My goal is to publish new posts twice a week — Mondays and Thursdays. However, if you don’t see a new post on Thursday, it’s because I was too busy, so please look for a new one the following Monday.
Tiffany Studios 22″ diameter Greek Key table lamp, Cottone lot #61
Tiffany Studios 22″ diameter Greek Key floor lamp, Sotheby’s lot #31
Cottone sold lot #61 for $89,125, including buyer’s premium, against a pre-sale estimate of $25,000 – $35,000, while Sotheby’s sold lot #31 for $47,500, including buyer’s premium, against a pre-sale estimate of $20,000 — $30,000. So how do you explain that? Cottone’s lamp had excellent orange mottled glass while Sotheby’s lamp had more common green striated glass with light mottling. Cottone’s was a table lamp, while Sotheby’s was a floor lamp, but Cottone’s sold for almost twice as much.
I’m sure those factors played a role, but there’s more. Cottone’s lamp was a big fish in a small pond, while Sotheby’s was the opposite. That makes a difference. Two bidders with big egos and fat wallets duked it out at Cottone’s while the fighting at Sotheby’s was accompanied by a yawn. Every good auction result requires a bidder and an underbidder. Congrats to Cottone for corralling the right players.
We haven’t exhibited in the greater Detroit area in over 10 years, but at the encouragement of a fellow dealer, we’ve decided to give it another shot. I enjoyed doing the show years ago and hope that business is good so we can add it to our regular schedule. The show opens with a preview party on Friday, April 21st and continues until Sunday, April 23rd at 5 PM.
I recently listed over 15 new items on my website and I’ll be listing more in the near future. Please check my site as often as you can.
Click here to check my website for the latest items and to look around. I will update it as often as time permits. We’re still very much in business between shows, so please don’t hesitate to email or call. 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.
Marquetry vases are quite sophisticated. The technique required pressing colored glass into the design when the glass was molten. On cooling, the finish work was hand-engraved to give the flowers realistic details. The quality was superb.
After a very difficult week that started with truck trouble, we will exhibit at the Charleston Antique Show this coming weekend. We had to leave most of our supplies in the truck, and two-thirds of our merchandise in New York, so our exhibition will be improvised. We had to buy all the basic supplies we always carry, like light bulbs, electric wires and fabric. We were able to rent a single showcase from a local dealer. But now it’s all new, so after exhibiting at hundreds and hundreds of shows, it’s like starting all over again. I’m not a fan.
