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(Feature)Letter from London
by Ian McKay, e-mail A Merry Christmas, One and All!Among the books in the Seeger sale, estimated at $30,000/45,000 is a 1926 first U.S. edition of Winnie-the-Pooh that was a gift from A.A. Milne to Ernest Shepard and a copy in which he acknowledged his sense of debt to the ... (Read More)
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(Show)Few Dealers for Indian Lake Show
Indian Lake, New Yorkby Betty FloodCliff Alexander of Juniper Hill Antiques, Sudbury, Vermont, had this fascinating wooden creel from the Lake Champlain Valley in original blue paint with a center hole opening, priced at $350.The Adirondack Antiques Weekend was advertised as two antiques shows, complete with shuttle service between the ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Modern Market Rolls On
Sollo:Rago Modern Auctions, Lambertville, New Jerseyby Lita Solis-CohenCharles Sumner Greene's architectural cabinet of fumed Honduras planked mahogany, 1907-11, with handles inlaid with iridescent glass squares, invisible hinges, and a sidecupboard for rolled-up blueprints, marked "Peter and John Hall, Pasadena, CA," 721/2" x 571/2" x 231/2". Greene gave it to his ... (Read More)
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(Young Collectors)The Young Collector: 'Tis the Season to Be Thankful
by Hollie Davis and Andrew RichmondIn the midst of the holiday season, we always try to stop, take a deep breath, and just spend a few moments being grateful. While we have the opportunity to tell our families and each other how grateful we are, we realize that we don't ... (Read More)
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(Computer Article)On-Line Encyclopedias
Computer Column #241On-Line Encyclopedias by John P.
Reid, jreid@dca.netLet's talk about
on-line encyclopedias.One of the more amazing Web sites on the Internet is
Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org). It is a
free general-purpose encyclopedia, which many people turn to first for quick information.
It is exceptional, however, for the culture in which it ... (Read More)
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(Show)The San Francisco Show
San Francisco, Californiaby Alice KaufmanThis 19th-century Italian Classical Revival inlaid mahogany and parcel-gilt bed cost $68,000 at Therien & Co., San Francisco and Los Angeles.The circa 1780 French Aubusson tapestry is a complete panel of a bouquet of flowers. The price at Kathleen Taylor-The Lotus Collection, San Francisco, was $37,500.This ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Fred Bauer Says Good-bye to Maine
by Chris Huntington and Charlotte McGillAs I remember it, I met Fred Bauer 40 years ago when he came into my Ezra Peters Antiquities in Mt. Vernon, Maine, with Monty McCartell. Fred was 16 years old, and as a result of that first visit, he decided to become an antiques ... (Read More)
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(Auction Law and Ethics)Auction Law and Ethics: Think About It
by Steve ProffittIt's a new year. Let's resolve to have a great one. But first I digress.Growing up, my cousin Junior and I did most everything together that boys down South do. We played ball, rode bikes, hung out, hunted, fished, you name it. Junior's a nice fellow, but he ... (Read More)
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(Feature)Making a Case for a Transitional Case
Figure 1A. Isaac Brokaw, Bridge Town, tall-case clock, "transitional case," circa 1790 (index clock).by David A. SperlingThe American tall-case clock holds a proud and enduring place in the hearts of collectors. The variety of styles fully reflects the development of decorative arts in this country. The white-painted dial made its ... (Read More)
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(Show)Fall at Rhinebeck
Rhinebeck, New Yorkby Fran KramerThe miniature golf bridges, 1930's-40's, were $2200 from Gary Promey of Atwater, Ohio.Great form on this hooked rug, $425 from Steven Rowe of Hanover, New Hampshire.Jane Wargo of Wallingford, Connecticut, sold her worktable, but the hooked rug above it ($1150) was still available.The leaves were falling, ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Chinese Plaque Creates Fireworks at Motley Sale
Motley's Auction & Realty Group, Richmond, Virginiaby Walter C. NewmanPhotos courtesy Motley's Auction & Realty GroupThe 31" x 8" (sight size) circa 1900 porcelain plaque in a simple wooden frame was the high lot of the auction. It depicts a vertical scene of birds and chrysanthemums in a natural setting ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Still Hammering Away After 25 Years
Martin J. Donnelly Antique Tools, Nashua, New Hampshireby Mark SiscoThe remnants of a hurricane put the damper on most of the parking lot tailgate show, but this was the 25th anniversary of Martin Donnelly's entrance into the antique tool business and his ninth year of conducting a tool auction. The ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Annual Open House
Seven Fitzwilliam and Richmond, New Hampshire, antiques shops are restocking with fresh merchandise in preparation for the 18th annual Holiday Open Houses on Saturday and Sunday, December 27 and 28, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A variety of refreshments will be served at each shop, and many will offer ... (Read More)
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(Auction)A Walker, a Mower, and a Few Fine Rides
Unframed William Aiken Walker oil on academy board, $12,075.Stephen Bennett Auctions, Portsmouth, New Hampshireby Mark SiscoStephen Bennett put together a compact 350-plus-lot sale on Thursday, October 30, 2008, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. There were no world-record breakers and only one item had a reserve. About a half-dozen five-figure hits spiced ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Invest in Oil--Paintings
Cottone Auctions, Geneseo, New Yorkby Fran KramerPhotos courtesy Cottone AuctionsIn the midst of the financial market meltdown the last week of September 2008, auctioneer Sam Cottone was holding his September 27 consignment sale in Geneseo, New York. There was no meltdown on his Main Street; he had a $2.5 million ... (Read More)
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(Feature)In the Trade: Frank Gaglio, Barn Star Productions, Rhinebeck, New York
by Frank DoneganFrank Gaglio with some items from his collection: a New England maple highboy; a rare whirligig figure of a Scotsman from Cape Cod, Massachusetts; a bride's box with village scenes, probably fromGermany; an eagle weathervane; and a carved snake.You think you need sharp elbows to be an antiques ... (Read More)
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(Show)Greater Boston Antiques Festival: "Surprisingly Not Terrible"
Wilmington, Massachusettsby Jeanne SchintoChristopher Scala of Salem, New Hampshire, asked $8500 for the largest painting pictured here, a scene of Maine's Monhegan Island in oil on canvas by Stanley Woodward (1890-1970). On the left wall, an oil on canvas of Rockport, Massachusetts, by California artist Nell Walker Warner (1891-1920) was ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Skinner Holds Pre-Election Sale of Americana
Skinner, Inc., Boston, Massachusettsby David HewettPhotos courtesy SkinnerDealer Elle Shushan bought this watercolor miniature portrait on ivory for $303,000. The little gem (23/4" high) contained a lock of the first president's hair under glass on the reverse. Shushan represented the Yale University Art Gallery. The record auction price for a ... (Read More)
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(Feature)Sanford Smith: Shows are Lifeline for Dealers
Show promoter Sanford Smith released the following statement on December 19:
"With the recent announcement of the cancelation of the Asian Art Fair, we want to reassure our exhibitors and our clientele that all of our shows this spring--the Outsider Art Fair (Jan 9 ? 11, 2009), Works on Paper (Feb ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Machmer Sale
Pook & Pook Inc., Downingtown, Pennsylvaniaby Lita Solis-CohenPhotos courtesy Pook & PookJohn Rasmussen (1828-1895), View of the Berks County Almshouse, a large bird's-eye view of the almshouse with figures engaged in various activities, surrounded by five small vignettes, signed lower right "J. Rasmussen 1884," oil on canvas, 33" x 40". ... (Read More)
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(Show)Twenty-Fifth Annual Antiques Show Seamlessly Blends Museum and Antiques
Minneapolis, Minnesotaby David HewettLisa McAllister of Clear Spring, Maryland, has good reason to smile. She's holding a genuine rarity in yellowware, a 10" high ale pitcher from the Swan Hill Pottery of New Jersey, with what is known as an ice lip with piercing to prevent ice splashing into your ... (Read More)
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(Auction)When Did They Call Off the Recession?
Oil on canvas by William Frederick de Haas, $41,400.Gould related that he had some difficulty convincing people that these chairs were right, but in the end, he said, everybody that counted came through. The pair of beautifully decorated arrow-back armchairs with gilded bamboo-turned legs, every inch brilliantly grain painted under ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Prendergast Watercolor Tops Well-Attended Sale
J.J. Keating Auctioneers, Kennebunk, Maineby Rose SafranPhotos courtesy J.J. Keating AuctioneersThe predicted rain subsided, leaving a rather sloppy parking field on Saturday, September 27, 2008, when J.J. Keating Auctioneers of ... (Read More)
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(Feature)The $5,234,500 Philadelphia Stool Is One of a Pair
by Lita Solis-CohenRecord prices always bring out treasures. The Philadelphia stool from the Edward P. and Barbara Moore collection that sold at Sotheby's on September 26, 2008, for $5,234,500, illustrated in M.A.D. in November 2008 (p. 12-A) and December 2008 (p. 1-D), provoked a call from retired dealer Robert Trump ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)IFPDA Book Award
The International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) presented the 2008 IFPDA Book Award to Dr. Achim Gnann for Parmigianino und Sein Kreis: Druckgraphik aus der Sammlung Baselitz (Parmigianino and His Circle: Prints from the Baselitz Collection).Allan Stone, chairman of the IFPDA grants committee, which oversees the book award, presented Dr. ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Master Class in Folk Art
Christie's Education in New York City is accepting enrollments for a new short course of study in American folk art, slated for January 20-22. This three-day program for non-degree students provides an overview of the American folk art field, including its history, the market, and connoisseurship.The course, "Treasures and Traditions: ... (Read More)
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(Feature)Americana in New York City in January
by Lita Solis-Cohen
For a complete day-by-day schedule:
Click Here for Web Document
Click Here for printable PDF
Click Here for printable Word Document
Americana Week in New York City is a week later this year because of the inauguration of Barack Obama. There is an additional auction at Bonhams on January 22—and one less ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Art Dealer Arrested, Charged
Giuseppe Concepcion, the owner of an art and antiques dealership doing business as Proarte Gallery in Miami, Florida, and New York City, was arrested on November 21, 2008, in Miami on charges of transportation of stolen property and wire fraud. Following a court hearing, he was released on $500,000 bail.According ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Auctions Houses Not Immune to Job Losses
Auctions Houses Not Immune to Job LossesOn December 5, 2008, the U.S. government reported the biggest monthly job loss in a generation; 533,000 jobs were lost in November 2008. The government also noted that 1.9 million jobs had been lost since the beginning of the recession in December 2007.The auction ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Americana Sale Tests the Market
Doyle New York, New York Cityby Lita Solis-CohenPhotos courtesy Doyle New YorkSet of six Federal mahogany dining chairs, including two armchairs, with a draped urn-form splat surmounted by Prince of Wales feathers, on reeded tapering legs, sold for $25,000 (est. $8000/10,000) on the phone to dealer Stanley Weiss of Providence, ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Will a Pay Now, Bid Later Approach Work for an Auctioneer?
by David HewettPay now, bid later. That's the policy auctioneer Al Cardamone of Mooney's Auction Service in East Durham, New York, proposes to initiate. To make the offer attractive, he's offering to cut the 10% buyer's premium and give a $7 credit at the snack bar to all who sign ... (Read More)
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(Feature)The Triangle Defense
Papers filed in Sotheby's ongoing lawsuit with collector Halsey Minor are shedding some light on the firm's decision not to place a triangle symbol in the catalog entry for Edward Hicks's Peaceable Kingdom with the Leopard of Serenity.A brief recap: Halsey Minor, an Internet entrepreneur and American art collector, was ... (Read More)
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(Feature)Book Reviews
Book ReviewsThe Human & The Eternal: Shaker Art in Its Many Forms by Sabbathday Lake Shaker Museum (United Society of Shakers, 2008, 69 pp., softbound, $30 postpaid [check or money order only] from United Society of Shakers, 707 Shaker Road, New Gloucester, ME 04260; [207] 926-4597; [www.shaker.lib.me.us]).This past summer and ... (Read More)
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(Feature)In the Trade: Wayne Edsforth, Greenwich Hardware Antiques, Greenwich, New York
by Frank DoneganExterior of the shop in Greenwich, New York, with the old stained-glass sign that spans the front of the building.Wayne Edsforth in his shop.Group of pleasant, useful Windsors, some with minor repairs, ranging from $95 to $395.We visited Wayne Edsforth during one of the worst weeks the stock ... (Read More)
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(Auction)$51,750 Buttersworth Tops Rhode Island Sale
Gustave J.S. White, Portsmouth, Rhode Islandby Jackie SideliPhotos courtesy Gustave J.S. WhiteEarly in the sale Corcoran said that collector Robert Cummings, whose paintings he was selling, had always bought "really good paintings." This oil on panel by noted American artist James E. Buttersworth measured just 8" x 12" and depicted ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Carol Telfer Textiles and Antiques Auction
Anderson Auctions, Simcoe, Ontarioby Robin McMullenAll prices in Canadian fundsIn completely original condition and with full provenance available, this wool and mixed fabric hooked rug by Emily Carr, 26" x 45", sold to a West Coast collector for $28,600. The rug was circa 1920 and depicted a Victoria, British Columbia, ... (Read More)
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(Feature)A Treasure-Trove of Vintage Posters and a New Specialist
Swann Galleries, New York Cityby Richard de Thuin La revue blanche, an avant-garde magazine founded by the Natanson brothers, featured contributions by a number of France's best writers, musicians, artists and poets. Misia Natanson, the wife of one of the founders and known as a brilliant,charming, and beautiful woman, was ... (Read More)
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(Feature)Otis Townsend Residence: A Craftsman Home by Gustav Stickley
Cape May, New Jerseyby Ed PfeifferPhotos courtesy Mid-Atlantic Center for the ArtsBuilt using a design that Gustav Stickley (1858-1942) promoted, the 1915 Otis Townsend residence was the 2008 Cape May Designer Show House. It was open for tours from June to mid-October. The exhibit was sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center ... (Read More)
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(Feature)The Merchandise Mart International Antiques Fair
Chicago, Illinoisby Danielle ArnetJudy Rosenbloom of The Treasure Chest, Highland Park, Illinois, observed her very busy space. The booth, shared with Michael Haber, is large (roomy enough for several floor and wall cabinets) and set off an aisle like a private shop. What you cannot see in black-and-white is a ... (Read More)
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(Feature)Beautiful Setting but Weak Gate
York, Maineby Rose SafranYork, Maine, resident Mary MacLean (right) admires silver, some of which sold, with Manchester Center, Vermont, dealer Phyllis Carlson (with tag) of Carlson & Stevenson Antiques. Behind them was a wall of watercolors. A theorem painting on velvet was priced at $3800.Although Frank Wood of DeWolfe & ... (Read More)
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(Show)"Will They Buy or Will They Just Look?"
Waldoboro, Maineby Mark SiscoJane and Edwin Carr of Gorham, Maine, brought along a fine pair of late 18th-century mirrored wall sconces (oneshown) with all the panes intact for a negotiable $1500. They also showed a finely painted cast-iron doorstop, embossed"Highland Light Cape Cod," for $800.This "F. Weber" seascape was $395 ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Brewery and Liquor Memorabilia
Jon Lee Auction Services, Latham, New Yorkby Betty FloodBeverwyck Beer clock, $467.50."Ask for Drewrys Ale and Lager Beer," with a trooper and horse, $286; and a Gold Bond man (with repair on arm), $467.50.Jon Lee's September 13 auction in Latham, New York, was the first breweriana auction held in the ... (Read More)
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(Show)FolkFest 2008
Norcross, Georgiaby Marty SteinerJean Compton of Wimberley, Texas, was among the few dealers with an emphasis exclusively on vintage and anonymous material. An entire collection of nearly 20 tramp art boxes caught your attention as you entered her booth. Generally, condition is a serious concern with these items, most often ... (Read More)
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(Feature)Tag Sale in North Carolina Draws Huge Crowd
Mountain Home, North Carolinaby Tom DunnThe crowds on the first day of the sale.A 19th-century east Tennessee walnut corner cupboard, 83" high, with blind doors top and bottom, sold for the full day one tag price of $1795.Two pairs of Bradley and Hubbard bronze bookends-one of the Lincoln Memorial and ... (Read More)
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(Feature)On-line Antiques Survey
by Danielle ArnetM.A.D. readers are invited to participate in an on-line survey about the antiques biz. We all know that M.A.D. readers have plenty of opinions on that topic.Stephanie Vomvouras, a physician in internal medicine currently working on an executive MBA at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)"Wonderful Actor" Makes Off with $5300 Clock from Dealer
by David Hewett"He's clearly a wonderful actor. He was dressed impeccably and spoke English with an accent that hinted he was from an upper-class Spanish upbringing," said Louisville, Kentucky, antiques dealer Trace Mayer.He was describing the man who bought a $5300 clock from him in October, after producing what appeared ... (Read More)
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(Feature)New Connecticut Show to Launch
Gene Shannon The AntiquesAffair, a new show under the management of Cord Shows Ltd., for the benefit of the Howard Jennings Dollars for Scholars Foundation, will take place in North Stamford, Connecticut, on December 6 and 7.Art auctioneer Gene Shannon of Shannon Fine Arts will be featured on Saturday from ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)The Machmer Sale
$198,900. Photo courtesy Pook & Pook.by Lita Solis-CohenIt is no longer common to find a collection of extraordinary Americana that was bought in the rural countryside exclusively at farm sales and local auctions. Those who came to the estate sale of the collection of Pennsylvania folk art at Pook & ... (Read More)
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(Show)41st Annual Fall Original Round Top Antiques Fair
Round Top, Texasby Steve BrooksNancy Westmoreland, owner of House of Lamps and Antiques, Austin, Texas, turns vintage pieces into lamps. The body of this lamp is a blue and white Chinese teapot from the 1830's, complemented by a custom fabric shade and custom base. She asked $350 for it.This massive ... (Read More)
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(Auction)In the Land of Oziana
Bloomsbury Auctions, New York CityPeter and the Swans, a pen and ink and gouache by John R. Neill 1877-1943) for the endpapers of Carl H. Grabo's Peter and the Princess, published in 1920, sold for $15,600 (est. $12,000/15,000). According to the catalog, it is the only known work of art ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Craftsman Auction
Rago Arts and Auction Center, Lambertville, New Jerseyby Lita Solis-CohenMarblehead vase, 1915, incised and painted by Arthur Baggs with stylized flowers in yellow and orange against a dark blue and speckled medium blue ground, 81/2" high, sold on the phone for $27,600 (est. $15,000/20,000), underbid by another phone bidder.This exceptional ... (Read More)
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(Auction)American Indian Art Auction
Cowan's, Cincinnati, Ohioby Don JohnsonPhotos courtesy Cowan'sEarly Late Classic Navajo serape, 1865-70, with a background of raveled reds and tight horizontal motif of terraced chartreuse< diamonds, each with a central white cross, complemented by deep indigo zigzags and bars, two dark 1" rings on surface, one large outline of circle ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Andrew Wyeth Ink Leads Gamage Auction
Bruce Gamage, Jr., Rockland, MaineAndrew Wyeth pen-and-ink drawing, Spruce Trees, $58,300.Pear-shaped diamond, weighing 1.58 carats, in a platinum setting, $7975.by Mark SiscoAn auction with an important Andrew Wyeth pen-and-ink drawing was an appropriate way to open Maine's unofficial August antiques auction week. Bruce Gamage held his now-traditional opener at the ... (Read More)
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(Feature)Fresh Estates from Buffalo and Beyond Bring Bidders to Grogan
Grogan & Company, Dedham, Massachusettsby Jeanne SchintoThis gilt and patinatedbronze figure by Emile Guillemin (French, 1841-1907) came to the sale from Claire Golant's estate and sold to a New York dealer for $26,450 (est. $8000/12,000). From the top of the goddess's torchere to the bottom of her carved giltwood marble-top ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Classics Endure: The Murfreesboro Antique Show
Murfreesboro, Tennesseeby Sarah DruryDealer R.L. Pinson (left) was there when the Murfreesboro show debuted in 1967 and is still selling. Promoter Don Detwiler (right) has headed up the event for the past six years and has won good reviews from dealers for increasing the show's attendance and visibility.David P. Taylor ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Moore Collection
Edward Hicks's Peaceable Kingdom with Quakers Bearing Banners, 1829-30, a 171/2" x 231/4" oil on canvas in a cherry veneer frame hand lettered by the artist, sold for $1,314,500 (est. $2/3 million) to a phone bidder, underbid by Pennsylvania dealer Kelly Kinzle in the salesroom. One of five painted between ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)American Ceramic Circle Presents 2007 Book Awards
The American Ceramic Circle (ACC) presented two book awards at its annual meeting on November 1 in Baltimore, Maryland.Ceramics in America 2007, edited by Robert Hunter, is devoted to porcelain produced by Gousse Bonnin and George Anthony Morris at the American China Manufactory in Philadelphia from 1769 to 1772. Bonnin ... (Read More)
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(Feature)The Rifle Hall Americana Antique Show & Fall Fest
Round Top, Texasby Steve BrooksCarol Maglio and Richard Limbacher of CR Finds Antiques, Colleyville, Texas, were asking $120 to $160 for each of these Scottish spongeware pieces from the late 19th century, made for import to the U.S. The designs were applied to the porcelain with specially cut sponges dipped ... (Read More)
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(Show)Granville Antiques Fair Had Something for Everyone
Granville, Ohioby Mary Ellen HareWest Main Antiques, Zanesville, Ohio, offered cast-iron urns from 1870-80 for prices ranging from $125 to $250.For those longing for department stores of yore, Summer Kitchen Antiques, Columbus, Ohio, offered a green ceramic mug marked "Lazarus, 1851-1941," a nostalgic piece recalling the now-defunct Lazarus Department Store, ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Chests Big and Small Impress at Fall Sale
John Palm Boyer (1833-1901) of Brickerville, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, made this slant-lid seed chest with porcelain drawer pulls, shaped skirt, and high arched cutout feet. The elaborately decorated surface was in very good condition. One dealer in the salesroom commented, "It is right as rain." There was one scallop missing ... (Read More)
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(Computer Article)Computer Column: A Good Accounting
Computer Column #240by John P. Reid, jreid@dca.netThis month is all about antiques businesses. Seldom in the past 20 years has this column discussed bookkeeping or accounting software. Setting up an accounting system is complicated. Good computer skills alone do not make a good accountant. People spend years in college or ... (Read More)
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(Feature)American Furniture, Folk Art, Maritime Art, and Prints
Christie's, New York Cityby Lita Solis-CohenRare Monhegan Island-style red-breasted merganser drake carved by Augustus Aaron Wilson (1864-1950) of South Portland, Maine, circa 1900, with carved crest and eyes, relief-carved wings, and a slightly turned head, 161/2" long (est. $100,000/150,000). One of three knownfrom the same rig, it was purchased from ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Washington Miniature Soars at Last Skinner American Furniture Sale of 2008
by David HewettPhotos courtesy Skinner.On November 1 and 2, Skinner sold the Herbert Nilson collection of clocks, followed by American furniture and decorative arts from several sources, at its Boston galleries. The entire 900-plus-lot sale brought just under $2.2 million.Several lots sold on one bid, and the entire sale had ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Buechler Auction
Chris Huntington, Blockhouse, Nova Scotiaby Chris BeckettBy mid-afternoon the crowd had thinned, and bargains were to be had.All prices in Canadian fundsLarry and Ruby Buechler were originally from Ontario. In Blockhouse, Nova Scotia, where they ended up, that's the sort of thing everybody knows. Their name, however, was solidly German, ... (Read More)
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(Auction Law and Ethics)Auction Law and Ethics: Pet Peeves of an Auction-Goer
by Steve ProffittWhere has the year gone? While my watch runs the same, each year seems to pass quicker than the one before, and this year was no exception. I'm using a reader's letter to close out 2008. An advantage of writing this column is that I regularly receive interesting ... (Read More)
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(Show)After the Crash, Exhibitors at ADA Show Expected the Worst! (But Were Pleasantly Surprised!)
Deerfield, MassachusettsAfter the Crash, Exhibitors at ADA Show Expected the Worst! (But Were Pleasantly Surprised!)by David HewettKaren DiSaia is one of the hardest workingshow managers in the country and isalways there early and leaves late. WithDeerfield wrapped up, she'll head for ashow in Minneapolis next. DiSaia andher husband, Ralph, operate ... (Read More)
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(Auction)N.C. Wyeth Illustration Leads September Art Auction
Skinner, Inc., Boston, Massachusettsby Jeanne SchintoThis 30" x 291/4" oil on canvas by N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945) sold for $225,150. The catalog listed its title as That Endless Stream across the Dubuque Ferry Was Flowing on Ahead of Me, and the Fast-Going Part of It Was Passing Me Every Hour like ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)NYC Antiques Garage Show Stays Put
New York City's famous Antiques Garage at West 25th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues was expected to close and integrate into Hell's Kitchen Flea Market at West 39th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues by November 30. Following discussions between the Antiques Garage and representatives of the parking structure ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Art Storage Facilities Face Scrutiny
by Daniel GrantFine art storage sites, and storage facilities in general, tend to make the news only when a catastrophe strikes. Some examples include a fire that consumed hundreds of contemporary paintings and sculptures at Momart, a fine art storage company in London, in 2004; a blaze at Artex, a ... (Read More)
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(Auction)American Paintings and Sculpture
Sotheby's, New York Cityby Lita Solis-CohenPhotos courtesy Sotheby'sSotheby's sale on September 24 of mid-priced American paintings and sculpture, held the day before its Americana sale, was a two-session event that dispersed 181 of the 271 lots offered for a total of $4,009,001, a 66.8% sold rate by lot and 76.5% ... (Read More)
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(Show)28th Annual Baltimore Summer Antiques Show Draws a Crowd
Baltimore, Marylandby Robert KyleProspective buyers examined carved ivory figures in the booth of T.K. Asian Antiquities,Williamsburg, Virginia.Susan Lapene of M.S. Rau Antiques, New Orleans, stood next to The Pine Trees at Varengeville by Claude Monet, circa 1882. The 253/4" x 32" painting was priced at $1,280,000.Rick Griffin of Newport News, ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Van Pelt-Robb Dressing Table Sells for $1,142,500
Sotheby's, New York Cityby Lita Solis-CohenPhotos courtesy Sotheby'sVan Pelt-Robb Philadelphia mahogany dressing table, attributed to the shop of Henry Clifton and Thomas Carteret, carving by Nicholas Bernard, circa 1760. It has an old surface and original brasses and is missing two knee returns and molding beneath the top. Sotheby's catalog ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Guilford Antiques Show Moves to February
Barn Star Productions manager Frank Gaglio and the Dorothy Whitfield Historic Society have announced a new date for the annual Guilford (Connecticut) Antiques Show. Saturday, February 21 and Sunday, February 22 will mark the 40th anniversary of the event benefiting the Hyland House Museum in Guilford, a museum of colonial ... (Read More)
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(Feature)Editorial: America Rising
EditorialIn late October, the fixed-priced catalog from Massachusetts dealer Rex Stark arrived in the M.A.D. offices. Stark, a specialist in historical Americana, sells using an old-fashioned method, especially in these days of instant messaging and dynamic database publishing on the Web; he uses an 81/2" x 51/2" catalog with color ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Half-Million-Dollar Oil Stands Heade and Shoulders above the Rest
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, Thomaston, Maineby Mark SiscoMartin Johnson Heade oil on canvas, Roman Newsboys, $522,500.Carved folk art bookcase, decorated with marine and animal themes, $15,400.By our unofficial reckoning, about $10,000,000 worth of antiques changed hands at auctions in Maine between August 25 and 31. About 5% of that total ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Exhibition of Babar Original Illustrations and Manuscripts
by Rose SafranDrawing Babar: Early Drafts and Watercolors is the first exhibition of the Morgan Library & Museum's Babar collection, acquired in 2004. The series of images is sure to interest the many generations of adults who as children enjoyed the iconic fictional orphaned French elephant in a green suit, ... (Read More)
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(Young Collectors)The Young Collector: Commodity Futures (or the Risk of Commodifying Antiques)
The Young Collectorby Hollie Davis and Andrew RichmondWe pondered this column for a long time. What do we know about finances, economics, investments, et cetera? Then it occurred to us that with the current state of the market, you might as well follow your barber's advice as your financial analyst's. ... (Read More)
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(Feature)Letter from London
by Ian McKay, e-mail Crystal Cheetah Is a Sold Again SleeperThe 11th-century Fatamid rock crystal ewer (with 19th-century French mounts) that was put up for sale at Lawrences of Crewkerne with a $200/400 estimate in January changed hands for $5.57 million at Christie's on October 7.An Ottoman tombak shield, one ... (Read More)
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(Feature)Institutions Buy Big at African-American Art Sale
Swann Auction Galleries, New York City
by Jeanne Schinto
Frederick Douglass Lives Again (The Ghost of Frederick Douglass), an early (1949) drawing by Charles White (1918-1979), sold to the Sheldon Museum of Art, on the campus of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, for $204,000 (est. $100,000/150,000). What Swann described in its ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Americana at Pook & Pook
Pook & Pook Inc., Downingtown, Pennsylvaniaby Lita Solis-CohenThree-piece Philadelphia pewter communion service, attributed to William Will. The flagon has a bulbous body, foliate finial, and spout engraved to suggest a serpent's head with eyes and teeth. The chalice is 73/4" high, and the paten is 61/4" in diameter. All three ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)New Low-Overhead Venture in Boston Speaks to the Future
by Jeanne SchintoPromoter Marvin Getman of New England Antique Shows, based in Lexington, Massachusetts, will launch a new Boston venture in the spring. Always forward thinking, Getman has designed it as a low-overhead show in the city's South End, known for its contemporary art galleries, restaurants, and hip, young residents. ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Americana Down Under
This 19th-century giltwood mirror has a restored 106 cm high frame with applied turned pilasters and foliate carved panels. Its original mirror plate is surmounted by an eglomise panel of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. The mirror is priced at about $2380. Photo courtesy Shapiro.by Lita Solis-CohenFor those who ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Queen Anne and Cape Ann Lead Anniversary Sale
Blackwood/March Auctioneers & Appraisers, Essex, MassachusettsThe sale's top lot (and the best ever for the auction house) was this circa 1730 Boston Queen Anne easy chair that sold to Luke Beckerdite for $127,650. March offered it as lot 29, chosen to coincide with his 29th year in business. Blackwood/March photo. ... (Read More)
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(Feature)Obama Progress Poster Brings $4800
On Wednesday, November 5, one day after Barack Obama's historic election, a signed, dated, and numbered political poster by Shepard Fairey depicting Obama above the word "Progress" sold for $4800 (includes buyer's premium) during the $1.2 million sale of fine art prints in San Francisco and Los Angeles by Bonhams ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Mother and Son Art Dealers Plead Guilty
>On October 22, Christopher Breithoff, 35, and Constance Breithoff, 60, both of Covington, Louisiana, pled guilty to crimes involving a scheme to defraud customers of the Barlow Art Gallery and Transitions in Mandeville, Louisiana, which the Breithoffs had owned and operated since 2004. They also operated a gallery on Royal ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Exhibition of Babar Original Illustrations and Manuscripts
by Rose SafranDrawing Babar: Early Drafts and Watercolors is the first exhibition of the Morgan Library & Museum's Babar collection, acquired in 2004. The series of images is sure to interest the many generations of adults who as children enjoyed the iconic fictional orphaned French elephant in a green suit, ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Biggs Museum of American Art Buys Delaware Clock
by Lita Solis-CohenPhotos courtesy Weschler's.A tall clock in a walnut case with a silvered brass dial signed "Jas. Kinkead, Christiana Bridge," circa 1780, sold at Weschler's in Washington, D.C., on October 11 for $61,000 (includes buyer's premium). The buyer was the Biggs Museum of American Art in Dover, Delaware."The clock ... (Read More)
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(Feature)Another Historical Document Seized
by David HewettAnother historical document has been seized from a dealer by law enforcement officers under orders from higher-ups. This latest episode occurred in Fishtown, Pennsylvania.On September 24, state troopers entered Perpetua, a store owned by 63-year-old Edward Marshall, and demanded that Marshall turn over an item he had bought ... (Read More)
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(Feature)Thomas Chambers: The People's Choice
A Book Reviewby Lita Solis-CohenThomas Chambers: American Marine and Landscape Painter, 1808-1869by Kathleen A. FosterPhiladelphia Museum of Art in association with Yale University Press, 2008, 171 pages, hardbound, $50 (plus $13 shipping), softbound, $39.95 (plus $8 shipping), from the museum store, (215) 684-7960, Web site (www.philamuseumstore.org).If you think it surprising ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Lorello Sentenced
Lorello Sentenced by Erin DenninFormer New York state employee Daniel Lorello has been sentenced before Albany County Court Judge Thomas Breslin to two to six years in prison for stealing more than 1600 historic documents from the New York State Library and Archives and selling them on eBay and at ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)SOFA New York Announces New Spring Dates
The 12th annual Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair (SOFA) secured April 16-19, 2009, for its spring show at the Seventh Regiment Armory in New York City, moving from its former Memorial Day weekend dates. The opening night gala is scheduled for Wednesday, April 15."These new dates...do not conflict with ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Russian Firm Buys Phillips
Mercury Group, a Russian luxury company,
has acquired a controlling stake in Phillips de Pury & Company. Simon de Pury
will remain chairman and a shareholder in the company. Discussions between Phillips
de Pury & Company and Mercury Group began in July 2007."We have seen
tremendous growth in the company ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Tennessee Pot Brings $63,000
Tennessee Pot Brings $63,000A recently discovered jar by potter John Alexander Lowe set a record for Tennessee pottery at the September 27 Case Antiques auction in Knoxville, Tennessee. Estimated at $14,000/18,000, the redware jar brought $63,000 (includes buyer's premium). The buyer was a collector in the room. Underbidders included the ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Historic New England Book Awards
Historic New England has awarded its 14th annual Book Prize to Samuel McIntire: Carving an American Style by Dean T. Lahikainen, published by the Peabody Essex Museum.Recognized as the architect who transformed his birthplace, Salem, Massachusetts, into one of the most elegant American towns, McIntire also gained prominence as a ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Pewter Pops at Pook & Pook
Pewter Pops at Pook & Pookby Lita Solis-CohenPook & Pook in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, held a sale on Friday, September 26; at the very same time Sotheby's was selling the Moore estate and consignments from various other owners. Todd Prickett of C.L. Prickett, Yardley, Pennsylvania, said he did not go to ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Bugatti Starts Fast, but Falter Wins the Day
Ken Farmer Auctions & Appraisals, LLC, Radford, Virginiaby Walter C. NewmanPhotos courtesy Ken FarmerKen Farmer's most recent estate and collectors auction consisted of three separate sessions and was held at the company's facilities in Radford, Virginia, on August 16 and 17. The entire sale offered a general mix of antiques ... (Read More)
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(Auction Law and Ethics)Auction Law and Ethics: Do the Math
Auction Law and Ethicsby Steve ProffittThis is a primer for consignors on auction contract math. You'd be surprised how many people sign contracts without reading them and gaining a command of the terms of the agreement. In my experience, it's a large number. You'd also be surprised how many contracts ... (Read More)
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(Computer Article)Software, Saving, and Surfing
Computer Column #239by John P. Reid, jreid@dca.netThere are three topics this month: more dealer software, reading unfamiliar word processor formats, and a really simple Web browser.-AntiqueShop SoftwareIn the September 2008 issue we listed 19 sources of software to catalog antiques for collectors and dealers. The people at Southport Software (www.southportsoftware.com) ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Respectable but Reasonable
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, Thomaston, Maineby Mark SiscoThis was cataloged as an old master style architectural capriccio in sepia and watercolor. It brought $1650.Erte, costume plate, Lady with Diamonds, $1760. (Some of the shapes seen in the photo are reflections of gallery lights.)The dolls came from the collection of Marguerite ... (Read More)
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(Feature)Foster Moves Mauve
Robert L. Foster, Newcastle, Maineby Mark SiscoRobert Foster of Newcastle, Maine, has a loyal following, especially for his major Labor Day weekend auctions, held this year August 30 and 31. The wall-bursting crowds are heavy with dealers, collectors, and tourists alike each year. Following the sale, Foster told us that ... (Read More)
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