Stories for November '16
(Fragment)Canadian Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Offenses Stemming from Smuggling Narwhal Tusks
Gregory R. Logan, 59, of St. John, New Brunswick, a retired officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine on September 28 to ten money-laundering offenses. Logan was indicted in November 2012 and charged with conspiracy, smuggling, and money ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Gary Taylor, Bloomin' Antiques, Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire
In the Trade
There was a time back in the 20th century when it was not remarkable to find an antiques shop on your average New England village green. In fact, you almost expected it. A local shop that stocked a general line of what the locals lived with (and died ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Leroy Graves and Brock Jobe to Be Awarded Wunsch Award
Peter Wunsch oversees the Wunsch Americana Foundation, which was founded in 1946 by his father, collector Eric Martin Wunsch (1924-2013), for the purpose of preserving America’s art history. Wunsch has announced that Leroy Graves and Brock Jobe will share the fifth Eric M. Wunsch Award for Excellence in the American ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Legislation Introduced to Prohibit Sale of Purple Hearts
Representative Paul Cook, a Republican from California, has introduced a bill in the U.S. Congress that prohibits the sale of any Purple Heart medal presented by the government to a wounded service member or the service member’s family.
The “Private Corrado Piccoli Purple Heart Preservation Act” is named for Private Corrado ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)The Devil's Dictionary of Antiques Collecting: Part 2
Our first installment probed the special language of antiques collectors or at least some of it. As I noted then, the terminology used by knowledgeable customers of the antiques trade has two purposes: first, it allows traits of collected materials to be quickly and accurately identified; second, it serves as ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Major Ivory Bust in New York City
Three people and an antiques business in New York City have been indicted for selling and offering illegal elephant ivory. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. announced the charges on September 22.
Irving Morano, 46, Samuel Morano, 48, Victor Zilberman, 62, and Metropolitan Fine Arts & Antiques Inc. are charged ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Eli Porter, Clockmaker of Williamstown, Massachusetts
Although several tall-case clocks by Daniel Porter (1775-1809) of Williamstown, Massachusetts, are known, little has been written about his nephew and trainee Eli Porter (1789-1864). This article has three purposes:
To describe the topographical beauty (fig. 1) and extraordinary growth of Williamstown during the years between Daniel’s arrival in 1798 and ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Online Archive of Paint-Decorated Walls in Development
The Center for Painted Wall Preservation Inc. (CPWP) is dedicated to the research and preservation of 18th- and early 19th-century American paint-decorated plaster walls. Its goal is to survey and document these walls in situ or in collections, to further the appreciation of this rare and vulnerable art form, and ... (Read More)
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(Young Collectors)Closing the Gap
The Young Collector
In September Andrew attended the 2016 annual conference of the American Association of State and Local History (AASLH). Earlier this year two of his graduate school classmates, always looking for a chance to be supportive, suggested that they build on their experiences as museum professionals and combine Andrew’s ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)M. Finkel & Daughter to Publish 50th Catalog of Antique Samplers and an Online Archive of All Prior
This fall M. Finkel & Daughter will present the 50th edition of its semiannual catalog Samplings. By the end of the year, needlework collectors and scholars will be able to scroll through the previous 49 catalogs online free of charge. The archives, which will include images and information on over ... (Read More)
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(Computer Article)Start Small and Keep Track
Computer Column #335
John P. Reid, e-mail <[email protected]>
Many antiques businesses start small. For instance, a collector tries a little dealing on the side, a woodworker wants to get into conservation and restoration, a retired couple opens an iconic country shop, or several dealers organize a group shop.
These enterprises will need office ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Americana Week News: The Big Flea Moves to the Armory, and a Planned New Show Is Canceled
The Big Flea will return to New York City in January 2017, moving to the 69th Regiment Armory, 68 Lexington Avenue at East 25th Street, a venue much beloved by antiques collectors and dealers.
Show manager DeeDee Sides of D’Amore Promotions confirmed the move in a telephone interview.
The show dates are ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Transferware Collectors Club Launches Advanced Version of Database of Patterns and Sources
The Transferware Collectors Club (TCC), a U.S.-based club whose mission is to educate and excite people worldwide about British transfer-printed ceramics produced between 1750 and 1900, will announce the launch of Version 2.0 of its “Database of Patterns and Sources” on October 26 at the club’s annual meeting in Charlottesville, ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Old Print Gallery in Washington, D.C., to Close
At the beginning of 2017, The Old Print Gallery, currently located in historic Georgetown, will move and consolidate its inventory with its sister shop in New York City, The Old Print Shop, Inc.
According to a press release, “The decision to close our Georgetown gallery was arrived at only after immense ... (Read More)
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(Book Review)A Usable Past: See It and Put It on Your Shelf
A Book Review
A Usable Past: American Folk Art at the Colby College Museum of Art Edited by Lauren Lessing Colby College Museum of Art, distributed by D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers, Inc. (www.artbook.com), 2016, 163 pages, hardbound, $55.
A Usable Past: American Folk Art at the Colby College Museum of Art accompanies an ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Hunting Tuna, Catching Dolphins
Editorial
It’s happened again. A well-meaning law has been passed—this time in California—aimed at cracking down on illegal activity and improving consumer protection. As have so many legislative actions before, however, the new law has cast so wide a net, it has enormous ramifications for the art and antiques trade. It’s ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Letter from London, November 2016
Ian McKay, <[email protected]>
Fashionable ruffs, a self-portrait by “the most excellent painter in England,” an exquisitely executed coffee break, a musical prelude to an artistic fall from grace, together with views of Connemara and the ruins of Walsingham, are among the pictures featured in this month’s “Letter.” Other stories take in ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Boscobel Offers Free Admission for Veterans
To honor all former U.S. military personnel, Boscobel in Garrison, New York, will offer free house and grounds admission to veterans who show their military ID (or even a photo of themselves wearing their uniform) at the front desk during the month of November. The Boscobel Salutes Veterans Program will ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Exhibitions
Maine Antique Digest includes, as space permits, brief announcements of exhibitions planned by galleries, museums, or other venues. We need all press materials at least six weeks in advance of opening. We need to know the hours and dates of the exhibit, admission charges, and phone number and website for ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)California Passes Broad Law Regulating Autographed Objects
“This law is nuts.”
That was the blunt assessment of one member of the trade when asked about changes in a California law that was originally written to protect buyers of sports memorabilia. Governor Jerry Brown signed the amended bill into law on September 9. Selling or consigning to auction in ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Nigerian Government Asks for Plaque to Be Withdrawn
On October 1 Quinn’s Auction Galleries, Falls Church, Virginia, sold part one of the inventory and collection from the estate of Merton D. Simpsonn (1928-2013). Simpson was a well-known African and tribal art collector and dealer. The Simpson estate is being sold in a series of three auctions.
The featured lot ... (Read More)
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(Show)Arion's Fall York Show 2016
The Original Semi-Annual York Antiques Show and Sale, York, Pennsylvania
There were over 90 dealers on 92 stands at Melvin “Butch” Arion’s 167th Original Semi-Annual York Antiques Show and Sale in York, Pennsylvania. It was a three-day event, September 23-25, with a diverse roster of dealers from Pennsylvania, New York, New ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Important American Furniture, Silver, Outsider Art, and Folk Art
Christie’s, New York City
Photos courtesy Christie’s
Christie’s catalog for the September 20 Americana sale was small, just 8¼" x 6 5/8". The sale was small, just 144 lots. There was a small crowd at the sale with fewer than 15 bidders in the salesroom. Two dozen phones were available for bidders ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Fall Sales Topped by Antique Kashmir Sapphire
Antique Jewelry & Gemology
The two-day September jewelry auction held September 11 and 12 by Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, Chicago, Illinois, yielded $4.5 million for 1336 lots and showed the continued market strength of exceptional colored stones, including what Alexander Eblen, director of fine jewelry at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, called an “Old-World ... (Read More)
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(Auction)New Developments in Hillsborough
Leland Little Auctions, Hillsborough, North Carolina
Photos courtesy Leland Little
A number of new developments highlighted the September 9 catalog sale at Leland Little Auctions, Hillsborough, North Carolina. First was the catalog. This was the first time that the catalog for one of Little’s major sales was available only online. Auction houses ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Baltimore Show 2016
Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show, Baltimore, Maryland
This show reflects the market,” said Scott Diament, the energy behind the Palm Beach Show Group, which has transformed what was once a giant flea market and antiquarian book fair into the fancy upscale Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show.
This 36th annual show ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Julia Anchors Maine Auction Week at over $5 Million
James D. Julia, Fairfield, Maine
For the last several decades the keystone of Maine’s unofficial antiques auction week in August has been James D. Julia’s multimillion-dollar blowout. This year it happened August 24-26 in Fairfield, Maine, and included about 2000 lots that made over $5 million in sales, with about three-quarters ... (Read More)
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(Show)Maine Antiques Dealers Association Show
Coastal Maine Antiques Show, Damariscotta, Maine
Weather-wise, one could hardly ask for a better day for the August 24 running of the Maine Antiques Dealers Association (MADA) show on the spacious grounds of Round Top Farm in Damariscotta, Maine. The sun was beaming down but not too hot on the scores ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Country Americana Auction
Walther & Hawkins Auctioneers, Richmond, Indiana
Furniture largely ruled the day, but good smalls held their own during the country Americana auction conducted by Walther & Hawkins Auctioneers in Richmond, Indiana, August 23. It was the second of three sales from the collection of Kim Walker of Brookville, Indiana. The event ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Late Summer Sale in Maine
Bruce Gamage, Jr., Antiques, Rockland, Maine
Each year during the last full week of August in Maine, two reliable things always happen. First, the mornings get noticeably chillier. It’s startlingly predictable and clearly marks the beginning of the end of summer. Second, the week is filled start to finish with auctions ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Summer Weekend Auction
Northeast Auctions, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Photos courtesy Northeast Auctions
Northeast Auctions’ “Summer Weekend Auction” was the last event in New Hampshire’s annual August American antiques marathon. After a ten-day preview, when many who came to the Granite State for the shows in Manchester and Concord the week before made a pilgrimage to ... (Read More)
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(Show)"We're Selling Stuff!"
Ellsworth Antiques Show at Woodlawn, Ellsworth, Maine
“The stuff” is the best stuff you’ll find in Maine. This is the show to which a carefully selected and strictly limited number of dealers bring their A+ game. The Ellsworth Antiques Show at Woodlawn, Ellsworth, Maine, got its start in 1937, and with ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Bidders Play Conservatively on an "Is It or Isn't It?" Stickley Chair
Charles M. Talbot Associates, Turner, Maine
At the Charles M. Talbot auction on August 16 in Turner, Maine, if you closed your eyes and clicked your heels, when you opened your eyes again you might have thought you’d gone back to the 19th century. The auction was held in the dooryard ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Shute Portrait Brings $339,000
Skinner, Inc., Marlborough, Massachusetts
Blue was the color of summer at Skinner’s August 14 and 15 auction in Marlborough, Massachusetts, where portraits and objects in cerulean tones prevailed. Bidders had an array of early portraits from which to choose.
The runaway highlight was an 1832 portrait of Electa Snow Pierce (1817-1849) of ... (Read More)
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(Auction)A Passion for Collecting: Part II of the Estate of Candice B. Groot
Treadway Toomey Auctions, Oak Park, Illinois
When Treadway Toomey Auctions in Oak Park, Illinois, held the first in a projected series of auctions featuring the collections of Candice B. Groot last February, few knew what to expect. After the sale soared to about $1.4 million and observers learned that three more ... (Read More)
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(Show)New Promoter and New Look for Zoar Harvest Festival & Antiques Show
Zoar, Ohio
The 43rd annual Zoar Harvest Festival & Antiques Show had a new look and a new show promoter for the August 6 and 7 event. Since 2008, Jan and Dick Wilks had ably brought wonderful dealers and antiques to Zoar, but with their decision to retire from managing the ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Americana and Paintings
Robert C. Eldred Co., Inc., East Dennis, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Eldred’s
Summer on Cape Cod attracts tourists, vacationers, and antiques shoppers. Thus was the case for Eldred’s August 3-5 auction of over 1400 lots of American furniture, decorative accessories, and paintings at the East Dennis, Massachusetts, gallery. Bidders assembled beneath the striped ... (Read More)
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(Auction)French House Contents Tent Auction
William A. Smith, Plainfield, New Hampshire
Photos courtesy William A. Smith
On August 5 William A. Smith sold the contents of the French House, a lifelong accumulation of American 18th- and 19th-century country antiques, under a tent in Plainfield, New Hampshire. A top lot at the auction was a Civil War powder ... (Read More)
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(Feature)More Genres of Posters Than There Are Peanuts in a Snickers Bar
Swann Galleries, New York City
Photos courtesy Swann Galleries
At the semiannual auction of vintage posters at Swann Galleries in New York City on August 3, there were more genres of posters than there are peanuts in a Snickers bar. About 576 lots were offered for sale, and four auction records were ... (Read More)
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(Show)National Insulator Association Convention Show
Muncie, Indiana
“What’s an insulator?”
The question came from my 22-year-old daughter. She’s not dumb. The kid attends a prestigious liberal-arts college and scored fives on the AP calculus and chemistry exams at the end of high school, so she has a brain. But she has also spent a lifetime in a ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Decoys at Auction
Guyette & Deeter, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
The festival of feathers capped at the Guyette & Deeter sale July 26 and 27 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where about 600 lots brought just shy of $3 million (including buyers’ premiums). As do Ted and Judy Harmon, whose Cape Cod auctions are highly social ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Summer Sporting Auction
Copley Fine Art Auctions, Plymouth, Massachusetts
The festival of feathers continued on July 24 with Copley Fine Art Auctions’ tenth annual auction in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where collectors of decoy and sporting art assembled while artworks and birds moved from one collection to another.
Bird carvers were and remain sportspersons, careful observers of ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Lincoln Goose Flies High at Summer Sale
Decoys Unlimited, Hyannis, Massachusetts
Decoy auctions aren’t like other sales. They are more like reunions or conferences. Snippets of conversations relate to matters such as the best place to buy glass eyes, who is selling what bird, the surface of a particular bird, who has his or her eye on what ... (Read More)
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