Antique and vintage fishing reels hook collectors

A JF and BF Meek #1 brass Kentucky reel made $3,500 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2015. Image courtesy of Dan Morphy Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

 

A JF and BF Meek #1 brass Kentucky reel made $3,500 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2015. Image courtesy of Dan Morphy Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
A JF and BF Meek #1 brass Kentucky reel made $3,500 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2015. Image courtesy of Dan Morphy Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Fishing is a quiet pastime that allows people to commune with nature as well as procure their dinner. Vintage fishing gear, from lures and flies to rods and reels — especially reels — is coveted. Whether outfitting a vacation home in the style of an old-fashioned Adirondack fishing camp or just putting together a small collection that brings on waves of nostalgia for childhoods spent fishing on riverbanks under the watch of beloved relatives, fishing gear is a popular collecting genre.

Continue reading

Sundials combine science and art to beautify your garden

A 19th-century Dutch copper and brass armillary sundial sold for $3,000 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2020 at Westport Auction. Image courtesy of Westport Auction and LiveAuctioneers.
A 19th-century Dutch copper and brass armillary sundial sold for $3,000 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2020. Image courtesy of Westport Auction and LiveAuctioneers.

NEW YORK — Centuries before watches and cell phones took over the task of keeping track of the time, people could roughly discern the hour by looking up at the sun. Alternately, they could look down to mark the sun’s passage across the sky, which could be tracked by where it cast its shadow on the ground. This fact gave rise to the sundial, a scientific instrument that lends itself to decorative beauty and lush garden settings.

Continue reading

Kamelot to wrap October with three days of outstanding sales

Jean-Pierre Cassignueul, ‘At the Races,’ $20,000-$40,000
Jean-Pierre Cassignueul, ‘At the Races,’ $20,000-$40,000
Jean-Pierre Cassignueul, ‘At the Races,’ $20,000-$40,000

PHILADELPHIA – Kamelot Auctions will hold three days of sales in late October: French, Italian and American Modern furniture, lighting, and decorative arts on October 26; an interiors sale on October 27; and a continental and Victorian sale on October 28. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

Continue reading

June 23 offering of African tribal art sparks wonder and joy

Undated Dan tribal mask, estimated at $2,500-$3,000
Undated Dan tribal mask, estimated at $2,500-$3,000
Undated Dan tribal mask, estimated at $2,500-$3,000

NEW YORK – Humans make art, and making art makes us human. Nothing brings this fact into sharp relief quite like looking at tribal art and artifacts. Hundreds of groups, communities, and bands of people–some still with us, some long vanished–used, and continue to use, whatever materials are available to them to express themselves, tell their stories, and nourish their souls. You don’t need to be a member of the tribe to appreciate the creativity and the beauty of these pieces.

On June 23, starting at noon Eastern time, Jasper52 will open its Unique Tribal Art auction, featuing 150 lots of intriguing and moving works. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

Continue reading