ATLANTA – At the start of each month, ACN columnist Ken Hall gathers top auction highlights from around the United States and beyond. Here’s what made headlines since last month’s Gallery Report (prices include the buyer’s premium unless stated otherwise):

Chinese kesi dragon robe, $132,000, Brunk Auctions

A Chinese Imperial kesi slit tapestry dragon robe from the late Qing dynasty, late 19th century, sold for $132,000 at a Premier Catalog Auction held Nov. 15-17 by Brunk Auctions in Asheville, N.C. Also, an oil on canvas landscape by Martin Johnson Heade, titled Sunset Marsh, realized $240,000; an oil on canvas figural rendering of a seated Native American by Joseph Henry Sharp brought $116,850; and a Federal mahogany sideboard attributed to John Shaw (Md.) made $66,000.

DC Comics Flash #105, $20,000, Bruneau & Co.

A copy of DC Comics Flash #105 (Feb.-Mar. 1959), the first Silver Age Flash in his own title, graded CBCS 9.0, sold for $20,000 at a Toy & Comics Sale held Dec. 1 by Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers in Cranston, R.I. Also, a copy of Marvel Comics Incredible Hulk #181 (Nov. 1974), CBCS 9.4, the first full appearance of Wolverine, brought $8,l25; and a copy of Marvel Comics Fantastic Four #52 (July 1966), the first appearance of Black Panther, CBCS 9.2, went for $7,500.

Picault bronze sculpture, $37,000, Miller & Miller

A patinated bronze sculpture by Emile Louis Picault (French, 1860-1915) sold for $37,000 at an auction held Dec. 8 by Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd., in New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada. Also, a Flying “A” Service raised porcelain gas station sign, 48 inches by 58 inches, achieved $7,000; a contemporary European chandelier with David Michael crafted fixtures garnered $4,700; and a Louis Vuitton men’s suitcase hit $4,500. All prices are in Canadian dollars.

Two portraits by Salazar, $200,000, Crescent City

A pair of portrait paintings by José Francisco Xavier de Salazar y Mendoza (Mexican-Louisiana, 1750-1812), done in New Orleans circa 1785-1795 (one shown), sold for a combined $200,000 at an auction held Jan. 19-20 by Crescent City Auction Gallery in New Orleans. Also, a circa 1790 19-piece Old Paris porcelain tea set brought $9,375; a Gorham 19th-century American coin silver sterling tray made $3,500; and a large Lalique clear and frosted glass swan (Cygne) rose to $2,750.

La Cornue custom range, $25,000, Andrew Jones Auctions

A La Cornue Grand Palais Chateau Series custom range, complete with a teppanyaki grill, sold for $25,000 at a DTLA Collections & Estates Auction held Jan. 20 by Andrew Jones Auctions in Los Angeles. Also, a six-piece group of Chinese blue and white tableware realized $13,750; a Garton Kidillac pedal car sped off for $1,125; and a Greek Apulian red figure askos, fourth century B.C., made $3,250.

English Thomason corkscrew, $23,244, CollectorCorkscrews.com

An English “manufactured” Thomason mechanical corkscrew, with fine handcrafted “Japanning” decoration, sold for $23,244 in an online-only auction held in November by CollectorCorkscrews.com. Also, a circa 1750 French steel fixed bow corkscrew with openwork decoration of the heart-shaped handle hit $13,538; a near-mint Sperry single-lever corkscrew patented in the U.S. in 1878 made $1,850; and a French LePresto 1899 single-lever corkscrew fetched $110. Prices are hammer; there was no buyer’s premium.

Bulls and Bears toy game, $20,740, Pook & Pook Inc.

A scarce McLoughlin Bros. Bulls and Bears – The Great Wall Street Game, patented in 1883, sold for $20,740 at an Antique Toy Auction held Dec. 7-8 by Pook & Pook Inc. (along with Noel Barrett) in Downingtown, Pa. Also, a Doll & Cie painted tin Ferris wheel steam toy realized $21,960; a Roullet & Decamps clockwork tiger on a ball nodder made $14,640; a late 19th-century painted giltwood pretzel trade sign brought $2,500; and a Carpenter cast-iron fire pumper hit $3,660.

Navajo woman’s dress, $31,250, John Moran

A Navajo woman’s dress, made circa 1860, sold for $31,250 at an Art of the American West Auction held Dec. 12 by John Moran Auctioneers in Monrovia, Calif. Also, a bust of Crow King (Kangi Yatapi), the Sioux war chief who attacked the 7th cavalry from the south during the Battle of Little Big Horn, by sculptor Dave McGarry (Arizona, 1958-2013), fetched $11,250; and a portrait of Ogala Sioux chief Iron Tail by Joseph Henry Sharp (N.M., 1859-1953) rose to $10,625.  

Winchester 1873 police rifle, $3,600, Cordier Auctions

A Winchester 1873 rifle produced for the Atlanta Police Department sold for $3,600 at a Winter Firearms & Militaria Auction held Dec. 7-8 by Cordier Auctions in Harrisburg, Pa. Also, a complete Samurai sword with sharkskin handle hammered down for $1,300; an FN FAL semiautomatic military rifle hit the mark for $3,100; a Japanese Samurai short sword made $1,500; an M1A Carson long semiautomatic rifle rang out at $1,800; and a signed Pennsylvania over-under long gun went for $1,900.

Mapplethorpe photo, $31,250, Doyle

A 1987 photograph by Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989), titled Irises, sold for $31,250 at a Photographs Auction held Dec. 13 by Doyle in New York City. Also, a photo by Lewis Baltz (1945-2014) from 1973, titled East Palo Alto Prototype, fetched $25,000; a 1972 photo by William Eggleston (b. 1939), untitled (Farm Truck, Memphis, Tennessee) garnered $25,000; and a gelatin silver print from 1964 by Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004), finished at $21,250.

1885 U.S Trade dollar, $3.96 million, Heritage

The finest-known 1885 U.S. Trade dollar coin, graded PR66, sold for $3.96 million at a Platinum Night U.S. Coin Auction held Jan. 10 by Heritage Auctions in Dallas. The winning bidder was collector Dell Loy Hansen of Logan, Utah. The 19th-century Trade dollars were meant to improve commerce with China. Only five were struck in 1885, all of them at the Philadelphia mint, though the lack of documentation on this suggests they may have been struck clandestinely.

1795 $5 Small Eagle coin, $176,250, Legend Rare Coin

A 1795 U.S. $5 Small Eagle gold coin, graded PCGS MS 62 CAC, sold for $176,250 at Regency Auction 29 held Nov. 15 by Legend Rare Coin in San Antonio, Texas. Also, an 1814 1-cent U.S. coin, graded PCGS PCGS MS 66 RB, changed hands for $88,125; a 1909 U.S. $2.50 gold coin, graded PCGS PR65 CAC, breezed to $88,125; an 1857-S U.S. $10 gold coin, graded PCGS MS64 CAC, brought $76,375; and an 1889-CC U.S. 1$ coin, graded PCGS MS63, made $73,438.

Wendell Castle rocker, $325,000, Phillips

Wendell Castle’s unique Chaise Rocker from 1962 sold for $325,000 at design sales held Dec. 13 by Phillips in New York City. Also, a R.W. Martin & Brothers bird jar and cover, titled Sir Edward George Clark QC (Feb. 1898), flew away for $175,000; a circa 1950 Stilnovo ceiling light illuminated the room for $40,000; an R.W. Martin & Brothers large and grotesque grinning crab, 1880, netted $275,000; and Angelo Lelii’s rare ceiling light, circa 1959, rose to $112,500. 

Meissen porcelain ewer, $9,750, Litchfield Auctions

A massive and elaborately decorated Meissen porcelain ewer sold for $9,750 at a two-day Thanksgiving weekend auction held Nov. 23-24 by Litchfield Auctions in Litchfield, Conn. Also, a painting by George Jones (1786-1869), titled The Market in Abbeyville, hammered for $3,250; a circa 1900 Hamadan-Malayer rug fetched $3,875; a mid-century Madoura tile by Pablo Picasso, titled Polychromatic Head, earned $5,250; and a Cannage quilted handbag by Dior rose to $1,750.  

Tiffany ‘Lucinda’ ring, $187,500, Rago Auctions

A 6.43-carat Tiffany & Co. “Lucinda” diamond ring sold for $187,500 at a Jewelry Auction held Nov. 30 and Dec. 2 by Rago Auctions in Lambertville, N.J. Also, a 10.35-carat marquise brilliant cut diamond engagement ring slipped onto a new finger for $68,750; a Seaman Schepps multi-gem and diamond “garden” bracelet garnered $31,250; and a Tiffany & Co. gold Japonesque pendant brooch achieved $10,000. Overall the sale grossed $2.4 million.

Emerald-cut diamond ring, $114,000, Michaan’s Auctions

A fancy yellow emerald cut diamond, set with triangular white diamonds in a platinum and 18K yellow gold ring, sold for $114,000 at an Exceptional Jewelry Auction held Dec. 10 by Michaan’s Auctions in Alameda. Calif. Also, a ring featuring a Columbian emerald of more than 10 carats brought $84,000; a Schlumberger’s (for Tiffany & Co.) “Cooper” diamond bracelet went for $57,000; and a pair of Tiffany diamond stud earrings, each stone weighing 2.25 carats, realized $45,000.

Winter Olympics torch, $231,000, RR Auctions

A 1968 Grenoble Winter Olympics torch sold for $231,000 in an online auction that ran from Jan. 10-17 by RR Auction, based in Boston. Also, a Lake Placid 1980 Winter Olympics torch knocked down for $38,246; a Rio 2016 gold winner’s medal, possibly the first from the games to be offered at public auction, brought $56,817; a Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympics gold medal for fencing made $24,361; and a 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics gold medal for baseball realized $21,962.

Queen Anne walnut tea table, $11,400, Schwenke Auctioneers

A Queen Anne walnut porringer top tea table made circa 1740-1760, probably in Rhode Island, sold for $11,400 at an auction held Nov. 30 by Schwenke Auctioneers in Woodbury, Conn. Also, four lots of Betty Woodman (1930-2018) bowls, circa early 2000s, sold for a combined $8,250; a pair of New York classical gilt and stenciled rosewood card tables changed hands for $5,400; and a Persian garden design rug, 17 feet 4 inches by 11 feet 6 inches, fetched $4,800.

Russian presentation tray, $21,875, Lark Mason Associates

A large Russian parcel-gilt steel presentation tray from the Tula Workshop, dated 1843, sold for $21,875 at an auction held in November and hosted on the iGavel platform by Lark Mason Associates, based in New Braunfels, Texas. Also, an American Renaissance Revival gilt-bronze clock made by E.F. Caldwell & Co. (New York) chimed on time for $5,750; and a Portuguese colonial parcel-gilt ivory figure of the Virgin Mary from the 17th century hammered for $15,000.

Charles W. Hawthorne oil, $7,200, James R. Bakker

An early oil landscape painting by Charles W. Hawthorne, titled Garden Fence, sold for $7,200 at the annual Fall Fine Arts Auction held Oct. 27 by James R. Bakker Antiques in Provincetown, Mass. Also, an oil on canvas by Edwin Dickinson, titled Sketch, Seated Woman, rose to $6,000; a white-line woodcut by Ora Maxim, titled The Blue Fish, with the printing block used to create the print, sold for $5,100; and a winter landscape with houses by Caleb Arnold Slade made $6,600.