Stories for October '16
(Issue Story)The Devil's Dictionary of Antiques Collecting: Part 1
Every specialty has its own private language—business, law, politics, the sciences, antiques. Sometimes the intricacies of a profession demand words not in common use: scientists mutter about “cosines,” attorneys about resolutions settled “with prejudice,” and actors about “panning shots.” And this argot is all but demanded by the individual’s field. ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Stars and Bars Barred
Editorial
A California law, passed with little notice several years ago, had good intentions but has brought unintended consequences.
The law specifies that the state of California “may not sell or display the Battle Flag of the Confederacy, also referred to as the Stars and Bars, or any similar image, or tangible ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)New Portland, Maine, Antiques Show Postponed until 2017
The Maine Antiques Exposition, a new antiques show that had been scheduled by John and Elizabeth DeSimone of Goosefare Antiques & Promotions for October 15 and 16 at Thompson’s Point Events Center in Portland, Maine, has been postponed for a year.
The events center has experienced construction delays and will not ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Eastfield Village Marches On
East Nassau, New York
With two years gone since the untimely loss of Don Carpentier, the founder and director of Eastfield Village, 2016 saw a full roster of workshops and conferences at the village. These are the oldest historic preservation workshops in existence, offering hands-on instruction in tinsmithing, blacksmithing, masonry, and, ... (Read More)
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(Young Collectors)Lost in Translation
The Young Collector
You know how when you say a normal word like “apostrophe,” “tailgate,” or “dentistry” over and over that after a while it becomes divorced from its meaning and begins to sound like complete nonsense? Yeah, well, funny thing, but that happens after you read auction catalogs or sales ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Collector, His Companies, and Two Shippers Indicted for Tax Fraud
Real estate developer and collector Michael Shvo, 43, his companies, Shvo Art Ltd. and Seren LLC, and two shipping companies and their principals were indicted on September 8 in New York City for participating in a scheme to evade the payment of more than $1 million in state and local ... (Read More)
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(Book Review)Books Received, October 2016
These are brief reviews of books recently sent to us. We have included ordering information for publishers that accept mail, phone, or online orders. For other publishers, your local bookstore or a mail-order house is the place to look.
A Bibliography of Maine Imprints, 1785-1820 by Glenn B. Skillin, with a ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)NASA Seizes Artifact Sent to It for Verification
In October 2014 two objects related to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) were put up for bid in an online auction held by Gaston & Sheehan Auctioneers. A flown, zipped lunar sample return bag with lunar dust had a beginning bid of $20,000. A gray Apollo-era mesh cushion, ... (Read More)
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(Computer Article)Home and Business Security
Computer Column #334
Protecting our computers from malware has been discussed in this column. This month the emphasis will be reversed. Computers, other digital devices, and the Internet can protect us and our antiques businesses from criminals.
Dome and bullet-style security cameras.
Security Cameras
Security or surveillance cameras are everywhere. News reports tell us ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Elmore and Harvard Settle Suit
The lawsuit filed by Harvard University against Santa Fe, New Mexico, dealer and author Steve Elmore has been settled.
In 2015 Elmore self-published a 217-page book, In Search of Nampeyo: The Early Years, 1875-1892, after the manuscript was rejected by the Peabody Museum Press, the publishing arm of the Peabody Museum ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Monumental Emanuel Leutze Painting Discovered in Pennsylvania Masonic Temple
An unpublished and previously unknown painting by the famous American historical and portrait painter Emanuel Leutze (1816-1868), best known for his iconic Washington Crossing the Delaware (1851, Metropolitan Museum of Art), has come to light in a Masonic temple in eastern Pennsylvania.1Measuring 80" x 118" with its frame, the oil ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)The Potomack Company Expands into Connecticut
The Potomack Company, Alexandria, Virginia, has expanded to the Greenwich, Connecticut, area. Suzanne Branch has been appointed head of Potomack’s Greenwich office to provide collectors, executors, and dealers in the Northeast with a full range of auction services. Branch is a graduate of Sweet Briar College and studied at the ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Robert P. Walker, Polka Dot Antiques, Waccabuc, New York
In the Trade
Robert Walker sells British ceramics. Given the state of today’s market, one might logically assume that selling such specialized material is not easy. After all, what could seem less in vogue these days than fussy little pieces of china? Even the word sounds old-fashioned. And, not surprisingly, prices ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)American Watch History in Geneva
If you want to examine three valuable and rare watches with uniquely important historical connections to the United States, you need to travel to the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, Switzerland.
Front view of the Patek Philippe Museum, Rue des Vieux-Grenadiers 7, Geneva, Switzerland.
Many of us, not just in the top ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Kenos Answer One Lawsuit but Face Two More
Update: This suit and all others have been settled and dismissed. For more: http://www.maineantiquedigest.com/news/kenos-resolve-all-legal-matters
There are now three lawsuits claiming that Leigh Keno or Leslie Keno and/or one of their companies have not paid their auction house bills. The Kenos are twin brothers who shot to fame in the world of art and ... (Read More)
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(Book Review)Oak Furniture: The British Tradition
A Book Review
Oak Furniture: The British Tradition. A History of Early Furniture in the British Isles and New England by Victor Chinnery. ACC Art Books, 2016, 551 pages, hardbound, $125 plus S/H from (www.antiquecollectorsclub.com) or (212) 645-1111.
The years before and after 1980 were, in retrospect, something of a golden age ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Old Salem to Open Moravian Decorative Arts Gallery
Old Salem Museums & Gardens in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, will open a new self-guided gallery, the Dianne H. Furr Moravian Decorative Arts Gallery, on October 22.
The Dianne H. Furr Moravian Decorative Arts Gallery will include nearly 2500 square feet in the Frank L. Horton Museum Center at 924 S. Main ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)From the Ground Up
Charles G. Dorman (1920-2000), who served as curator of Independence National Historical Park, used to tell the urban archaeologists digging in Philadelphia’s historic district that when trenching at a country house or farmhouse, they should estimate the pitching arm of the cook or the farmer’s wife and dig around the ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Exhibitions, October 2016
Maine Antique Digest includes, as space permits, brief announcements of exhibitions planned by galleries, museums, or other venues. We need all press materials at least six weeks in advance of opening. We need to know the hours and dates of the exhibit, admission charges, and phone number and website for ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Grand Opening for 14 E. King Antiques and Design
A new shop in Abbottstown, Pennsylvania, 14 E. King Antiques and Design, will celebrate a grand opening September 22-24. The shop will be open all three days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Owners Tracy Dodge and Steve Lipman, former owners of The Yellow Garage Antiques Marketplace, Mullica Hill, New Jersey, ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Letter from London, October 2016
Ian McKay, <[email protected]>
Some very expensive lots from the English summer sales are lined up for this month’s “Letter,” not the least of them a pictorial tour of a Prince Bishop’s Bavarian garden. Stubbs and Munnings provide a couple of defining moments in equine portraiture, while mayhem in a Dutch schoolroom ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Fire: Living a Collector's Worst Nightmare
The Sport of Collecting by Sir Martin Conway was one of my few antiquarian books to emerge, charred and waterlogged, from the wreckage of my home, which burned to the ground in January 2016. As an antiques dealer and collector, collecting is my sport, my lifelong passion, and my livelihood. ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Dupuis Fine Jewellery Auctioneers, Toronto, Canada, Online-only Auction
Antique Jewelry & Gemology
There has been a shift in the marketing of jewelry at auction in the last few years. Many auction houses have added Internet-only sales, particularly for the more affordable tier of the market and/or of targeted sales of collections from a well-known single owner or single designer. ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 2016 New Hampshire Antiques Dealers Association Show
New Hampshire Antiques Show, Manchester, New Hampshire
Anyone who thinks enthusiasm for Americana has waned was proved wrong at the 59th annual New Hampshire Antiques Dealers Association show at the Radisson Hotel Manchester, August 11-13. The first collectors in the long line waiting for the doors to open at 10 a.m. ... (Read More)
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(Show)Antiques in Manchester
Manchester, New Hampshire
Passionate collectors and dealers in Americana who gather annually in August in New Hampshire for the grand treasure hunt were not disappointed this year. The four shows were filled to capacity, all with waiting lists of dealers wanting to show during Antiques Week in New Hampshire.
It seemed a ... (Read More)
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(Show)Americana Celebration: "I Always Wanted a Fancy Show"
Concord, New Hampshire
She always wanted a fancy antiques show, and she got one on Tuesday, August 9, in Concord, New Hampshire. But she, Nan Gurley, longtime collector, dealer, and show manager, was not there in person, just in spirit. As her daughter Rachel told us, her eyes filling with tears, ... (Read More)
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(Show)MidWeek Antiques Show Moves Back to Manchester
MidWeek in Manchester Antiques Show, Manchester, New Hampshire
One of the first things that show promoter Frank Gaglio of Barn Star Productions said to us as we entered the JFK Memorial Coliseum in Manchester, New Hampshire, on August 9, the setup date for the MidWeek in Manchester Antiques Show and, coincidentally, ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Enormous Gets More Enormous
Maine Antiques Festival, Union, Maine
Paul Davis’s centerpiece show, the three-day Maine Antiques Festival in Union, Maine, held August 5-7, is back on a solid upswing again.
In its second consecutive year of renewed growth, about 45 new dealers brought the total to just under 200 exhibitors, still down from its peak ... (Read More)
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(Auction)New Buyers Buoy Bonhams
Bonhams, Los Angeles and San Francisco, California
Photos courtesy Bonhams
“As always,” Scot Levitt, Bonhams’ California and Western paintings specialist, was “nervous” before his August 2 Los Angeles/San Francisco auction. Levitt was gratified and sometimes surprised, however, by the sale’s strong prices; sales totaled $3.3 million (includes buyers’ premiums). Levitt was especially ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Finale for Farmer
Farmer Auctions, Salem, Virginia
Photos courtesy Farmer Auctions
Farmer Auctions held its summer catalog sale on July 30 at the firm’s gallery in Salem, Virginia. The event marked the firm’s final sale. Earlier in the month Will Farmer announced that he had reached an agreement to sell his business to Jarrod Hines, ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 42nd Annual VADA Show
Antiques & Art in Woodstock, Woodstock, Vermont
A couple of the exhibitors at the Antiques & Art in Woodstock show (also known as the VADA [Vermont Antiques Dealers’ Association] show) on July 30 and 31 asked not to be identified before they answered questions about how well they’d done at the ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Southern Auction Finds Success with Well-Documented Estates
Case Antiques, Knoxville, Tennessee
Photos courtesy Case Antiques
Case Antiques, Knoxville, Tennessee, had its most successful sale ever by employing its dual strengths, offering 19th-century regional material of intense local interest, while presenting Asian, European, and 20th-century lots with broad international appeal. The July 30 sale offered close to 1000 lots in ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The 35th Convention Auction of the International Nippon Collectors Club
Chandler’s International Auction and Estate Sales, Cary, North Carolina
Photos courtesy Chandler Eshleman
On July 30 the International Nippon Collectors Club (INCC) concluded its 35th annual convention in Cary, North Carolina, with a sale of the beloved porcelain. Most of the 470-plus lots were consigned by INCC members. Additional Nippon pots were ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Tenth Newport Antiques Show
Middletown, Rhode Island
The Newport Antiques Show, July 22-24, which celebrated its tenth year, continues to attract local collectors and summertime residents. Attendance appeared to be down this year, but “the show holds its own,” said Delaware dealer James M. Kilvington, who has exhibited here for six years.
Held in the ice ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Indian Hill Antiques Fair
Cincinnati, Ohio
Indian Hill Antiques Fair was under new management during the 34th annual show, held July 24 in northeastern Cincinnati. Doug Supinger took over for Ray and Kathy Mongenas, who started the event for the Indian Hill Boosters Association and managed it through last year.
While the Mongenases took pride in ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Three-Ring Auction: Carnival, Wild West, Circus!
Potter & Potter Auctions, Chicago, Illinois
Photos courtesy Potter & Potter
The posters, banners, and other circus memorabilia auctioned on July 23 at Potter & Potter Auctions in Chicago offered a glimpse into a world that has all but disappeared—the latest sign being that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey has cited ... (Read More)
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(Show)Goosefare's Camden-Rockport Show
Camden-Rockport Antiques Show & Sale, Rockport, Maine
The Goosefare Antiques and Promotions Camden-Rockport Historical Society antiques show, held this year on July 23 and 24 at coastal Maine’s Camden Hills Regional High School, Rockport, Maine, its 36th year, is rapidly building toward icon status.
With temperatures in the high 80s, the first ... (Read More)
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(Auction)First Annual Textile and Sewing Auction
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates, Mt. Crawford, Virginia
Photos courtesy Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates held its first annual textiles and sewing auction on July 16 at its gallery in Mt. Crawford, Virginia. Specialty auctions are not surprising. We are used to special sales of categories such ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Dave Jar among Rarities at Crocker Farm
Crocker Farm, Sparks, Maryland
Photos courtesy Crocker Farm
“It is a great southern piece,” proclaimed Tony Zipp when describing a very rare alkaline-glazed stoneware jar inscribed “Dave / Jan 13 -1862 / Lm” that Crocker Farm sold for $40,250 on July 16.
The company’s stoneware and redware sale of 493 lots grossed $928,803 ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Summer Sale in Canada
Tim Isaac, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
All prices in Canadian dollars
Tim Isaac changed his auction venue from the Algonquin hotel in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, to the Saint John Trade and Convention Centre in Saint John, New Brunswick, for his annual summer sale on Monday, July 11. It did not ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Draper Descendants Sale
John McInnis Auctioneers, Hopedale, Massachusetts
John McInnis Auctioneers’ July 8 sale on the grounds of the home of William and Nancy Gannett in Hopedale, Massachusetts, told the story of a family and a town. In 1816 farmer Ira Draper patented the improved fly shuttle that allowed weavers to run two power ... (Read More)
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(Show)Antiques in the Church Yard
South Salem, New York
Spread out on the grounds of Stevens Memorial United Methodist Church were almost 70 dealers who spent their Fourth of July toiling while taking in the sunshine and good cheer an outdoor show can create. Managed by Frank Gaglio’s Barn Star Productions, the one-day show is a ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Consignment Auction
Davies Auctions, Lafayette, Indiana
It was business as usual during the sale held by Davies Auctions on July 2 in Lafayette, Indiana. Headlining the auction was material from Jeff and Emily Walton, formerly of Jenera, Ohio, who recently retired from the antiques business. The last event for the couple was Ohio ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Rare Books and Equestrian Art Sell
Gibson Auction Inc., Orange, Virginia
Photos courtesy Gibson Auction Inc.
On successive Saturdays, June 25 and July 2, Gibson Auction Inc. held noteworthy auctions at its salesroom in Orange, Virginia. Those two auctions were my introductions to the Gibson operation. I have been aware of the firm’s existence, but until these two ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Chinese Carved Panel Tops Cambridge Auction
CRN Auctions, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Billed as a summer mélange, CRN Auctions’ June 26 sale certainly was that. It ran the gamut from exceptional 18th-century American furniture to a 1917 case of Kentucky bourbon to a set of eight etched glass wineglasses with green stems that sold for $60. And mannequins—more on ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Melange of Merchandise
Cowan’s Auctions, Cincinnati, Ohio
Photos courtesy Cowan’s Auctions
There seemed to be a bit of an identity crisis at play during the sale held by Cowan’s Auctions in Cincinnati on June 24 and 25. The print catalog clearly categorized the auction as “Fine and Decorative Art,” while the online catalog called it ... (Read More)
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(Show)Antiques in the Valley
Oley, Pennsylvania
The colors of hooked rugs and quilts were as rich and vibrant as those on the painted surfaces of chests, dry sinks, boxes, and baskets at the 12th annual Antiques in the Valley show held at the Oley Middle School in Berks County, Pennsylvania, on June 17 and 18.
There ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Three-Day Sale in May
John McInnis Auctioneers, Amesbury, Massachusetts
With three days and over 1300 lots, John McInnis Auctioneers’ Memorial Day weekend (May 28-30) auction in the Amesbury, Massa-chusetts, gallery had something for everyone and then some. Prices were up, down, and all over the place.
Day one was given over to 153 lots of timepieces ... (Read More)
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