Stories for December '18

(Young Collectors)

Imagine That
by Hollie Davis and Andrew Richmond

The Young Collector In his editorial last month, Clayton Pennington asked the question, and we paraphrase: is Americans’ ignorance regarding our own basic history undermining the antiques marketplace (and possibly Western civilization as well)? This sparked a disagreement at our house (thanks, boss), because Andrew feels fairly strongly that history has ... (Read More)

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Two New Shows for Naples, Florida
by M.A.D. staff

Luxe Events will launch two new jewelry, watch, art, and antiques shows to be held at the Naples Woman’s Club in Naples, Florida. “We’re bringing two shows to the center of downtown Naples during the height of the season,” said Andrea Canady, founder of Luxe Events, LLC. These two events will ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

No Trade Need Apply—Maybe
by Clayton Pennington

In early November TEFAF announced that it was implementing a new policy regarding vetting its shows. Going forth, no members of the trade—dealers and auction house specialists—will be voting members of vetting committees. Those committees will now consist of “academics, curators, conservators, conservation scientists and independent scholars only.” It’s a good ... (Read More)

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Dealer Found Guilty in Narwhal Case
by M.A.D. staff

On October 9 Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer announced that his office had secured a conviction against an antiques dealer for illegally selling exotic narwhal ivory tusks. The sentence included significant fines, community service, and probation. Antonio’s Bella Casa, Inc., and its owner, Anthony James Buccola, were each found guilty ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

James Arthur and His “Temple of Time”: A Cautionary Tale for Collector-Donors
by Jeanne Schinto

Part II of IV Photos courtesy Maude Arthur Brown Family Archive Why some of even the most fastidious men and women make no plans for their lifelong collections, who can say? Maybe it’s simply because they can’t imagine themselves dead. In contrast, there is the other type of collector—the one who fusses ... (Read More)

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“Original” York Antiques Show Alive and Well, Promoter Says
by M.A.D. staff

“Original” York Antiques Show Alive and Well, Promoter Says Melvin Arion, promoter of the “Original” York Semi-Annual Antiques Show in York, Pennsylvania, emphasized in a recent press release that the shows he manages in York, Pennsylvania, are “doing just fine.” Arion noted that recent press reports about Bob Bockius and Mitchell ... (Read More)

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Barnebys Acquires Online Appraisal Service
by M.A.D. staff

Barnebys Group, a Swedish firm that operates an Internet search engine for design, antiques, and art, has acquired ValueMyStuff (www.valuemystuff.com), an online art and collectibles valuation service. According to a press release, ValueMyStuff has over 500,000 users and provides online valuations of art, memorabilia, wine, watches, and other assets in over ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

The Hidden Wisdom of Objects
by Lita Solis-Cohen

A Book Review Glenn Adamson’s new book is not about the end of the age of clutter. It is not about the fact that there are fewer, better antiques shows with fewer, better dealers, nor fewer, better shops, nor fewer, better lots at some decorative arts auctions. Its subtitle, The Hidden Wisdom ... (Read More)

(Book Review)

Folk and Folks: The Henry D. Green Symposium
by Lita Solis-Cohen

A Book Review The Henry D. Green Symposium at the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, has taken place biennially in February since 2000. Most of the talks have been published in illustrated softbound journals.  Dale L. Couch, the curator of decorative arts at the museum, has ... (Read More)

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Two Men Charged in Identity Theft Bidding Case
by Clayton Pennington

An allegedly stolen identity and multimillion-dollar bids for a couple of pieces of contemporary art have resulted in two men being charged in federal court. On October 5 a seven-page complaint was filed against Antonio DiMarco and Joakim von Ditmar, charging each with wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. According to ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

Writings in Honor of Jonathan Fairbanks
by Lita Solis-Cohen

A Book Review This book is a festschrift, a collection of writings published in honor of Jonathan Fairbanks on the occasion of his retirement after a five-year stint as director of the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Massachusetts. Fairbanks, whose career was spent at major institutions such as Winterthur, the Museum ... (Read More)

(Fragment)

Watch for Work by Childs
by Clayton Pennington

Photos courtesy Anne Childs Anne Childs of Little Rock, Arkansas, is a talented and popular contemporary folk artist. Her watercolors—done in a folky Americana style—are so good that unscrupulous people have removed her signature monogram and put her work in the marketplace, leaving no indication that it is new work and ... (Read More)

(Computer Article)

New Horizons
by John P. Reid,

Computer Column #359 The world of antiques covers many areas, and no one can be an expert in them all. Sometimes antiquers will want to expand their horizons and enter a new area. The computer, the Internet, and search engines are tools for gaining an initial picture of this new world. ... (Read More)

(Book Review)

European Porcelain in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
by Lita Solis-Cohen

A Book Review With all the new research on early 18th-century attempts to make porcelain in America, this new book that tells the story of porcelain production in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries in Europe is timely. The author, Jeffrey Munger, is a former curator in the department of European ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

Books Received, December 2018
by M.A.D. staff

Books Received 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. Frederic Church’s Olana on the Hudson: Art Landscape Architecture, edited by ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

Bill Hamel, Hamel20, Red Hook, New York
by Frank Donegan

In the Trade If you want mid-century modern furniture for your home, you’ll have no trouble finding it. It’s all over the place. Dealers who once upon a time sneered at anything made after 1840 are now eager to show off their Finn Juhl chairs or their Harvey Probber sectionals. Acquiring the ... (Read More)

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Legal Actions Mount against National Book Auctions
by M.A.D. staff

*Update: Ithaca.com reports David Hall has been arrested, and charged with second degree grand larceny   Denis Gouey, a consignor to National Book Auctions who filed suit in May against the Ithaca, New York, firm, was granted a default judgment on October 26, 2018. The Torrington, Connecticut, bookbinder claimed in court papers that ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

Exhibitions, December 2018
by M.A.D. staff

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)

(Issue Story)

Letter from London, December 2018
by Ian McKay,

September and October sales in London saw $1.4 million paid for a Banksy painting at Sotheby’s that was seen to (partially) self-destruct as the hammer fell—and thereby immediately increase in value—while in New York City at Christie’s a far, far higher than predicted $432,500 was paid for an AI (artificial ... (Read More)

(Show)

TEFAF Fall Show
by Julie Schlenger Adell

TEFAF New York Fall, New York City George Washington made an appearance at TEFAF New York Fall in the booth of Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York City, and the full-length, 95" x 64" Munro-Lenox portrait by Gilbert Stuart was spoken for by the third day of the event. This full-length portrait ... (Read More)

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Interior Design Building Open House
by Julie Schlenger Adell

One of the last buildings in Manhattan to house interior design tenants was the location of an open house on October 30, held to get the word out. “We’re still here” is the message visitors got from the 13 participants throughout the seven floors of 306 East 61st Street, the ... (Read More)

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Pickers Event Debuts in Virginia
by Walter C. Newman

There is some good news to report from the antiques show front lines. A completely new event has entered the mid-Atlantic antiques and collectibles marketplace. Dubbed the Virginia Pickers Antique & Collectors Show, it was held at Gilmanor Farm in Glen Allen, Virginia, the weekend of October 20 and 21. The ... (Read More)

(Fragment)

Andrew Jones Launches
by Don Johnson

With an emphasis on serving the downtown area and having an eye toward educating potential new buyers about the eco-friendliness of antiques, Andrew Jones Auctions has opened in the heart of Los Angeles. The company’s first two monthly sales, held in September and October, brought considerable interest from absentee and ... (Read More)

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Lure Them In
by M.A.D. staff

Three green Chippewa spinner lures made around 1910 by the Immell Bait Company, Blair, Wisconsin, brought a combined $24,780 in Canadian dollars ($18,901 U.S.) with buyers’ premiums, and a circa 1930 Canadian-made Lurette No. 2 was reeled in for a new record price for the lure at an auction held ... (Read More)

(Fragment)

Brâncusi Photograph Sells for $125,000
by M.A.D. staff

The top lot of Swann Auction Galleries’ October 18 sale of photographs and photo books in New York City was Constantin Brâncusi’s Vu d’atelier, a circa 1928 silver print of the artist’s studio, featuring four of his sculptures. The image brought $125,000 (includes buyer’s premium), well over the estimate of ... (Read More)

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Walking Batman Brings $16,800
by M.A.D. staff

On October 13 a battery-operated Walking Batman toy sold at Milestone Auctions in Willoughby, Ohio, for $16,800 (includes buyer’s premium). The estimate was $10,000/15,000. Battery-operated Walking Batman by TN, Japan, 12" tall, new old store stock with original Japanese-version box, $16,800. Made in postwar Japan by TN, the 12" tall Walking ... (Read More)

(Auction)

The Flack Sale
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Pook & Pook, Downingtown, Pennsylvania Photos courtesy Pook & Pook The sale of the collection of Paul and Rita Flack on Saturday, October 13, at Pook & Pook in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, was the sixth time the Flacks have offered pieces from their collection for sale. Their first was held at Pennypacker Auction ... (Read More)

(Show)

Waldoboro Sets Sail during Columbus Day Weekend
by Mark Sisco

Waldoboro Antique Sale, Waldoboro, Maine Waldoboro, Maine, may not be the state’s antiques mecca just yet. Ellsworth, Searsport, Wiscasset, Kennebunk, and others are all contenders for the title once held by Hallowell. But Waldoboro is, of course, the home of the venerable Maine Antique Digest, and it’s also the site of ... (Read More)

(Show)

Rhinebeck’s Roots Run Deep
by Fran Kramer

Antiques at Rhinebeck, Rhinebeck, New York As an antiques writer and collector who a long time ago was transplanted to upstate New York from Ohio, I always relish going to the semiannual antiques shows in Rhinebeck, New York, at the fairgrounds. Why? It is fun, and I always learn something new ... (Read More)

(Auction)

African American Fine Art at Swann
by Julie Schlenger Adell

Swann Auction Galleries, New York City Photos courtesy Swann Auction Galleries Swann Galleries’ department of African American fine art registered the second-highest sale in its 11-year history at its October 4 afternoon auction in New York City. Attracting a salesroom audience of 80, filled with bidders and enthusiastic supporters, the sale totaled ... (Read More)

(Auction)

American Paintings, Furniture, and Decorative Arts
by Julie Schlenger Adell

Doyle, New York City Photos courtesy Doyle Over 550 lots of American paintings, furniture, and decorative arts were offered at Doyle’s October 3 sale. At the completion of the eight-hour sale, the total realized was $1,165,444 (with buyers’ premiums), with 93% sold by lot. The presale estimate was $735,450/1,108,750. William Trost Richards (1833-1905) ... (Read More)

(Auction)

American Art Mid-season Sale
by Julie Schlenger Adell

Sotheby’s, New York City Sotheby’s mid-season sale of American art on October 2 offered 133 lots that totaled $3.953 million, with a sell-through rate of 70.6%. The morning sale attracted several buyers and had a dozen specialists taking bids on the phone. Order bids left with the auctioneer were numerous, as ... (Read More)

(Show)

The Stratton Mountain/VADA Show
by Clayton Pennington

Antiques at Stratton Mountain Vermont Antiques Dealers’ Association Show, Stratton, Vermont How one views the results of the 2018 Antiques at Stratton Mountain Vermont Antiques Dealers’ Association Show, held on September 29 and 30, depends on what show you compare it to. If you choose to compare it to last year’s Stratton ... (Read More)

(Show)

The Vermont Pickers Market
by Clayton Pennington

Ludlow, Vermont What’s better than an antiques show in an accommodating venue? Two shows in the same venue. Show promoter Frank Gaglio invented that trick when he launched the Bedford Pickers Market way back in 1998. It was a completely different show that dovetailed with Gaglio’s MidWeek in Manchester event, using ... (Read More)

(Show)

Weston Antiques Show
by Clayton Pennington

Weston, Vermont For the 60th time an antiques show was held to benefit the Weston Community Association in Weston, Vermont. The Weston Antiques Show, held September 28 and 29, with a preview party on September 27, housed 30 diverse dealers in the sprawling Weston Playhouse, the main beneficiary of the funds ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Potomack’s Fall Sale Is a Gem
by Walter C. Newman

The Potomack Company, Alexandria, Virginia Photos courtesy The Potomack Company The Potomack Company’s most recent fine art and period antiques auction was held at the firm’s galleries in Alexandria, Virginia, on September 29 and October 2 and 3. The Potomack Company has settled comfortably into a schedule of staggered sales, with a ... (Read More)

(Show)

The Okemo Antique Show
by Clayton Pennington

Ludlow, Vermont The calendar was no friend to this year’s Okemo Antique Show, held at the Mountain Lodge of the Okemo ski resort in Ludlow, Vermont.The slate of five Vermont shows traditionally occurs just before and during the first weekend in October, with the last event occurring on the first Sunday ... (Read More)

(Show)

The Black River Antique Show Debuts
by Clayton Pennington

Ludlow, Vermont Kris Johnson and Steve Sherhag, assisted by Bobby Conrad, took over the management of the Ludlow Antiques Show this year. They changed the name, and, more importantly, they raised the quality of the goods. The two-day show, which opened at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 28, looked similar. It was ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

Printed and Manuscript Americana and the Harold Holzer Collection of Lincolniana
by Julie Schlenger Adell

Swann Galleries, New York City Photos courtesy Swann Galleries Harold Holzer amassed a collection of images of Abraham Lincoln over a span of almost 50 years. The purchase of an autograph by then Congressman Lincoln was the acquisition “that started it all,” said Holzer, and in 1971, at the age of 22, ... (Read More)

(Issue Story)

A Treasure-Trove of Antique Jewelry at Skinner
by Mary Ann Brown

Antique Jewelry & Gemology Photos courtesy Skinner, Inc. Skinner’s sale of jewelry held on September 25 in Boston “was a great sale for antique jewelry,” according to Kaitlin Shinnick, senior specialist of fine jewelry. “Attendance was strong, both in person and online.” The auction opened with antique offerings, and they kept coming. ... (Read More)

(Show)

Arion’s 171st York Show
by Lita Solis-Cohen

Original Semiannual York Antiques Show and Sale, York, Pennsylvania Melvin “Butch” Arion’s Original Semiannual 171st York Antiques Show and Sale kicked off the Pennsylvania show season September 21-23 at the York Expo Center (fairgrounds), York, Pennsylvania, with 88 dealers offering mostly Americana. As usual the show was strong in quilts and ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Signature Sale Crests at $1.37 Million
by Dick Friz

Bertoia Auctions, Vineland, New Jersey Photos courtesy Bertoia Auctions An alluring triad of vintage toy windups, still banks, and trains induced an adrenaline high, and bidders responded with gusto at Bertoia Auctions’ September 22 auction in Vineland, New Jersey. Toys at auction are as bullish as Pamplona, and Bertoia seems to have success ... (Read More)

(Auction)

American and European Artworks Draw Global Interest at Skinner
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

Skinner Inc., Boston, Massachusetts It didn’t matter that only nine people, including your reporter, were in the audience when Skinner’s sale of American and European works of art began on September 21 in the Boston gallery. Skinner’s bank of phones was full, and three Internet bidding platforms were in place. Bidding ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Tarkington Collection, Parts II and III
by Nick Sabo

Seeck Auctions, Kansas City, Missouri Photos courtesy Seeck Auctions Auctioneer Jim Seeck is seeing what may prove to be emerging trends in the carnival glass market, and the last auctions for the Tarkington collection are no exception. Prices for punch bowl sets and big pieces seem to be getting softer as collector tastes ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Rockwell’s John Wayne Drives Auction Past the $8.4 Million Mark
by Susan Emerson Nutter

Jackson Hole Art Auction, Jackson, Wyoming Photos courtesy Jackson Hole Art Auction"The Duke" had his day when the 2018 Jackson Hole Art Auction took place September 14 and 15 in Jackson, Wyoming. Much ballyhoo preceded the sale of the monumental portrait of John Wayne, the work of Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), and ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Country Americana Sale Evokes Memories
by Don Johnson

Garth’s Auctioneers & Appraisers, Delaware, Ohio Photos courtesy Garth’s Highlighting the sale of country Americana by Garth’s Auctioneers & Appraisers on September 14 and 15 in Delaware, Ohio, was a zinc statue of Lady Liberty that sold for $25,200 (including buyer’s premium). But that wasn’t the story of the day. In a ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Buyers Head for the Hills
by Mark Sisco

Robert L. Foster Auction Company, Newcastle, Maine As has been happening for the past several decades, Robert Foster’s Labor Day weekend two-day sale in Newcastle, Maine, held this year on September 1 and 2, capped off the state’s end-of-summer auction binging week. This time around an elegant floral still life in ... (Read More)

(Auction)

A Bird in the Hand Is Worth Quite a Bit, If It’s a Finch
by Mark Sisco

Bruce Gamage Jr. Antiques Auction, Rockland, Maine For decades Bruce Gamage usually opened Maine’s auction-packed end-of-summer week near the close of August. This year, he closed it with his August 27 sale in Rockland, Maine. This oil on canvas portrait of a young girl with a cat, signed on the back with ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Wild Orientalia and a Cropsey Painting
by Mark Sisco

Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, Thomaston, Maine The sale held on August 25 and 26 in Thomaston, Maine, was Thomaston Place Auction Galleries’ biggest yet, finishing up at a grand total of over $4.6 million. Several major pieces of Orientalia from a Florida estate soared into the stratosphere and made their estimates ... (Read More)

(Auction)

Janis Blouin Collection
by Frances McQueeney-Jones Mascolo

John McInnis Auctioneers, Exeter, New Hampshire Photos courtesy John McInnis Auctioneers Janis Blouin of Georgetown, Massachusetts, is a picker extraordinaire, and her collections are extensive. They came to market August 24-26 at a John McInnis auction held in Exeter, New Hampshire, at the historic 1855 Exeter Town Hall in the center of ... (Read More)
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