Stories for November '26
(Fragment)Two More Dave Jars Transferred to Legacy Trust
Ownership of two stoneware vessels by 19th-century enslaved potter David Drake has been transferred from the Milwaukee Art Museum to Drake’s descendants under an agreement with the Dave the Potter Legacy Trust, the museum announced on September 24.
The pots were gifted to the museum in 2026 by the Chipstone Foundation, ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)A Stack of Trouble
On August 10, Officer Jonathan Barnes of the Wiscasset, Maine, police responded to Ingram Antiques for a report of a theft. During the investigation, it was learned that on August 9, a male and female entered the business and inquired about gold pieces. The couple selected a piece of gold ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)God Bless Nerds
Beneath the Surface
Hollie and I lost our mothers many years ago, and while it is true that you only have one mother, if you are lucky, you get someone who loves you enough to make the effort to fill that gap anyway. We have both been just that fortunate, and ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)48 Years Later, Two Johnsons Recovered
Shannon’s Fine Art Auctioneers in Milford, Connecticut, has recovered two paintings by artist Eastman Johnson (1824-1906) that were stolen in 1978.
The two paintings, Mary and Her Lamb and The Young Mother, were stolen from Kenneth Lux Gallery and Hirschl & Adler Galleries in New York City in 1978. For generations, ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)An Illustrative Tale
A Book Review
Judy Goffman Cutler’s 207-page memoir tells the story of a suburban housewife who became an art dealer, collector, museum director, curator, and a major player in the creation of the market for works by painters active during the Golden Age of Illustration, from the 1880s to the 1930s. ... (Read More)
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(Fragment)Rusty Farrin to Sell Building, Scale Back Schedule
Auctioneer Rusty Farrin has announced he is selling his facility at 36 Water Street in Randolph, Maine, and will be scaling back his auction schedule. He is not retiring, just “slowing down after 51 years in the auction biz,” he wrote in an email.
“I’m pushing 70—which is still young,” he ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Auction Prices Realized, November 2026
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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(Fragment)Mounted Mountain Lion Leads to Charge
On July 29, Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) in Sullivan County, New York, arrived at an antiques store in Mamakating after receiving a tip from a frequent shopper about a mounted mountain lion head being offered for sale there.
According to a press release from the Department of Environmental Conservation, “An ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Icons of America: Liberty and Massasoit
Weathervanes, especially those of the 19th century, be they farm animals, famous racehorses, or allegorical figures, have long been regarded, not just as a reflection of popular taste in decorative art, but also as an exuberant expression of American themes in an otherwise utilitarian device. Even commercially manufactured weathervanes were ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Pain at the Pump
How high can they go?
Not gas, heating oil, or diesel—buyers’ premiums. The antiques market has crossed a symbolic line.
On October 1, Bonhams began charging a buyer’s premium of 30% on the first $35,000 of the hammer price, and as far as we can tell, it’s the first time a major ... (Read More)
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(Issue Story)Exhibitions, November 2026
Yoruba artist/Yoruba people, Nigeria, Beaded Crown, before 1986, seed beads, basketry, leather, cotton, woven raffia. Gift of Elizabeth Van Gelder, 2019.144.
—Through December 13 —Fitchburg, Massachusetts
FESTIVAL: A Celebration of African Art at the Fitchburg Art Museum draws upon universal themes of life, death, power, love, and celebration. From terracotta to sculpture, the ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Sand Bottle Tops Americana Auction
Freeman’s, Philadelphia
Photos courtesy Freeman’s
Auction houses were busy this summer cataloging material from estates, downsizings, museum deaccessions, and stock from dealers closing their doors. These end-of-the-season sales cleaned the bins, making room for higher-end sales held in the fall and winter, and kept the staff busy in the summer.
Freeman’s “Collect: American ... (Read More)
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(Show)New Home for the Downeast Antiques & Art Show
Castine, Maine
The venerable Downeast Art & Antiques Show, held August 12-15, found a new waterfront home this year at the Alexander Field House at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine. The show, established in 1937 at the Ellsworth, Maine, city hall, has moved at various times to the George Stevens Academy ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Shaker and Folk Art Prevail
Bray & Co., Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Photos courtesy Bray & Co.
The Bray & Co. August 15 live sale in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, included about 100 selected lots of fresh-to-market Shaker furniture and accessories along with a strong selection of about 100 lots of quality folk art. John Keith Russell and Thomas ... (Read More)
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(Show)45th Annual Antique Show
Cashiers Antique Show, North Carolina
Photos by Donna Prunkl
The August 7 to 9 iteration of the Cashiers 48th Annual Antique Show in Cashiers, North Carolina, will be its last at the Village Green Commons. Next year the show shifts ownership from veteran Hazel Giles to longtime Cashiers resident Lee Dages. Dages ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Summer Great Estates Auction:Ohio Valley, America 250
Amelia Jeffers, Columbus, Ohio
Photos courtesy Amelia Jeffers
Amelia Jeffers used the nation’s semiquincentennial as a springboard for a three-day auction that drew fireworks July 30 to August 1 at her auction house in Columbus, Ohio. The sale, having 1123 lots, realized $1.64 million.
The first day featured the Ohio Valley session, an ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Patriot Jar Achieves $312,000
Crocker Farm, Sparks, Maryland
Photos courtesy Crocker Farm
The Zipps of Crocker Farm held a summer sale July 22-31 of 514 online catalog lots, of which 404 were included in the print catalog. Including the 20% buyers’ premiums, the gross total was $1,709,940. In May, they held a single-owner sale, the southern ... (Read More)
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(Auction)French House Sale Brings in Over $410,000
William A. Smith Auctions, Inc., Plainfield, New Hampshire
Photos courtesy William A. Smith Auctions, Inc.
Bill Smith’s annual “French House” sale is a feast for lovers of country Americana. The French house, adjacent to Smith’s gallery, is a mostly unrestored early 19th-century cape-style home that was purchased by Bill Smith’s father, founder ... (Read More)
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(Show)Bath Summer Show Blossoms
Bath Antique Show, Bath, Maine
Three years ago, the brother-and-sister duo of Rachel and Joshua Gurley planted a seed by launching the new Summer Bath Antique Show. Now, the summer show has blossomed into a must-visit on the Maine antiques show calendar.
The one-day show has grown every year, and this year ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Guyette & Deeter Sale Totals $6.5 Million
Guyette & Deeter, Easton, Maryland
Photos courtesy Guyette & Deeter
The July 24 and July 25 Guyette & Deeter sale included part two of the Jim and Diane Cook collection of 63 lots, all of which sold. The combined gross of those lots was $3.67 million (including buyers’ premiums). Part one of ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Peaceable Kingdom Brings $1.5 Million
Eldred’s, East Dennis, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Eldred’s
It was a simply splendid summer at Eldred’s Auction Gallery, East Dennis, Massachusetts, where the confluence of great collections brought stunning results.The two-day collection of Nancy and Larry Dickson alone, July 21 and 22, brought $4.78 million. The Dicksons were careful collectors who gathered meticulously. ... (Read More)
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(Show)The Forty-Fourth Time is a Charm
Camden-Rockport Antiques Show and Sale, Rockport, Maine
John and Elizabeth DeSimone of Goosefare Antiques and Promotions, Saco, Maine, have been presenting the Camden-Rockport Antiques Show and Sale for 44 years. This year it was held once again at the Mid-Coast Recreation Center in Rockport, Maine, on July 18 and 19. When ... (Read More)
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(Auction)American Stories Sales
Bonhams, Marlborough, Massachusetts
Photos courtesy Bonhams Skinner
Bonhams Skinner mounted “American Stories: Celebrating 250 Years of Independence” commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The June 30 sale of 34 lots of historic objects saw the combination of unique military and art objects bring strong results. While ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Jay T. Snider Collection of Benjamin Franklin
Sotheby’s, New York City
Photos courtesy Freeman’s ... (Read More)
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(Auction)The Manger Collection
Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina
Photos courtesy Brunk Auctions
"My wife passed away on March 29, 2025,” wrote Dr. George E. Manger Jr. in the catalog for his single-owner 130-plus lot sale on June 24 at Brunk Auctions. “And much of my joy surrounding my collection has disappeared.” No one in the ... (Read More)
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(Auction)Color is King
Glass Works Auctions, Pennsburg, Pennsylvania
Photos courtesy Glass Works Auctions
Jim Hagenbuch knows glass: historical flasks, inkwells, free-blown glass, et cetera. In 1984, Hagenbuch started publishing Antique Bottle & Glass Collector magazine (a must-read for the bottle and glass collecting community) and did so for the next 26 years. Immersed in this ... (Read More)
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