Lost Fabergé elephant discovered in British Royal Collection

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.


The first of the new items --  a great Martin Brothers double-face mug

The first of the new items — a great Martin Brothers double-face mug

Just back from Europe and trying to get my house in order. I’ve been negligent in adding new items to the website, but that’s about to change. Over the next two weeks, I hope to list many new (and great) items that I’ve recently purchased, both on our buying trip and elsewhere. We’ve acquired a treasure trove of goodies, so please check my site often for updates.

Thought you might like to read this interesting article about the discovery of a lost Fabergé elephant. Click Secret Object Hidden in Fabergé Egg Discovered in British Royal Collection – artnet News


winnetka-10-2015Next week we’ll travel to Chicago for the Antiques + Modernism Winnetka show at the Winnetka Community House, November 6-8, 2015. We used to exhibit at shows in the greater Chicago area 4-6 times yearly. Most of them have disappeared, so we now only exhibit in Chicago twice a year, once in the fall in Winnetka and once in the spring at the Chicago Botanic Gardens. Too bad, because we like Chicago and have lots of friends and clients. We’re really looking forward to seeing you at the show, so please visit us. You won’t have another opportunity until the spring, when we’ll be back for the Garden, Antique & Design Show at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, IL, April 15 – April 17, 2016.

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.

$33 million lost Fabergé egg discovered by Midwest scrap-metal dealer

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.

Fabergé Third Imperial Egg

Fabergé Third Imperial Egg, circa 1887

A Midwest scrap-metal dealer bought a golden egg with a clock inside for approximately $13,000, hoping to flip it quickly for a $500 profit. As luck would have it, he overestimated its melt value and wasn’t able to sell it quickly, giving him time to do a little Internet detective work. He typed “egg” and “Vacheron Constantin”, the name engraved on the clock, into Google and hit the jackpot. The information in a 2011 article in Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper indicated that the egg might be a lost Fabergé Imperial Egg.

faberge-egg-2The dealer hopped on a plane to London to meet with Kieran McCarthy, the author of the article in the Daily Telegraph.  McCarthy is the Director of Wartski a firm specializing in Russian works of art, especially Carl Fabergé.  The dealer had no appointment, but just casually walked into the shop, wearing jeans, with a portfolio of photos.  McCarthy was so excited by the photos, he flew to the US to authenticate the egg.  He determined it to be the Third Imperial Egg, made in 1887, for Tsar Alexander III, as an Easter gift to his wife, Tsarina Maria Feodorovna.  It had made its way to the West when the post-Russian Revolution Soviets sold their treasures in a policy known as turning “treasures into tractors”.

With the Midwest dealer’s blessing, Wartski then sold the egg to a private collector, for an undisclosed amount, possibly up to $33 million. It was displayed to the public at Wartski from April 14 to 17, for only the second time in its history.  The first was at a 1964 auction. Now it’s back to privacy for the egg.  Who knows the next time it will be available for view by the public?  In the meantime, the Midwest dealer is basking in the sunshine of his good fortune.

This wonderful Daum Nancy fall scenic vase is just in

This wonderful Daum Nancy fall scenic vase is just in

It’s spring, so there are no shows, but we’re still very much in business.  Click here to view my new website and look around. We always strive to offer the finest objects for sale on our website and at every show. There are many items for sale, sold items with prices and free lessons about glass and lamps.