Cottone Auctions, Geneseo, NY, held a superb sale on September 20, 2024 entitled The Important Collection of Dr. Martin May, Plantation, Florida. The second day’s sale was from a variety of consignors. The two-day sale grossed an impressive $3.7 million. Dr. May was an avid and discriminating collector of the best and rarest examples of Duffner & Kimberly, Tiffany Studios, Handel and other lamp makers. He died on November 16, 2019 in Florida at age 72. Surprisingly, I never met him nor did any business with him over my long career.

I’ve never seen an example of a Duffner & Kimberley Dragon table lamp in person. This example, lot #21, was one of only four known to exist and the only one to ever come up for auction. The bidding public was quite enthusiastic, sending the final price to $150,000, including buyer’s premium. That approximately doubled the pre-auction high estimate of $50,000-$80,000, setting a world record for any Duffner & Kimberley lamp at auction. Other rare Duffner & Kimberley lamps also sold very well, most realizing prices near or over their high estimates.

Handel lamps have been in the doldrums for the last couple of decades, but you wouldn’t have known that based on the results of this sale. Most prices were in line with prices from the peak of the market. We’ll see if this was a temporary blip or the start of an uptrend in Handel.

Lot #32, a rare Handel Peacock floor lamp sold for an astonishing $87,000, including buyer’s premium, against a pre-sale estimate of $10,000-$15,000. This model, which is acid-etched and decorated on the exterior with iridescent feathers, has always been rare and desirable, but even at the peak of the market, it never sold for $87,000. My guess is that the most it sold for was $50,00-$60,000.

The selection of Tiffany Favrile glass for sale wasn’t extensive, but it was high quality. The top lot of this section of the sale was #6, a gorgeous paperweight vase with strong blue flowers, 10″ tall. Estimated to sell for $7,000 – $10,000, it realized $48,000. Dr. May would have been proud.

There were many other stunning items with commensurate prices. Click Cottone’s results for the hammer prices, which do not include the 20% buyer’s premium. The next day’s sales included some great results, which you can view from the same link.

I contacted Matt Cottone personally for his reaction to the sale. “I would say we had a great mix of end users and collectors and active dealer participation driving the prices. It was a great pleasure to handle Dr. May’s collection.”

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Contrary to popular belief, I have not retired. I’m still in business both exhibiting at a couple of select shows and buying and selling from my website. Please let me know what you’re looking for or wish to sell.

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I will be writing blogs again, but only occasionally.

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If you’ve been following the Tiffany Studios lamp market, you might have noticed that the market is doing quite well. Following are a few examples from the last few months to illustrate my point.

On March 21, 2024, Rago Auctions of Lambertvile, NJ, sold a very unusual 16″ diameter Daffodil table lamp, with pink glass, for $113,400, including buyer’s premium, approximately double the estimate of $40,000 – $60,000. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen pink glass in the background of a Tiffany lamp, so you know this one was rare. Nice job, Mike!

On May 18, 2024, Fontaine Auctions of Pittsfield, MA, sold a lovely 18″ diameter Tulip lamp. Estimated to sell for $70,000 – $90,000, it realized $131,250, including buyer’s premium. Nice job, John!

On May 30, 2024, Cottone Auctions of Geneseo, NY, sold a beautiful 22″ diameter Dogwood table lamp for $162,000, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $60,000 – $80,000. Nice job, Matt!

Sotheby’s New York held a Design sale on June 6, 2024. Lot #178 was a beautiful “Four Seasons” variety of a 22″ Nasturtium. By that I mean the colors changed completely as you went around the shade. The other side was much more pastel, with yellow flowers. It made for a dramatic lamp that I really wanted to buy. But no such luck. It sold for $156,000, against a pre-sale estimate of $70,000 – $100,000.

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Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look at my new offerings. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. Don’t forget, I’m still buying, so let me know what you have to sell or want to buy or trade.

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I will be writing blogs again, but on a very occasional basis, when the mood strikes me.

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I thought that a number of estates were coming my way but they didn’t materialize. At the same time, I was doing a significant amount of business from my website. So I decided to do a full 360°. I’m back to my regular business. I never retired, as some people suggested, but I directed my attention to estates. I’m still interested, if and when they come my way.

So here’s a few nice items I purchased recently.

Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. Don’t forget, I’m still buying, so let me know what you have to sell.

(UPDATE) It’s mid-January, 2024, and I’m having second thoughts about what I’ll be doing going forward. I’ve been doing really good business from my website and in no particular hurry to sell my inventory. I’ve been buying a few things here and there, which I’ve been listing on my website. So for the time being, I’m going with the flow. If estates come my way, I’ll work with those. But if few or none are coming my way, I’ll continue to buy and sell from my website.

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For about 50 years I bought and sold American and French Art Nouveau and Art Deco glass and lamps. The point has come where I won’t be doing that much longer. I will be selling off my remaining inventory at great discounts to get down to zero. It’s not that I don’t want to keep doing the same thing, but it’s gotten so much more difficult. Most antique shows have failed or have been severely cut back. And unfortunately my best clients have died within the last year.

I was all set to exhibit at my last show ever, in Miami, this January, 2024, but you know the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. I took a bad fall and broke a couple of vertebrae. So it looks like my last show in Winnetka in November, 2023 was indeed my last show. Too bad. I was looking forward to the Miami Show. I have some really nice items that I wanted to sell at the show.

So I ask that you check out what I have left to sell. It’s several hundred items, of the best quality, all hand-chosen my me. Some are listed on my website but many are not, as I don’t have the time to photograph and list them all. So please ask and I’ll send photos.

What I have pivoted to is selling other people’s items, mostly estates. I’m in the process of selling the contents of a 20,000 sq. ft. home in upstate New York, as well as the Jamaica Estates estate of a deceased friend of mine. I’m also working on selling the artwork from the estate of a famous artist.

If you are a relative, a friend, or an attorney, and you have one item, or several items, or the estate of a living or deceased friend or relative to sell, please let me know. My fee will be 5% – 15%, depending on the number, value and quality of the items. I’ll take care of everything, so all you have to do is watch, wait for the items to be sold and receive a check. I personally know most of the auctioneers in the United States. I know who’s honest and who isn’t. I know all the ins and outs of the auction business, so I can negotiate the best deal for you. You can try to do it yourself, but you’ll end up with the best result if you trust it to the expert. You’ll get the most money with the least hassle. It doesn’t matter where you live. If the value is sufficient, I’ll fly out to do business with you in person.

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I will publish a new blog once in a blue moon, which as you know is not very often.

What was my motivation for writing a blog? Well, what is anyone’s motivation? It’s got to be self-serving. I wanted people to know that I was very active in the antiques business and that I was an expert in my field. I wrote about new items for sale, items I’d sold, antiques news, lessons, etc. And it worked.

I remember an incident at an antique show many years ago. I told a client that a lamp I was selling was authentic. So I referred her to another dealer on the floor of the show to verify what I was saying. In fact, he wasn’t knowledgeable enough to verify what I had said. So the client returned to my booth and asked me “How do I know what you’re telling me is correct?” I was put in the position of having to defend my knowledge. There was no good answer. I didn’t have a degree in lamps or art history or anything of the sort. No gray hair at the time. I was right, but I couldn’t prove it.

Fast forward to today. That rarely ever happens anymore. People know that I’m the expert and don’t question my credentials (which I earned from the school of hard knocks and experience). Many auction houses use my services to authenticate and evaluate consignments of glass and lamps. Part of the credit goes to my blog, which people have been reading for the last 12 years.

So why would I stop now (or slow down tremendously)? 1. It takes a lot of time and effort to write. 2. Readership is down considerably to about 1/3 of what it was at the peak. (If readership were stable or going up, I would continue to write.) 3. I don’t get much feedback from my blog. 4. I shot myself in the foot more than once. Let me explain.

I write honestly and sometimes too bluntly. I’ve heard from many readers that that’s one of the reasons they like to read my blog. Some of the blogs I’ve written have been critical of auction houses or dealers. I wrote the blogs from my point of view and didn’t realize in some cases that I was offending or demeaning the subjects of the blog. Some of the subjects of my blogs took great offense, when none was intended. So at this point in my career, my blog is causing me more harm than good. So I may write a blog from time to time, but for the most part, my blog is finished. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it and maybe learned a thing or two, but for now it’s adios.

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No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.

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Let me know what interests you, even if you don’t see it on my website. I’ve got lots of items that I haven’t listed yet and I know how to locate what you desire.

I listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

I will do my best to publish a new post every Monday.

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Toomey & Co., Oak Park, IL, held a sale of The Ira Simon Collection on April 27, 2022, with outstanding results. Included in the sale were some very fine examples of Tiffany lamps, and a multitude of unique Art Nouveau and Art Deco items. Following is a review of a few interesting lots by Tiffany Studios. There were other categories and makers that also sold fabulously well. You can check them all out by clicking here.

The sale started off with a bang. Lot #1, a lovely Tiffany Studios 22″ diameter Dragonfly table lamp was the top lot of the sale. It almost doubled its high estimate of $250,000, realizing $545,000, including buyer’s premium. Wow! Shows you the market is hot.

I really wanted to buy lot #2, a charming Tiffany Studios 12″ diameter Apple Blossom table lamp on a rare Fern base. I figured it had a retail price in the range of $40,000 – $50,000. Boy, was I wrong. It sold for $112,500, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $15,000 – $25,000. Wowza! That’s two home runs in a row to start the sale. It set the tone for aggressive bidding throughout the sale.

The sale was so strong that even a so-so example of a Tiffany Studios 16″ diameter Daffodil table lamp sold for $62,500, including buyer’s premium; approximately double its high estimate of $30,000. The lamp was a marriage, as the shade had an original gold finish and the base had an original patina. If it were me, I would separate the parts and try to find a nice gold base for the shade and an appropriate patina shade for the desirable tree trunk base.

Lot #7 was a Tiffany Studios wood and Turtleback inkwell. Tiffany used wood in very few items, making this inkwell very rare and very cool. It was made of oak, with brass corners and a glass Turtleback lid. I just loved it. I thought I had a chance to buy it because I was willing to pay about $7,500 and the estimate was only $1,000 – $2,000. No luck at this sale. It sold for $22,500, including buyer’s premium. Another wowza!

Congrats to John Walcher and the entire team at Toomey & Co. for a job well done.

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No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.

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Let me know what interests you, even if you don’t see it on my website. I’ve got lots of items that I haven’t listed yet and I know how to locate what you desire.

I listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

I will do my best to publish a new post every Monday.

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My show schedule used to be packed with over twenty shows a year. That’s now been whittled down to three or four a year. Not only that, but the limited schedule seems to be in a state of constant flux. The Baltimore Summer Antiques Show is now a late October show. The Chicago Antiques + Art + Design Show, which was held for many years in the Merchandise Mart, was canceled, revived and then moved to a new, unproven venue in a Chicago neighborhood I never heard of. The dates were scheduled for October 6-9, 2022. I decided to exhibit there because I have lots of great clients in the Chicago area whom I haven’t seen for several years because of Covid.

Last week I received notice from The Antiques Council that the Antiques + Modernism Show is returning to Winnetka, IL, after an absence of three years. The new dates are November 4-6, 2022. That forced me to make a decision; either exhibit at two shows in the Chicago area one month apart or choose between the two shows. Since I don’t have enough clients in Chicago to exhibit there twice in one month, it made the decision easy. I decided one show was enough and that would be a proven show in Winnetka. I’m looking forward to it. I really like Chicago and the people there, so it will be a pleasure to get reacquainted.

Click here for a direct link for more show information.

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No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.

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Let me know what interests you, even if you don’t see it on my website. I’ve got lots of items that I haven’t listed yet and I know how to locate what you desire.

I listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

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I will do my best to publish a new post every Monday.

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Cottone Auctions held a Fine Art & Antiques sale on March 19, 2022. Included in the sale were 17 Tiffany Studios leaded and Favrile glass lamps. Following is a review of the top three results of these lamps.

The top lot of the group was an 18″ diameter Peony table lamp with beautiful red, pink and magenta flowers. It sold for $126,000, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $60,000 – $80,000.

The next lot, #127, was a 20″ diameter red Poppy table lamp. Intense red flowers are very desirable, so it was no surprise that it achieved the second best result with a sale price of $93,600, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $50,000 – $80,000. It would have sold for more if it had had a more important base.

The third best result went to a 20″ diameter Arrowroot table lamp. It sold for $78,000, including buyer’s premium. I don’t know the estimate because it must have been a late addition to the sale that wasn’t published in their brochure. The price was strong because the colors were exceptional; very few examples have blue in the background.

For the complete results of the sale, click the following link. https://www.cottoneauctions.com/prices-realized/auction/fine-art-antiques-5

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No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.

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Let me know what interests you, even if you don’t see it on my website. I’ve got lots of items that I haven’t listed yet and I know how to locate what you desire.

I listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

I will do my best to publish a new post every Monday.

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Business continues to be good with the most interest in the usual suspects; Tiffany lamps and French glass. Following are three recent sales.

It’s been really tough buying good Tiffany Studios lamps. I can sell many more lamps than I can buy. So I consider myself lucky to have bought a superb 18″ diameter Turtleback table lamp with amazing color and mottling. The patina on the Mock Turtleback base is fantastic. The kicker is that the lamp was the personal property of Marcello Mastroianni. How cool is that? A great lamp with incredible provenance.

When I bought the Turtleback swivel desk pictured above, it was covered with over 100 years of grime. After two hours of careful cleaning, the results were great; the iridescence sparkled and the patina was outstanding.

Can you believe the quality of the Daum Nancy vase pictured above? It’s totally wheel-carved, decorated all the way around and gorgeous. I don’t get vases of this quality as often as I would like.

If you’ve got something good to sell, please offer it to me. I need quality items now, so I’m buying aggressively.

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No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.

Let me know what interests you, even if you don’t see it on my website. I’ve got lots of items that I haven’t listed yet and I know how to locate what you desire.

I listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.

I will do my best to publish a new post every Monday.

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Christie’s New York held an online only Modern Collector: Design and Tiffany Studios sale, February 25 – March 11, 2022, with total sales of $2,000,628. Included in the sale were additional items from the collection of Dr. Thomas Chua. On March 4, 2022, Doyle New York sold part of the collection (see my blog post of March 7, 2022 for a review of that sale.)

The top lot of the collection was #81, a 20″ tall Daum Nancy Dragonfly table lamp. While the workmanship was superb and the decoration very rare, the shade was too small for the base. It was original from Daum, but quite clunky, so I didn’t have much interest in the lamp. But others did. Estimated to sell for $20,000 – $30,000, it realized $50,400, including buyer’s premium.

Christie’s sold two monumental Gallé Wisteria vases, lots #103 and #104, very similar in shape and size (24½” tall). Both were estimated to sell for $6,000 – $8,000, but the blue example sold for $47,880, including buyer’s premium, $10,080 more than the red example; both impressive results.

I really wanted to buy lot #87, a gorgeous Daum Nancy Ombelles vase. It was the total package; totally wheel-carved, great shape, beautiful color, and applied handles. Unfortunately for me it sold for more than I was willing to pay; $22,680, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $5,000 – $7,000. I bid strongly, but it wasn’t enough.

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No shows until October 20, 2022, when we’ll exhibit at the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show. Two weeks later we’ll exhibit at the Antiques + Modernism Show in Winnetka, IL, starting on November 4, 2022.

Let me know what interests you, even if you don’t see it on my website. I’ve got lots of items that I haven’t listed yet and I know how to locate what you desire.

I listed some of the new items on my website and will list more every week. Click Philip Chasen Antiques to take a look. I will make every effort to actively list new items as often as time permits. I always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on my website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps. And remember to keep reading my blog.