Gallery Report: October 2009
Audubon engraving, $82,250, Neal Auction
A John James Audubon (Am., 1785-1851) Havell engraving, titled Blue Crane, or Heron, sold for $82,250 at a Fall Estates Auction held Sept. 12-13 by Neal Auction Company in New Orleans. The buyer was a Southern collector bidding by phone. It was a new world auction record, shattering the previously held record of $71,700 posted by Christie’s for its sale of Audubons from the Ducal House of Sachsen-Meningen. Also, the John W. Mecom Collection of Mardi Gras Memorabilia garnered $36,000. Prices include a 17.5 percent buyer’s premium.
Chippendale desk, $41,400, Leland Little
A late 18th century Pennsylvania Chippendale tiger maple desk, probably Lancaster County, Pa., sold for $41,400 at a Historic Hillsborough Auction held Sept. 19 by Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd., in Hillsborough, N.C. Also, a 1910 oil on panel painting by Julian Onderdonck (Texas, 1882-1922), titled Rock Quarries, realized $29,900; a 1978 acrylic on canvas work by Richard Anuszkiewicz (N.J., b. 1930), titled Soft Cover Vermillion, made $25,300; and a red 1985 Ferrari 308 GTS Quattrovalvole hit $24,150. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Chinese porcelain bowl, $115,000, Brunk Auctions
A tiny Chinese famille rose bowl with peonies and insects and dated to the Yongzheng dynasty (1723-1735), measuring 2 inches by 4 ¼ inches, sold for $115,000 at an auction held Sept. 12-13 by Brunk Auctions in Asheville, N.C. Also, a finely textured 11-inch liver red bottle vase commanded $105,800; a 21 ft. 7 inch by 11 ft. 6 inch Ottoman carpet from early 17th century Cairo garnered $74,750; and a portrait of Mrs. Thomas Babington attributed to Sir Thomas Lawrence (Br., 1769-1830) hit $46,000. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
1883 Gatling Gun, $172,500, Fontaine’s
A Colt Model 1883 .45 caliber Gatling Gun, fully operational and in spectacular condition, sold for $172,500 at a Civil War, Firearms and Militaria Auction held Aug. 15-16 by Fontaine’s Auction Gallery in Pittsfield, Mass. Another Gatling Gun (a Colt Model 1874) hit $69,000. Also, a 3-inch 1861 ordinance rifle cannon carriage mount brought $28,750; a Confederate Fayetteville 1864 muzzle-loader armory rifle hit $23,000; and a 12-pound cannon on iron carriage mount (1837) commanded $19,550. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Marklin fire truck, $149,500, Bertoia
A circa 1912 Marklin live-steam fire pumper, 18 inches long and featuring a bright, hand-painted open frame with exposed boiler and intricate gear work, sold for $149,500 at the sale of The Donald Kaufman Antique Toy Collection, Part II, held Sept. 25-26 by Bertoia Auctions in Vineland, N.J. Also, an early 1930s boxed Tippco (Germany) Mickey and Minnie Mouse on Motorcycle clockwork toy reached $71,300; and a circa 1904 Bing (German) four-seat touring car commanded $59,800. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Silver cocktail set, $31,720, Sollo Rago
A rare silver cocktail set by Elsa Tennhardt/E.&J. Bass Co. sold for $31,720 at a Real Modern Sale held Sept. 12 by Sollo Rago Modern Auctions in Lambertville, N.J. Also, a Danish silver ice bucket fetched $4,880; a rare sculptural cocktail table in the style of Ibram Lassaw brought $5,490; a Florence Knoll rosewood credenza achieved $4,880; a leather-covered dresser in the style of Jacques Adnet garnered $3,660; and a bleached mahogany dresser by Tommi Parzinger for Charak Modern made $3,416. Prices include a 22 percent buyer’s premium.
Chamberlain’s uniform, $72,000, Grey Flannel
The late Wilt Chamberlain’s 1972 Western Conference All-Star Game-used home uniform sold for $72,000 at a Hall of Fame Induction Auction held Sept. 11 by Grey Flannel Auctions at the Mohegan Sun resort in Uncasville, Conn. Also, the complete backboard and rim into which Michael Jordan scored his famous last-second goal in the 1988 NBA Championship Finals went for $57,000; and Jordan’s autographed 1984-85 rookie jersey, possibly the first one issued to him as a Chicago Bull, hit $66,000. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
Twin-stone diamond ring, $225,150, Skinner, Inc.
A fancy twin-stone diamond ring, set with an intense blue pear-shaped diamond weighing 1.26 carats, and a brownish pink diamond weighing 1.20 carats, sold for $225,150 at a Fine Jewelry sale held Sept. 15 by Skinner, Inc., in Boston. Also, a vivid yellow diamond solitaire weighing 3.65 carats soared to $68,730; a Cartier coral and diamond flower clip/brooch went for $74,062; a citrine and diamond Cartier cuff bracelet brought $94,800; and a platinum, ruby and diamond ring changed hands for $53,325. Prices include an 18.5 percent buyer’s premium.
Boxed Ives train set, $5,500, New England Toy Train Exchange
A 1912 boxed Ives 100 Newark toy train set sold for $5,500 at a sale of Antique and Vintage Toys & Trains held July 10-11 by New England Toy & Train Exchange (NETTE) in Danbury, Conn. Also, a 1908 Lionel 3 standard gauge trolley went for $4,400; a 1936 Lionel for Macy’s Streamliner chugged away for $4,290; a 1932 American Flyer 4672 steam passenger set garnered $2,860; a boxed Lionel gunmetal 400E hit $2,430, a matching 392E loco made $1,730; and an Orange 9U Electric rose to $1,590. Prices include a 10 percent buyer’s premium.
Whistler lithograph, $27,000, Carlsen
A rare lithograph by James A.M. Whistler sold for $27,000 at an auction held Sept. 20 by Carlsen Gallery in Freehold, N.Y. Also, an oil on canvas work by James Hope titled Rainbow Falls realized $18,000; an 18th century Irish Chippendale console made $14,000; a 16th or 17th century Continental tapestry went for $8,750; a marble sculpture of a girl by A. Cipriani topped out at $7,500; an oil on canvas painting by R. Peale titled Angel fetched $7,000; and an English oak harvest table hit $7,000. Prices exclude the 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Moon-landed Rolex, $131,450, Heritage
An all-original 1968-era Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master watch, worn by Apollo 17 Command Module Pilot Ron Evans on a trip to the moon, sold for $131,450 at a Space Exploration Auction held Oct. 8 by Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas, Tex. Also, an Apollo 16 Lunar Module Flown Crewman Optical Alignment Sight (COAS), used by Commander John Young during lunar docking maneuvers, made $65,725; and Command Module Pilot James Lovell’s Apollo 8 flown crew log hit $56,762. Prices include a 19.5 percent buyer’s premium.
George II side chairs, $42,300, Weschler’s
A pair of George II walnut side chairs sold for $42,300 at an auction held Sept. 25-26 by Weschler’s Auctioneers & Appraisals in Washington, D.C. Also, a Louis XV-style ormolu, cut glass rock crystal 15-light chandelier hammered for $22,325; an Italian marble figure of Hebe, after a model by Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen (1768-1844) breezed to $15,525; an oil painting by Evert Pieters (Dutch, 1856-1932), titled Tea in the Garden, brought $28,200; and a stunning brooch by Cartier hit $16,450. Prices include a 17.5 percent buyer’s premium.
Bay Psalm Book, $57,600, Swann
An early edition of the Bay Psalm Book (circa 1669-1682) sold for $57,600 at a sale of Printed & Manuscript Americana held Sept. 17 by Swann Auction Galleries in New York. It was a new record price for the book. Also, a 1782 Aitken Bible soared to $43,200, despite lacking a title page; a copy of Thomas Chapman’s early American cookbook, The Cyder-Maker’s Instructor (Boston, 1762), rose to $26,400; and a copy of Joyfull Newes out of the New-Founde Worlde, by Nicholas Monardes (London, 1596), hit $13,200. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
KPM plaque with nymph, $17,550, Alderfer Auction
A beautiful 16 inch by 12 inch KPM plaque featuring a delicate nymph sold for $18,000 at a Fine & Decorative Arts Auction held Sept. 9-11 by Alderfer Auction & Appraisal in Hatfield, Penn. Also, a pair of miniature Cartier clocks sold as one lot for $17,550; an Edwin Swift Clymer painting complemented by a large Sanford White frame topped out at $12,870; a work titled Dahlia by Mary Elizabeth Price fetched $11,700; and a tall case Griffith Owen Towamensing Pennsylvania clock hit $11,115. Prices include a 17 percent buyer’s premium.
Tiffany & Co. revolver, $103,500, Rock Island
A Tiffany & Co. Smith & Wesson .32 double action 4th model revolver, exhibited by the factory at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, sold for $103,500 at a Premiere Firearms Auction held Sept. 11-13 by Rock Island Auction Company in Moline, Ill. Also, a pair of Adolph Frohn, Suhl Germany pistols brought $172,500; a pair of silver mounted, gold inlaid flintlock T. Dobson pistols hit $69,000; and a New Haven Arms. Co. Volcanic lever-action No. 2 Navy pistol made $48,875. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Signed Tolkien set, $14,600, Philip Weiss
A three-volume set of The Lord of the Rings books by J.R.R. Tolkein (The Fellowship of the Rings, The Two Towers and The Return of the King), one of which had been signed by the author, sold for $14,600 at a multi-estate sale held Oct. 3-4 by Philip Weiss Auctions in Oceanside, N.Y. Also, an original Peanuts daily comic strip by Charles Schulz, dated Sept. 6, 1954, earned $28,250; a T-204 Ramly Cigarettes baseball card of Walter Johnson garnered $8,300; and an 1853 slavery broadside hit $4,520. Prices include a 13 percent buyer’s premium.
Gabel Kuro jukebox, $120,750, Hal Hunt
An extremely rare 1940 Gabel Kuro jukebox, one of only six known, sold for $120,750 at a sale of the jukebox and advertising collection of the late John Gurrech of Houston, Tex., held Oct. 3 by Hal Hunt Auctions in Northport, Ala. It was a new world auction record for a jukebox. Also, a Model 950 Wurlitzer jukebox, made in 1942, soared to $48,875; an unrestored 1936 Wurlitzer Model 35 (a prototype jukebox that never went into production) made $77,625; and a 1941 Rock-Ola Spectrovox hit $34,500. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
E. Howard clock, $52,900, Cottone
A vintage E. Howard & Company Astronomical Observatory Regulator clock sold for $52,900 at an estate sale held Aug. 29 by Cottone Auctions in Geneseo, N.Y. Also, a rare Juvet table-top clock with 11-inch globe chimed on time for $24,150; and a Joakim Hill (Flemington, N.J.) tall case clock in a fine inlaid mahogany case brought $18,975. At the firm’s Aug. 15 auction, dedicated to antique guns and historical books, a Henry rifle purchased by the U.S. Government for use during the Civil war hit $48,300. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
