Tiffany art glass vase, $60,000, Woody Auction

A museum-quality Louis Comfort Tiffany art glass vase, pastel white and green with finely engraved calla lily décor and numerous beetle and spider highlights, sold for $60,000 at Part 1 of the lifetime porcelain and fine art glass collection of the late Dr. Ernest Rieger and his wife Karin, held March 20 by Woody Auction, Douglass, Kan., in Part 2 will be held May 29 in Wichita. Also, a set of four Meissen pedestal handled ewers, representing earth, wind, fire and water, hit $57,500. Both figures quoted are hammer prices.

1813 presentation sword, $27,060, Philip Weiss

A rare and historic British presentation sword from 1813 sold for $27,060 at an estate sale held Feb. 26 by Philip Weiss Auctions in Lynbrook, N.Y. Also, a 75-million-year-old dinosaur egg nest with seven eggs, from the plant-eating hadrosaur, rose to $17,915; a Fender Telecaster 3-D guitar, illustrated with some of the greatest names in rock ‘n’ roll history by the American pop artist Charles Fazzino, went for $9,840; and a first-edition copy of the book PT-109, signed and inscribed by John F. Kennedy, made $5,225. Prices include the buyer’s premium.

Mexican scrip note from 1913, $4,130, Archives International

A Mexican scrip note from Aqua Prieta in the amount of 25 centavos, dated 1913, sold for $4,130 at an auction held March 11 by Archives International Auctions, Fort Lee, N.J. Also, a colorful Corn Exchange Bank (U.S.) uncut obsolete sheet of four banknotes realized $2,950; a Submarine Boat & Torpedo Co. stock certificate from 1889 fetched $1,888; and a Chinese Ch’ing Dynasty 1500 cash banknote, circa 1854, made $1,652. Prices include an 18 percent buyer’s premium.

Superman cover art, $286,800, Heritage

Legendary artist Fred Guardineer’s original art for the cover of Action Comics #15 – the oldest Superman cover ever offered – sold for $286,800 at a Vintage Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction held Feb. 20-22 by Heritage Auctions. Also, a copy of Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Spider-Man (graded CGC 9.0) went for $191,200; and a copy of Amazing-Man Comics #5 (graded CGC 9.4), considered one of the top 100 Golden Age comic books, hit $56,762. Prices include a 19.5 percent buyer’s premium.

Double cased Colt pistols, $224,250, James D. Julia

A set of rare presentation double cased Colt pistols, presented to Gen. W.A. Thornton by Col. Colt himself, sold for $224,250 at a firearms auction held March 10-12 by James D. Julia Inc., in Fairfield, Maine. Also, a unique gold L.C. Smith DeLuxe 16-gauge shotgun rang out at $207,000; a nearly new and extraordinary 28-gauge Boss weapon hit the mark for $207,000; an outstanding iron frame Henry rifle hammered for $161,000; and an almost new L.C. Smith A-3 12-gauge firearm went for $110,000. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.

Star Pepsin gum machine, $27,600, Morphy Auctions

A Star Pepsin penny gum machine from 1899, porcelain in a wood case and one of only three known, sold for $27,600 at a sale of the 35-year pinball collection of David Silverman, founder of the National Pinball Museum, held Feb. 21-22 by Morphy Auctions in Denver, Pa. Also, a circa 1920s Wineberry ceramic soda fountain syrup dispenser fetched $25,200; a 1905 Coca-Cola calendar with an image of Lillian Nordica, breezed to $20,400; and a 1903 Coca-Cola tin sign with an image of Hilda Clark made $11,400. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.

Platinum and diamond ring, $14,160, Michaan’s Auctions

A classically styled platinum and diamond ring with the center old European cut stone weighing 3.20 carats surrounded by six old mine cut diamonds sold for $14,160 at an estates auction held March 2 by Michaan’s Auctions in Alameda, Calif. Also, a sculpture of a bronze dancer with an orb by Russian Federation artist Romain de Tirtoff Erte changed hands for $3,540; and a pair of Jamaican landscapes and Roger San Miguel’s Girl With Guitar ended up selling for identical prices of $1,062. Prices include a 17 percent buyer’s premium.

Martin Brothers tobacco jar, $111,750, Rago Arts & Auction

A Martin Brothers triple bird tobacco jar sold for $111,750 at a 20th century decorative arts and design auction held March 1-2 by Rago Arts & Auction Center in Lambertville, N.J. Also, a Newcomb College oil lamp by Mary Sheerer rose to $93,750; a Viktor Schreckengost charger titled Lady Godiva went for $93,750; an Albert Paley dining table coasted to $59,375; a Paul Evans directional deep relief cabinet fetched $53,125; and a wall hanging cabinet by George Nakashima went for $50,000. Prices include a 25 percent buyer’s premium.

Five half-dollar coins, $4,313, Jeffrey S. Evans

One lot consisting of five U.S. silver flowing hair and draped bust half-dollar coins, for the years 1795, 1801, 1802, 1803 (large 3) and 1805, sold for $4,313 at a Variety Auction held Feb. 22 by Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates in Mount Crawford, Va. Also, a 1932 Winter Olympics bronze medal, from the first Olympics held in the U.S. (Lake Placid, N.Y.) brought $4,313; and a “Hootch Owl” figural cast brass combination corkscrew/bottle opener/nutcracker, for Robert Smythe’s design patent of March 7, 1936, hit $1,725. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.

Signed Beatles album, $118,230, RR Auction

A rare copy of The Beatles’ album Meet the Beatles, signed by the group and given to Dr. Jules Gordon for tending to George Harrison’s sore throat prior to their historic first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on Feb. 9, 1964, sold for $118,230 in a Marvels of Modern Music Auction held March 13-20 by RR Auction in Boston, Mass. Also, an archive of material from jazz legend Roy “Little Jazz” Eldridge went for $71,553; and a pair of wire-rimmed eyeglasses, originally presented to Victor Borge by John Lennon, made $22,605. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.

Pair of Chinese cabinets, $299,500, Clars Auction

A pair of Chinese hardwood and huanghuali compound cabinets sold for $299,500 at a fine art, jewelry and decorative arts sale held March 15-16 by Clars Auction Gallery in Oakland, Calif. Also, a set of hardwood huanghuali round table and stools, executed in the drum form, realized $189,500; a signed etching by Marcel Duchamp (French, 1887-1968), titled Nine Malic Moulds, fetched $19,000; and a 19th century Continental Renaissance-style figural clock in patinated metal, with a figure of Atlas, went for $13,000. Prices include a 19 percent buyer’s premium.

Becher suite of 12 prints, $125,000, Swann Auction

A 1978 suite of 12 silver print photos of Industrial Facades by Bernd and Hilla Becher, known for their typologies of industrial buildings and structures, sold for $125,000 at a sale of photobooks and photographs held Feb. 27 by Swann Auction Galleries in New York. Also, a set of 12 first-edition photobooks by Edward Ruscha, three of them signed (1966-1978) gaveled for $32,500; and Alexander Gardner’s 1865 albumen print of the hanging of Lincoln’s assassination conspirators changed hands for $27,500. Prices include a 25 percent buyer’s premium.

1826 half eagle gold coin, $235,000, Heritage Auctions

An 1826 half eagle five-dollar gold coin, rare because so many of them were melted down, sold for $235,000 at an auction held Feb. 27-28 and March 2 by Heritage Auctions at the American Numismatic Association National Money Show in Atlanta. Also, an 1845 quarter eagle (certified Proof-67 Ultra Cameo by NGC) fetched $223,250; an 1875 eagle (graded AU50 by PCGS) rose to $211,500; and a 1909-S-VDB Lincoln head penny (graded MS67 Red PCGS Secure) garnered $117,500. Prices include a 17.5 percent buyer’s premium.

White jade incense burner, $48,000, Sanford Alderfer

A Chinese white jade incense burner, a wedding present to the consignor’s parents in the 1930s, sold for $48,000 at a fine and decorative arts auction held March 20 by Sanford Alderfer Cos. in Hatfield, Pa. Also, a pair of Chinese goldfish bottle vases reached $4,680; a sterling silver monstrance originating from the Hagia Sophia in Turkey realized $5,850; a bronze perched hawk by Wilhelm Zugel brought $3,300; a Lyon & Healy harp with case hit $7,995; and a Jedidiah Weiss (Pennsylvania) tall-case clock made $8,775. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.

Gilt-bronze Bodhisattva, $350,000, I.M. Chait

A 15th century early Ming Dynasty Xuande mark and period gilt-bronze Bodhisattva figure, 9 3/4 inches tall and elaborately decorated with cast “jewelry,” headdress and other adornments, sold for $350,000 at a post-Asia Week auction held March 23 by I.M. Chait in Beverly Hills, Calif. Also, a 16-piece carved ruby matrix tea set hammered for $219,600; an ink-on-paper calligraphy scroll by Wu Changshuo (1844-1927) fetched $73,200; and a Chinese calligraphic couplet by Zhang Daqian (1978) hit $67,100. Prices include a 22 percent buyer’s premium.

Jack Kirby art, $43,320, Hake’s

Illustrator Jack Kirby’s two-page re-telling of Captain America’s origin in Captain America #109 (cover dated Jan. 1969) sold for $43,320 at Auction #211 held March 20 by Hake’s Americana & Collectibles (www.hakes.com), based in York, Pa. Also, Kirby’s original art for page 8 from Fantastic Four #44, for The Gentleman’s Name is Gorgon!, which introduced Gorgon of The Inhumans, went for $12,851; and the art for George Herriman’s June 13, 1937 Krazy Kat Sunday page changed hands for $15,180. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.

Australia’s first banknote, $310,000, Noble Numismatics

The only known example of Australia’s first official banknote – a 10 shilling note from 1817, one of 100 issued by the Bank of New South Wales, now known as Westpac, sold for $310,000 at an auction held March 26 by Noble Numismatics, with offices in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. It was a new world auction record for a colonial banknote. The note was discovered in a private collection in Scotland in 2005. The selling price includes Noble’s buyer’s premium.

English silver tankard, $5,900, Richard Winterton

A rare English silver tankard, made in the early 18th century, during the reign of King George I, possibly by the little-known Exeter silversmith Andrew Worth, sold for $5,900 at an auction held March 26-27 by Richard Winterton in Lichfield, England. Also, a suite of diamond and sapphire jewelry went for $9,000; a rare Border Fine Arts limited-edition figural group (“Red Squirrels”) rose to $3,000; a Japanese Meiji reticulated vase fetched $2,250; and a World War I Distinguished Flying Cross hit $2,250. Prices include the buyer’s premium.