Alan Schneider was the owner of an antiques shop called The Antique Traders on California Street in San Francisco for 50 years. I last visited many years ago. I tried to buy from him, but his prices were always too high for me. I also tried to sell to him, but apparently my prices were too high for him. So we did almost no business together that I can remember.
Alan passed away on July 15, 2020 at the age of 76. His estate was sold at John Moran Auctioneers in Monrovia, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles. Most of the items were medium quality, with very few standouts. I thought that Alan would have kept a few exceptional pieces for his personal collection, but if they existed, they weren’t in the sale.
Following are a few of the highlights.
In my opinion, lot #23, a Tiffany 20″ diameter Arrowroot table lamp was the best lamp in the sale, with very unusual reddish color in the background. I tried to buy it, but unfortunately I was the underbidder. It sold for $40,625, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $30,000 – $40,000. That’s a fine price for a collector to pay, but not a dealer. Too bad. I really wanted this one.
Part of the Schneider collection was a collection of Handel lamps. The best of the group was lot #118, a rare and beautiful bird lamp. It sold for $15,000, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $3,000 – $5,000. This is another lamp that I wanted to buy, but couldn’t because of the price.
Not everything in the sale was kosher. Lot #119 was a reproduction Gallé vase that was sold as authentic. It sold for $1,625, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $1,000 – $1,500. There also were quite a few other vases that were cut down and not mentioned in the condition reports. Looks like Moran can use a little outside professional help. (Hello! I’m available. I’m already the expert for many auction houses, but unfortunately I can’t name them here.)
For the complete results of the sale, click <a href=”https://www.cottoneauctions.com/prices-realized/auction/fine-art-antiques-5?view=grid&PricesRealizedForm%5Border_field%5D=%60t%60.%60lot_number%60&PricesRealizedForm%5Border_direction%5D=ASC&PricesRealizedForm%5Bnum_per_page%5D=200“>here</a>.
Hello. I’ve just discovered your blog and think its great. I’ve seen you at a few shows but usually you’re speaking with somebody else so I don’t think we’ve met.
Didn’t realize that Alan Schneider had passed away, or that that John Moran’s auction had his lamps. He was such a character. I live in SF and went into his shop only once or twice — it was quite an experience speaking with him — memorable.
Thanks again for doing this
Nice to hear from you, Athos. We won’t be doing any more shows in SF, but maybe you can travel to Baltimore or Miami for one of my shows. Please introduce yourself.
Very interesting post! I can confirm I purchased a very cool Edwardian ceiling light from the auction. It’s for a Georgian home in Tahoe so it works for that setting. While I love the lamp I had to completely redo it with an expert in Redwood City. The cost of repair was more than I paid for the fixture. I learned a lesson on this one. I wish I had more history on the lights and I agree with you that the auction house could have done a much better job describing the quality of the items etc. thanks again.