Stories for January '25
(Fragment)Recovered Tiffany Window Returned to Museum
The Worcester Art Museum, through the work of the Art Loss Register (ALR), has secured the return of a Tiffany Studios stained-glass window to the museum in Worcester, Massachusetts.
In 1975 the Mount Vernon Congregational Church in Boston, Massachusetts, presented the Worcester Art Museum with a gift consisting of two sets ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Story Time
Beneath the Surface
Our children have reached the age where they find us “cringe.” (That is what they call “embarrassing” these days. A key way to be cringe is to use their slang against them. You get bonus points if you do it on purpose, and you level up if you ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Historic New England Awards Preservation Grants
Each year Historic New England awards a Herbert and Louise Whitney Fund Community Preservation Grant to a small or medium-size heritage preservation organization in each New England state. The grants support projects that save and expand the stories shared in New England communities. In 2024 Historic New England awarded grants ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Auction Prices Realized, January 2025
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)Hanging with Ron and Joyce Bassin
Having recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, Ron and Joyce Bassin of A Bird in Hand Antiques, Florham Park, New Jersey, are still on the road having fun. They exhibit at nine shows a year, from Washington, D.C., to York, Pennsylvania (two times a year); Thomasville, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Drayton Hall Preservation Trust Wins Award
The Decorative Arts Trust has awarded the 2024 Prize for Excellence and Innovation to Drayton Hall Preservation Trust in Charleston, South Carolina, for projects to include the conservation of the plaster ceiling in the house’s great hall, the investigation of the plaster ceiling in the drawing room, and digital and ... (Read More)
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(Book Review)Unnamed Figures
A Book Review
Unnamed Figures: Black Presence and Absence in the Early American North corrects the view that slavery and anti-black racism is just a “southern issue.” The book accompanied the exhibition of the same name that opened to much acclaim at the American Folk Art Museum (AFAM) in New York ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Americana Week in New York City
For 70 years collectors, curators, and the curious have made a pilgrimage to New York City in cold January to feast their eyes and learn all they can about the finest furniture, silver, paintings, ceramics, and folk art that money can buy exhibited at The Winter Show at the Park ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Sandy’s Stuff to Sell
Stair Galleries will auction the collection of Sanford L. “Sandy” Smith on Thursday, January 30—online and in its galleries at 549 Warren Street, Hudson, New York.
Smith was a collector and entrepreneur who created some of New York’s most prestigious art fairs, supporting areas of the market that were of particular ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Marketing
A collector of American antiques is probably so used to it she doesn’t even question anymore. It is as common as iron, oxygen, or helium in the physical world. I speak of marketing—advertisements in trade publications, use of social media including videos of show booths, email blasts to lists of ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)A Valuable Resource
A Book Review
“Welcome to this hobby!” write lightning rod ball collectors Phil Steiner and Randy Parish. “You now begin an endless treasure hunt that nearly no other antiquer you talk to possesses any knowledge of.”
With that cautionary warning, this book opens with an index of abbreviations used throughout its pages, ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Editorial, January 2025
Old Wine, New Bottle
It’s an old scam but with a new twist.
On December 6 Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced that his office had successfully disrupted a cryptocurrency scam that was targeting artists. An 85-year-old Brooklyn artist was scammed out of his life savings. The investigation traced the money he ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Exhibitions, January 2025
Parcheesi board, late 19th century, 17½" x 16¾", paint on wood. Collection of Doranna and Bruce Wendel. Photograph by Bruce C. Read.
—Through January 26 —New York City
Playing with Design: Gameboards, Art, and Culture at the American Folk Art Museum features over 100 game boards, including early examples of Parcheesi, checkers, ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Historical Scale Sells for $60,250
A large, 155-year-old balance scale that weighed hundreds of millions of dollars in gold and silver in the 19th century at the Carson City, Nevada, Mint, including bullion from the legendary Comstock Lode, was sold for $60,250 (includes buyer’s premium) in an auction conducted by Holabird Western Americana Collections on ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Massachusetts Silver Threepence from 1652 Brings $2.52 Million
A small silver coin about the size of a nickel, struck in Boston in 1652, set a world record price on November 18 in an auction conducted by Stack’s Bowers Galleries, Costa Mesa, California. Selling for $2,520,000 (includes buyer’s premium), the piece surpassed by nearly $2 million the previous world ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 2024 Delaware Antiques Show
Wilmington, Delaware
For 61 years, collectors have counted on the Delaware Antiques Show as a major source for fine American antiques. The November 15-17 edition of the show did not disappoint. There were fresh finds, some memorable works were back on the market after a generation in private collections, and some ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Dealer’s Stock Adds to Auction
Ivy Auctions, Laurens, South Carolina
Photos courtesy Ivy Auctions
In December 2022 Nancy Roth, a longtime antiques dealer, locked the door on her well-stocked shop in Laurens, South Carolina, grabbed her purse and little else, and moved to Ohio. Ivy Auctions, Inc., has been selling her primitives, country art, and other valuables ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Appeals Court Upholds New York’s Ivory Law but Strikes Down Display Provision
On November 13, in a 2-1 decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld New York’s tough ivory law, but the court did strike down the display provision.
The court ruled on the appeal filed by the Art and Antique Dealers League of America, Inc. (AADLA) v. ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)The Met Unveils a New Tiffany Window
With new stories, new narratives, and new objects, American art, history, and culture at the Metropolitan Museum, New York City, is “at its best!” declared Max Hollein, the Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and chief executive officer, to a lively crowd of donors, collectors, dealers, and curators who gathered in ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Art Show at the Park Avenue Armory
New York City
The Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) opened The Art Show, its annual event, at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City one week before Election Day. The mood inside the cavernous space was buoyant, and primary colors of reds and blues were seen in many of ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Americana and Political “Signature” Auction
Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas
Photos courtesy Heritage Auctions
Important historical artifacts that help tell the story of America’s past sold for substantial prices at Heritage Auctions’ November 1 and 2 Americana and political “Signature” auction. The auction included items dating from the Revolutionary War to the presidency of Donald Trump. Many of ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Mount Vernon Pastel Leads at Potomack
The Potomack Company, Alexandria, Virginia
Photos courtesy The Potomack Company
The October 29 and 30 auctions at The Potomack Company included American fine and decorative arts as well as American historical and political material. The sales were conducted online from the firm’s Alexandria, Virginia, galleries.
While there was a wide assortment of lots ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Collection of Charlie Huntress
Gurley Antiques Gallery, Limington, Maine
Photos courtesy Gurley Antiques Gallery
On Monday, October 28, Rachel and Joshua Gurley, the brother-and-sister team best known for producing a large slate of antiques shows, offered the collection of collector Charlie Huntress via LiveAuctioneers. The sale was held entirely online in a timed format.
It was a ... (Read More)
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(Show)A Very Busy Day at Mid Atlantic Antique & Garden Festival
Poolesville, Maryland
The weekend of October 26 and 27 marked the fifth installment of the show now known as the Mid Atlantic Antique & Garden Festival, hosted at Joy and Jon Siegel’s Aix La Chapelle Farm outside of Poolesville, Maryland. This edition showcased both the show’s expansion and a subtle rebranding ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Part Two of the John Long Estate
Hilliard & Co., Madison, Virginia
Photos courtesy Hilliard & Co.
Hilliard & Co.’s fall 2024 auctions consisted of two sales: a general “Eclectic” sale on October 19 and the second part of the estate of dealer, collector, and interior designer John Long (1932-2023) one week later on October 26. It’s safe to ... (Read More)
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(Auction)American Paintings, Prints, Silver, and Decorative Arts
Doyle, New York City
Photos courtesy Doyle
Doyle’s sale of American paintings, furniture, silver, and decorative arts in New York City October 23 and 24 was a good barometer for the state of the market for mid-level Americana. This market is driven by private buyers bidding online for paintings, furniture, silver, and ... (Read More)
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(Show)San Francisco Fall Show: Art | Antiques | Design
San Francisco, California
The San Francisco Fall Show: Art | Antiques | Design has become a mostly paintings and photography show. Neither English and Continental antique furniture specialist Daniel Stein (“just taking it easier these days”) nor mid-century modern maven Michael De Angelis (a date conflict) had booths this year. In ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Braford Collection: Part One
Wooten & Wooten Auctions, Camden, South Carolina
Photos courtesy Wooten & Wooten Auctions
A popular place for antiques in Natural Bridge, Virginia, was Antiques by Braford, the shop of Peg (1924-2023) and Lloyd Braford (1926-1994). Now closed, the shop specialized in paintings, choice 18th- and 19th-century furniture, bronzes, and “accessories for the ... (Read More)
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(Show)A Show with a Heart
The Greater Rochester Antiques Show, Henrietta, New York
As I write this at home after spending hours walking through the second day of the Greater Rochester Antiques Show on October 19 (the first day is just setup, and I walked then as well), I am looking for adjectives to describe why ... (Read More)
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(Auction)“American Atmosphere”: A Private Collection at Christie’s
Christie’s, New York City
Photos courtesy Christie’s
Holding no American art sales in the fall, Christie’s filled the void by offering its audience an online-only auction of 62 lots from a single-owner private collection.
The sale, titled “American Atmosphere: An Important Private Collection,” ran from September 27 to October 18 after an exhibition ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Inaugural Vose | Barridoff American Fine Art Auction
Vose Galleries and Barridoff Auctions, Boston, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Vose Galleries and Barridoff Auctions
Venerable Vose Galleries, founded in 1841, and the half-century-old Barridoff Auctions of South Portland, Maine, joined forces October 13 for their inaugural “Vose | Barridoff American Fine Art Auction.” After years of professional affiliation, it seemed only natural ... (Read More)
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(Show)A Beautiful Fall Day at Fishersville
Fishersville Antiques Expo, Fishersville, Virginia
The 73rd edition of the Fishersville Antiques Expo was held October 11 and 12 at the Augusta Expo Center in Fishersville, Virginia. This marks the show’s 38th year.
We have frequently reported about the wide variety of antiques, collectibles, and interesting one-of-a-kind items that are available at ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Cartographic Treasures
Old World Auctions, Richmond, Virginia
Photos courtesy Old World Auctions
As Old World Auctions’ 200th sale approached, Eliane and Jon Dotson decided to make it a special auction. Old World Auctions’ sales of maps and related cartographic materials customarily offer 700-plus lots. Instead of a large celebratory sale, this special auction featured ... (Read More)
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(Auction)African American Art Auction
Swann Galleries, New York City
Photos courtesy Swann Galleries
Now in its 17th year, Swann Galleries’ African American art department sold $3,154,557 worth of art that spanned 100 years in its October 3 sale. The department offered landscapes, still-life paintings, abstractions, drawings, sculpture, prints, and works in mixed media. Of the ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Cabinet of Morbid Curiosities: The Richard Harris Collection
Potter & Potter Auctions, Chicago, Illinois
Photos courtesy Potter & Potter Auctions
“He was an eclectic collector who had a lot of stuff.” The comment came from Aron Packer, the director and specialist of fine and Outsider art for Potter & Potter Auctions in Chicago, as he commented on the person ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Elevated Art and 20th-Century Design
Toomey & Co., Chicago, Illinois
Photos courtesy Toomey & Co. To grasp the impact of a two-layered sale held at Toomey & Co. in Chicago on October 1, one must first understand “the network.” Ergo, a brief tutorial is in order.
This particular network is a relatively new business entity that links ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Massachusetts Sale Lights Up to $6.5 Million Total
The September 28 and 29 auction at Fontaine’s Auction Gallery totaled just over $6.5 million from 1000 lots, according to the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, auction house. Tiffany Studios lighting and decorative arts objects dominated the sale, but there were other high-profile objects, called “unusual and exceptional” by the auction house. Three ... (Read More)
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(Show)Show in the Eye of the Storm
Springfield Extravaganza, Springfield, Ohio
When the Springfield Antique Show & Flea Market held the fall installment of its semiannual Springfield Extravaganza September 20-22, it was, as much as possible, business as usual. Lots of dealers. Great merchandise. Strong interest from buyers. In another way, however, it wasn’t a normal weekend ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Furniture Leads Rachel Davis Fine Arts Event
Rachel Davis Fine Arts, Cleveland, Ohio
Photos courtesy Rachel Davis Fine Arts
Rachel Davis Fine Arts, Cleveland, Ohio, is known for selling works of art and prints with an Ohio connection. Art pottery, Outsider art, sterling silver, and art glass are also often sold. But the September 21 online fine and decorative ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Eclectic, Esoteric, and Entrancing Offerings
Bray & Co., Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Photos courtesy Bray & Co.
Bray & Co., held its September 21 auction in the gallery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where myriad objects reflective of auctioneer Derin Bray’s esoteric interests came to market from various New England collections. The company specializes in folk art, craftsmanship, history, ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Rago Art Pottery
Rago, Lambertville, New Jersey
Photos courtesy Rago
Collectors of art pottery collect it as art. Prices are often much higher than most Arts and Crafts furniture. At Rago’s September 12 auction of American and European art pottery in Lambertville, New Jersey, 14 of the 121 lots offered sold for five figures, and ... (Read More)
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