Stories for June '17
(Young Collectors)Do or Do Not
The Young Collector
Have we mentioned we’re busy? Oh, we are. We are so busy. We are trying to run two small businesses and find a house to move into and get a house ready to sell. We are awash in forms and documentation and bank statements and bookkeeping e-mails. There ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Heritage vs. Christie's Website Scraping Case Dismissed and Headed to Arbitration
The lawsuit filed by Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas, against Christie’s and Collectrium, a Christie’s company, has been dismissed, and the parties are heading into arbitration on the order of the judge. The judge relied on Heritage’s own Website Use Agreement to dismiss the case and move the parties to arbitration.
Heritage ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)California Confederate Flag Ban Suit Settled
The Center for Individual Rights (CIR) reached a settlement with the attorney general of California in early May that guarantees that the attorney general will not use California Government Code section 8195 to stifle legitimate First Amendment speech.
The state of California previously attempted to ban artist Timothy Desmond from displaying ... (Read More)
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(Book Review)Books Received, June 2017
These are brief reviews of books recently sent to us. We have included ordering information for publishers that accept mail, phone, or online orders. For other publishers, your local bookstore or a mail-order house is the place to look.
The Lure of the Key: Knowledge Gathered from Some Thirty-Five Years Collecting ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Morgan Library Acquires Thank-You Letter for Durand's Masterwork, "Kindred Spirits"
The Morgan Library and Museum in New York City has just completed the purchase of the only letter remaining in private hands discussing the commission and gift of the iconic Asher B. Durand painting Kindred Spirits.
The keynote image in the Hudson River school of landscape painting, this majestic oil on ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Lenny and Diane Chapman, Wilmington, Vermont
In the Trade
They say that success in business comes from matching your product to your market. It’s Business School 101. Yet many of us who’ve been antiques dealers often overlook this self-evident rule. We sell what we like—indeed, what we love—and hope that others will feel the same, which probably ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)What's in a Name? The Indy Antique Advertising Show
The new owners of the Indy Antique Advertising Show are trying to keep a former dealer at the show from doing business as the Indy Ad Show.
In January, Mark and Nona Wilson of Northstar Collective, Park Falls, Wisconsin, purchased the show from Bruce and Donna Weir of B & D ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)"Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Matisse in the Studio"--The Object as Muse
Photos courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Henri Matisse once told an art critic that during the early hardship years of his career he “detested collections and collectors.” The son of seed-shop owners, Matisse (1869-1954) grew up in modest circumstances in a small town in northern France. He carried a disdain ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Free Admission Wednesday Evenings at the Westmoreland
Admission to the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, is now free on all Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. The new “Free Admission Wednesday Evenings” initiative is sponsored by First Commonwealth Bank and will run until October.
Admission to the museum is normally a suggested donation amount of ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Vareika Elected to Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame
In the 30th anniversary year of the founding of his gallery in Newport, Rhode Island, art dealer William “Bill” Vareika has been inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. In 2011 Vareika had accepted a posthumous Hall of Fame honor on behalf of his favorite artist, John La ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Former Director of High Museum of Art Joins Leslie Hindman Auctioneers
Michael E. Shapiro has been appointed as senior advisor, museums and private collections for Leslie Hindman Auctioneers. Shapiro recently retired from his role as director at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia. He will work closely with Hindman’s six locations, including its Chicago headquarters.
Shapiro joined the High Museum’s leadership ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Connecticut Ivory Ban Dead
HB 6335, “An Act Prohibiting the Sale and Trade of Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn in Connecticut,” introduced in the Connecticut General Assembly in January, failed to make it out of the Judiciary Committee, thus killing the bill for 2017.
Originally published in the June 2017 issue of Maine Antique Digest. © ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Miami Beach Show Gets New Name
The Palm Beach Show Group will change the name of the Miami Beach Jewelry & Antiques Show to the Miami Beach Jewelry & Watch Show. The event will be held February 1-4, 2018.
According to the promoters, this name change will more accurately reflect the jewelry and watch dealers represented at ... (Read More)
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(Computer Article)VPN as a Security Measure
Computer Column #342
John P. Reid, <[email protected]>
We have discussed Internet privacy before. In fact, there is no Internet privacy. Do not say anything online that should not be seen on a billboard or in a letter to the editor. This gets tough when managing finances or running a small business. However, ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)A Brilliant Idea
Editorial
The industry needs new collectors, and a good way to help accomplish that goal is to hook schoolchildren on history. That’s the mission of the Chicago-based nonprofit History in Your Hands Foundation (HIYHF), which was founded last year.
The idea is simple and brilliant. HIYHF provides educators with historical objects to ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Two-For-One Appraisals
In honor of Canada’s 150th birthday, patrons of the 21st Century Flea Market will have the opportunity to have two items appraised for the price of one on Sunday, July 9. You may bring two items, pay $10 for the first appraisal, and the second one is free. And anyone ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Antiques 101
A new program, “Antiques 101” Digging Deeper Tour, debuted on May 13 at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum (WDS) in Wethersfield, Connecticut. “Antiques 101” is a workshop-style tour, during which participants can learn some of the basics on how to distinguish authentic Colonial furniture from reproductions. Tickets are $20.
The “Antiques 101” Digging ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Heritage Auctions Adds Watch Expert Jonathan Burford to Beverly Hills Office
Heritage Auctions has hired Jonathan Burford as timepiece consignment director for the Beverly Hills, California, office.
“Jonathan has worked in the fine watch and vintage timepiece industry for the majority of his professional career. His luxury lifestyle brand experience includes not just timepieces but also racing and publishing across the U.K.,” ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Gerald Peters Gallery Sues for Defamation
Art is the ultimate opinion business, but voicing that opinion could lead to legal trouble, as a suit filed in the U.S. District Court in Nevada shows. The case filed on April 28 pits heavyweights in the world of Western art against each other. Gerald Peters Gallery, Inc. has filed ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Letter from London, June 2016
Ian McKay, <[email protected]>
Two sales, both of which produced unexpectedly high prices, account for the majority of the lots featured in this month’s letter—a Bonhams dispersal of surplus to requirement contents from a lovely Welsh retreat, Glyn Cywarch, and a Sotheby’s sale of items from two old Scottish family collections.
Other attractions ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Exhibitions, June 2017
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)Indiana Landmarks Seeks Antiques Vendors for Summer Events
Indiana Landmarks, a private nonprofit, is looking for vendors of antiques, collectibles, and architectural salvage to participate in events this summer.
On Saturday, July 15, the sixth annual Treasure Hunt will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., outdoors and inside the Indiana Landmarks Center and on the lawn of ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Rockwell Study Brings $1.33 Million
Norman Rockwell’s study for Triple Self-Portrait, an oil study for the artist’s self-described 1960 Saturday Evening Post “masterpiece,” sold with buyer’s premium for $1,332,500, a new world record for an oil study by the artist, on May 3 during Heritage Auctions’ American art auction in Dallas. The buyer was a ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Franklin Fire Hat Brings $18,000
A fireman’s ceremonial parade hat sold at Kaminski Auctions in Beverly, Massachusetts, on April 30. According to Kaminski, the hat, probably from the 19th century, was purchased at a yard sale in Milton, Massachusetts, and was originally from the Franklin Fire Company of Germantown, Pennsylvania. Made of pressed resin felt ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 2017 Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show is alive and well. It has been resuscitated by the management team of Diana Bittel and Karen DiSaia, working with volunteers led by Anne Hamilton, Nancy Kneeland, and Nancy Taylor. They made certain that the right dealers exhibited and the right people came ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Cloisonne Chinese Bottle Vase Realizes $812,500
A Chinese cloisonné bottle vase offered on iGavel (www.iGavel.com), estimated at $400/600, finished at $812,500 (includes buyer’s premium) when the sale closed on April 20. The 10" tall vase, dated as 18th/19th century, was being offered by Quinn’s Auctions, Falls Church, Virginia. Quinn’s sale of 466 lots realized a total ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Arrests Made in Kansas Aggravated Robbery
Three arrests were made on April 13 in connection with an aggravated robbery incident in Garnett, Kansas, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
On Wednesday, April 12, at approximately 11:30 p.m., the Garnett Police Department responded to a report of an aggravated robbery at Papa’s Front Porch Antiques, 618 East ... (Read More)
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(Auction)California and Western Paintings
Bonhams, Los Angeles and San Francisco, California
Photos courtesy Bonhams
“Numbers wise, we did pretty darned good,” said department director Scot Levitt about Bonhams’ April 11 auction of California and Western paintings and sculpture, held simultaneously in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. Levitt continued, “We were trying to bring in $2 million,” ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 2017 AD20/21 Show
Boston, Massachusetts
One decade in and moving right along, Fusco & Four’s AD20/21 returned for its tenth year at the Cyclorama in Boston’s South End April 6-9. The show has become the showpiece of Boston Design Week, also a Fusco & Four venture, which draws greater attendance each time. The 12-day ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Part Two of Mittler Collection Sold
Robert C. Eldred Co., Inc., East Dennis, Massachusetts
Whales and birds and a bit of everything else, in a mere 1500 lots, were the draw at Eldred’s three-day sale of Americana and maritime art April 6-8 in the East Dennis, Massachusetts, gallery. The array of material provided something for every taste, ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Sands Point Painting Tops Sale
The Potomack Company, Alexandria, Virginia
Photos courtesy The Potomack Company
The most recent catalog sale at The Potomack Company was held on April 8 at the firm’s facilities in Alexandria, Virginia. This sale had no specific theme but offered a cross section of all familiar categories.
If there was a dominant category, it ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 2017 Chester County Antiques Show
Malvern, Pennsylvania
More paintings and prints than furniture sold at the 35th annual Chester County Antiques Show, which filled the riding ring at the Phelps School with a real, old-fashioned antiques show on April 8 and 9. The preview on April 7 that benefited the much-loved Chester County Historical Society was ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Fortuna Breaks the Million-Dollar Mark, Eyes Growth
Antique Jewelry & Gemology
Photos courtesy Fortuna Auction, Inc.
Fortuna Auction, Inc., held its spring jewels auction on April 6 in New York City, and the record-breaking sale surpassed the $1 million mark in prices realized.
The top lot of the Fortuna auction was “a beautiful pair of perfectly matched sugarloaf cabochon rubies. ... (Read More)
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(Auction)African American Fine Art Spring Sale
Swann Galleries, New York City
Photos courtesy Swann Galleries
Swann had a lot to celebrate on April 6 when collectors and dealers gathered in the salesroom on East 25th Street to bid on paintings and sculptures from 1863 to 2013. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the family-run auction house, as ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Society of the Cincinnati Cup and Saucer Brings $51,600
Northeast Auctions, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Photos courtesy Northeast Auctions
A Chinese export two-handled cup and saucer with an impressive early American history was the highlight of the Northeast Auctions’ April 2 sale at Treadwell Mansion in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, when it sold for $51,600 (includes buyer’s premium) against the estimated $8000/12,000. Collectors ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Herter Brothers Servers Lead Farmer Auction
Farmer Auctions, Salem, Virginia
Photos courtesy Farmer Auctions
Farmer Auctions, Salem, Virginia, held its spring catalog auction on April 1. This was the first of the firm’s sales that I had attended since it was acquired by Jarrod Hines. Hines purchased the auction business from Will Farmer effective August 1, 2016, and ... (Read More)
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(Auction)In the Details and the History
Hap Moore Antiques Auctions, York, Maine
Hap Moore is in his 31st year of antiques auctioneering, and he’s hit a comfortable stride. He holds auctions only every few months, but they usually feature items of strong historical interest, centered particularly on the southern Maine and New Hampshire region. This year apparently ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Cast-Iron and Steam Toys
Pook & Pook, Inc. with Noel Barrett, Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Photos courtesy Pook & Pook and Noel Barrett
Eberhard Luethke’s collection of steam engines and Stephen Sachs’s collection of cast-iron toys offered by Pook & Pook and Noel Barrett in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, on March 31 and April 1 was a test of two ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Two Heroes of the Slavery Era Are Standouts at $1.2 Million African Americana Sale
Swann Galleries, New York City
Photos courtesy Swann Galleries
“How do you come back from that?” Jenelle Watler, Swann’s operations director and one of its auctioneers, asked her audience after the applause ended. She had just hammered down a previously unknown photograph of Harriet Tubman for $161,000 (including buyer’s premium) in the ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 74th Raleigh Antiques Extravaganza
Raleigh, North Carolina
For 40 years, lifelong friends Alice Adams and Susie Clodfelter have run the Antiques Extravaganza of North Carolina. When they began, they were running an antiques shop in Tobaccoville, North Carolina, and bemoaned the absence of a quality antiques show in Winston-Salem. One of them said, “Let’s start ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Toy, Train, and Holiday Auction
Bertoia Auctions, Vineland, New Jersey
Photos courtesy Bertoia Auctions
Bertoia Auctions offered eclectic enticements—toys, trains, teddy bears, and holiday treasures—at its Vineland, New Jersey, gallery on March 25.
A departure from its two- to three-day format, the aptly named “Signature Sale” was a single-day sprint. This lightning round proved to be an even ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Southern Material in Demand
Crocker Farm, Sparks, Maryland
Photos courtesy Crocker Farm
The Zipps of Crocker Farm held their first sale of 2017 on March 25, consisting of 541 lots. “Besides the first lot, we were really pleased with the results,” stated Tony Zipp. That lot was a very large and unique double-sided stoneware face pitcher ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Enameled Tiffany Box Erupts at Quinn's
Quinn’s Auction Galleries-Central Virginia, Louisa, Virginia
Photos courtesy Quinn’s Auction Galleries-Central Virginia
Quinn’s Auction Galleries-Central Virginia held its spring fine and decorative arts auction on March 25 at the firm’s facilities in Louisa, Virginia. The sale was relatively small, with only 359 lots, but it offered a good mix of traditional antiques ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Bring the Brink's Trucks and the Fire Extinguishers
Cottone Auctions, Geneseo, New York
Photos courtesy Cottone Auctions
All the gold (leaf) objects were glittering, and phone and Internet bidding was hot as auctioneer Sam Cottone burned through the pockets of successful bidders in a $2.1 million sale of 418 lots on March 25 in Geneseo, New York. The first 30 ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Spring Estates Auction
John McInnis Auctioneers, Amesbury, Massachusetts
Auctioneer John McInnis culls items with rich local history from northern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire collections and estates, so when he advertises an auction at his gallery in Amesbury, Massachusetts, every seat is filled—and then some. He established that pattern early in his 35-year career, ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Feel-at-Home Show
Genesee Country Antique Dealers Association, Pittsford, New York
After 42 years of Genesee Country Antique Dealers Association (GCADA) shows, exhibitors and patrons really do feel at home, said exhibitor John Westerberg of Yankee Peddler Bookshop, Sodus Point, New York, when asked for a reason for the show’s longtime success and his ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Country Americana
Garth’s Auctions, Delaware, Ohio
Photos courtesy Garth’s
Analyze the country Americana sale held in Delaware, Ohio, by Garth’s Auctions on March 18, and three things stick out. 1) When it comes to furniture, sometimes brown is beautiful. 2) In an already soft market for Oriental rugs, too much is certainly not a ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Laughlin Auctions Marks a 30-Year Milestone
Edinburg, Virginia
Photos courtesy Laughlin Auctions, Inc.
Laughlin Auctions, Inc. held its 30th spring auction on March 18 at the firm’s High Street Galleries in Edinburg, Virginia. Hoyle, John, and Duane Laughlin continued their string of simultaneous, multi-auctioneer sales with an overflow standing-room-only crowd in attendance.
There is no formal catalog at a ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 16th Annual Madison Antiques Show & Sale
Madison, Georgia
The end of February is not usually spring, even in central Georgia, but azaleas and other spring flowers were blooming all around the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center in Madison, Georgia, home of the 16th annual Madison Antiques Show & Sale.
This February 23-25 show was small by any measure, with only ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Bad Guys Make Good
Cowan’s Auctions, Cincinnati, Ohio
Photos courtesy Cowan’s Auctions
The bad guys took top billing at Cowan’s Auctions on February 21 in Cincinnati, Ohio, in a sale that featured property from N. Flayderman & Co. Although there were selected additions, the Flayderman material, from Americana to firearms, clearly highlighted the action.
E. Norman Flayderman ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Hal Hunt: Master of His Territory
Hal Hunt Auctions, Northport, Alabama
Photos courtesy Hal Hunt
“Unique” is an overused word, but over time the Hal Hunt American Antique Museum Auction every February has become a one-of-a-kind event. First of all, there is its dedication to one particular antiques specialty—the heavily carved furniture produced in the United States between ... (Read More)
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