Stories for September '24
(Fragment)New Mexico Man Admits Theft from Historical Society
On July 9 Brian Anthony D’Ambrosio, 49, of Santa Fe, New Mexico, pleaded guilty in federal court to the theft of major artwork. He faces a maximum of ten years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
The government alleged in court documents that D’Ambrosio, a journalist ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Auction Prices Realized, September 2024
Here are a few notable prices of antiques sold recently at auction, as provided by press releases. All prices include the buyer’s premium when charged. We’re always looking for news of prices realized at auctions, particularly unusual or top lots. Send pictures, complete descriptions, and information to A.P.R., Maine Antique ... (Read More)
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(Book Review)Timekeeper Edward Duffield
A Book Review
Bob Frishman’s book about Edward Duffield, the man who engraved his name and the name of his city on the dials of 60 surviving tall-case clocks, one bracket clock, two uncased movements, seven surveying compasses, and a sundial, is not the story of a leather-apron artisan. Duffield was ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Parker-French Antique Center Changes Hands
For only the third time in its 48-year history, Parker-French Antique Center, Northwood, New Hampshire, has new owners. In early July, Richard Bojko and John Mullen announced the sale of their group shop to dealers Jerry and Joanne Perry of Chester, New Hampshire. “Twenty-six years is plenty. It’s time for ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Christmas in July
Beneath the Surface
We have taken you with us countless places over the past too-many-to-count-without-feeling-old years. To museums and museum storage, to antiques shows and antiques malls, into the seats at an auction and through the online bidding platforms that run them, and on road trips that resemble a National Lampoon ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Strawbery Banke Museum Becomes First Smithsonian Affiliate in New Hampshire
Strawbery Banke Museum, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, has announced its new designation as a Smithsonian Affiliate. This prestigious recognition makes Strawbery Banke the first Smithsonian Affiliate in the state of New Hampshire, joining a network of more than 200 affiliates in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Panama.
As a Smithsonian Affiliate, Strawbery ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Divorcing Our Collections
I am standing in line at an antiques show, and the conversation fascinates me. As is typical, the average age of those in the queue is probably 65 or higher, and the talk turns to divesting collections. One collector is adamant that she wants top dollar for what she has ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Independence Seaport Museum Gifts Portrait to Andalusia Historic House
Museum deaccessions usually appear at auctions, and museums rarely just give a work of art to another museum. The Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia did just that. Portrait of Miss Adèle Sigoigne, painted around 1815 by Bass Otis, commissioned by Adèle Sigoigne’s friends Jane and Nicholas Biddle, has been on ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)ADQ to Acquire Minority Stake in Sotheby’s
ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company, has agreed to acquire a minority interest in Sotheby’s. Under the terms of the agreement, ADQ will acquire newly issued Sotheby’s shares to reduce leverage and support the company’s growth and innovation plans. Patrick Drahi, who acquired Sotheby’s in 2019, will also ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Hanging with Howard Parzow
Country store and drugstore signs from the late 1800s to the early 1900s float Howard Parzow’s boat, along with Corvettes from 1967, especially those painted “marina blue.” He is a proud collector of both genres and has been doing so for over 50 years.
To know Howard Parzow is to appreciate ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Feedsacks
Dana Auctions, Princeton, New Jersey
The stories are legend: a dress flies up to reveal the Gold Bond logo, the flour tagline “sweet and pure,” or the weight “98 lbs. net.” Repurposing feedsacks into underwear or other clothing was a desperate measure in desperate times.
What was surely one of the first ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Threads of History
A Book Review
This book is the catalog for an exhibition of quilts, clothing, needlework, fashion, fancy work, and plain sewing at the DAR Museum at the headquarters of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution in Washington, D.C. The museum’s large collection is on display along with modern examples ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Fall Rhinebeck Show Canceled
On July 25 Frank Gaglio of Barn Star Productions announced the cancellation of the Fall Antiques at Rhinebeck antiques show scheduled for Columbus Day Weekend, October 12 and 13, at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck, New York.
“The Fall Rhinebeck is a sister event to the spring show which occurs ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)The Third Building
For years the shows that make up Antiques Week in New Hampshire have been viewed as a bellwether for the health and vitality of the antiques markets, especially Americana. The peaks and valleys of the events have provided indicators.
It would have been perfectly reasonable for some to view this year’s ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Exhibitions, September 2024
Maker unknown, China, deep flaring bowl on wooden stand, 19th century, blown and carved purple glass and carved wood. Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York. Gift of Mr. Howard C. Hollis. 64.62.
—Through October 27 —Williamstown, Massachusetts.
Fragile Beauty: Treasures from the Corning Museum of Glass at The Clark Art Institute ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Three Days and $1.2 Million Later
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, Thomaston, Maine
Photos courtesy Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
There was no printed catalog for Thomaston Place Auction Galleries’ three-day auction June 28-30 in Thomaston, Maine. The decision to go with only an online catalog elicited complaints from some viewers. But it’s hard to argue with success. The three-day ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Founding Documents of the U.S., Books, and Other Treasures
Sotheby’s, New York City
Photos courtesy Sotheby’s
The broadside-formatted printing by John Holt of the Declaration of Independence on the entirety of the third page of the July 11, 1776, issue of the New-York Journal; or, The General Advertiser, Number 1749, sold on the phone for $3,360,000 (est. $2,500,000/5,000,000). It was underbid ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Sugar Bowl Tops Americana Auction
Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates, Mt. Crawford, Virginia
Photos courtesy Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates
The most recent series of “Premier Americana” sales from Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates, Mt. Crawford, Virginia, was held June 19-22. A total of 2202 lots crossed the block during four marathon sessions: day one was 18th- ... (Read More)
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(Show)Fraktur, Family, and Fantastic Finds at Elverson Show
Elverson Antique Show & Sale, Elverson, Pennsylvania
The spring 2024 Elverson Antique Show & Sale opened on Saturday, June 15, among the rolling hills of Pennsylvania Dutch country. After relocating last fall to the Twin Valley Elementary School, the show was back at the high school where it’s been for many ... (Read More)
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(Show)Walker Homestead’s Day in the Sun
Walker Homestead’s Antiques & Primitive Goods Show, Brookfield, Massachusetts
The lanes and lawns of the Walker Homestead in Brookfield, Massachusetts, were filled with antiques and primitives dealers on June 15 for the 15th spring Walker Homestead’s Antiques & Primitive Goods Show. The event, on a picture-perfect day, attracted a steady crowd ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Native American Art Auction
Bonhams, Los Angeles, California
Photos courtesy Bonhams
It did fine,” said department director Ingmars Lindbergs about the June 13 Bonhams Native American art auction in Los Angeles. “We had a great selection of material,” he added, which included “a great early jewelry collection.”
Lindbergs was also “surprised at how less robust” the beadwork ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Roycroft Furniture Caps Americana Sale
Farrin’s Country Auctions, Randolph, Maine
Usually, Farrin’s Country Auctions in Randolph, Maine, caters to a loyal “down home” crowd, using only the traditional methods of in-person, telephone, and absentee bidding. But periodically Rusty Farrin puts forth a collection of upscale lots and calls in the Internet to complete the bidding options. ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Americana Eclipsed by Japanese Statue
Casco Bay Auctions, Freeport, Maine
Some fine and affordable Americana came forth at Casco Bay Auctions’ presentation June 8 in Freeport, Maine, but a single Japanese Buddhist statue topped the sale by a wide margin.
Japanese Buddhist statue, Nanboku-ch? period (A.D. 1336-92), 38" tall, carved from a single block of zelkova, ... (Read More)
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(Auction)“Boston Collects” at Doyle
Doyle, Boston, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Doyle
Still new in town, Doyle’s “Boston Collects” auctions grossed nearly $1.1 million over the course of the auction house’s first year in Boston. The June 7 sale in the Back Bay gallery delivered objects with Boston connections, whether it be the subject, the artist, or some ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Americana Collection of Frank Gaglio
New England Auctions, Branford, Connecticut
Photos courtesy New England Auctions
What do you call an auction of 404 lots where only one lot fails to sell? Fred Giampietro of New England Auctions didn’t know either. That’s what happened at the June 6 auction of the collection of Frank Gaglio in the gallery ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Clare and Jared Edwards Collection
Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina
Photos courtesy Brunk Auctions
Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966) was famous for his paintings of girls—girls by a pool, in the mountains, lying on grass, standing on balconies, on a swing, leaning against a tree, and balanced on rocks. In the early 1930s he completely changed his style to ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Climax Apple Parer Sells for $7500
A Climax iron apple parer and slicer, estimated at $150/300, sold for $7500 (includes buyer’s premium) in a June 5 online sale by Butterscotch Auctioneers & Appraisers, Pound Ridge, New York. The new owner of the Climax is Kieth Monnier from Sidney, Ohio, who also collects many other kitchen collectibles ... (Read More)
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(Auction)American Art Auction
Freeman’s | Hindman, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Photos courtesy Freeman’s | Hindman
The start of Freeman’s | Hindman’s American art sale on Sunday, June 2, scheduled for 2 p.m., was delayed for about 20 minutes. When auctioneer Alasdair Nichol appeared at the podium, he announced that lots 17 and 26 had been withdrawn. Lot ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Randolph Street Market Festival
Chicago, Illinois
About the first Randolph Street Market Festival (RSM) of 2024, we have this to say: we have good news, and then there’s even better news.
The first thing to understand about the two-day outdoor/indoor market—now in its 21st year and loved by design mavens, bargain hunters, connoisseurs, and seekers of ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Haley Toy Collection Surpasses $2.48 Million
Bertoia Auctions, Vineland, New Jersey
Photos courtesy Bertoia Auctions
Back in the late 1960s and early ’70s, purchasing older items was a completely different animal than it is today. Pre-Internet collecting meant days were spent on the road tracking down antiques shops, visiting advanced collectors who had already acquired what you desired, ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Horse-Racing Trophy Leaves Other Silver in the Dust
Heritage Auctions, Dallas, Texas
Photos courtesy Heritage Auctions
A superb selection of silver, including pieces from America’s Colonial period and an extensive selection of enameled silver figurines from the Tiffany & Co. circus collection, was featured in Heritage Auctions’ May 16 sale of fine silver and objects of vertu. The auction included ... (Read More)
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(Auction)May Auction Extravaganza
John McInnis Auctioneers, Amesbury, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy John McInnis Auctioneers
Called the “May Auction Extravaganza,” the May 11 sale held by John McInnis Auctioneers in Amesbury, Massachusetts, was certainly that. The more than 660 lots had few reserves and took hours to sell. Most of the 19th-century Continental lots came from the ... (Read More)
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(Show)Important Maritime Scholarship the Order of the Day
Scrimshaw & Nautical Antiques Show, New Bedford, Massachusetts
An antiques show of 14 dealers is hardly inspiring, except when it’s the 12th annual Scrimshaw & Nautical Antiques Show, put on by the Antique Scrimshaw Collectors Association (ASCA) in New Bedford, Massachusetts, May 10.
The show was rolled into the 33rd Scrimshaw & ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Single-Owner Sale Is a Winner
Tremont Auctions, Sudbury, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Tremont Auctions
This watercolor of a Bermuda cottage, 13¾" x 19¾", by Boston artist Henry Webster Rice (1853-1934) was a highlight of the images of the island. It sold for $2074 (est. $1000/1500).
A single-owner collection of fine arts at Tremont Auctions’ May 5 auction in the ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Americana and the Ohio Valley Auction
Amelia Jeffers, Delaware, Ohio
Photos courtesy Amelia Jeffers
A two-day sale of Americana, which included a revival of the Ohio Valley session previously held by Garth’s Auctions, was conducted by Amelia Jeffers May 3 and 4 at The Barn at Stratford, Delaware, Ohio. Having nearly 1000 lots, the auction realized $912,000, according ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Hermann Antique Show
Hermann, Missouri
The annual Hermann Antique Show, which leans heavily toward country antiques and Americana, was held April 20 in Hermann, Missouri. In its 43rd year, the event prides itself as “Missouri’s oldest and longest running antique show” and “the oldest continuously running antique show in Missouri.” Understand, however: none of ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Peggy Bacon Exhibit in Maine
The Gallery at Trifles, Wiscasset, Maine, is hosting a selling exhibition of 70 drawings by Peggy Bacon (1895-1987) that have never been on public display. This coincides with the exhibition Peggy Bacon: Biting, Never Bitter currently on view at the Portland Museum of Art.
Peggy Bacon was a painter, caricaturist, illustrator, ... (Read More)
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