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Sotheby’s New York held an Important Design sale on July 30, 2020, beginning with 20 Tiffany Studios lots, mostly lamps. The timing of the sale was quite unusual, at the end of July, but nothing should be surprising in this time of pandemic. Regardless, the results were solid, with 17 of the 20 lots selling. Sales totaled $20,153,000 for the entire sale with 114 of the total of 146 lots offered selling. Four lots by François-Xavier Lalanne sold for multiples of their high estimates realizing from $1,700,000 to $3,980,000, including buyer’s premium.

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It was no surprise that lot #13, a vividly colored Wisteria table lamp, was the top lot of the Tiffany group. Estimated to sell for $450,000 – $600,000, it realized $716,000, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $450,000 – $600,000.

I loved lot #19, a 22″ diameter, fiery red Tulip table lamp. It sold for $162,500, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $100,000 – $150,000. I thought it would sell for considerably more. I had just the right table in my living room, but it wasn’t meant to be.

I wanted to buy lot #14, an attractive Tiffany Favrile 8″ diameter blue Damascene counterbalance desk lamp. It was a nice example, but not great, because the blue faded considerably when the light was turned on. Additionally, the base was nothing exceptional. I hoped to buy it for $10,000 or so, all in. Guess what? It sold for $35,000, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $8,000 – $12,000. I love it when that happens, because it’s great for my considerable Tiffany Favrile lamp business.

In possibly the single biggest shocker of my career, lot #28, a 6¾” tall Grueby oat-colored vase, from the private collection of Robert Kaplan of Maplewood, NJ, sold for an astonishing $431,250, against a realistic estimate of $7,000 – $9,000. The bidding was fierce between two determined phone bidders who would not quit for 45 minutes of bidding. The usual increments of $10,000 or more were thrown out the window by the auctioneer who allowed the two bidders to bid in increments of $2,000 up to $200,000. After that the increments increased to $5,000. I have never, ever, ever seen anything like it among the thousands of auctions I’ve participated in over the years. I’m at a loss for words!!

For the complete results of the sale click here.

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Morphy Auctions, Denver, PA, held a Fine & Decorative Arts sale on July 14-15, 2020. Day 1 was a general auction with watches, silver, paintings and orientalia. Day 2 was more interesting for me with art glass and lamps, among other items. Following are a few of the more interesting results from Day 2. Sales totaled over $3.3 million for the entire sale.

An attractive, but not killer, Tiffany Studios 17″ diameter Dragonfly table sold for $44,100, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $20,000 – $30,000, a nice result. I tried to buy it, but it was just out of range for a dealer, but not for a collector.

Morphy offered a very nice selection of Handel reverse-painted table lamps. The top lot of the group, #2165, a Poppy, multi-floral lamp sold for $30,750, at the low end of the $25,000 – $40,000 estimate. Unfortunately the Handel market peaked decades ago, with values today at about 35-50% of the peak. They’re just as beautiful today as they were then, just not as valuable.

There was a dearth of good French cameo glass at the sale, so not much to report there. In the American glass category, a very nice Tiffany Favrile paperweight vase sold just below its low estimate of $10,000, realizing $10,455, including buyer’s premium.

Morphy sold quite a few English cameo glass perfume bottles. The star of this section of the sale was lot #2012, a Webb laydown bottle in the form of a falcon. It sold well above its high estimate of $4,000, realizing $7,380, including buyer’s premium.

Included in the sale was a large, high-quality collection of Amphora pottery. The top lot of this section of the sale went to #2392, an important Dragon vase. It sold for almost 5 times its high estimate of $8,000, realizing $40,590, including buyer’s premium. That had to put a smile on the consignor’s face.

For the complete results of the sale click here.

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The John Atzbach Collection of historic automobiles and memorabilia was sold by Mecum Auctions on July 10-18, 2020 in Indianapolis, IN.

As expected, the highlight of the entire auction was the sale of the 1965 competition Shelby GT350 R-Model. It was anticipated that it would sell for upwards of $2 million and it didn’t disappoint. The final price of $3.85 million, including buyer’s premium, set the record for the most valuable Mustang in history.

The second highest price of the sale was achieved by a 1966 Shelby GT350, one of only 4 convertibles built that year. It realized $1,100,000, including buyer’s premium.

The top Lamborghini of the sale went to a 1967 400 GT 2+2, unrestored with 28,000 original miles. It sold for $363,000, including buyer’s premium. To put that in perspective, five Shelbys sold for more.

The top lot of the 1,300 lots of memorabilia went to an enormous, 138″ x 90″, early 1960s, COBRA POWERED BY FORD banner, hand-signed by Carroll Shelby. It realized $53,100, including buyer’s premium.

For the complete results of the sale, click here. You won’t be able to see a thing until you sign in (free).

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Heritage Auctions, Dallas, TX, held an American Art sale on July 1, 2020. The sale was diverse and included some works of American Illustration, many of which sold well above their high estimates. Auctions in general have been doing well since the pandemic began, I suppose partially because people are spending more time on the Internet.

Three of the top four lots of the sale were American illustrations. The second highest price of the sale went to Norman Rockwell. His Grandfather and Grandson, commissioned by the Dixon Ticonderoga Company in 1929, sold for a disappointing $447,000, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $500,000 – $700,000. Apparently his magazine cover illustrations are more in demand. Saying Grace, the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in 1951, sold for $46 million at a Sotheby’s auction in 2013.

The first lot of the sale, #67001, a black and white painting by Frederic Remington entitled Water!, was also the third best selling lot of the sale. It realized $300,000, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $120,000 – $180,000.

An unpublished cover painting by J.C. Leyendecker for the Saturday Evening Post, entitled New Year’s Baby Hitching to War, New Year’s Day, 1943, Heritage lot #68163, sold for almost triple its high estimate of $80,000, realizing $275,000, including buyer’s premium. Wow! Curtis Publishing never used the image because it was deemed too unsympathetic to the mothers of America whose sons were heading off to war. Apparently being unpublished did not diminish the enthusiasm for this lot.

For the complete results of the sale click here. You will have to sign in (free) to see the prices realized.

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Happy 4th of July! I hope you’re using your masks and taking proper precautions. This COVID-19 nonsense is not going away until we get an effective vaccine. So buckle your seat belts for the long haul.

I’ve been pretty busy, considering that I’m stuck at home and not doing any shows. Business has been surprisingly good. I’ve been selling quite a bit and buying accordingly.

Following are a few of the many examples I’ve just listed on my website. First is a rare and very desirable Tiffany Studios Spider table lamp. This lamp came from a one-owner home in New Hampshire. Never touched by human hands as a good friend likes to say about virgin items. I sent it to my restorer to be professionally rewired and now it’s ready to go into your home.

Second is a magnificent Daum Nancy vase with Datura flowers. They don’t grow in the Northeast, so I was unfamiliar with them. I do know they’re very showy, beautiful flowers. The vase has extensive gilding at the top and bottom making it exceptional, especially at 12″ tall. Next up is a rare, superb blue Tiffany Tel el Amarna vase. Blue is the second rarest color, after red. This example comes with its original gilded bronze base. Tiffany ground a button on the bottom of the vase to fit perfectly into the bronze holder. It’s fully signed on both the glass and the bronze. What a special vase!

I’ve posted more than these three items on my website, so please go and have a look. I’ll be posting more every day this week. If any of the items are of interest to you, I’ll be happy to supply more information or photos.

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Rick Kaplan has been a friend of mine for over 40 years. He owns Treasureseeker Auctions, LLC, in Pasadena, CA, specializing in more affordable items in the Art Nouveau & Art Deco world. They held a Pre-Summer Antiques & Decorative Arts Sale on June 14, 2020. Following are a few of the more notable results.

The top lot of the decorative arts items in the sale was #123A, a pair of large, 21½” tall, Art Deco silvered-bronze wall sconces, circa 1925, by Georges Gori (French). They sold within their estimate of $4,000 – $6,000, realizing $6,400, including buyer’s premium.

A rare Daum Nancy miniature Rain vase, 1½”, also sold within its estimate of $1,500 – $2,000, realizing $2,304, including buyer’s premium. The market for Daum Nancy miniature vases has been cool for a few years, so $2,304 is a pretty good result for today’s market.

An original French Art Nouveau lamp with a lovely Gallé shade, circa 1900, lot #108, sold within its estimate of $1,500 – $2,000, realizing $2,048, including buyer’s premium.

Most major auction houses will not accept your items if they’re under $10,000 each, so you might consider consigning to Rick’s auction. Write to him at info@treasureseekerauction.com.

For the complete results of the sale, click here. You will have to sign in (free) to see the prices.

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Treadway Gallery, Cincinnati, OH, held a diverse Decorative Arts auction on June 14, 2020. The sale included pottery, glass, furniture, lamps and metalware. Following are a few of the more notable results.

The top lot of the sale was a Tiffany Studios 20″ Dragonfly table lamp, sold as lot #116. I would call it an unusual, not very attractive example. There were too many colors that didn’t work well together — blue geometric bands at the bottom and top; reddish dragonflies; brownish-olive background; green jewels; and flat, orange eyes. Personally I wouldn’t have been interested even at a substantially lower price. It sold below its estimate of $55,000 – $65,000, realizing $62,500, including buyer’s premium.

A moderately strong price was paid for lot #107, a Tiffany 10″ diameter gold decorated Favrile shade. It realized $13,000, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $7,000 – $9,000. Makes perfect sense to me. When a Favrile lamp falls and breaks, the shade is destroyed and the base remains. It means there are many more bases than shades in existence today. So when a shade comes up for sale by itself, everyone wants it, especially a nice example like this.

The Handel reverse-painted lamp market has been in a decline for quite a few years, maybe even decades. But what is still buoyant is anything that is Arts & Crafts. Treadway lot #119 was a Handel overlay lamp in the Cattail design, on a very nice bulbous tree-trunk base. It fits the mold of Arts & Crafts design, so it works well in a Mission style-home. It sold within its estimate, realizing $13,750, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $9,000 – $12,000.

For the complete results of the sale, click here.

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Some of you may recall that I wrote a blog on August 15, 2016 entitled A visit with John Atzbach at his museum of Shelby and Lamborghini automobiles. Click here if you would like to (re)read it. Due to health reasons, John has decided to sell everything.

The automobile collection, including 12 Shelbys and Lamborghinis and 18,000 pieces of memorabilia, will all be sold at Mecum’s Auction in Indianapolis, IN, from July 10-18, 2020. Everything will be sold without reserve except for the most important lot of the sale, the 1965 competition Shelby GT350 R-Model. This single car’s sale is expected to exceed $2 million, while the whole sale is expected to exceed $10 million. It will be an exciting auction.

Following are several links to mecum.com with extensive information about the collection, including a podcast in link 5 and a video in link 6.

Link 1, The Automobile Collection

Link 2, Memorabilia

Link 3, Memorabilia

Link 4, Memorabilia

Link 5 Podcasts (choose #9 for the Atzbach Collection)

Link 6 A video of the collection

To the best of my knowledge, the Imperial Russian collection will also be sold at auction. I’ll update that information as soon as I have it.

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Heritage Auctions, Dallas, TX, held a Tiffany, Lalique and Art Glass auction on June 4, 2020. The sale was diverse, with mostly middle-of-the-road items, but also included some important English cameo glass by George Woodall. Sales totaled $1,256,387, including buyer’s premium.

The top lot of the sale, #79087, was the cover lot — an English cameo, hand-carved vase by Thomas Webb’s most important artist, George Woodall. Entitled The Origin of Painting, it was signed by Woodall and dated 1887. The result was a little weaker than hoped. It sold just below its estimate of $100,000 – $150,000, realizing $118,750, including buyer’s premium.

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The second best result of the sale was realized by lot #79001, the first lot of the sale. It was a decent, but not exceptional, Tiffany Studios 17″ diameter Dragonfly table lamp, on a simple base. It sold for $57,500, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $30,000 – $50,000.

Lot #79101 was an exceptionally fine Gallé 6″ marquetry vase with purple and green cyclamen flowers, signed Emile Gallé Étude 12 (Étude means study). It doubled its high estimate of $12,000, realizing $30,000, including buyer’s premium. I tried to buy this vase, but it went way beyond what a dealer could reasonably pay.

In my opinion, the strangest result of the sale was for lot #79040, a standard Tiffany Favrile trumpet vase. I sell these all day for $1,000 – $1,500 and this one realized $12,500, including buyer’s premium, against an estimate of $700 – $900. What the ??? The only possible explanation is a note accompanying the lot (Please note that this lot is depicted in a Jenness Cortez painting, commissioned by the consignor of this lot in 2008 and to be offered in Heritage Auction’s American Art auction on July 1, 2020.)

For the complete results of the sale, click here. You will have to sign in (free) to see the prices.

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Marshall Fields in Chicago was a very high end department store at the beginning of the 20th century. One department had the Tiffany Room, complete with items directly from Tiffany Studios in New York. One of my daydreams is to time travel back to visit. How exciting would that be?

Take a close look at the photo, first at the table on the left. You have to use your imagination for the colors, but some details are discernable. Take the tallest flowerform vase in the right corner of the table. It has a decorated foot with radial stripes. That’s a real rarity and is sometimes seen with a strong green color. It has to be a knockout in person. The entire table is filled with magnificent flowerform vases.

Can’t tell for sure, but the wall cabinet on the right seems to have simpler items, like all gold Favrile vases. The table in the back also seems to have some simpler, lower-priced items. I do love the mirror on the right. I can’t tell for sure which model it is, but I’ve had several mirrors over the years and they’re all wonderful.

The leaded glass windows are very nice, but the one in the upper right center is special. It appears to be Flowers, Fish and Fruit, which is now on permanent exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Art. When you visit the Baltimore Summer Antiques Show you could also visit the museum. The show is now scheduled for November, but I don’t think it will happen this year. Let’s hope the show is held in August, 2021, so you can visit both.

Thanks to Paul Doros for permission to use the photos.

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