Stories for October '17
(Issue Story)Take Your Time
Editorial
A local downtown parking space is worth $25,000 a year in local sales dollars, according to the organization Maine Preservation. Parking spaces in Wiscasset, Maine—and those five-figure sales dollars—are scheduled to be eliminated if the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) gets its way.
Maine Preservation, founded in 1972 to promote and ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Timothy Sammons and Timothy Sammons Inc. Sued over Painting
“Sammons is a known fraudster, who has stolen and sold works of art.” Those strong words open the summary section of a lawsuit filed in New York on August 7 by Lesley Joan Hambleden against Timothy Sammons and Timothy Sammons Inc. of London. Hambleden is alleging breach of contract, breach ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Art Dealer Argues to Fight Court Case in U.S. Instead of Paris
An aborted deal with a French buyer has David Benrimon Fine Art LLC of New York City asking a federal court to rule that any legal battle should be fought on U.S. soil rather than in France.
On February 21 Benrimon agreed to sell Josef Albers’s 1962 Study for Homage to ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Mark Thormahlen, Yellow Church Antiques, Millbrook, New York
In the Trade
Mark Thormahlen used to work for the venerable English antique furniture firm Stair & Company on Madison Avenue in New York City (not to be confused with Stair Galleries, Hudson, New York, an auction house), and it shows. His Yellow Church Antiques—housed in a 19th-century church on U.S. ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)From the Collection of: Musings on Human Nature and Collecting
You see it at antiques shows, in print ads and auction catalogs, and on dealers’ websites—“from the collection of ” or “ex-(insert name here).” Sometimes the item is cited as having appeared in a book that displays someone’s treasures, and collectors seem to find an object compellingly attractive and precious ... (Read More)
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(Book Review)Andrew Wyeth: In Retrospect
A Book Review
Andrew Wyeth: In Retrospect
by Patricia Junker and Audrey Lewis with Henry Adams, Karen Baumgartner, Christopher B. Crosman, Mary Adam Landa, Christine B. Podmaniczky, Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, Joyce Hill Stoner, and Shuji Takahashi The Brandywine River Museum of Art and the Seattle Art Museum, in association with Yale University ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Illinois Man Sentenced on Counterfeit Securities Fraud Charges
Scott Meherg, 36, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced to 24 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3161 on charges involving his possession and use of counterfeit checks.
According to court documents, on four occasions in March 2015, Meherg used counterfeit checks to purchase merchandise at ... (Read More)
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(Young Collectors)Homeward Bound
The Young Collector
Have you ever seen one of those old submarine movies where the cook is rummaging under bunks for potatoes? Or maybe one where the crew is running out of air, and there are only minutes to spare before everyone suffocates or has a complete mental breakdown? While we ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Cynthia Herbert Named President of the AAA Board of Directors
Cynthia Herbert was appointed president of the board of directors of the Appraisers Association of America (AAA) effective July 1. Herbert served as vice president of AAA from July 2015 through June 30, 2017, and is president of Appretium, LLC. She is a certified member of the AAA in household ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)After 56 Years, A La Vieille Russie to Move One Block
A La Vieille Russie (ALVR), an art and antiques gallery founded in Kiev in 1851, is moving this fall to a new location a block from its headquarters at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street in Manhattan. The new gallery, designed specifically to showcase its collection of antique ... (Read More)
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(Book Review)Books Received, October 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.
At the Threshold of Brilliance: The Brief but Splendid Career of Harold ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)The Scoundrel, the Bore, the Madman, and Other Collector Stereotypes in Books and Movies
Early on in Henry James’s novella The Aspern Papers, published in 1888, the main character, who is a young, unnamed American writer and publisher, is given a diagnosis by a friend. She calls his obsession with acquiring a certain cache of letters penned by a once renowned, romantic poet, Jeffrey ... (Read More)
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(Computer Article)Getting Online in the Boondocks
Computer Column #346
John P. Reid, <[email protected]>
The Internet is hard to get in the boondocks. Many of us depend on the Internet for news, e-mail, social media, banking, purchases, travel help, research, amusement, and more. Most cell phones can connect to the Internet. However, many applications are difficult or impossible on ... (Read More)
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(Book Review)American Furniture 2016
A Book Review
American Furniture 2016
Edited by Luke Beckerdite
The Chipstone Foundation, distributed by University Press of New England, 2016, 190 pages, hardbound, $65 plus S/H from University Press of New England, 1-800-421-1561 or (www.upne.com).
For more than two decades, Chipstone’s American Furniture journal has been the annual publication of record for the ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Folk Art Masterpieces in Queens: American Folk Art Museum to Open New Space
The American Folk Art Museum (AFAM) in New York City will soon have space devoted solely to the exhibition of works from its permanent collection. It’s located in Long Island City, Queens, at the museum’s Collection and Education Center (47-29 32nd Place). The gallery space is 1800 square feet, which ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Sotheby's Eliminates Buyer's Premium for Online-Only Sales
In a move designed to attract new buyers, Sotheby’s will eliminate the buyer’s premium for its online-only sales beginning September 16. The announcement, made in a Form 8-K Securities and Exchange Commission filing on August 22, is “the most noteworthy change,” said Tad Smith, president and chief executive officer, in ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Brimfield: Yesterday & Today
Brimfield, Massachusetts
I sometimes play a trick on myself when I wake up too early and want more sleep. I imagine I’m lying in my sleeping bag in our old Volkswagen Vanagon at Brimfield and it’s time to get up and get ready for the opening of the field where we’re ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)2017 ADA/Historic Deerfield Antiques Show Returns in New Location
On Columbus Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, October 7 and 8, the Antiques Dealers’ Association of America, Inc. (ADA) will bring together some of the nation’s finest dealers for its annual art and antiques show featuring early American art, antiques, and design. This year the show will be held in ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Exhibitions, October 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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(Issue Story)Letter from London, October 2017
Ian McKay, <[email protected]>
An eight-piece selection of assorted Egyptian, Greek, and Roman antiquities kicks off this month’s selection, which also presents a spectacular suit of armour and a miniature portrait that recalls a long-lasting royal love affaire. A real life “American in Paris,” pointillist perfection from the brush of Theo van ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Fire Buckets Bring $19,550
A pair of painted leather fire buckets sold for $19,550 (includes buyer’s premium) at Central Mass Auctions Inc. in Worcester, Massachusetts, on August 31. The buyer was in the house, and the underbidder was on the phone. The buckets bear the name Lebaron Putnam, the date 1826, and “Prompt in ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Rockwell's "Tough Call" Study Sells for $1.68 Million at Heritage
Norman Rockwell’s 1948 study for Tough Call, printed on the April 23, 1949, Saturday Evening Post cover, sold online for $1,680,000 at Heritage Auctions’ Platinum Night Sports Collectibles auction on August 20.
The study depicts John “Beans” Reardon, a Major League umpire, and two of his colleagues, Larry Goetz and Lou ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Iowa Court Affirms Auctioneer Overcharge
Two courts in Iowa have ruled in favor of a consignor who claimed that he was overcharged. On August 16 the Court of Appeals of Iowa affirmed the 2016 lower court ruling that auctioneer Tom Harris and Tom Harris Auction Center, Marshalltown, Iowa, had overcharged a consignor, Kevin Rowley, who ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 60th Annual NHADA Show
The New Hampshire Antiques Show, Manchester, New Hampshire
In the sometimes stuffy world of art and antiques, the annual New Hampshire Antiques Dealers Association show is a breezy summer affair. Held annually for 60 years and this year August 10-12, the show has evolved into one of the most important marketplaces ... (Read More)
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(Show)MidWeek in Manchester: Barn Star’s Boutique Show
Manchester, New Hampshire
If it’s Wednesday afternoon in New Hampshire during the annual Antiques Week events, you must be inside the JFK Memorial Coliseum for the two-day Barn Star Productions show, MidWeek in Manchester, managed by Frank Gaglio.
What really seemed to please patrons were the new booth layouts, the whole Cinderella ... (Read More)
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(Show)Antiques in Manchester
Manchester, New Hampshire
In its sixth year, Antiques in Manchester: The Collector’s Fair opened to a great crowd on the morning of August 9. (The show continued on August 10.) About 500 people waited for the doors to open at 10 a.m. at the Sullivan Arena of St. Anselm College in ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Americana Celebration Antiques Show
Concord, New Hampshire
The atmosphere was buoyant from the very beginning at the Americana Celebration antiques show on August 8 in the Douglas Everett Arena in Concord, New Hampshire. Early buyers with their arms full streamed toward the exit. Some went right back for another round of shopping after depositing their ... (Read More)
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(Show)Young at Heart: The Deerfield Antique Show
Deerfield, New Hampshire
The show was young, a first-timer for the sister/brother team of Rachel Gurley Libby and Joshua Gurley, children of the late Nan Gurley, longtime dealer and manager of Gurley Antiques Shows, which included Deerfield for several decades. Some of the exhibitors were also young, children and grandchildren of ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Maine Antiques Festival Trimmed Down to Two Days? Don't Bet on It!
Maine Antiques Festival, Union, Maine
The sprawling Maine Antiques Festival sprang up for the 36th year at the Union, Maine, fairgrounds for a three-day run August 4-6. Show master Paul Davis reorganized the 162 exhibitors into a more compact setting by pulling in some of the outliers onto the central field. ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Summer Auction Flexes Cross-Category Strength
Case Antiques, Knoxville, Tennessee
Photos courtesy Case Antiques
While every auction house likes to have that strong “top-ten” list to display the stars, a sale that demonstrates strength in numerous categories is even better. President John Case spoke at length at the conclusion of Case Antiques’ one-day sale on August 5: “We ... (Read More)
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(Auction)California and Western Art
Bonhams, Los Angeles, California
Photos courtesy Bonhams
Kathy Wong, fine arts specialist at Bonhams, Los Angeles, called the August 1 California and Western paintings and sculpture auction “good for us.” She continued, “Historically, our April and November auctions are the most robust, as spring and fall are the strongest auction seasons. At ... (Read More)
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(Show)Changes to Zoar Antiques Show Bring Great Results
Zoar Harvest Festival and Antiques Show, Zoar, Ohio
New weekend, new look, new record attendance—that about sums up what took place July 29 and 30 when the 44th annual Zoar Harvest Festival and Antiques Show was held in Historic Zoar Village in Zoar, Ohio.
Show manager Steve Sherhag took over managing this ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Newport Antiques Show
Newport, Rhode Island
The Newport Antiques Show was held July 28-30 at the upscale and elegant St. George’s School in Middletown, Rhode Island. It was a perfect venue for this refined antiques show with 41 dealers. The benefit preview, which benefited the Newport Historical Society and the Boys and Girls Clubs ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Native American Jewelry
Antique Jewelry & Gemology
Photos courtesy Billy the Kid Online Auction House
Antique, vintage, and contemporary Native American jewelry was offered in an online-only auction at Billy the Kid Online Auction House that concluded on July 29. Based in Gallup, New Mexico, the business offers monthly online auctions in this genre through ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Records Fall at Copley Summer Sale
Copley Fine Art Auctions, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Copley Fine Art Auctions
By the time auctioneer Peter J. Coccoluto got to lot eight on the first day of Copley Fine Art Auctions’ July 27 and 28 sale in Plymouth, Massachusetts, two world records had been achieved. And it just went on from ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Safford Sleeping Canada Goose Brings $517,500
Guyette & Deeter, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Photos courtesy Guyette & Deeter
Decoy auctions are collegial events. Collectors from all over know the birds and track them as they pass from collection to collection. Gary Guyette and Jon Deeter, who are Guyette & Deeter, welcome collectors and trade alike to their quarterly events, ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 37th Camden-Rockport Antiques Show & Sale
Rockport, Maine
Hot, dry weather is often anathema to Maine antiques dealers and shows. It tends to drive tourists and dealers to the boats and beaches and away from indoor buying venues. But not this time.
The hot, dusty temperatures of one of the driest summers that Maine has had in years ... (Read More)
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(Show)41st Annual Cashiers Antiques Benefit Show
Cashiers, North Carolina
For those in a hurry, here is a quick summary of the 2017 Cashiers, North Carolina, antiques show, held July 21-23.
“Yesterday I sold sixty percent of my booth,” said John Cooper of Wilmington, North Carolina. Cooper had to rearrange his booth of Americana for Saturday, July 22, the ... (Read More)
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(Auction)North and South: Stellar Stoneware and Redware Hit the Market at Crocker Farm
Sparks, Maryland
Photos courtesy Crocker Farm
“This particular auction may make such pieces seem almost commonplace. We can assure you, they are not.” Appropriate words, as read in the catalog introduction for Crocker Farm’s July 22 sale. The Zipps’ summer sale consisted of 622 lots and grossed $1,129,555 (with buyers’ premiums). “This ... (Read More)
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(Auction)A Feast of Smalls at Laughlin's Summer Sale
Laughlin Auctions, Edinburg, Virginia
Photos courtesy Laughlin Auctions
While covering sales at Laughlin Auctions, I have learned that with three auctioneers working simultaneously throughout the building, it is impossible to see it all. No one can be in several places at once, and with only a rough idea of the sequence of ... (Read More)
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(Show)The 43rd Annual Vermont Antiques Dealers' Association Show
Stratton, Vermont
The Vermont Antiques Dealers’ Association (VADA) annual show was held July 21 and 22 this year, and for the first time in about 25 years it was back in the Stratton Mountain Base Lodge in Stratton, Vermont. The base lodge sits on Stratton Mountain. It’s a very large, sprawling ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Pretty Things to Kill Folks With
Bruce Gamage Jr., Rockland, Maine
Running a tightly focused specialty auction can be a challenge, even for an experienced auctioneer. He runs the risk of not being able to attract a sufficient number of bidders to attain “critical mass” to generate buying enthusiasm, even with ample use of absentee and phone ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Tarkington Collection, Part I
Seeck Auctions, St. Louis, Missouri
Photos courtesy Seeck Auctions
Since the start of his career in the 1980s, auctioneer Jim Seeck of Seeck Auctions has had the pleasure of selling some of the finest examples of carnival glass of his career to Carlton and Jane Tarkington.
On July 15, Seeck had the bittersweet ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Fine Art and Tribal Art at Cobbs
The Cobbs Auctioneers, Peterborough, New Hampshire
Photos courtesy The Cobbs Auctioneers
It was all about art at the midsummer auction at The Cobbs Auctioneers in Peterborough, New Hampshire, on July 15. The top lot was an oil on canvas by Benjamin Champney (1817-1907), Moat Mountain from the Intervale, 1872, in a Foster ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Second Annual Textiles and Sewing Auction
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates, Mt. Crawford, Virginia
Photos courtesy Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates
Jeffrey Evans’s experiment with offering a specialty textiles and sewing auction has now completed its second year. The second annual textile and sewing auction was held at the Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates salesrooms in Mt. Crawford, ... (Read More)
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(Show)Changes in Heartland
Heartland Antique Show, Richmond, Indiana
Changes, yes. Selling the show, no way. There were plenty of items sold during the Heartland Antique Show, held on June 3 on the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Richmond, Indiana. And there was one very notable no-sale—the show itself. That’s because Heartland was never on the ... (Read More)
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