Kashmir sapphire ring, $129,800, Michaan’s
A 3.70-carat natural, certified sapphire stone in a deep royal blue hue, held in a diamond and platinum ring, sold for $129,800 at a Fine Furniture, Decorative Arts & Jewelry Auction held June 6 by Michaan’s Auctions in Alameda, Calif. Also, a 5.19-carat fancy yellow diamond ring hammered for $76,700; a Rolex 6234 Pre-Daytona model watch fetched $18,880; a Shreve & Co. Patek Philippe pocket watch realized $18,880; and an oil painting by David William Simpson titled Four Rainbows #4 made $10,620. Prices include a 17 percent buyer’s premium.
Titanic chessboard, $16,385, Philip Weiss
A chessboard made from actual wood retrieved from the doomed ocean liner RMS Titanic in 1912 sold for $16,385 at an auction held July 23 by Philip Weiss Auctions in Lynbrook, N.Y. Also, a block of 15 unused tickets to the Beatles’ last concert performance in the United States, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco in 1966 (it did not sell out), realized $12,000; and a first-edition copy of Ernest Hemingway’s book The Old Man and the Sea, inscribed and signed by the author, changed hands for $3,220. Prices include a 13 percent buyer’s premium.
Three sterling sculptures, $18,368, Crescent City
Three early 20th century Continental sterling sculptures of jousting knights on horseback (one shown), with ivory faces and decorated with cabochon agate stones, sold for $18,368 at an estates auction held July 26-27 by Crescent City Auction Gallery in New Orleans. Also, a small Russian icon (circa 1898-1908, St. Petersburg) of The Virgin of Kazan, in a sterling and enamel riza by Nicolay Kemper, made $13,035; and a 20th century contemporary alligator motif low table, signed R. Ferguson, hit $7,110. Prices include an 18.5 percent buyer’s premium.
Wedgwood Dragon King vase, $74,062, James D. Julia Inc.
A Wedgwood Dragon King vase, the largest piece of Fairyland Luster Wedgwood ever made, sold for $74,062 at a Glass & Lamp Auction held June 11-12 by James D. Julia Inc., in Fairfield, Maine. Also, a Tiffany table lamp with richly colored poppies having striated orange petals and applied bronze centers against a bed of leaves on a mottled green and yellow background, all on a gold dore base, went for $41,475; and a pair of Moser decorated ewers with overall applied and enameled parrot decoration hit $20,737. Prices include an 18.5 percent buyer’s premium.
Louis Apol oil painting, $16,000, Richard D. Hatch
A winter landscape original oil painting, 45 inch by 32 inches, in a period gilt frame by Dutch artist Louis Franciscus Hendrik Apol (1850-1936) sold for $16,000 at an auction held May 23-24 by Richard D. Hatch & Associates in Flat Rock, N.C. Also, a Rolex 18K gold ladies’ President wristwatch with diamond number indicators and a mother-of-pearl dial changed hands for $4,000; and a pair of 1830 French dueling pistols, gold inlay by Lered W. Proze, numbered 1 and 2, went for $1,400. Prices are hammer, exclusive of a buyer’s premium.
The Phantom movie poster, $203,150, Heritage Auctions
A rare original one-sheet poster for the 1925 horror classic The Phantom of the Opera, one of only four known, sold for $203,150 at a Vintage Movie Posters Signature Auction held July 19-20 by Heritage Auctions in Dallas. Also, a Charlie Chaplin six-sheet for Sunnyside (1919) rose to $71,700; an insert for the cinematic masterpiece Casablanca (1942) went for $83,650; a German poster for the unnerving 1931 classic M realized $50,787; and a large Italian foglio for the film La Dolce Vita made $47,800. Prices include a 19.5 percent buyer’s premium.
1900 Coca-Cola calendar, $210,000, Morphy Auctions
A 1900 Coca-Cola calendar in near-mint-plus condition, with an image of model and actress Hilda Clark, the first beauty to appear in Coke’s ads, sold for $210,000 at an Advertising & Coin-Op Auction held Aug. 22-24 by Morphy Auctions in Denver, Pa. Also, a Mills Double Dewey upright slot machine, 5/25 cents, with original music, garnered $114,000; an 1896 Coca-Cola calendar in a shadow box with gilt frame made $105,000; and a Pepsi-Cola Art Nouveau china soda fountain syrup urn went for $69,000. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
‘Shang’ Wheeler black duck, $115,000, Guyette & Deeter
A presentation black duck by “Shang” Wheeler sold for $115,000 at a Summer Decoy Auction held July 29-30 by Guyette & Deeter (based in St. Michaels, Md.) at the Sheraton Harborside Hotel in Portsmouth, N.H. Also, a “dust jacket”-style plover by Elmer Crowell soared to $109,250; a “pinch breasted” 1932 model pintail from an old California collection breezed to $77,625; a pair of mergansers by Oscar Bibber realized $69,000; and a rare dowitcher by John Dilley changed hands for $57,500. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Pair of Bohemian decanters, $44,400, Kaminski Auctions
A pair of Bohemian decanters of uranium/vaseline coloring, opaque glass with gilt decoration, sold for $44,400 at one of two Summer Auctions held July 13 and 27 by Kaminski Auctions in Beverly, Mass. Also, another pair of Bohemian decanters, featuring an image of Zill al-Sultan (“Shadow of the King,” the Qajar prince who ruled Iran’s capital, 1874-1907), fetched $18,000; and a 21-inch bronze of a nude woman on a marble base titled Crest of the Wave by Harriet W. Frishmuth (American, 1880-1980), hit $26,400. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
Scottish Moor pitcher, $4,888, Jeffrey S. Evans
An unusual Scottish Moor-pattern amethyst opalescent glass water pitcher, dated to around 1890 and possibly made by the West Virginia Glass Co., sold for $4,888 at an Art & Victorian Glass Auction held July 26 by Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates in Mount Crawford, Va. Also, a set of seven Continental two-color cut overlay Rhine Wine glasses rose to vaseline (uranium) bowls, each with Strawberry Diamond and Ellipse design, possibly made by Baccarat or St. Luis, France, gaveled for $2,300. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.
Anatole Vely painting, $22,800, John Moran
A painting by the French artist Anatole Vely, titled La Reveil du Coeur (“The Awakening of the Heart”) sold for $22,800 at an Antiques & Fine Arts Auction held July 22 by John Moran Auctioneers in Pasadena, Calif. Also, a pair of Maison Millet Napoleon III ormolu-mounted marble urns coasted to $14,400; a gilt bronze-mounted Louis XV-style bureau plait gaveled for $13,200; an American pottery piece by Harrison McIntosh fetched $4,200; and a carved oak grande sonnerie bracket clock chimed on time for $3,000. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
Indian princess figure, $92,250, Skinner Inc.
A carved Indian princess tobacconist figure by Samuel Robb sold for $92,250 at an Americana Auction held Aug. 9-10 by Skinner Inc. in Boston. Also, a carved Punch tobacconist figure rose to $79,950; a life-size Black Forest walnut bear also brought $79,950; a quirky composition statue of a scantily clad woman with full-body tattoos, called Battleship Kate, changed hands for $28,290; and a painted folk art Parcheesi board and a folk art game board both fetched more than $30,000 after spirited bidding. Prices include a 23 percent buyer’s premium.
Parker Brothers shotgun, $60,000, Sanford Alderfer
A Parker Brothers AHE grade side-by-side double-barrel shotgun, 28 gauge, with 26-inch barrels, sold for $60,000 at a Firearms Auction held July 15 by the Sanford Alderfer Companies in Hatfield, Pa. Also, an L.C. Smith Crown grade side-by-side double-barrel shotgun, 20 gauge, with 26-inch barrels, made $22,800; a Winchester Model 21 grade 6 side-by-side double-barrel shotgun, 12 gauge, with 28-inch vent rib barrels, hit the mark for $22,800; and a Parker Brothers DHE grade 20 gauge shotgun brought $12,000. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.
World War I poster, $18,750, Swann Auction
A poster from World War I by H. R. Hopps, titled Destroy This Mad Brute / Enlist (circa 1917), sold for $18,750 at a Vintage Posters Auction held Aug. 6 by Swann Auction Galleries in New York City. Also, a poster by Alphonse Mucha, titled JOB (1896), commanded $21,250; Mucha’s decorative four-panel work The Seasons achieved $11,250; James Montgomery Flagg’s Wake Up America Day (1917) fetched $8,750; and Howard Chandler’s If You Want to Fight / Join the Marines (1915) went for $7,680. Prices include a 25 percent buyer’s premium.
Olympic gold medal, $67,642, Grey Flannel
An Olympic gold medal, won at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia by Vin Baker of the Team USA basketball team, sold for $67,642 in an auction that closed on Aug. 20 and was held by Grey Flannel Auctions. It was an online, phone and absentee auction, with no live bidding. The medal received a total of just four bids. The first bid was for the minimum (or reserve) of $35,000, but three other bids countered, for a final hammer price of $56,369. A buyer’s premium was then applied to that figure, pushing the final selling price to $67,642.
Suzanne Valadon painting, $44,840, Kodner Galleries
An original oil on canvas painting by Suzanne Valadon, titled Vase de Fleurs, sold for $44,840 at an auction held Aug. 6 by Kodner Galleries in Dania Beach, Fla. Also, a 9-carat emerald and diamond ring slipped on a new finger for $30,680; an oil on panel work by Louis Valtat titled Pommes a la Draperie Bleu, fetched $22,420; an oil on canvas by Dietz Edzard titled Concert aux Sablettes rose to $11,800; and a bronze Egyptian figure by French sculptor Emile Picault went for $10,600. Prices include the buyer’s premium.
Pair of Chinese foo dogs, $14,950, William J. Jenack
A pair of Chinese carved marble foo dogs sold for $7,475 each (or a combined $14,950) at an auction held Aug. 10 by William J. Jenack Auctioneers in Chester, N.Y. Also, one lot consisting of six ancient Roman coins hammered for $1,000; a Chinese blue and white covered jar changed hands for $4,600; an ancient Roman Emperor Vitellis denarius brought $690; a bronze Dhyani Buddha fetched $978; and a Macedonian Philip II tetradracrum (circa 359-336 B.C.) went for $1,150. All prices quoted include the buyer’s premium.
Wizard of Oz concept art, $45,625, Heritage Auctions
A pair of preproduction concept paintings from the 1939 MGM classic film The Wizard of Oz sold for a combined $45,625 at an Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Signature Auction held Aug. 23 by Heritage Auctions in Dallas. A Lansky Brothers leather coat owned and worn by Elvis Presley hammered for $35,000; and a 1976 Harley-Davidson Model FLH motorcycle previously owned by Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx of the metal band Motley Crue and designed by a mechanic for the Hell’s Angels hit $32,500. Prices include a 25 percent buyer’s premium.
Six hanging scrolls, $25,960, Michaan’s
A set of six Chinese hanging scrolls of calligraphy brushwork attributed to Yu Youren sold for $25,960 at an estates auction held Aug. 3 by Michaan’s Auctions in Alameda, Calif. Also, a painted Buddhist scripture on silk crossed the block for $7,080; two Asian famille rose vases depicting birds and beauties hammered for $4,130; a Mid-Century Modern classic Hans Wegner Papa Bear chair with ottoman fetched $7,670; and a pair of jade, diamond and white gold earrings with Mason Kay Report hit $6,490. Prices include a 17 percent buyer’s premium.
