel.
“He was offered 30 months at the time of the trial. Another nine months will take him to 36 months,” the prosecutor said outside court. “For his role, it’s a fair resolution.”
“Mr. Simpson was the main culprit who formulated the plan and was the person who wanted to steal this property,” Roger added.
Glass sentenced Stewart after trial to 7 1/2 to 27 years in prison.
Simpson always maintained he was only after family photos, heirlooms and mementos that had been stolen from him following his acquittal on criminal charges in Los Angeles in the 1994 slayings of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.
Four other men, including two gunmen, who took part in the Las Vegas robbery in a room at the Palace Station pleaded guilty. They testified against Simpson and Stewart and received varying sentences of probation. A middleman who arranged and recorded the meeting and later testified was never prosecuted.
Simpson – a former football star, movie actor, television pitchman and celebrity criminal defendant – was found guilty of 12 criminal charges including kidnapping, armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.
A three-justice Nevada Supreme Court panel in October upheld his conviction, and the court hasn’t ruled on a request for reconsideration.
Roger said he was confident the request would be denied.
In its separate ruling granting Stewart a new trial, the state high court ruled that Stewart didn’t get a fair jury trial because of Simpson’s notoriety.
Since then, Stewart had been unable to raise $150,000 bail to be released pending a new trial.
Simpson attorney Malcolm LaVergne said Tuesday he was glad Stewart was being freed and wished him well.
“Our petition for rehearing is still pending,” LaVergne said. “Mr. Simpson waits for it patiently.”
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
$86 million Chinese vase. Image courtesy of Bainbridge’s.
Now is a good time to review 2010, which will be remembered in the antique and auction trade as a year of surprising prices – including many records – and great stories. Here are highlights gleaned from kovels.com.
December 2010
It was “save our history” week at New York auctions, with record prices set at Sotheby’s for three items:
1 – The highest price ever paid at auction for a U.S. Presidential document was $3,778,500 for an 1863 copy of the Lincoln Emancipation Proclamation;
2 – The guidon (the flag that identifies a unit going into battle) carried in Custer’s 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn sold for $2,210,500;
3 – The third bit of history was the document that listed the 13 rules for the game of basketball invented by James Naismith in 1891. It sold for the highest price of all, $4,338,500.
Another piece of history was auctioned in February. George Washington’s personal map of the Battle of Yorktown, which descended through the family of an aide to Washington, auctioned for $1.15 million at James Julia Auctions.
Some of the jewelry owned by the Duchess of Windsor (Wallis Simpson) was sold at Sotheby’s London on Nov. 30. Her flamingo pin made of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds sold for $2.7 million.
Bottles of vintage champagne were salvaged last summer from a shipwreck that happened near Finland and Sweden sometime between 1832 and 1844. Close to 50 sealed bottles are expected to sell for about $68,000 each.
November 2010
A signed Babe Ruth home run baseball the New York Yankees slugger hit in 1934 sold for $264,500 at an auction at the Louisville Slugger Museum in Kentucky.
The Maltese Falcon, the 1941 classic movie starring Humphrey Bogart, also featured an 11 1/2-inch statue of the bird. A group of collectors paid $305,000 for the movie prop made of resin.
Another found-in-the-attic story has a happy ending. Two relatives were cleaning up their inherited house near Heathrow Airport in England. They found a number of Chinese items, including a colorful 16-inch vase. They were wise enough to take it to a suburban London auction house, Bainbridge’s. Peter Bainbridge estimated the value of the vase at $1.3 million to $2 million. But the final auction price was $85.9 million (including the buyer’s premium and value-added tax). It’s a new world record price for a piece of porcelain and for a piece of Chinese art. It’s also the 11th-most-expensive piece of art ever sold at auction.
A Honus Wagner T206 baseball card in poor condition sold for $262,000 at a Heritage Auction Galleries sale. The card belonged to an order of Catholic nuns, the School Sisters of Notre Dame. However, when the winning bidder failed to pay, the auction house contacted another regular customer, who paid the full bid price to ensure the nuns got all the money.
Carnival glass set some records this month. A Northwood opal aqua Grape & Cable cracker jar sold for $67,500.
Babe Ruth signed baseball. Image courtesy of stricklerautographs.blogspot.com.‘The Maltese Falcon’ figure. Image courtesy of Guernsey’s.$86 million Chinese vase. Image courtesy of Bainbridge’s.Honus Wagner baseball card. Image courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries.Carnival glass cracker jar. Image courtesy of Seeck Auctions.
October 2010
A treasure hunter with a metal detector found a second-century Roman helmet in England earlier this year. It sold at a Christie’s auction in London for $3,629,469.
The Jazz Bowl sold for over five times estimate at Rago Arts and Auction Center. The Viktor Schreckengost art pottery masterpiece brought $158,600.
Art pottery ‘Jazz Bowl.’ Image courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center.1943 copper alloy penny. Image courtesy of www.luxist.com.
September 2010
A 1943 zinc-coated steel Lincoln penny is worth less than 10 cents today. But a 1943 one-of-a-kind copper alloy Lincoln penny struck at the Denver Mint was sold by a New Jersey coin dealer for a record $1.7 million.
August 2010
A lot of comic books set records this year. The price for the rare 1940 Batman No. 1 comic book was $55,269. Found in Alaska, it was sold by Heritage Auction Galleries.
Another very valuable comic book has been found. It’s a copy of Action Comics No. 1, the 1938 issue that introduced Superman. That comic book has been attracting super prices since 2009. A couple was packing to move out of their foreclosed house when they found a copy of the famous comic book. They had read about the record-breaking sales and contacted ComicConnect. Presale estimate for the comic was $250,000. It sold for $436,000. The house was saved!
Action Comics No. 1. Image courtesy of ComicConnect.Flash Comics No. 1. Image courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries.
July 2010
Not many stuffed horses sell for $266,500, but probably no other horse is as famous as Trigger, the palomino used by Roy Rogers on television and in the movies. Christie’s and High Noon jointly auctioned the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum collection, including Trigger.
June 2010
The world record price for a sports uniform was set at a Canadian auction house. The 1972 hockey jersey worn by Paul Henderson of Team Canada in the Summit Series sold for $1.275 million (U.S.). Henderson scored the winning goal for Canada in the deciding game against Russia.
An autograph by a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Button Gwinnett, sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $722,500. The rare Gwinnett signature was on a letter.
“Dave the Slave,” the famed Edgefield, S.C., potter from the 1830s, made news in 2010. A jug bought for $25 years ago sold at an Eagles Basket Auction in Travelers Rest, S.C., for $13,000.
A cigar store Indian that had been in the family basement since the 1960s gave the owner an unexpected legacy. The Indian, in fine unrestored condition, was sold by Heritage Auction Galleries for an amazing $203,150.
Another very expensive comic book sold in June. A copy of Flash Comics No. 1 in pristine condition sold privately for $450,000.
Cigar store Indian. Image courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries.
April 2010
Action Comic No. 1, the famous first appearance of Superman, has sold for an even higher record price. The new record: $1.5 million.
An ivory box, described as a 19th-century Persian piece estimated at $700 to $900, auctioned in Cleveland a year ago for $471,528. It was auctioned in 2010 at Sotheby’s London for $3.68 million.
The Gutenberg Bible is probably the most famous book in Western civilization – the first book printed with moveable type. There are 21 complete copies of the 42-line Bible in existence. It sold for $5.4 million at Christie’s, a record price at auction for a printed book.
The rare deep sapphire blue flask called “General Washington and Bust” (McKearin GI-14) brought $100,620 at an online Heckler Auction. The flask has the names Thomas Jefferson and John Adams on the ridge and is called the “Firecracker flask” because both men died on July 4, 1826.
A 1925 Buggati Type 13 Brescia race car that was pulled from a lake in Switzerland last summer auctioned for $368,686.
1925 Buggati Brescia. Image courtesy of Kovels.com.Gen. Washington flask. Image courtesy of Heckler Auction.
March 2010
Batman can beat Superman – at least he did once in 2010. On Feb. 25, Detective Comics No. 27, which featured the first appearance of Batman, sold for the new record price of $1,075,500 at Heritage Auction Galleries.
February 2010
Action Comics No. 1, one of about 100 copies known to exist, sold in a private sale for $1 million. It was in great condition.
Terry Kovel has written more than 98 books about collecting, including the best-selling annual price book, Kovels’ Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide. The 2011 guide is now in stores. Terry publishes a subscription newsletter and writes a syndicated newspaper column that appears in more than 150 newspapers and digital publications, including Auction Central News. She and Ralph starred in the weekly HGTV program, Flea Market Finds with the Kovels. The Kovels website, Kovels.com, offers 700,000 free prices and other information for collectors, including books, special reports, a weekly e-mailed letter to collectors, marks and an archive of other informative material. Since Ralph’s death in 2008, the Kovel brand has been continued by Terry Kovel and her daughter, Kim Kovel.
Stephen Church, Church’s China managing director shown here outside his retail location in Northampton, England, says online sales of Royal Wedding gifts are already strong, particularly in America. Image courtesy of Church’s China. AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – A Maine public relations and marketing firm is excited about the upcoming wedding of Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton.
Nancy Marshall Communications has been selected by Church’s China to market its line of Royal Wedding memorabilia. The agency will be promoting those products to the United States and Canada.
Established in 1858, Church’s China is the longest-operating royal memorabilia retailer in Britain.
Marshall’s job is to increase its profile on this side of the Atlantic. Nancy Marshall says she hopes to boost revenues for the company, which sells a wide range of china and other collectibles.
Nancy Marshall Communications will be working closely with the U.K. Gift Company, the Internet sales division of Church’s China, in advance of the April 29 wedding.
“Royal Wedding excitement hit America full force the day the William-Kate engagement was announced,” said Nancy Marshall, agency principal. “We are thrilled to be working with Church’s China and its U.K. Gift Company to continue the excitement by introducing the many finely made keepsakes that will commemorate this very special union.”
Marshall added, “We are particularly enthused about the opportunity the World Wide Web provides to this small, family owned business based in the village of Northampton. Internet sales, driven by social media endeavors and product publicity, can create a significant new revenue stream for Church’s China. This is an opportunity that simply did not exist when Charles wed Diana in 1981.”
Stephen Church, general manager of Church’s China, said, “While Church’s China and the U.K. Gift Company are very well known throughout the United Kingdom, our business is not as well recognized overseas. We selected Nancy Marshall Communications to help us build awareness abroad because of the agency’s extensive network of media contacts and its expertise in social media.”
Church noted, “Approximately 50 percent of our total online sales of the Royal Collection have come from the U.S. This points to the high level of wedding excitement coming from across the pond.”
Royal Wedding items crafted by recognized brands including the Royal Collection, Aynsley, and Royal Doulton.
For more information, visit www.theukgiftcompany.com and www.marshallpr.com.
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-ES-12-28-10 0612EST
ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
Stephen Church, Church’s China managing director shown here outside his retail location in Northampton, England, says online sales of Royal Wedding gifts are already strong, particularly in America. Image courtesy of Church’s China.Online sales of Royal Wedding gifts from the U.K. Gift Company spiked when the official Royal Wedding china became available for sale. The limited-edition pillbox, part of the Royal Wedding range produced by the Royal Collection, is shown here. Image courtesy of Church’s China.
English silversmith Hester Bateman’s touch is on this Georgian silver coffeepot, one of several marked examples of her work in the auction. Crafted 1777-1778, the 11 3/4-inch-tall coffeepot carries a $2,000-$4,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Pook & Pook. DOWNINGTOWN, Pa. – Pook & Pook Inc. will present its winter cataloged auction on Jan. 14-15 that will encompass a myriad of objects to include fine art, silver, American and Continental furniture, carpets, textiles, historical Staffordshire and decorative accessories.
LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding for the auction, which will offer more than 770 lots over the two days.
The sale will begin at 6 p.m. Eastern on Friday with a selection of English and Continental furniture and accessories primarily from the estate of Margaret M. Peters of Nazareth, Pa. Highlights include English silver, Dutch marquetry chairs, a George III fire grate, George III mahogany Pembroke table and an impressive ormolu mounted porcelain three-piece garniture set, estimated at $15,000-25,000.
From a Vergennes, Vt., collection and the estate of Margaret Peters is a fine collection of American and European silver. An important group of English pieces by Hester Bateman include two dome lidded tankards, a teapot and stand, a tea caddy with elaborate overall engraved floral and swag decoration, a bread basket with reticulated border, two coffee pots and a master salt. Other pieces include a Philadelphia footed bowl by Joseph Lownes, a coin silver coffeepot by Bailey & Kitchen, an English coffeepot by John Kentenber and a tea caddy by Peter and Ann Bateman.
A rare United States $10 gold coin dated 1796 is sure to attract attention. This stunning coin with draped bust, small eagle, reeded edge and 16 stars is estimated at $25,000-$40,000.
The Friday night session will also feature group of fine art. A very attractive oil on canvas winter scene by Emile Albert Gruppe titled Waterville, Vermont is sure to bring out many buyers. Another fine New England painting by Cullen Yates titled Incoming Tide Ogunguit Maine is estimated at $4,000-$7,000. An oil on canvas by Harry Roseland titled The Dead Canary, a still life with apples by Thomas Henry Hope and two landscapes by Carl Philipp Weber are all interesting American pieces. Two Russian winter landscapes with sleighs by Vladislav Chimielinski are estimated at $5,000-$8,000.
Many of the pieces of New England and New York furniture arrived from the Vergennes, Vt., collection and one exceptional piece from the Titus Geesey collection. This rare Mancius family, Boston, William and Mary maple chair has a scroll and foliate carved crest and is branded “W. Mancius” on the rear rail. A history of the descent of this chair from Wilhelmus Mancius of Ulster Co., N.Y., to Robert Rose Johnson accompanies the lot. It carries an estimate of $40,000-$60,000. Two pilgrim century blanket chests for the late 17th-century will be offered on Friday evening. A Massachusetts Chippendale figured birch chest of drawers, circa 1777, has a serpentine front top and ball-and-claw feet (est. $10,000-$15,000). A New England Queen Anne tiger maple tall chest has a fan carved drawer and period brasses (est. $5,000-$9,000). Other New England furniture includes a Chippendale cherry chest on chest, several pine chair tables, Windsor chairs, a Rhode Island Queen Anne walnut dining chair, a Massachusetts Federal mahogany bed, a Queen Anne walnut dressing table and tavern tables. A New York Hepplewhite mahogany Pembroke table stands out with its satinwood banded edge and bellflower inlays (est. $5,000-$10,000).
A Pennsylvania or Maryland Chippendale walnut dining chair, circa 1770, is an outstanding piece with a serpentine crest with central cabochon flanked by tassels, pierced acanthus carved splat, cabriole legs and ball and claw feet. An identical side chair is illustrated in Downs’ American Furniture Queen Anne and Chippendale, fig. 123. It carries an estimate of $20,000-$30,000. Several Pennsylvania tall-case clocks with be offered on both sale days. These include a Northampton County Chippendale cherry clock by Christian Bixler of Easton, Pa., a Queen Anne cherry musical clock inscribed “Tho. Woods London The Happy Clown: A Minuett” and a Federal clock with an eight-day works by Jacob Guthart of Lebanon. A wonderful Pennsylvania Queen Anne walnut tall chest of drawers, circa 1760, has four arched upper drawers over five short drawers and four long drawers (est. $20,000-$40,000). Three painted dower chests will be offered, one being a rare Adams County example with blue sponge decoration and central tombstone cartouche dated 1776. Other Pennsylvania items include tavern tables, card tables, desks, work stands and tea tables.
William Birch’s The City of Philadelphia in the State of Pennsylvania North American as it appeared in the year 1800, a book of 28 plates is a rare item. This first edition, published in 1800, creates a visual record of Philadelphia, depicting homes and public buildings. William Russel Birch (1755-1834) was the first person to successfully publish engraved view books in the United States. Among the 156 original subscribers to the work were Gilbert Stuart and Thomas Jefferson. There are only a few copies of this book extant, with few known still in private hands. The last public sale occurred at Sotheby’s in November 2000. Pook & Pook expects this volume will sell for $70,000-$90,000.
From two New Jersey collections and Peters estate come many pieces of historical blue Staffordshire porcelain. Platters include “Alms House, New York,” “Pennsylvania Hospital,” “The Capital Washington,” “Troy from Mt. Ida” and “Hoboken, New Jersey.” A group of various pieces depicting “Lafayette at Franklin’s Tomb” comprise coffeepots, teapots, creamers, cups and saucers, pitcher and basin, etc. Other pottery and porcelains include Chinese export, Delft, Prattware, Bennington, Spatter and Gaudy Dutch.
A wide range of specialty items is incorporated into the sale. An Allentown, Pa., collection offers a group of sailor’s ivory pieces including jagging wheels, rolling pins, busks, etc. Two elaborate Chinese carved and painted ivory and wood models, one of a junk and one with servants in a rickshaw will attract attention together with a group of seven Chinese painted porcelain plaques. A massive Pennsylvania carved mahogany spread winged eagle, circa 1870, will cross the block. An unusual vibrant Lancaster County fraktur birth record has elaborate decoration with fish with spotted faces and sharp teeth (est. $8,000-$12,000).
For further information contact Pook & Pook Inc., 610-269-4040, info@pookandpook.com or visit the website pookandpook.com
Engraved and hand-colored map of the Americas, dated 1746, 19 x 22 inches. Estimate: $1,500-$2,500. Image courtesy of Pook & Pook.Harry Herman Roseland (American 1868-1950), oil on canvas titled ‘The Dead Canary,’ signed lower left and dated ’86, 14 1/2 x 22 inches. Estimate: $6,000-$9,000. Image courtesy of Pook & Pook.Chinese tabletop four-panel folding screen, circa 1900, with 12 painted marble panels, 34 inches high, 30 1/2 inches wide. Estimate: $1,000-$2,000. Image courtesy of Pook & Pook.Pair of Chinese spinach-green jade Mughal style bowls, circa 18th/19th century, supported by four pierced scroll feet, 1 3/4 inches high, 7 1/2 inches diameter. Estimate: $3,000-$5,000. Image courtesy of Pook & Pook.Platinum brooch with carved green jade surrounded by round brilliant and marquise cut diamonds, approximately. 1.90 twd., 10.0 dwt. Estimate: $700-$1,000. Image courtesy of Pook & Pook.
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – A photographic mural by artist Norman Rockwell has been returned to its former home in Vermont’s capital, drawing a close to a yearlong dispute between state officials and a museum where it hung for 23 years.
The black-and-white photograph, Maple Sugaring in Vermont, depicts a sugarhouse with smoke rising from its chimney as men – including Rockwell himself – tend sap buckets hanging on maple trees outside. Made in 1947, the 5-by-7-foot mural was commissioned by Rockwell friend Col. Henry Fairfax Ayres, who lent it to the state for display.
The famed illustrator, whose paintings of farm scenes, apple-cheeked children and slices of Americana appeared for decades in The Saturday Evening Post, died in 1978.
For about 14 years, he lived in Vermont, where he struck up a friendship with Ayres, a West Point grad and war veteran who was chairman of the Vermont Sugar Makers Association and is widely credited with improving maple sugaring methods.
The mural hung in the lobby of the state Agency of Agriculture building in Montpelier for years. In 1987, the state lent it to the Norman Rockwell Museum of Vermont because building renovations had displaced it.
At the Rutland museum, it came to anchor an exhibit popular with foliage-viewing visitors and Rockwell buffs. The state never sought to reclaim it.
But last year, Agriculture Secretary Roger Allbee – who knew of the loan from twin brother Ronald, who held the agriculture secretary job before him – began making inquiries at the museum.
“They said ‘No, we own it,'” said Allbee, standing in front of the mural Monday.
The museum’s curator, Rachel Lynes-Bell, says it wasn’t as simple as that.
“It’s not like we’ve had it for a couple of years. We’ve had it for 23 years. You’d walk into the museum and boom, it was what you saw, along with a write-up about the mural and the reasons behind it and the man it was gifted to,” she said.
“We had to dig and find every archive we could, because we had it so long. Having something that’s the center point of a collection for 23 years, it’s something that has to be researched. That was the only reluctance we had. We thought it was a tragedy because we’ve grown such ties to it,” she said.
At first, the museum challenged the state to prove ownership. The state attorney general’s office was enlisted, doing research on the mural’s provenance and contacting Ayres’ grandson, who wanted it returned to the state and offered to sue the museum to reclaim it if all else failed.
“There were some issues, because it had been at the museum for so long, about ownership and who had what right to it,” said Assistant Attorney General Mark Patane, who represented the state. “We did some research and some historical archives and talked to some of the people who were around at the time this happened.”
“They recognized that we were probably correct in our analysis,” he said.
Last week, it was hung in a second-floor hallway of the Agency of Agriculture’s office building, across the street from the Statehouse.
“The mural is lovely and an authentic representation of sugaring in Vermont – our signature product,” Allbee said.
He’s thrilled to have it back in the capital. The museum curator isn’t.
“It’ll be seen more at the Rockwell Museum than it will be over at the Department of Agriculture. But it’s not my place to say either,” Lynes-Bell said.
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The earliest known marked piece of Kentucky pottery has a cobalt inscription ‘Kentucky 1836’ and is stamped ‘I Thomas.’ It sold at Case Antiques Inc.’s auction for $55,200 to the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts. KNOXVILLE, Tenn.— A Kentucky stoneware butter churn, which sold for $55,200 at Case Antiques Inc., Auctions & Appraisal’s Fall auction, was noted in an article in the New York Times as one of “the year’s more intriguing auction lots.”
The article also included a brief interview with Robert Leath of the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, the institution which purchased the piece on Oct. 16.
The lug-handled butter churn, marked “Kentucky 1836” in cobalt script, is the earliest known marked piece of Kentucky pottery. It was decorated with a cobalt flower sprig and stamped “I Thomas” for Isaac Thomas, a potter working in around Maysville and Lexington from approximately 1834 to 1876. It was a record price for a piece of Kentucky pottery.
“We’re proud that Southern regional arts are attracting the attention of the larger art world,” said president John Case, whose company also holds the record for a piece of Tennessee pottery, a redware jar, $63,000 in 2008. “This isn’t a fluke. The collector market for top-notch early Southern antiques is very strong. And as more research on historic Southern material culture emerges, we know more great pieces will be discovered.”
Case Antiques Inc. Auctions & Appraisals, is based in Knoxville and holds three auctions a year of fine art and antiques. The company also has a satellite office in Nashville. Its next auction is scheduled for Jan. 22 in Knoxville. LiveAuctioneers will again provide Internet live bidding for the sale.
Behrens glassware has been manufactured at the Freiherr von Poschinger factory for over 100 years. The glasses were part of the tableware presented by Peter Behrens at the exhibition in ‘Glaspalast’ in Munich in 1899. Image courtesy of Bavarian Kunst Ventures Inc. ‘Poschinger Stemware.’ While glass has been made for centuries, around the globe and by thousands of makers, only a few can still tout being in business today. Surviving different economies, changing consumer tastes, and the rising costs of materials and payroll can’t be easy. Those that were able to overcome these hurdles have also in some instances had to rethink formulas used over the years in order to become eco-friendly.
A few very recognizable glass companies are leading the way in using recycled materials, or recycling their own glassware.
In the United States, there is the Fenton Art Glass Co. Founded in Ohio in 1905, the glassmaker moved to its current residence in West Virginia in 1907. When Rivanna Natural Designs tapped Fenton Art Glass to create art glass awards for them, but by using recycled products, they jumped at the opportunity. They located a local source for recycled bottle glass and a new start-up was formed.
In Italy, the Murano Glass Co. began designing glass as early as 1291. The tradition of blowing glass has been handed down for many generations. Many of the designs being produced today are inspired by the artisans working there over 100 years ago. They are known for making affordable treasures for tourists to take home as mementoes of their trip to Italy, but some of their artists’ wares can command several thousand dollars. Today, Murano does not dispose of their broken or irregular glass, but keeps the glass to be recycled for use another day.
Finally, in the Black Forest of Bavaria is Poschingera, a well-regarded glass company. Poschinger has been in operation since 1568, and is still owned and operated by the same family. Poschinger Glass produces utilitarian products along with decorative items and has recently started selling in the United States. The company uses 40 percent to 45 percent recycled cullet in the glass melt.
Not only do these companies have the “green” theme in common, but also their products can be found in numerous museums around the world.
To learn more about these eco-friendly products, visit their websites:
Fenton Art Glass: www.fentonartglass.com Poschinger Glass: www.bavariankunst.com Murano: www.muranoglass.com
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Behrens glassware has been manufactured at the Freiherr von Poschinger factory for over 100 years. The glasses were part of the tableware presented by Peter Behrens at the exhibition in ‘Glaspalast’ in Munich in 1899. Image courtesy of Bavarian Kunst Ventures Inc. ‘Poschinger Stemware.’
Bidding is expected to reach $30,000-$50,000 on this signed indenture by Queen Elizabeth I, dated 1563. OAKLAND, Calif. – On Sunday, Feb. 6, in conjunction with their two-day fine art, antiques and estate sale, Clars Auction Gallery will be offering an extremely rare and historic document from the “Golden Age of England – the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I.”
Coming to the market with an estimate of $30,000-$50,000 will be a framed indenture from Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) dated 1563 with the Royal Great Seal. The indenture states the terms of a loan Queen Elizabeth I is taking out through her financier Sir Thomas Gresham (1519-1579). The indenture is signed on the reverse by the Privy Council, Robert Dudley (1532-1588), Lord Keeper of the Great Seal Sir William Cecil (1520-1598), Sir Nicholas Bacon (1510-1579), William Howard of Effingham (1510-1573), and Sir Francis Knollys (1514-1596).
It was in 1563, the same year as this signed indenture, that Elizabeth I moved the Royal Court to Windsor Castle to avoid the bubonic plague.
Clars is extremely honored to be able to represent this piece on behalf of a major San Francisco Area estate and anticipates brisk international bidding on this historic document.
Clars upcoming February Fine Estates sale will be held Saturday, Feb. 5, at 9:30 a.m. Pacific and Sunday, Feb. 6, at 10 a.m. Previews will be Friday, Feb. 4, from 1-6 p.m. and 9 a.m. each auction day and by special appointment. A full catalog will be available online at www.clars.com prior to the sale.
To register to bid and more information, call Clars Auction Gallery at (888) 339-7600, or email: info@clars.com. Clars Auction Gallery is located at 5644 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, CA 94609.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Bidding is expected to reach $30,000-$50,000 on this signed indenture by Queen Elizabeth I, dated 1563.
Mexican Revolutionary Gen. Pancho Villa also drove a 1919 Dodge Brothers automobile, much like the one featured in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’ Photo copyright 2002 Jacob Rus, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. GREELEY, Colo. (AP) – George Bailey was driving the old black car the last time you saw it. He was drunk and crashed into the big tree on the outskirts of Bedford Falls, and then he ran to the bridge, where he was going to jump off and end it all.
That’s how the story began.
One of the most popular Christmas movies, It’s a Wonderful Life has been televised every year since 1970. The movie, starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, was made in 1946.
And on Christmas Eve, the old car that crashed into the tree arrived in Johnstown. Keith and Marilyn Smith bought the old 1919 Dodge that was featured in the movie, and they’re adding it to their collection of classic cars.
The fender of the Dodge, which was dented in the movie, has been fixed. As part of his hobby/retirement job, Keith Smith repainted the old car in the early 1990s, and this month, the couple bought it from a California car collector. It was delivered to their home west of Johnstown on Friday afternoon.
According to Smith, the movie wasn’t that popular when it was made, but because of a copyright problem, it was released again without restrictions in 1974.
“Every television network grabbed it and started showing it,” Smith said. “That’s why it became so popular.”
Republic Pictures restored its copyright claim to the film in 1993, with exclusive video rights to it. Currently, it can be shown only on NBC, and its distribution rights belong to Paramount Pictures.
To prove they have the right car, the Smiths have the original title to the car, which lists the matching motor number in 1946. In that case, the owner is listed as “20th Century Fox,” the studio that made the film.
Before selling it to the Smiths, the California collector had owned it for 38 years. It has been in a few car shows, and it once appeared on The Lawrence Welk Show on TV.
Keith Smith is a retired financial planner, and the couple now does “woodgraining” for cars as a second occupation and hobby.
Woodgraining is used in many older cars, and involves painting metal to match the original wood in the older, luxury cars. Marilyn is the artist and designs the wood grain, which Keith etches into the metal. They’d done some woodgraining for the collector in California, and that’s when they learned about the Wonderful Life car.
The Smiths wouldn’t say how much the car cost them, but Keith said they could have bought some nice income property for the same price.
But owning the classic movie car is important to the couple, who live in a restored 1909 farmhouse west of Johnstown, Colo. Their car collection includes a 1928 Nash, a ’48 Lincoln Continental and pickups made in 1953 and ’56, among others.
A car enthusiast, Keith does much of the restoration himself, something he has always loved. He did his first woodgraining of a dashboard when he was 16 years old, living in Greeley.
Besides owning the classic car from the classic movie, the couple made friends with one of a few stars of the movie who is still living. Carolyn Grimes, now 70, played Zuzu in the movie and spoke the famous line at the end:
Zuzu Bailey: “Look, daddy!” she says when a bell on the Christmas tree rings, “Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.”
Her dad, George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart): “That’s right, that’s right. Attaboy, Clarence!”
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WS-01-01-11 0300EST
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Mexican Revolutionary Gen. Pancho Villa also drove a 1919 Dodge Brothers automobile, much like the one featured in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’ Photo copyright 2002 Jacob Rus, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) – The white two-piece suit John Lennon wore on the cover of the Beatles’ Abbey Road album has been sold at auction in Connecticut for $46,000.
The suit and other Beatles memorabilia were sold Saturday at the Braswell Galleries’ annual New Year’s Day auction to an online bidder who wished to remain anonymous.
Owner Kathy Braswell told the Connecticut Post the holiday auction is their biggest event of the year.
The suit was custom made for Lennon by French designer Ted Lapidus.
Hank Gioiella of Darien, Conn., paid $5,500 for a rusted green 1972 Chrysler station wagon Lennon and Yoko Ono owned.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
