Stuffed boxing squirrels, $17,700-$22,420, Rachel Davis
Four pairs of stuffed squirrels, posed in a boxing ring, were sold as single lots for prices ranging from $17,700-$22,420 at an auction held Sept. 21 by Rachel Davis Fine Arts in Cleveland, Ohio. The red squirrels, wearing britches and boxing gloves, were mounted in wooden boxes around 1850 by William Hart & Sons, English taxidermists. Also, a 1601 map of Greece by Nicholas Sophianos, 30 1/4 inches by 44 inches, made $120,000; and a work by Dean Cornwell (American, 1892-1960, The Father of Illustration) hit $26,000. Prices include an 18 percent buyer’s premium.
Mills Novelty coin-ops, $15,930, Fontaine’s Auction
A pair of antique Mills Novelty Co. coin-operated machines—a Perfect Muscle Developer (shown) and a Violano-Virtuoso—sold for identical prices of $15,930 each at an auction held Sept. 21 by Fontaine’s Auction Gallery in Pittsfield, Mass. Also, a 1941 Wurlitzer Model 850 floor model jukebox, popularly known as “The Peacock” for its graphics, brought $12,390; and a United Talking Machine Co. phonograph known as the Double-Bell Wonder turned $12,390. Prices include an 18 percent buyer’s premium.
Pair of Meissen covered urns, $201,250, Cottone Auctions
A spectacular pair of antique Meissen armorial covered urns, each one 33 inches tall, sold for $201,250 at a Fall Fine Art & Antiques Auction held Oct. 4-5 by Cottone Auctions in Geneseo, N.Y. Also, a Chinese Kylin standing temple censer, cast bronze with cloisonné and gilt highlights, gaveled for $50,600; a signed Frederick Carder clear and cobalt blue intarsia bowl, 5 3/4 inches in diameter, brought $8,050; and a 1954 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith James Young Sports Saloon car sped away for $48,300. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Authentic Civil War cannon, $86,250, Stevens Auction
A Civil War cannon, fired by Union troops at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, sold for $86,250 at a sale of the contents of the historic Dancy-Polk House Inn in Decatur, Ala., held Oct. 12 by Stevens Auction Co. of Aberdeen, Miss., with help from Empire Auction Gallery of Athens, Ala. Also, a Confederate drum used to lead rebel forces into Battle at Gettysburg fetched $9,200; and an Empire banquet table, made by R.J. Horner, circa 1890, hit $19,550. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Beacon Ethyl Gasoline sign, $55,000, Matthews Auctions
A rare Beacon Ethyl Gasoline single-sided porcelain sign with a die-cut lighthouse-shaped design, circa 1940 and rated 9 out of 10 for condition, sold for $55,000 at a Fall Petroliana & Automobilia Auction held Oct. 17-18 in Peotone, Ill., by Matthews Auctions LLC of Nokomis, Ill. Also, a Rickenbacker Authorized Flat Rate Service double-sided porcelain sign, rated near-mint at 9+, soared to $38,500; and a Wyeth Tires single-sided porcelain curved shield-shaped sign, rated 9+, brought $34,100. Prices include a 10 percent buyer’s premium.
Fancy cutwork glass tray, $4,500, Richard D. Hatch
A fancy cutwork glass tray with a trio of pinwheels surrounded by starbursts and a cane trim, 13 inches in diameter, sold for $4,500 at an estates auction held Sept. 20-21 by Richard D. Hatch & Associates in Flat Rock, N.C. Also, a Wallace Grande Baroque sterling silver flatware service for 12 totaling 2,840 grams went for $4,250; a man’s Rolex 18K gold and stainless steel wristwatch, made in 2006, realized $4,250; and an emerald and diamond brooch made in the form of an iris flower fetched $3,500. Prices are hammer, exclusive of a buyer’s premium.
French circle dot Bru bebe, $18,000, Morphy Auctions
A 23-inch French circle dot Bru bebe doll made in 1880, a bisque beauty with amber-threaded deep brown eyes, sold for $18,000 at a doll auction held Sept. 21 by Morphy Auctions in Denver, Pa. Also, a circa-1877 Fernande Sustrac all-bisque mignonnette with ball-jointed elbows fetched $4,200; a 25-inch Phenix Bebe wearing an antique cream wool dress with black velvet trim found a new owner for $5,400; and a 21-inch Kammer & Rinehart character doll with glass eyes and pouty mouth breezed to $9,000. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
Alexander Calder sculpture, $452,500, Leslie Hindman
An Alexander Calder “stabile,” a abstract sculpture titled Le Champignon, 1956, sold for $452,500 at a fine art sale held Sept. 25 by Leslie Hindman Auctioneers in Chicago. Also, a 1969 gouache by Calder titled Patches climbed to $82,900; an iconic Al (Alfred) Earl Hansen candy wrapper collage from 1967 titled Hershey Bar Girl fetched $45,000; a Friedel Dzubas color field painting titled Cairo Bay (1965) changed hands for $35,000; and an untitled Ralston Crawford geometric abstraction made $32,500. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
Oliver Lawson 1970s swan, $12,800, Guyette, Schmidt
A full-size swan carved in the 1970s by Oliver Lawson of Crisfield, Md., sold for $12,800 at Part 2 of the sale of the contents of the Chincoteague Refuge Museum in Chincoteague, Va., held Sept. 21-22 by Guyette, Schmidt & Deeter, St. Michaels, Md. with Zeb Barfield Auctions. It was a new world auction record for the carver. Also, a group of five dowitchers on a coral base by “Cigar” Daisey brought $6,050; and a reproduction of a Nathan Cobb Jr. swimming Canada goose by Frank Finney fetched $5,175. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Decorated corner cupboard, $24,000, Alderfer Auctions
A paint-decorated corner cupboard from the Jacob Hoestedler family of Lancaster, Pa., sold for $24,000 at a decorative arts auction held Sept. 12 by Alderfer Auctions in Hatfield, Pa. Also, an original painting by Walter E. Baum, titled Road by the River, went for $57,000; Baum’s Lard Mill, Quakertown, Pa., 1930, realized $21,600; a pair of William Aiken Walker portraits fetched $11,700; a 22-inch Harry Bertoia sound sculpture hit $17,220; and a 5.19-carat diamond and platinum ring breezed to $20,400. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
Moorcroft/Shreve cup, $32,130, Clars Auction
A circa 1905 silver overlay loving cup, executed in the Claremont pattern and signed on the base W. Moorcroft/Shreve & Co., San Francisco, 7 1/2 inches tall, sold for $32,130 at an auction held Oct. 6 by Clars Auction Gallery in Oakland, Calif. It was a new world record for a Moorcroft for Shreve example. Also, a circa 1935 Persian Tabriz rug hammered for $17,850; a palace-size Persian Bakhtiari carpet, circa 1930, flew to $16,600; and an emerald cut diamond ring weighing 1.97 carats made $10,710. Prices include a 19 percent buyer’s premium.
Stunning pair of necklaces, $16,520, Michaan’s Auctions
Two carved coral bead, cultured pearl and 14K gold necklaces sold for $16,520 to benefit the Lace Museum in Sunnyvale, Calif., at an estate auction held Oct. 6 by Michaan’s Auctions in Alameda, Calif. Also, a jade, diamond and yellow gold ring realized $15,340; an oil painting by Peter Ellenshaw, titled Dunmore Head, coasted to $3,540; a pair of Southeast Asian Art Nouveau white marble jardinières hammered for $1,534; and an Asian agate brush washer went for $1,652. Prices include a 17 percent buyer’s premium.
Carved lapis lazuli mountain, $72,500, Kaminski Auctions
A lapis lazuli figure, carved in the form of a mountain with a coastal village scene and with a gilt poem on the reverse, circa 18th or 19th century, sold for $72,500 at a fine Asian art and antiques sale held in September by Kaminski Auctions in Beverly, Mass. Also, a mountain landscape by Chinese artist Lu Yan Shao wowed the crowd for $38,000; a pair of huanghuali chairs from the 18th century hit the mark for $21,000; and a gilt bronze Buddha figure carved on a double lotus base changed hands for $31,000. Prices include a 17 percent buyer’s premium.
1958 Chevy Cameo pickup, $140,000, VanDerBrink Auctions
A 1958 Chevrolet Cameo pickup truck with just 1.3 miles on the odometer sold for $140,000 at an auction held Sept. 28-29 by VanDerBrink Auctions in Pierce, Neb. It was a sale of 500 cars and trucks from 1956-1980 that had been kept in storage by the Lambrecht family, who owned a local Chevrolet dealership, until 1996. In other results: a 1963 Chevy Impala with 11 miles sped off for $97,500; a 1978 Corvette Indy pace car with 4 miles hit $80,000; and a 1958 Chevy Apache 31 Series pick-up with 5 miles also made $80,000. Prices include an 8-12 percent buyer’s premium.
Norman Lewis painting, $581,000, Swann Galleries
A previously unknown oil on canvas painting by the Abstract Expressionist artist Norman Lewis sold for $581,000 at a curated sale titled Point of Departure: Postwar African-American Fine Art held Oct. 3 by Swann Auction Galleries in New York. Also, a 1947 terra-cotta sculpture by Elizabeth Catlett, titled Head, sold to an institution for $173,000; Mavis Pusey’s circa 1968 oil on canvas, titled Nuvae, gaveled for $33,750; and Frank Bowling’s 1972 acrylic and spray paint on canvas titled Karters Choice hit $50,000. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
Trove of MLK material, $130,000, Heritage Auctions
A trove of material relating to the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., realized more than $130,000 at a historical manuscripts auction held Oct. 17 by Heritage Auctions in New York. The more than 100 artifacts were consigned by King’s longtime friend and personal secretary, Maude Ballou. Included were King’s handwritten notes on eight cards containing the outline of his famous “Dexter Avenue Church Farewell Address” in 1960 ($31,250) and two letters King wrote to Ballou from India ($18,750 and $17,500). Prices include a 25 percent buyer’s premium.
Paratrooper’s machine gun, $143,750, Cowan’s Auctions
A class III Kreighoff Waffenfabrik FG32 German paratrooper’s machine gun sold for $143,750 at a fall historic firearms and early militaria Auction held Oct. 22-23 by Cowan’s Auctions in Cincinnati. Also, a Knight Armament Co. Stoner 63A machine gun brought $66,125; a pair of Swedish Browning Dual M37 machine guns fetched $40,250; an English powder horn attributed to Thomas Barber, dated 1780, hit $35,650; and a Springfield Model 1873 trapdoor carbine hammered for $35,650. Prices include a 17.5 percent buyer’s premium.
Emerald-cut diamond ring, $305,000, Doyle New York
A diamond ring featuring a 7.54-carat emerald-cut diamond, F color, internally flawless, sold for $305,000 at a jewelry auction held Sept. 25 by Doyle New York in New York City. Also, an Art Deco emerald, diamond, black enamel and cabochon sapphire brooch coasted to $75,000; a pair of fancy light-yellow diamond earclips achieved $68,750; and a pair of glittering diamond earclips from the estate of Margaret Truman Daniel (1924-2008), daughter of Harry and Bess Truman, made $46,875. Prices include a 25 percent buyer’s premium.
