An unusual and much sought after gold, ruby, diamond and enamel zarf sold for $134,000 at a Fine Jewelry and Timepieces Auction held March 25-26 by Leslie Hindman Auctioneers in Chicago, Ill. Also, an antique 6.20 carat cabochon cut unheated Burmese ruby ring realized $146,400; a pair of antique cushion cut diamonds weighing 25.75 carats brought $280,000; and a 7.20 carat heart-shaped diamond of D color VVS1 clarity and the rare “Golconda” Type 11A distinction changed hands for $448,000. Prices include a 22 percent buyer’s premium.

A 1947 illustration by Gil Elvgren, titled Vision of Beauty (Unveiling) sold for $140,000 at an Illustration Art Signature Auction held March 3 by Heritage Galleries (based in Dallas) in Beverly Hills, Calif. Also, Elvgren’s 1967 illustration titled Let’s Eat Out (shown) brought $104,500; his 1946 Brown & Bigelow calendar illustration titled I Hope the Boys Don’t Draw the Straws Tonight garnered $68,500; and an original Charles Addams New Yorker Magazine cartoon titled Sad Movie (1946) went for $40,625. Prices include an 18.5 percent buyer’s premium.

A rare Cigar Store Indian, carved in the 1880s by the renowned artisan Samuel Robb, sold for $94,400 at an auction held March 30-April 1 by Showtime Auction Services in Ann Arbor, Mich. Also, a Rock Island Railroad reverse glass sign, 90 inches by 26 inches, achieved $60,500; a Buffalo Brand Salted Peanuts two-sided outdoor wood sand sign brought $26,400; a horse race wheel of fortune with rare reverse glass layout and table made $31,900; and a Winchester firearms cloth banner, 10 feet by 2 feet, hit $22,420. Prices include the buyer’s premium.

A 1996 New York Yankees World Series champions ring, once owned by former ballplayer Rey Quinones, sold for $15,600 at a Cabin Fever Auction held March 25 by Tim’s, Inc., in Bristol, Conn. Also, an oak carved two-door glass collector’s cabinet realized $5,310; a large rosewood E.N. Welch (Forestville, Conn.) wall regulator weight driven clock from the 1880s breezed to $2,242; a Gibson Byrdland guitar from the 1960s went for $8,625; and a pair of circa-1700 Ponsin dueling pistols rang out at $6,325, Prices include the buyer’s premium.

An American Brilliant Cut Glass three-color, cut to clear bowl by Dorflinger, in the Montrose pattern and in outstanding condition, sold for $65,000 at a cut glass auction held March 10 in Kansas City, Mo., by Woody Auction, based in Douglass, Kan. Also, a Libbey American Cut Glass bowl in the Morello pattern brought $5,500. At Woody Auction’s March 24 auction, held in Wichita, Kan., a 9 inch by 15 inch bride’s basket, a star crimped melon ribbed apricot satin diamond quilted bowl, gaveled for $8,000. Prices are hammer. There was no buyer’s premium.

A full-sheet of 80 post office-fresh 1980 Chinese Year of the Monkey stamps, from the People’s Republic of China, sold for $135,600 at an auction held April 19-21 by Philip Weiss Auctions in Oceanside, N.Y. Also, a 1953 production cel from the Walt Disney movie Peter Pan went for $19,775; a publicity cel for another Disney classic, Snow White, fetched $11,865; yet another production cel (and master background) for Disney’s Dumbo, made $5,650; and a 1969 Grateful Dead concert poster (Las Vegas) hit $2,599. Prices include a 13 percent buyer’s premium.

A Caille nickel-finish double upright oak-cased slot machine sold for $114,000 at a sale of the personal collection of the late Frank Zygmunt, Sr., held March 17 by Morphy Auctions in Denver, Pa. Also, a Mills 50-cent Chicago jackpot upright slot machine designed for the 1900 Paris World’s Fair changed hands for $66,000; the same amount was paid for a Mills 5-cent Cricket gambling machine; and a 1937 Rock-Ola World Series baseball coin-op game housed in an Art Deco-style wood console case hit $31,200. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.

A mallard drake decoy by Charles Walker of Princeton, Ill., sold for $4,900 at an auction held March 23 by Guyette, Schmidt & Deeter, based in St. Michaels, Md. The sale was held at the Great Lake Decoy Collectors Show in Westlake, Ohio. Also, a rare mallard hen by the Peterson Decoy Factory (circa 1880) went to a determined bidder for $4,300; and a lot of four Peters Factory shotgun shell boxes sold over estimate for $1,610. Overall, the auction was well attended and grossed around $118,000. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.

An 18th century New York Chippendale wing back chair sold for $32,200 at an auction held April 1 by Carlsen Gallery in Freehold, N.Y. Also, an oil on canvas painting by Homer D. Martin titled Stony Pond, Adirondacks earned $13,800; a circa 1835 Vermont cast iron dog fetched $12,075; a Queen Anne marble-top mixing table topped out at $12,075; a mixed media work titled Snow Scene by Ralph Blakelock went for $10,350; and an oil on panel work by Blakelock titled Woodland Landscape made $8,625. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.

A 42.38-carat, 18kt white gold and diamond straight-line necklace with 79 round brilliant-cut diamonds (G-H color and VS-S1 clarity) sold for $74,025 at a Fine Jewelry & Timepieces Auction held March 29 by Cowan’s Auctions, Inc., in Cincinnati, Ohio. Also, a 4.96-carat emerald-cut fancy yellow diamond ring wowed the crowd for $38,187; a pair of 3.01-carat cushion cut fancy intense yellow diamond earrings coasted to $17,625; and a 12.68-carat diamond eternity band slipped onto a new wrist for $47,000. Prices include a 17.5 percent buyer’s premium.  

An 18th century Philadelphia carved armchair with 17-inch seat, 39 inches tall overall, sold for $3,500 at a Cataloged Estate Auction held March 31 by Copake Auction in Copake, N.Y. Also, a pair of Asian porcelain planters (or trays), 8 ½ inches high, went for $2,200; a 19th century cast-iron fountain with stylized goose heads fetched $1,800; a leaping horse weather vane, 45 inches by 23 inches, rose to $1,800; and a 19th or 20th century French Art Deco bronze signed by Victor Silvestre, 32 ½ inches long, made $825. Prices are hammer, exclusive of a buyer’s premium.

A bronze creation by Russian artist Leonid Posen, titled The Jewish Carter, sold for $100,000 at an auction held April 20-22 by Rago Arts & Auction Center in Lambertville, N.J. Also, an oil on canvas of a nude by Vitali Tikhov rose to $46,875; a Wedgwood “Ruby Tonquin” china service made $12,500; a continental miniature domes coffer breezed to $17,500; an oil on canvas painting by John Hagny, titled Twin Lights, went for $11,250; and a KPM painting on porcelain of an elegant woman hammered for $15,000. Prices include a 22 percent buyer’s premium.

Constantino Brumidi’s study for The Apotheosis of Washington was bought by the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum for $539,500 (a new auction record for a work by the artist) at an American Furniture & Decorative Arts Sale held March 4 by Skinner, Inc., in Boston, Mass. Also, a Queen Anne scroll-top fan-carved walnut and maple high chest of drawers from the north shore of Massachusetts realized $53,325; and a small stoneware face jug made by slaves in Aiken, S.C., in 1862 commanded $56,288. Prices include an 18.5 percent buyer’s premium.