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. All prices include the buyer’s premium.
Mackintosh bedside cabinet, $328,000, Lyon & Turnbull
A bedside cabinet by Charles Rennie Mackintosh (Scottish, 1868-1928) sold for $328,000 in an online Decorative Arts: Design Since 1860 auction held Nov. 2-3 by Lyon & Turnbull in Edinburgh, Scotland. Also, an extra-size Tudric pewter and abalone clock design, circa 1900, by Archibald Knox (1864-1933), realized $34,160; and an Aesthetic Movement ebonized birch occasional table with incised and gilt decoration designed by E.W. Godwin reached $22,995. Prices are converted from British pounds to U.S. dollars.
Ashley Longshore painting, $6,250, Crescent City Auction
A mixed media painting by Sarah Ashley Longshore (New Orleans, b. 1975), titled Audrey Hepburn with Butterflies, sold for $6,250 at a Fall Estates Auction held Nov. 14-15 by Crescent City Auction Gallery in New Orleans. Also, an 18K white gold tennis bracelet rallied to $8,125; an oil on board painting by Clementine Hunter (La., 1887-1988), titled Wash Day, realized $4,062; and a French Louis XVI-style mahogany marble-top sideboard hit $3,250.
Toulouse-Lautrec poster, $114,000, Poster Auctions
A poster by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, titled P. Sescau / Photographe (1894) sold for $114,000 at Rare Posters Auction #82 held Nov. 15 by Poster Auctions International in New York City. Also, James Montgomery Flagg’s Wake Up, America! (1917) fetched $7,800; Leonetto Cappiello’s Cinzano Vermouth (circa 1919) made $11,400; Leon Hingre’s Theophile Roederer & Co. / Champagne (1897) rose to $5,040; and Alphonse Mucha’s Northeast Bohemia Fair (1903) went for $20,400.
Caille ‘Triple Centaur’ slot, $240,000, Morphy Auctions
The only known example of a late 19th century Caille Bros. Triple Centaur Jackpot musical upright slot machine sold for $240,000 at a Coin-Op & Advertising sale held Oct. 29-31 by Morphy Auctions in Denver, Pa. Also, a Caille Bros. Peerless Roulette five-cent floor model slot machine, circa 1904, garnered $186,000; a Mills five-cent Little Rip baseball-themed payout trade stimulator brought $132,000; and a Caille Bros. five-cent Black Cat musical upright slot machine rose to $102,000.
Russian triptych icon, $25,000, Doyle
A patinated metal and cloisonné enamel triptych icon, featuring a depiction of the Resurrection in the central panel flanked by images of St. Alexander Nevsky and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, sold for $25,000 at an auction of Russian Works of Art held Oct. 28 by Doyle in New York City. Also, a bronze group of a Native American on Lookout by Prince Paul Troubetzkoy hammered for $18,750; and a moss agate model of an elephant by Fabergé went for $5,625.
Honus Wagner card, $1.4 million, Goldin Auctions
A 1909-1911 T-206 white border Honus Wagner baseball card, graded PSA PR-FR 1, sold for $1,426,800 in an October Legends Auction held Oct. 31-Nov.1 by Goldin Auctions, based in Runnemede, N.J. It was a new world auction record for a Honus Wagner T-206 card. Also, a 1952 Topps #311 Micky Mantle card, graded PSA NM-MT 8, went for $584,250; and a 2005/2006 Upper Deck Logoman game-used patch card signed by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen made $295,200.
Robert Doisneau portfolio, $37,500, Swann Galleries
A Robert Doisneau complete portfolio with 15 silver prints (1945-1972), printed in 1979, sold for $37,500 at a Fine Photographs auction held Oct. 22 by Swann Galleries in New York City. Also, a Josef Koudelka silver print titled Czechoslovakia (1968) printed in the 1990s knocked down for $30,000; a Man Ray portfolio titled Electricite (1931) rose to $22,500; and Manuel Bravo’s Fotografias (1945) hit $20,000.
Maurice de Vlaminck oil, $43,750, John Moran
An oil on canvas painting by Maurice de Vlaminck (French, 1876-1958), titled Paysage a la Route, sold for $43,750 at a 20th Century Art + Design auction held Oct. 27 by John Moran Auctioneers in Monrovia, Calif. Also, a color lithograph on paper by Joan Miro (Spanish, 1893-1983), titled Delire du Couturier Jaune, realized $8,125; and a white earthenware clay piece by Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973), titled Faun’s Head (1955), brought $4,375.
Hofzinser magic illusion, $45,600, Potter & Potter
A Hofzinser Any-Card Called for Card Rise Box, a card trick and magic illusion, sold for $45,600 at a Magic Sale held Oct. 31 by Potter & Potter Auctions in Chicago, Ill. Also, Hofzinser’s Wonderful Wand from 1860 finished at $31,200; a circa 1780 ivory-handled cane said to be owned by the famous magician Cagliostro changed hands for $15,600; and a Visible Die Through the Hat, a mechanical masterpiece (1999), went for $14,400.
Fritz Scholder painting, $187,500, Hindman
An oil on canvas painting by Fritz Scholder, titled Indian Messiah (1975), sold for $187,500 at a Western Paintings & Sculpture auction held Oct. 29 by Hindman in Denver. Also, Earl Bliss’s 1986 oil on canvas titled Ritual Dance of the Moon Hunters changed hands for $75,000; and Billy Schenck’s Days of August (1986) set an auction record for the artist when it knocked down for $40,000. The sale totaled $1.6 million.
Wells Fargo stock certificate, $2,875, Holabird Western Americana
A rare Wells Fargo and Company stock certificate from 1870, issued for 100 shares, sold for $2,875 at a five-day auction held Oct. 29-Nov. 2 by Holabird Western Americana Collections in Reno, Nev. Also, a $1,000 banknote from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Series of 1934-A, went for $2,500; a 1960s 25-cent slot machine from the Nevada Club Casino rang up $2,625; and a five-cent token from the PX at Camp Yosemite (Calif.) realized $2,000.
Wormser Bros. flask, $19,550, American Bottle
A Wormser Bros. whiskey flask from San Francisco, circa 1865, with horizontal lettering and applied champagne-style top, the oldest Western whiskey flask known, sold for $19,550 in the online auction of the Don Mullally collection that ended Oct. 25 by American Bottle Auctions, based in Sacramento, Calif. Also, a greenish amber Tea Kettle bourbon bottle, circa 1871-1877, brought $16,675; and an aqua blue Cassin’s Grape Brandy Bitters bottle with a crack hit $10,235.
Folk art double portrait, $81,900, Jeffrey S. Evans
A folk art double portrait by John James Trumbull Arnold (1812-1865), of the Parsons children of Piedmont, Virginia (now West Virginia), sold for $81,900, a new auction record for the artist, at a Premier Americana Auction held Nov. 12-14 by Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates in Mount Crawford, Va. Also, a Salem, North Carolina, figured maple dwarf tall-case clock earned $37,440; and a Virginia Confederate Civil War presentation sword made $23,400.
Tiffany Studios windows, $705,000, Freeman’s
A set of seven stained glass windows created in 1902 by Tiffany Studios, titled Angels Representing Seven Churches, sold for $705,000 – a more than double the high estimate – in a single-lot sale held in November by Freeman’s in Philadelphia. Said Freeman’s Tim Andreadis, “We were elated to see this rare surviving set of windows achieve a world-class price, befitting both their artistic splendor and religious significance.”
1801 blanket chest, $23,750 Cowan’s Auctions
An 1801 federal polychrome paint decorated pine three-drawer blanket chest sold for $23,750 at a Stoneware & Americana auction held Nov. 11-12 by Cowan’s Auctions in Cincinnati. Also, an 1804 Chippendale Berks County painted pine blanket chest commanded $16,640; a 21-inch Ohio stoneware water cooler with patriotic eagle from the 1840s went for $11,875; and a Pennsylvania free-hand cobalt decorated 4-gallon crock changed hands for $8,320.
Coca-Cola litho sign, $6,000, Rich Penn Auctions
A Coca-Cola litho on cardboard “Prevent Forest Fires” sign, 33 inches by 39 inches, sold for $6,000 at an auction held July 23-26 by Rich Penn Auctions in Waterloo, Iowa. Also, an English Edwardian taxidermy diorama on a parlor stand fetched $5,225; a 19th century pair of Victorian English bird domes, each mounted with taxidermy birds, earned $5,220; and a Coca-Cola “Drink Coca-Cola” tin litho on metal sign, 11 inches by 35 inches, climbed to $4,930.
Rolex Explorer wristwatch, CA$29,500, Miller & Miller
A stainless-steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer men’s wristwatch from 1966 sold for $29,500 in an online-only Watches, Jewelry & Decorative Arts auction held Nov.21 by Miller & Miller Auctions Ltd., in New Hamburg, Ontario. Also, a 1962 Omega Speedmaster watch realized $23,600; an 1880s Gilbert No. 8 floor-standing regulator clock brought $8,850; and a watercolor painting by Frederic Remington made $8,850. Prices are in Canadian dollars.
Bob Marley shirt, $33,275, RR Auction
A shirt worn onstage by reggae legend Bob Marley at the Santa Barbara Bowl (Calif.) on July 23, 1978, where he performed with the Wailers, sold for $33,275 at a Marvels of Modern Music auction held November 19 by RR Auction in Boston. Also, handwritten lyrics by Bob Dylan, penned after a visit with Woodie Guthrie in May 1962 and never made public until recently, garnered $38,781; and a trove of Dylan-related material brought $495,000.
Detective Comics No. 27, $1.5 million, Heritage Auctions
A copy of Detective Comics No. 27 (May 1939), graded fine/very fine 7.0 by CGC, unrestored and marking the comic book debut of Batman, sold for $1.5 million in a four-day Comics & Comic Art auction ended Nov. 22 by Heritage Auctions in Dallas. It was the highest price ever realized for any Batman comic book. The previous record was set on Feb. 25, 2010, when another copy of Detective Comics No. 27, graded 8.0, hammered for $1.075 million.
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By KEN HALL
