Stories for February '24
(Fragment)Margi Hofer Steps Down from New-York Historical Society
At the end of 2023, Margaret “Margi” Hofer left the New-York Historical Society Museum & Library, completing a 30-year career at the institution. Hofer joined the society in 1993 and rose to become vice president (later senior vice president) and museum director in 2015.
“Margi has been instrumental in the evolution ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)2024 Failey Grants
The Decorative Arts Trust is pleased to announce that the 2024 Dean F. Failey Grant recipients are the Andrew Jackson Foundation in Nashville, Tennessee; Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania; Fallingwater, Mill Run, Pennsylvania; Museo de las Americas, Denver, Colorado; Newport Historical Society, Newport, Rhode Island; and ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Alderfer Auction Collaborates with Gallery to Expand Reach
Alderfer Auction, a leading auction house in southeastern Pennsylvania for over 60 years, has collaborated with Rich Timmons Fine Art Gallery in Doylestown to utilize their gallery space for special exhibitions, previews, evaluations, and events.
The new alliance provides Alderfer with a secondary location in the heart of Buckingham Township, conveniently ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Freeman’s and Hindman Merge
On January 9 it was no longer a rumor—the big news was out: Freeman’s of Philadelphia, America’s oldest auction house, has merged with Hindman, for more than 40 years the major auction house in Chicago.
This is not Hindman’s first merger. In 2019 Leslie Hindman Auctions merged with Cowan’s Auctions in ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Scenes from an Antiques Show
Beneath the Surface
Valentine’s Day is approaching, and although we might say that we have learned a few things about romance and relationships after nearly 25 years of living together, it would probably be more accurate to say that we have learned a few things about romance and relationships from setting ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Unlawful Sale of Customs Form
On November 14 Alan Nordman, 75, of Denver, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to one count of conveyance of a government record, for auctioning a United States Customs declaration form signed by a celebrity.
From 1984 to 2014 Nordman was an employee of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the John ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Auction Prices Realized, February 2024
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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(Issue Story)Euphemisms and Americana Collectors
A euphemism is a mild or indirect word or phrase that substitutes for a well-understood, more direct description or adjective. The latter may elicit more emotion and power; the former is softer and often meant not to hurt feelings. Why be blunt if one can avoid it? Why be clear ... (Read More)
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(Book Review)Tourists and Trade
A Book Review
In this book Bruce A. Austin describes the extraordinary history of how the automobile and the corresponding road building, road paving, and road traveling started the commerce of selling arts and crafts roadside. Driving around in the 1930s was more than, well, driving around. It was a ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Hanging with Skip Chalfant
Harold Leslie Chalfant Jr., whose parents called him Skip from the get-go, lives five miles from where he grew up. “I’m still here. Guess I didn’t get too far in life,” he said with a chuckle. For him, knowing lots of people and places in the area means a great ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)The Acid Test
Dealers, pickers, and auctioneers often spend many hours rifling through all sorts of stuff, looking for salable antiques and possibly a diamond in the rough. They should take proper precautions—there’s some dangerous stuff out there.
On January 5, the Oroville, California, Police Department responded to a call regarding a possibly explosive ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Exhibitions, February 2024
Grant Wood (1891-1942), Woman with Plants, 1929, oil on Upson board, 20½" x 17 7/8". Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, museum purchase. 31.1.
—Ongoing —Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Grant Wood: From Farm Boy to American Icon at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art offers an expansive look at the life and career of ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Sign Recovered, Man Arrested
On December 22 Vermont State Police were advised of the theft of an antique sign from a building in Enosburg. The victim stated that his antique “Flying A Service” sign was stolen off the side of his building. The victim told authorities the sign had been in his family for ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Semiannual “Premier Americana” Auction
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates, Mt. Crawford, Virginia
Photos courtesy Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates held its 45th semiannual “Premier Americana” auction December 1 and 2 at the firm’s galleries in Mt. Crawford, Virginia. The two sessions of Americana were preceded by an auction of 18th- and ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Thomas Day Desk and Mexican Silver Lead at Mebane
Mebane Antique Auction Gallery, Mebane, North Carolina
Photos courtesy Mebane Antique Auction Gallery
Midway in his career, Milton, North Carolina, furniture maker Thomas Day (1801-1861) added architectural woodwork to his shop’s production. He embellished porches, parlors, and hallways with his unique interpretations of the Greek Revival style. Around 1840 Day traveled 12 ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Great Estates Thanksgiving Auction
Amelia Jeffers, Delaware, Ohio
Photos courtesy Amelia Jeffers
A Black Friday tradition returned to The Barn at Stratford in Delaware, Ohio, November 24 and 25 when Amelia Jeffers brought a Thanksgiving-weekend sale to the original home of Garth’s Auctions.
The annual sale’s revival was one thing. Possibly of greater significance is that ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Bertoia’s Fall Two-Day Event Tops $1.8 Million
Bertoia Auctions, Vineland, New Jersey
Photos courtesy Bertoia Auctions
Three major collections—Heath Hurlbert’s mechanical bank collection, the Willett still bank collection, and the Bob Davis aeronautical collection—plus additions made up Bertoia Auctions’ annual fall sale, held November 17 and 18. European and American toys grabbed the attention of collectors, and the auction ... (Read More)
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(Auction)American Masters Paintings
Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas
Photos courtesy Heritage Auctions
American art lovers again proved they were willing to pay handsomely for works by their favorite artists, helping Heritage Auctions hit new milestones for art sales. The Dallas-based auction house’s November 17 “Views and Visions: Important Works by American Masters Signature Auction” resulted in ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Heritage Silver Sale
Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas
Photos courtesy Heritage Auctions
An exquisite 135-piece Lap Over Edge sterling silver flatware set from Tiffany & Co. highlighted Heritage Auctions’ November 16 auction of fine silver and objects of vertu.
A 135-piece Tiffany & Co. Lap Over Edgesilver and mixed-metals flatware set (partially shown) with applied, inlaid, and ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Ben Zaricor Flag Collection
Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas
Photos courtesy Heritage Auctions
Ben Zaricor never hesitated when asked about his fascination with flags and collecting them. As he often explained, he was a senior in college at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, when he witnessed a young man dragged from a pizzeria and beaten for ... (Read More)
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(Show)McLean Show Celebrates Art Deco
McLean Antiques Show, McLean, Virginia
The 47th annual McLean Antiques Show was held at the McLean Community Center in McLean, Virginia, November 11 and 12. Proceeds from the show benefited the James C. Macdonald Scholarship Fund.
High school students residing in the area served by the community center are eligible to apply ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Strange, the Unusual, and Vanishing America: Slotin’s Sale Had It All
Slotin Folk Art Auctions, Buford, Georgia
Photos courtesy Slotin Folk Art Auctions
Steve and Amy Slotin of Slotin Folk Art Auctions, Buford, Georgia, offered an eclectic mix of self-taught art, Outsider art, and folk art at their fall online-only two-day event November 11 and 12. The sale was a success because of ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Americana at Casco Bay Auctions
Casco Bay Auctions, Freeport, Maine
Photos courtesy Casco Bay Auctions
Casco Bay Auctions, Freeport, Maine, headed by Andrew Davis, held a two-day auction November 11 and 12. The first day had approximately 496 lots sold under the banner “International Art and Antiques.” It was topped by an African Sande society mask used ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Surprises Mark Thomaston Auction
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, Thomaston, Maine
Photos courtesy Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
A surprise from Hawaii turned out to be a big winner at Thomaston Place Auction Galleries’ three-day sale November 10-12 in Thomaston, Maine.
According to auctioneer Kaja Veilleux, a small three-drawer blockfront chest with three carved shells arrived on a truck ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Fine Art and Antiques at Tremont Auctions
Tremont Auctions, Sudbury, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Tremont Auctions
Tremont Auctions’ November 12 sale at the Sudbury, Massachusetts, gallery included 738 lots. As is the custom since the pandemic, the majority of bidders were on the phone or online, or they had left bids. Staff members outnumbered gallery bidders.
Such was the case as ... (Read More)
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(Auction)North Carolina Redware Sugar Jar Sets Record
Crocker Farm, Sparks, Maryland
Photos courtesy Crocker Farm
In a specialty sale with four headline-making records, which record stands out among the top? All speak volumes on the marketplace and deserve top billing. The results were achieved during the Crocker Farm online and absentee sale held from October 31 to November 10.
Attributed ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Paintings, Furniture, and Decorative Arts at Doyle
Doyle, New York City
Photos courtesy Doyle
American paintings, furniture, and decorative arts sales at Doyle, New York City, have long been known for consignments of Park Avenue estates. Now with offices in Charleston, Boston, Beverly Hills, Chicago, and Florida, Doyle draws consignments for this sale from all parts of the country. ... (Read More)
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(Auction)California Art Sale
Bonhams, Los Angeles, California
Photos courtesy Bonhams
Department director Scot Levitt called the results of the November 8 California art auction at Bonhams “good, considering there was only one blockbuster, but nice solid, colorful pieces in a lower price range. It is harder and harder to find anything to sell. There is ... (Read More)
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(Auction)American Art at Bonhams
Bonhams, New York City
Photos courtesy Bonhams
Bonhams held its fall American art sale November 7, which was Election Day. The auction house offered 83 lots, and the sale totaled $2,307,538 (with buyers’ premiums). The sell-through rate was 70.5%. The total estimates (not including buyers’ premiums) were $2.88/4.338 million.
High Aspirations by Ernie ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Mary’s Antiques: The Final Sale
Ledbetter Auction Gallery, Gibsonville, North Carolina
Photos courtesy Ledbetter Auction Gallery
In 1975 after decades of independent buying and selling, Mary Wells opened Mary’s Antiques on busy Elm Street in Greensboro, North Carolina. For the next 42 years, her shop, Greensboro’s largest, was a popular destination for collectors and dealers. When she ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 35th Edition of The Art Show
New York City
The Art Show, the annual event of the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA), now in its 35th edition, opened to an illustrious and art-loving crowd Wednesday, November 1, at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. It raised $1 million from preview ticket sales for the ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Sale of the Kovels’ Collection
Rago and Toomey & Co., Lambertville, New Jersey
Photos courtesy Rago and Toomey & Co.
Terry and Ralph Kovel are legends in the American antiques world. They published more than 100 books and founded the online platform Kovels.com. The 55th edition of Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide was published in the ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Four Sales in Two Days at Grogan
Grogan & Company, Boston, Massachusettscolo
Photos courtesy Grogan & Company
At Grogan & Company sales are tightly focused, which gives bidders a good idea of when aparticular object will come up for bidding. The two-day autumn sale at the Boston auction house was 100% remote and was divided into four distinct events, ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Ricky Jay Collection: Part II
Potter & Potter Auctions, Chicago, Illinois
Photos courtesy Potter & Potter Auctions
Over 600 photos of tattooed people along with tattoo-related memorabilia proved extremely popular. Mostly American and European and dating from the 1910s to 1970s, the majority of the shots are 5" x 7" up to 8" x 10". Some are ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Auerbach Collection
Meander Auctions, Whipple, Ohio
Photos courtesy Meander Auctions
On October 28 Meander Auctions presented a special auction of folk, Outsider, and found art from the collections of Chuck and Dan Auerbach. The firm (formerly The Ohio Company Antiques & Art) is located in the southeastern Ohio town of Whipple near the West ... (Read More)
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(Auction)American Furniture, Folk Art, and Decorative Arts
Hindman, Cincinnati, Ohio
Photos courtesy Hindman
Items that could be described as “purely Americana” sold well during the American furniture, folk art, and decorative arts auction held by Hindman October 4 in Cincinnati. Even so, the top lot of the day helped put the market in perspective.
Sand bottle by Andrew Clemens (1857-1894), ... (Read More)
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