(Auction)
Editorial, March 2019
Americana Week in New York City has undergone a discernable shift, more noticeable this year than ever before.
The sales at the auction houses are no longer strictly Americana; the Winter Show, sans the word “antiques,” has fewer Americana dealers; and the only satellite show still standing—The Art, Design ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)
Invaluable, an online marketplace for fine art, antiques, and collectibles, has entered into a partnership with Mearto, an online appraisal service. Scott Miles of Invaluable said in a press release that “the partnership will provide a convenient, sought-after service for Invaluable customers who are increasingly interested in both buying and ... (Read More)
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As of February 1, Christie’s has changed its buyer’s premium. The new fees the auction house charges buyers for all categories except wine are 25% up to $300,000, 20% from $300,001 to $4,000,000, and 13.5% at $4,000,001 and above. The previous buyer’s premium fee schedule was 25% up to $250,000, ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)
New York State Police arrested Clifford R. Williams, 56, of Selden, New York, for second-degree burglary, a Class C felony. Williams is accused of unlawfully entering a relative’s residence in the town of Eaton through a window and taking several antique items from within the home.
Williams was arraigned and remanded ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)
Brook Hazelton has been appointed to LiveAuctioneers’ newly created position of advisory board chairman, heading the soon-to-be-launched auctioneer and dealer panel.
Brook Hazelton, newly appointed advisory board chairman at LiveAuctioneers, will head the company’s auctioneer and dealer panel. Photo by Mark Seliger.
Hazelton served as Christie’s president for North and South America ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)
Richard Mori of Richard Mori Books, Franklin, New Hampshire, is the new owner and promoter of the Granite State Book and Ephemera Fair. The fair has been produced by Marvin Getman for the past five years.
“The show has traditionally had fifty or sixty dealers. It’s going to take some work and ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)
On February 1 U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield dismissed a lawsuit by two antiques dealers’ trade groups challenging a 2014 law making it a felony to trade ivory in New York.
In an eight-page opinion, the judge ruled that the Art and Antique Dealers League of America and the National Art ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)
In 2019, the finial is being awarded to a keeper of the flame.
The Antiques Dealers’ Association of America’s annual Award of Merit, represented by a presentation flame finial award, will be given to journalist and author Laura Beach at a ceremony on April 26 in Philadelphia.
Beach specializes in writing about ... (Read More)
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(Computer Article)
Computer Column #362
This sort of thing happens often. A member of a group sends an informative e-mail to other members of the group in a single message with multiple addressees. Within days, weeks, or months, the addressees begin to receive spam—ads for cigar cutters or mail-order spouses, or fake messages ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)
Auction house R.O. Schmitt Fine Arts LLC, Windham, New Hampshire, which for 40 years has specialized in antique clocks, watches, mechanical music, and scientific instruments, is changing its name. On February 19 the firm will become Schmitt Horan & Co.
As part of the change, there will also be a new ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)
Cabot Mill Antiques in Brunswick, Maine, surpassed one million dollars in sales per annum on Saturday, December 22, 2018. Customers Mary and Brion Controvillas of Maine bought an oval walnut marble-top Victorian-style side table that put Cabot Mill Antiques over the million-dollar mark.
Deborah Stufflebeam, manager of Cabot Mill Antiques, said, ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)
Letter from London
There are still a number of fine old masters lining up for a place in next month’s “Letter,” but other than that, this month’s selection pretty much wraps up the old year for me.
Sales in the new year tend to get into their stride much later in London ... (Read More)
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(Young Collectors)
Ode to Joy by Hollie Davis and Andrew Richmond
The Young Collector
Winter, for many people, is binge weather. There’s no yardwork to be done on Saturday, nowhere to go when it is snowy and dark, so it is the perfect time to settle in and watch enough hours of television that Netflix becomes concerned and asks if you are ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)
Gurley Antique Shows Adds Date for Boxborough Series
Joshua and Rachel Gurley of Gurley Antique Shows will be adding a fall date to their Boxborough, Massachusetts, show series at the Boxboro Regency Hotel. The new date will be September 22. It will be followed by October 27 and January 5 and ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)
In the Trade
Years ago, when Manhattan real estate prices weren’t quite as absurd as they are now, there was a thriving wholesale antiques district on Broadway below 14th Street. These shops were not for the faint of heart. They were for pros. They catered to the decorator market. You didn’t ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)
Harold Gordon, 69, of Templeton, Massachusetts, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Connecticut on January 29 to one count of wire fraud.
As first reported in Maine Antique Digest, Gordon was the maker of a fake Civil War secretary that was sold by ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)
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)
Connecticut antiques dealer Ian McKelvey and Massachusetts antiques dealers Kris and Paul Casucci have again joined forces to create a new venture, Flying Pig Antiques in Westmoreland, New Hampshire.
After extensive renovations, the shop will feature over 40 antiques dealers from New England and New York in booths and cases throughout ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)
Two abstract plaster reliefs by John Millard Ferren (1905-1970) were the top lots at Kaminski Auctions in Beverly, Massachusetts, on February 3. There was strong competition for the pieces, both of which were signed and dated 1937. The work numbered 29 sold with buyer’s premium for $69,600 (est. $20,000/30,000). The ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)
The Potomack Company opened its 2019 auction season with a series of antiques and fine art sales beginning on February 2. The high lot of the live catalog sale was probably one of the oldest items ever offered by the Alexandria, Virginia, firm.
This Egyptian corn mummy in a gilt and ... (Read More)
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(Show)
New York City
The Winter Show celebrated its 65th year, a sapphire jubilee, January 17-27, at the Park Avenue Armory. There were sapphire lights projected on the ceiling and on the front of the loan exhibition, Collecting Nantucket / Connecting the World. Many at the preview party wore sapphire blue, making ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)
On January 26 a sculpture by William Edmondson, Miss Lucy, An Uplifted Lady, sold for $324,000 (includes buyer’s premium) at Case Antiques Inc. Auctions and Appraisals in Knoxville, Tennessee. That figure is believed to be the highest price ever paid at auction for an Edmondson female figure, according to Case.
The ... (Read More)
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(Show)
New York City
In 2015 the Art, Design & Antiques Show at Wallace Hall was added to Americana Week events in New York City. At that time, the New York Ceramics & Glass Fair was in full bloom, Metro Curates was doing business at the Metropolitan Pavilion, and the Winter Antiques ... (Read More)
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(Auction)
Sotheby’s, New York City
Photos courtesy Sotheby’s
Sotheby’s various-owner sales followed the sale of the Teiger collection without a lunch break on Sunday, January 20, and it took until 7 p.m. to sell the 383 lots of furniture and decorations. The auction included 17 high chests, of which all but four found ... (Read More)
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(Auction)
Sotheby’s, New York City
Photos courtesy Sotheby’s
The sale at Sotheby’s of the collection of David Teiger (1929-2014) on January 20 was a test of the market for folk art. The collection was put together over a period of 20 years in the 1990s and into the first decade of this century, ... (Read More)
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(Show)
Washington Winter Show, Washington, D.C.
The annual Washington Winter Show of antiques and fine art was held January 11-13 at the Katzen Arts Center on the campus of American University in Washington, D.C. This year marks the 64th edition of the show and the ninth year that it has been held ... (Read More)
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(Auction)
Pook & Pook Inc., Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Photos courtesy Pook & Pook
Pook & Pook started 2019 with its largest various-owners catalog sale to date. Offered in two sessions on Friday evening, January 11, and Saturday, January 12, it presented a number of estates, consignments from downsizing collectors, and consignments that just walked ... (Read More)
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(Auction)
Hap Moore Auction, York, Maine
At Hap Moore’s December 15, 2018, auction in York, Maine, the seasoning in the sale was a collection of early European artworks from a single consignor, but the main course was Charles Woodbury. The European paintings were provided by a consigning couple from Maine, now ages ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)
Antique Jewelry & Gemology
Photos courtesy John Moran Auctioneers
John Moran Auctioneers’ fine jewelry and timepieces auction was held on December 11, 2018, and was highlighted by the sale of a Patek Philippe “Mrs. Butterfly” pendulette dôme clock that realized $118,750 (includes buyer’s premium); the estimate was $60,000/90,000.
Following closely behind was an ... (Read More)
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(Auction)
Bonhams, Los Angeles, California
Photos courtesy Bonhams
Department director Ingmars Lindbergs said he was “very pleased” with the results of the December 10 and 11, 2018, Bonhams auctions in Los Angeles. The first was a single-owner sale of baskets belonging to Albuquerque, New Mexico, collectors Alan and Bronnie Blaugrund. On the next ... (Read More)
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(Auction)
Freeman’s, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Photos courtesy Freeman’s
Freeman’s design sale on Monday, December 10, 2018, was preceded by the single-owner morning sale of the estate of Bonnie O’Boyle. A Bucks County resident, O’Boyle collected American paintings and American design, mostly by New Hope artists and designers, including George and Mira Nakashima and local ... (Read More)
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(Auction)
Freeman’s, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Photos courtesy Freeman’s
Freeman’s December 9, 2018, American art and Pennsylvania Impressionism sale attracted a standing-room-only crowd of mostly collectors, many of them locals who came to bid on Bucks County landscapes. While attendance at auctions has been shrinking as more and more bidders prefer online or phone bidding, ... (Read More)
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(Auction)
Pook & Pook, Inc., with Noel Barrett Antiques & Auctions Ltd., Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Photos courtesy Pook & Pook, Inc./Noel Barrett
Noel Barrett’s two-session toy sale held December 7 and 8, 2018, at Pook & Pook was designed for Christmas shopping. The 777 lots covered every corner of the toy market. Friday night ... (Read More)
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(Auction)
Mebane Antique Auction Gallery, Mebane, North Carolina
Photos courtesy Mebane Antique Auction Gallery
Fans of Jon Lambert’s sales know that if it’s Friday, there is an auction at his spacious gallery in Mebane, North Carolina. The first Friday of December, however, is special. It’s the date of Lambert’s annual Americana and Continental ... (Read More)
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(Auction)
Toomey & Co., Oak Park, Illinois
Photos courtesy Toomey & Co.
When John Toomey and a youthful staff led by his daughter Lucy Toomey as chief executive officer set about rebranding his newly renamed and configured Toomey & Co. gallery, they wasted no time. As a result, clients who wondered what the ... (Read More)
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(Auction)
Rago Arts, Lambertville, New Jersey
Photos courtesy Rago Arts
After a fairly successful sale in October 2017 christened “Curiouser and Curiouser,” Miriam Tucker, a partner in Rago Arts, teamed up again with New York City Outsider art dealer Marion Harris for their second foray into an emerging category at auction, selling self-taught ... (Read More)
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(Auction)
Christie’s, New York City
Photos courtesy Christie’s
Christie’s held its fall American art auction on November 20, 2018, one week after “An American Place,” its sale of the Barney Ebsworth collection, which set a record for an American art auction. The November 20 morning auction offered 71 lots that totaled $26,491,500 (with ... (Read More)
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(Auction)
Neal Auction Company, New Orleans, Louisiana
The Louisiana Purchase Auction: An Annual Celebration of Regional Culture
by Karla Klein Albertson
Photos courtesy Neal Auction Company
Neal Auction Company’s annual Louisiana Purchase Auction, held most recently November 16-18, 2018, is the main event on the firm’s sales schedule. Themes that appeared in the September event ... (Read More)
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(Auction)
Maritime and More by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo
Eldred’s, East Dennis, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Eldred’s
Desirable scrimshaw and other maritime objects, along with some fine examples of early American furniture, brought bidders to Eldred’s auctions November 15-17, 2018, in the East Dennis, Massachusetts, gallery. Some furniture showed a decided uptick. Three substantial catalogs were published for the sales.
From the collection ... (Read More)
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(Auction)
Cowan’s Auctions, Cincinnati, Ohio
Photos courtesy Cowan’s Auctions
Two unpublished ninth-plate daguerreotypes—one of noted Texas politician Sam Houston (1793-1863), the other of his third wife, Margaret Lea Houston (1819-1867)—sold for $39,600 the pair (including buyer’s premium) to highlight the American history sale held by Cowan’s Auctions in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 16, ... (Read More)
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(Auction)
Bertoia Auctions, Vineland, New Jersey
Photos courtesy Bertoia Auctions
Bertoia Auctions’ annual three-day fall sale in Vineland, New Jersey, held November 9-11, 2018, delivered countless thrills. Bidders chased more than 1400 lots of toys, banks, trains, and holiday fare.
Derrick crane, Carlisle & Finch, 1905-07, mounted on a wooden flatcar with eight wheels ... (Read More)
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(Auction)
Grogan & Company, Boston, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Grogan & Company
Love letters headed the action at Grogan & Company’s November 11, 2018, sale at its Boston gallery. A group of 43 letters from the young and emerging artist Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) to Alice Moore, written between August 1, 1937, and March 24, ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)
Head of the House
Photos courtesy Michaan’s Auctions
Prices in captions include the buyer’s premium.
Allen Michaan of Michaan’s Auctions, Alameda, California, has always been an entrepreneur. An early interest in the architecture of historical movie theaters led to a passion for a wide range of artifacts from the past. When the Bay ... (Read More)
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