8-gallon Red Wing pantry jar, $4,200, RWCS Convention
An 8-gallon Red Wing blue-banded pantry jar sold for $4,200 at the Red Wing Collectors Society convention auction held July 11 by the Red Wing Collectors Society Inc., in Red Wing, Minn. Also, a 2-gallon Red Wing “elephant ear” ice-water cooler fetched $2,100; a 2-gallon Geno Mfg. Co. advertising water cooler in mint condition brought $2,100; a Red Wing Gray Line cake stand, with a crack, went for $1,300; and a 20-gallon butterfly crock back-stamped “Red Wing Stoneware Co.” made $1,050. Prices are hammer. There was no buyer’s premium.
Fig or beet sugar shaker, $3,335, Jeffrey S. Evans
A late 19th century Mount Washington Glass Company fig or beet sugar shaker, in cased cranberry with polychrome floral decoration, just under 4 inches high, sold for $3,335 at a sale of salt, pepper and sugar shakers held July 27 by Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates, based in Mount Crawford, Va. The auction was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Glass Salt & Sugar Shaker Collectors in nearby Harrisonburg, Va. Also, a Findlay Onyx sugar shaker done in deep butterscotch with amber flowers hit $2,990. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Crowell bufflehead drake, $207,000, Decoys Unlimited
An early bufflehead drake decoy, made circa 1910-1912 by the renowned Massachusetts carver A. E. “Elmer” Crowell (1862-1952), sold for $207,000 at a Summer Decoy Auction held July 28-29 by Decoys Unlimited Inc., based in West Barnstable, Mass. The auction was held on Cape Cod in conjunction with the annual Swap & Sell event. Also, Crowell’s life-size decorative carving of a black-bellied plover with outstanding original paint made $40,250. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Chinese carved jade buckle, $7,475, Jeffrey S. Evans
A Chinese carved jade buckle in the form of a dragon, circa late 19th or early 20th century, sold for $7,475 at a variety sale held Aug. 24 by Jeffrey S. Evans. Also, a late 19th century wooden box made to hold a Magician mechanical bank, by J. & E. Stevens, brought $6,900; an occupational shaving mug painted with a male gymnast on a horizontal bar, marked for Limoges, France, realized $4,312; and an 1846 Philadelphia Circus lithograph print, for Madame Macarte, went for $2,645. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
General Gasoline sign, $18,150, Matthews Auctions
A rare General Gasoline double-sided porcelain transitional sign, with Mobil Pegasus logo, sold for $18,150 at an auction held Aug. 1-2 by Matthews Auctions LLC, based in Nokomis, Ill. The auction was timed to coincide with the Iowa Gas Show in Des Moines, Iowa. Also, a Saxon Motor Oil double-sided porcelain sign, 18 inches square, fetched $9,350; an Oldsmobile Rocket double-sided porcelain die-cut sign, rated 9 out of 10, brought $8,800; and a Union Minute Man Service double-sided porcelain sign made $7,150. Prices include a 10 percent buyer’s premium.
Atlas cast-iron bank, $12,000, Morphy Auctions
An Atlas cast-iron mechanical bank sold for $12,000 at an Antique Toy Auction held June 22 by Morphy Auctions in Denver, Pa. Also, a Pelican cast-iron still bank fetched $11,400; a Lighthouse cast-iron mechanical bank with realistically detailed red brick tower changed hands for $10,800; a J. & E. Stevens Magic cast-iron mechanical bank, pistachio green with red version, knocked down for $8,400; and a Moving Pictures kaleidoscope candy container made by West Bros. & Co., Grapeville, Pa., rose to $7,200. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
Copy of Batman #1, $567,625, Heritage
The highest graded copy of a Batman #1 comic book ever certified (9.2, by CGC Near Mint Minus) sold for $567,625 at a comic and comic art Auction held Aug. 1 by Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas. Also, Frank Miller’s original cover art for the second issue of his landmark 1986 masterwork The Dark Knight Returns soared to $478,000; Frank Frazetta’s 1970 cover painting for Vampirella #5 knocked down at $286,800; and a 3.0-grade copy of Action Comics #1 changed hands for $388,375. Prices include a 19.5 percent buyer’s premium.
Frederic Remington painting, $5.6 million, Coeur d’Alene
A 1908 painting by Frederic Remington titled Cutting Out Pony Herds sold for $5.6 million at the annual Coeur d’Alene Art Auction held July 28 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Also, Norman Rockwell’s 1940 painting titled A Scout is Loyal, showing George Washington and Abraham Lincoln standing behind a Boy Scout, fetched $4.2 million; Howard Terping’s 1989 work Telling of Legends realized $1.7 million; and Charles M. Russell’s 1900 painting Buffalo Hunt went for an even $1 million. Prices include a 12 percent buyer’s premium.
Karl Model 107 doll, $40,000, Theriault’s
Karl, a Model 107 doll from the Kammer & Reinhardt art character series, sold for $40,000 at an auction held July 28 at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., by Theriault’s, based in Annapolis, Md. Also, a wooden doll in original costume with 1827-dated leather satchel and woven market basket, on a base inscribed “Schwaben,” brought $12,500; a mustached gentleman poupee went for $7,000 and his lady companion fetched $10,000; and a mid-18th century poured wax lady and her maid, both in costume, hit $3,600. Prices quoted are hammer.
Crowell black-bellied plover, $214,000, Guyette, Schmidt
A black-bellied plover decoy by A.E. “Elmer” Crowell sold for $214,000 at an auction held Aug. 1-2 in Portsmouth, N.H., by Guyette, Schmidt & Deeter, based in St. Michaels, Md. Also, a curlew by Crowell sailed past its high estimate to realize $109,250; an upland plover, also by Crowell, sold over estimate, bringing $89,125; a bluebill by the Ward Brothers changed hands for $60,375; a snipe by Crowell went for $74,750; a pintail by the Ward Brothers fetched $51,750; and an eider by Gus Wilson made $25,875. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Lou Gehrig baseball card, $125,332, SCP Auctions
A 1934 Goudey #37 Lou Gehrig baseball card in Gem Mint SGC 10 condition sold for $125,332 at a Summer Auction that ended Aug. 10 by SCP Auctions of Laguna Niguel, Calif. Also, a 1916 Famous & Barr #151 Babe Ruth rookie card (Graded VG PSA 3) made $51,450; a 1980-1981 Topps basketball #34 Larry Bird/#139 Magic Johnson rookie card fetched $60,667; and Travis Jervey’s 1996 Green Bay Packers Super Bowl XXXI championship ring went for $37,610. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
1804-dated silver dollar, $3.877 million, Heritage
An 1804-dated U.S. silver dollar that was actually made in 1834 or 1835 sold for $3.88 million at a Platinum Night & U.S. Coins Auction held Aug. 9 in Chicago by Heritage Galleries. The dollar coin was made specially for President Andrew Jackson and was intended to be given as a diplomatic gift on Jackson’s behalf by State Department representatives on trade missions to the Middle East and Asia. It’s one of only eight known. Neither the buyer nor the seller’s names were disclosed. The price includes a 17.5 percent buyer’s premium.
1967 Ferrari GTB/4 Spider, $27.5 million, RM Auctions
A red 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Spider sports car sold for $27.5 million at an auction held Aug. 17-18 by RM Auctions in Monterey, Calif. It was the second most expensive car ever sold at auction and the most expensive Ferrari ever to cross the block. The car, one of 10 special North American Racing Team convertibles, carried an estimate of $14-$17 million. Also, a 1928 Mercedes-Benz, 680S Torpedo Roadster, last year’s Best of Show winner at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance sped off for $8.25 million. Prices include the buyer’s premium.
1955 Porsche RS Spyder, $3.75 million, Mecum Auctions
A 1955 Porsche 550/1500 RS Spyder sold for $3.75 million at the Mecum Daytime Auction held Aug. 16-18 in Monterey, Calif. It was the most expensive Porsche 550 ever sold at auction. Also, a 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Gulf race car, the winner of back-to-back national championships, topped at $1.4 million; a 1990 Ferrari F40 with 500 original miles gaveled for $1.325 million; a 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 convertible realized $800,000; and a 1930 Dusenberg Model J Torpedo Phaeton soared to $950,000. All prices include the buyer’s premium.
H.G. Wells first edition, $26,400, Swann Auction
A first English edition copy of H.G. Wells’s The First Men in the Moon sold for $26,400 at a sale of 19th & 20th century literature held June 20 by Swann Auction Galleries in New York City. Also, a first edition copy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World realized $22,800; a copy of George Orwell’s first novel, Burmese Days, brought $16,800; a copy of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Lamb in His Bosom by Caroline Miller went for $6,000; and a first edition copy of Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon hit $26,400. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
Rockwell Kent painting, $172,500, Thomaston Place
A 1929 oil on canvas landscape by Rockwell Kent (New York, 1882-1971) sold for $150,000 at an auction held Aug. 24-25 by Thomaston Place Auction Galleries in Thomaston, Maine. Also, a 14th or 15th century Renaissance Italian Carrara marble architectural bas relief of Madonna and Child, attributed to Italian artist Tino di Camaino changed hands for $109,250; and an 1889 oil on cradled panel study of Contessa de Luesse nata Berthier by Italian artist Giovani Boldini (1842-1941) went for $126,500. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Kennedy dining set, $65,000, Rafael Osona
The family dining table and 10 Windsor pine dining chairs once used by John F. Kennedy sold for $65,000 at an auction held Aug. 3 by Rafael Osona Auctions on Nantucket, Mass. Also, an original oil painting by Anne Ramsdell Congdon (1873-1958) went for $87,500; an oil on canvas by English painter Tim Thompson (b. 1951), titled Portrait of the US Corvette Ranger in Full Sail on the Open Sea, hit $55,575; and a mixed media on paper work by Milton Avery (American, 1885-1965), titled Haircut, brought $45,000. Prices include a 17 percent buyer’s premium.
