It was interesting sitting at Julia’s Glass & Lamp auction last Friday and Saturday.  The mood changed often, depending on the category for sale.  First English Cameo glass sold very well, then French Cameo glass didn’t sell as well.  The next day started with art glass shades (which were OK) and moved into Quezal glass (also OK), then Steuben glass (fairly strong).  Then onto Pairpoint puffies (not so OK).

Rare Pairpoint puffy owl lamp

The action started with a very rare lamp, a Pairpoint puffy owl lamp, only the 7th known to exist.  The lamp was estimated at $15-20,000, as the condition was not good.  The shade had some large border chips and a 3″ crack, usually the kiss of death.  However, due to the extreme rarity, there was plenty of action, mostly on the telephones.  The fierce bidding ended at $37,000 + buyer’s premium, for a total of $42,550 — an exceptional price for a cracked lamp.  This compares to $86,250 for another Pairpoint owl lamp, also sold at Julia’s, in December 2006.

After the owl lamp, the rest of the Pairpoint lamps didn’t fare as well.  I didn’t count each sale, but I’ll bet that over 50% of the puffies did not sell.  The exact information is available on the Julia’s website.

Handel lamps followed and did a little bit better, but again, there was softness in this market.

Duffner & Kimberly Louis XV table lamp

The next group of lamps were non-Tiffany leaded lamps.  Again this category can be called weak at this auction.  The only exception was a beautiful Duffner & Kimberly Louis XV table lamp.  Estimated at $45-55,000, the lamp sold for $41,000 + premium, for a total of $47,150.  Slightly below the estimate, but still a substantial price for a non-Tiffany lamp.

Tomorrow, in my last review of the Julia auction, I’ll cover the Tiffany Studios items.