5 Auctions Not to Miss on New Year’s Day

Many auction houses consider their New Year’s Day sales to be their best and most exciting events of the entire year. It’s not unusual for auctioneers to set aside special pieces from collections and estates throughout the year just so they can showcase them in their Jan. 1 sales. Savvy collectors know this and eagerly await the chance to bid and buy on New Year’s Day.

But with so much choice available, how can you possibly pick just one New Year’s auction to bid in? The answer is, you don’t have to! All of the top sales are as close as your computer, and you can bid absentee or live as those auctions are taking place.

Here are five auctions not to miss on New Year’s Day, 2017:

Stephenson’s Auctioneers

A longtime favorite with Philadelphians, Stephenson’s New Year’s Day Auction has a lineup this year that includes heavy antique silver, paintings and furniture from posh “Main Line” estates, plus a collection of art glass paperweights, a Newlyn Arts & Crafts fire screen, and a Pennsylvania folk art treasure: a circa-1900 John Reber carved and painted rooster.

Pair of large and ornate 1894 Carrington & Co., London, sterling silver sauce boats, est. $8,000-$12,000
Pair of large and ornate 1894 Carrington & Co., London, sterling silver sauce boats, est. $8,000-$12,000

 

Nadeau’s Auction Gallery

This distinguished Connecticut auction house will offer 150 lots of glittering, high-end diamonds and jewelry, including 13 Rolex watches, several Cartier timepieces, and an 18K gold Patek Philippe minute repeater chronometer in a closed-face case. Also, there are 250 lots of fine art, prints and maps, some coming from the Credit Suisse corporate collection.

Patek Philippe minute repeater chronometer, 18K gold with closed-face case, two stopwatch hands, est. $15,000-$20,000
Patek Philippe minute repeater chronometer, 18K gold with closed-face case, two stopwatch hands, est. $15,000-$20,000

 

Don Presley Auction Co.

Known for his consistent ability to source high-quality antiques and art from Beverly Hills and Newport Beach residences, California auctioneer Don Presley says his New Year’s 2017 sale contains his best selection ever. There’s a mindboggling array of fine Continental glass and porcelain; leaded-glass lamps, silver, clocks, and extremely valuable jewel-encrusted daggers.

Three important old daggers, two of gold and one of silver. Saudi dagger at left is adorned with diamonds; Moroccan dagger at right features rubies and emeralds. Dagger shown in the middle is around 200 years old and has a silver-weight value of around $125,000. All three were inherited from the late prime minister of Iran during the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Group estimate: $200,000-$225,000
Three important old daggers, two of gold and one of silver. Saudi dagger at left is adorned with diamonds; Moroccan dagger at right features rubies and emeralds. Dagger shown in the middle is around 200 years old and has a silver-weight value of around $125,000. All three were inherited from the late prime minister of Iran during the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Group estimate: $200,000-$225,000

 

Kaminski Auctions

Synonymous with quality estate items, Boston’s Kaminski Auctions will bring variety to their New Year’s Day auction, with highlights that include an array of chairs by Pedro Friedeberg, Frank Gehry, Breuer Wassily, and Eero Saarinen; plus a Douglass Crockwell Saturday Evening Post oil painting, a dramatic Theodora Weber seascape, and a collection of 35 vintage Florida Highwaymen paintings.

Pedro Friedeberg (Mexican, b. 1937-) sculptural hand chair, est. $7,500-$12,500
Pedro Friedeberg (Mexican, b. 1937-) sculptural hand chair, est. $7,500-$12,500

 

Jasper52

This online-only auction features an appealing 120-lot selection of fine prints spanning the 17th through 20th centuries. From a signed drypoint portrait by John Abbott McNeill Whistler to original hand-colored Audubon lithographs of American birds, including the beloved Baltimore oriole, this auction showcases a broad variety of artistic styles and print techniques.

Original limited edition John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851) Princeton print of Baltimore orioles (505/1500), framed, est. $1,300-$1,700
Original limited edition John James Audubon (American, 1785-1851) Princeton print of Baltimore orioles (505/1500), framed, est. $1,300-$1,700

 

View the full Auction Calendar to bid in all New Year’s Day auctions on LiveAuctioneers.