Stories for March '22

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Man Forced to Forfeit Ivory Collection
by M.A.D. Staff

A San Diego, California, man who was selling ivory carvings in violation of California law must surrender his entire collection, which he was selling from his Carmel Valley garage to buyers recruited online. Stephen Shu Wang, 54, was ordered by the court on January 24 to give up all 200 or ... (Read More)

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Auction Prices Realized, March 2022
by M.A.D. Staff

Here are a few notable prices of antiques sold recently at auction, as provided by press releases. All prices include the buyer’s premium when charged. We’re always looking for news of prices realized at auctions, particularly unusual or top lots. Send pictures, complete descriptions, and information to A.P.R., Maine Antique ... (Read More)

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Treasuring Trash
by Hollie Davis and Andrew Richmond

Beneath the Surface Some people love to give advice and then not follow it themselves. That makes them insufferable. We try not to be insufferable. (Our children probably disagree. But they don’t like Dad jokes, so what do they know?) With that in mind and entering the third year of a ... (Read More)

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Private Provenance Leads to Public Lawsuit
by Clayton Pennington

Can a gallery keep provenance a secret, and, if so, for how long? Those are the questions raised in a lawsuit filed in federal court in late January. Galerie Jacques de la Béraudière, S.A., of Belgium filed the suit, alleging that the refusal of Edward Tyler Nahem Fine Art, LLC, of ... (Read More)

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U.S. Mint’s First Silver Dollar Sold for $12 Million
by M.A.D. Staff

A Las Vegas, Nevada, resident has sold a 1794 silver dollar in superb condition that many rare coin experts believe is the first silver dollar ever struck by the United States Mint. It was purchased for a record $12 million by GreatCollections Coin Auctions, Irvine, California (www.GreatCollections.com). Las Vegas business executive ... (Read More)

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Letter from London, March 2022
by Ian McKay, [email protected]

This month’s “Letter” certainly includes its fair share of artworks that proved very expensive indeed—most notably the nautilus cup with which this selection opens—but it also includes its fair share of lots, both costly and somewhat more modestly priced, that I found appealing and worth inclusion for a variety of ... (Read More)

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Four Mysteries
by Baron Perlman

Mysteries abound in the collecting of American antiques, and I need a detective—Nancy Drew, Sherlock Holmes, or Sam Spade will do just fine. I hope that gumshoes can shed light on some of the puzzles in what collectors do and the antiques we collect. Three of the mysteries are psychological, ... (Read More)

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Folk-Art Deceptions: Pages from the American Memory Book of Eveline F. Willis
by Laura Cunningham

A group of mid-20th-century facsimiles reproducing authentic watercolor drawings by Eveline F. Willis (b. 1828) have been circulating in the marketplace, often found in old frames and glass. Figure 1. Mr. Arthur Wilson, collotype print by the Meriden Gravure Company, reproducing original work by Eveline F. Willis (b. 1828) and hand ... (Read More)

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The Philadelphia Show Moves to Philadelphia Museum of Art
by M.A.D. Staff

For the first time since its inception, The Philadelphia Show will take place on the grounds of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA). The 60th anniversary edition of the show will be held on the PMA’s East Terrace from April 29 to May 1 and will feature 40 exhibitors. The ... (Read More)

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The Winter Show—In Spring
by M.A.D. Staff

Artist rendering of The Winter Show. Image courtesy The Winter Show and Owen Walz. The 68th edition of The Winter Show will take place April 1-10 at 660 Madison Avenue in New York City, the former flagship location of Barneys New York. The Winter Show, always held in January, was postponed ... (Read More)

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COVID Pushes Glen Ridge Antiques Show to Late March
by M.A.D. Staff

The 75th annual Glen Ridge Antiques Show has new dates because of COVID-19. Usually held in February, the show will now be held March 26 and 27 at the Glen Ridge Congregational Church in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. For more information, contact Debbie Turi at (973) 464-9793 or [email protected], or check ... (Read More)

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Hanging with Jane Langol
by Julie Schlenger Adell

Logging 15,000 miles a year in her white full-size Ford van, Medina, Ohio, antiques dealer Jane Langol travels to at least a dozen shows crisscrossing states from Tennessee to Pennsylvania to New Hampshire to Illinois to Vermont to New York. In business in Ohio since 1984, the Pittsburgh native grew up ... (Read More)

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The January Sunshine
by S. Clayton Pennington

In this bleak winter the Americana Week auctions in New York City brought both light and heat and the promise of warmer days ahead. There was a lot to like about the results. Christie’s and Sotheby’s sales tallied over $40 million for ten auctions. We’re including Christie’s Outsider art, Chinese export, ... (Read More)

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Exhibitions, March 2022
by M.A.D. Staff

Lee Krasner (1908-1984), Composition, 1949, oil on canvas, 38 1/16" x 27 13/16". Philadelphia Museum of Art: gift of the Aaron E. Norman Fund, Inc., 1959,?1959-31-1. © Pollock-Krasner Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. —Through May 15 —State College, Pennsylvania A Way Through: Abstract Art of the 1940s at the Palmer Museum ... (Read More)

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Pre-Civil War American Flag Sells for $176,400
by Lita Solis-Cohen

At Sotheby’s online sale of fine books and manuscripts including Americana on January 25, a commemorative pre-Civil War 13-star flag of the United States, 1840-50, with handsewn single-appliqué cotton stars and wool bunting stripes on a cotton canvas-type hoist, the stars arranged in two rows of six with a single ... (Read More)

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The Art in Folk Art: The Goodman Sale
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Christie’s, New York City Photos courtesy Christie’s Ammi Phillips (1788-1865), Woman with Pink Ribbons, probably Melinda Ann Arnold, painted circa 1833, oil on canvas, 31¾" x 27", sold for $3,870,000 (est. $800,000/1.2 million) to Patrick Bell of Olde Hope in the salesroom bidding for clients. It is an auction record for the ... (Read More)

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The Sale of the Pfaffenroth Collection
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Sotheby’s, New York City Photos courtesy Sotheby’s Peter Pfaffenroth (1941-2020) was a student of the 18th century. Proud of his Princeton degree with a double major in history and engineering and his law degrees from the University of Michigan and New York University that enabled him to have a lucrative law practice, ... (Read More)

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Russian Painting Top Lot at Pook’s Two-Day Sale
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Pook & Pook, Inc., Downingtown, Paennsylvania Photos courtesy Pook & Pook A small oil painting of a Russian priest by Russian artist Vasili Vasilievich Vereshchagin (1842-1904) sold on the phone for $80,600 (includes buyer’s premium), far over its $5000/8000 estimate, at Pook and Pook’s Americana and international live catalog sale on January ... (Read More)

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On-Site Auction of Round Plain Farm
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

John McInnis Auctioneers, Beverly, Massachusetts Photos courtesy John McInnis Auctioneers The night before its December 18 auction, John McInnis Auctioneers, Amesbury, Massachusetts, sent an email headed, “Even if it snows, the auction is a go.” With snow, rain, and sleet in the forecast, the prospect of an on-site auction under a tent ... (Read More)

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The Sale of Joan Stacke Graham’s Majolica Collection
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Doyle, New York City Photos courtesy Doyle Joan Stacke Graham (1934-2020) was a preeminent expert in the field of Victorian majolica—the jewel-colored, highly modeled pottery made in England, on the Continent, and in America in the second half of the 19th century. In 1989, with her good friend Dr. Marilyn G. Karmason, ... (Read More)

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Hindman’s Fine Art Auctions Online
by Danielle Arnet

Hindman Auctions, Chicago, Illinois Photos courtesy Hindman Auctions When Joseph Stanfield, director of fine art at Hindman Auctions, says “timing is everything,” he speaks from experience. The words came in his reply to a query asking about more than 20 unsold lots in the December auction of American and European art. The ... (Read More)

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Americana at McInnis
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

John McInnis Auctioneers, Amesbury, Massachusetts Photos courtesy John McInnis Auctioneers John McInnis Auctioneers sold nearly 1200 lots over two days in its December 10 and 11 Americana auction in the Amesbury, Massachusetts, gallery. Bidders were happy to be on site, although the phones and the Internet accounted for a heavy percentage of ... (Read More)

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Creatures of the Night Emerge in Gibsonville
by Pete Prunkl

Ledbetter Auctions, Gibsonville, North Carolina Photos courtesy Ledbetter Auctions He was “one of the greatest self-taught visionary carvers the folk art world never knew,” said Matt Ledbetter in the advertisement for Ledbetter Auctions’ December 11 sale. The unknown carver, Carl Alton “Otto” Long Jr. (1957-2021), started working on skull-centered totems, canes, and ... (Read More)

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The Second Sale of the Huston Collection
by Marice Richter

Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas Photos courtesy Heritage Auctions Abraham Lincoln continues to be one of the most notable and admired presidents in U.S. history, and memorabilia from his life and presidency continue to sell for remarkable prices in the marketplace. Dallas-based Heritage Auctions’ December 4 and 5 auction was no exception to that ... (Read More)

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Eclectic Mix at Tremont Auctions
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

Tremont Auctions, Sudbury, Massachusetts Photos courtesy Tremont Auctions Tremont Auctions delivered up some intriguing pieces of jewelry to the market for its December 5 auction in the Sudbury, Massachusetts, gallery. In fact, the Tremont sale was marked by the delivery of much that was interesting and unusual. A single consignor was the ... (Read More)

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American Art Week at Freeman’s
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Freeman’s, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Photos courtesy Freeman’s The first week of December was American art week at Freeman’s in Philadelphia. There were timed viewings for three sales at the Market Street headquarters and the Girard Avenue site. The Sunday,  December 5, sale focused on 16 fresh-to-market works from the private collection of Virginia ... (Read More)

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Single-Owner Jewelry Collection Spanning Two Centuries at NOAG
by Mary Ann Brown

Antique Jewelry & Gemology Photos courtesy New Orleans Auction Galleries New Orleans Auction Galleries (NOAG) in New Orleans, Louisiana, held its first single-owner jewelry auction on December 4 with a collection that contained “more than two centuries of jewelry design.” Taylor Eichenwald, assistant director of auctions, said, “We were very pleased with ... (Read More)

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Native American Art
by Alice Kaufman

Bonhams, Los Angeles Photos courtesy Bonhams Bonhams, Los Angeles, held a Native American art auction on November 22. Native American art department director Ingmars Lindbergs thought that with the exception of the baskets offered at the end of the auction, the rest of the sale was “fantastic, with good prices and lots ... (Read More)

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On Acquiring Pottery, the Southern Way
by Pete Prunkl

Southern Folk Pottery Collectors Society, Bennett, North Carolina Photos courtesy Southern Folk Pottery Collectors Society Many of us have tried or at least investigated online auctions. These modern conveniences are fast and efficient. The catalog is online and easily accessible. Sales start and end on time and provide immediate and continuous feedback ... (Read More)

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Zipps Cap Off Third Sale of Monumental Year
by Karl H. Pass

Crocker Farm, Sparks, Maryland Photos courtesy Crocker Farm Riding high from the record $1.56 million sale of Dave Drake’s 25-gallon poem jar during the summer of 2021, the Zipps of Crocker Farm, Sparks, Maryland, sold an inscribed three-gallon stoneware jug made by Drake for $420,000. It was the firm’s top lot in ... (Read More)

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The Keane Collection Sold
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

Skinner, Inc., Marlborough, Massachusetts Photos courtesy Skinner, Inc. Skinner brought the collection of John and Marilyn Keane of Boston to auction on November 19 in the Marlborough gallery, where the auction was live. The Keanes bought carefully and with consultation with knowledgeable members of the antiques trade. They were collectors and philanthropists, ... (Read More)

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Robed Nude Tops Bonhams Sale
by Julie Schlenger Adell

Bonhams, New York City Photos courtesy Bonhams Bonhams offered 108 lots of American art in its November 18 afternoon sale, following Christie’s morning sale in the same category. The Bonhams sale totaled $4,349,691. Two lots were withdrawn, and 97 lots sold, for a sell-through rate of 89.8%. The results fell close to ... (Read More)

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Printing of Constitution Sells for $43 Million
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Sotheby’s, New York City Photos courtesy Sotheby’s This “Official Edition” of the United States Constitution, printed in September 1787 by John Dunlap and David Claypoole for the Constitutional Convention, is from the first printing of the final text of the U.S. Constitution. Although approximately 500 copies were printed, only 13 are known ... (Read More)

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Fine Silver Sells at Heritage
by Marice Richter

Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas Photos courtesy Heritage Auctions A trove of exquisite American silver pieces from the personal collection of a former art curator and museum director was the centerpiece of Heritage Auctions’ recent silver auction. Heritage’s November 16 auction of fine silver and objects of vertu featured 102 pieces from the ... (Read More)

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Bill Traylor Work Leads Slotin Auction
by Susan Emerson Nutter

Slotin Folk Art Auction, Buford, Georgia Photos courtesy Slotin Folk Art Auction Self-taught artists, a.k.a. Outsider artists, and the works they produce are often thought of as being not the norm, and rightfully so. Unique, avant-garde, and bizarre are all terms used to describe such creations. But as more artists are “found,” ... (Read More)

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The Civil War Collection of James C. Frasca
by Don Johnson

Hindman Auctions, Cincinnati, Ohio Photos courtesy Hindman Auctions A blanket. Hardtack. A sewing kit. Such innocuous objects carried by common soldiers during the Civil War were at the heart of the collection of James C. Frasca (1950-2019). More important items punctuated the collection, more valuable items. But the foundation for that collection ... (Read More)

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Maps Mark Successful Americana Sale
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

Withington Auctions, Inc., Hillsborough, New Hampshire Photos courtesy Withington Auctions Back to the future or some iteration of the same occurred at Withington Auctions’ pre-Veterans Day Americana auction held on November 6 in Hillsborough, New Hampshire. Once again, Withington Auctions was offering fine Americana—and in the hometown of Dick Withington (1918-2008), the ... (Read More)
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