From BBC News:
£10,000 for ‘rubbish’ chess set

The chess set that was headed for the rubbish bin back in the 1800s sold for £10,625 ($16,100) at auction at Christie’s in London. Saved by the butler, James Baxter, the carved French chess set once belonged to Welsh landowner Lord Mostyn. Baxter’s great-grandchildren sold the set, which is prized for its completeness—a rarity among sets from that time.

From Bloomberg:
Loeb Sells Koons Egg for $5.5 Million at Sotheby’s in New York

Jeff Koons’ turquoise egg, topped with a huge pink bow, defied naysayers and sold for $5.5 million at Sotheby’s. The final bid was half a million shy of the lot’s low estimate of $6 million, but in what was the smallest contemporary-art sale in New York in six years, it was fortunate to sell at all. In contrast, Koons’ “Hanging Heart (Magenta/Gold)” went for a truly prerecession $23.6 million when it went under the hammer in 2007.

From The (U.K.) Telegraph:
Stately home thief steals thousands of pounds of antiques on five-day tour

British thief Andrew Shannon is starting a three-year prison term for stealing nearly £5,000 ($7,575) worth of paintings, antiques, and other collectibles from large manor houses around England. Shannon was caught at Castle Howard by a security guard who found two of the estate’s paintings in Shannon’s laptop bag, each valued at £800 ($1,200). During visits to six homes last summer, Shannon and an accomplice nicked antique books, porcelain vases and the Duke of Rutland’s antique walking stick, among other things.

From NBC New York:
Old Yankee Stadium Seats Going for $750 Each

After Yankee Stadium is dismantled this summer, the New York Yankees will sell an expected $11.5 million worth of stadium memorabilia. The ball club came to an agreement with New York City to sell stadium seats for $750 each or $1,499 a pair. Seats from Shea Stadium, former home of Yankee rivals, the New York Mets, are still available for a relative steal at $869 a pair.

From Bloomberg:
Yankees Offer the Real Dirt on Stadium Memorabilia, for $80

In addition to seats from the old Yankee Stadium, the baseball club is selling dirt from the field—and it’ll run collectors a cool $80 for a coin-sized disk of the soil. All of the dirt used in Yankee Stadium since the ’50s came from New Jersey’s Beam Clay, which will also supply dirt to the new stadium. After the final home game at Yankee Stadium in September of last year, dirt on the field was gathered into buckets, sealed and marked.

From ARTINFO:
Delaware Library Latest to Deaccession

The Wilmington Library in Wilmington, Del., plans to sell a collection of drawings by N.C. Wyeth in order to raise funds for building maintenance and library endowment. The 14 illustrations will be auctioned at Christie’s in New York in December. The Wilmington Library joins the company of several museums that came to the decision to deaccession works from their collections due to declining donations and endowments.

From The Associated Press via Auction Central News:
Thieves raid six paintings from Dutch museum

In the second major theft from a Dutch museum in the past 10 days, six paintings were stolen from the Ijsselstein City Museum early Monday morning. The thieves left two paintings behind but made a quick getaway with works by Jan van Goyen and other 17th- and 19th-century artists. Just 10 days prior, an armed robbery at Spanbroek’s Scheringa Museum for Realism took two paintings. Police believe the two thefts are not related, but that because of the museums’ small sizes, it makes them easy targets for theft.

From The Associated Press via Auction Central News:
Second man pleads guilty in Missouri River artifacts case

Richard Geffre of Pierre, S.D., is the second man to plead guilty to federal charges of trafficking American-Indian artifacts. The 7,930 items, taken illegally from the Missouri River in South Dakota, include tools, instruments and jewelry. Eliot Hook pleaded guilty to the same charges.

From The (Asheville, N.C.) Citizen-Times:
Brunk auctions Chinese vase for $1.2 million

Asheville-based Brunk Auctions hosted a memorable sale last weekend as a bidding war ignited over an antique Chinese vase. The vase, made during the Qianlong-era (1736–1795), ended up selling for $1.2 million—a price more often seen at international auction houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s. It was the highest price ever paid for an item in the history of Brunk Auctions.

From The New York Times:
Tintin Breaks Record at an Auction

Belgian cartoon hero Tintin was the focus of a record-breaking auction last weekend. A total of $1.57 million worth of Tintin artwork and other items sold on Sunday at Rops auction house in Namur, located in southern Belgium. Presale estimates valued the sale at $900,000. The most expensive of the 600 lots was a hand-drawn page from the 1963 book, “The Castafiore Emerald,” which went for $424,000. Tintin was created in 1929 by cartoonist Georges Remi.

From The New York Times:
In Leaner Times, Classic-Car Auctions Turn On the Charm

Next weekend’s Ferrari auction at the company’s headquarters in Italy is a good example of the rise in prominence that classic-car auctions have enjoyed over the past half-century. Though auctions like the Leggenda e Passione—the Ferrari event’s official name—have always catered to high-end clients, they’re making even more effort to court potential bidders this year given the economic circumstances.

From BBC News:
Small house may fetch bigger price

A Victorian dollhouse is expected to fetch as much as £8,000 ($12,100) when it hits the auction block later this month at Bonhams in London. The 19th-century toy comes complete with a secret garden, spinning wheel, butter churn, billiards table and other authentic details.

From Bloomberg:
Beatle Harrison’s Unseen Lyric Goes on Show in London

Handwritten lyrics to an untitled song penned by late Beatle George Harrison are on show at the British Library in London. Discovered by biographer Hunter Davies, the paper’s backside has written directions to the home of Beatles manager Brian Epstein. It is thought to have been written in early 1967—Epstein died in August of that year—when the band was spending time in the studio prior to the release of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

From The (Eureka, Calif.) Times-Standard:
Curator charged for selling museum’s fishing antiques

Robert Newell, former curator of Fortuna Depot Museum in Fortuna, Calif., has been charged with grand theft and possession of stolen property after police found items from the museum in his home. Newell allegedly stole approximately 40 pieces of antique fishing equipment from the museum and sold several of the items on an online auction.

From Bloomberg:
Slain Gold Magnate’s Art Sale Breaks S. Africa Record

A new record for South African art was set last week at the auction of the estate of Brett Kebble, a wealthy gold magnate who was killed in 2005. Kebble’s collection of 133 works by South African artists raked in an impressive 54 million rand ($6.42 million), with individual works such as Alexis Preller’s “Christ Head” and Irma Stern’s “Woman Sewing Karos” selling for seven figures.

Elizabeth Hendley is a WorthPoint writer based in Seattle.

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From The New York Times:
Auction of African Art From Gross Collection

Thirty pieces from late sculptor and collector Chaim Gross’ collection of African art are on preview at Sotheby’s before they hit the auction block May 15. Gross’ collection is regarded as one of the most comprehensive in a segment of the art market that is rife with fakes. It’s also long been out of the public eye. The sale is expected to bring in $3–$4 million for the Renee and Chaim Gross Foundation.

From The Associated Press via The Chicago Tribune:
Pieces from historic Chicago building up for sale

Christie’s will auction off pieces of the historic 1894 Chicago Stock Exchange Building in New York on June 2. Included in the sale are cast- and wrought-iron elevator panels from the building, expected to fetch $30,000 each, as well as leaded-glass ceiling panels estimated to sell for between $7,000 and $10,000 each. Designed by renowned architect Louis Sullivan, the building was demolished in the early 1970s after failed attempts to preserve the property.

From BBC News:
£5K hope for ‘rubbish’ chess set

A late-18th- or early-19th-century chess set is expected to sell for at least £5,000 ($7,600) when it goes under the hammer in England. Made in France with ivory pieces, the chess set once belonged to Welsh landowner Lord Mostyn. Mostyn’s butler, James Baxter, kept the set when Mostyn asked him to throw it out. Now Baxter’s great-grandchildren are putting the chess set—prized for its rarity and because all of the figures remain intact—up for sale.

From Times & Transcript (Canada):
Antique torture devices auctioned

Proceeds from an upcoming auction of antique torture devices, featuring items dating back to the 1500s, will benefit Amnesty International, as well as other organizations that work to prevent torture. The 252-piece collection, which was last seen in 1893, will be on the block at Guernsey auction house in New York.

From The New York Times:
Modern Masters Suffer at Auction

Among the unsold works at Sotheby’s first sale of the spring: a 1938 Picasso (put up for sale by a victim of Bernie Madoff) and a 1951 bronze Giacometti sculpture. The auction house’s impressionist and modern-art sale disappointed, bringing in $61.3 million to its estimated $81.5 million. Sotheby’s previously attempted to sell both blue-chip works privately, but the price wasn’t right for private buyers or those at the auction. The sale did have a highlight, however—Mondrian’s 1934 “Composition in Black and White, With Double Lines” went for a cool $9.2 million.

From The Guardian (UK):
Art historians claim Van Gogh’s ear ‘cut off by Gauguin’

Two German historians are refuting the well-known story of the circumstances under which Vincent Van Gogh cut off his ear. They claim that Van Gogh didn’t cut off his own ear after a fight with fellow artist and friend Paul Gauguin in 1888—as most have come to believe—but that Gauguin was actually the one who wielded the razor. The two historians, after 10 years of studying original documents relating to the incident, have concluded that Gauguin, who was a master fencer, cut off his friend’s ear. The two then agreed to perpetuate the false story.

From ARTINFO:
New York Dealer Restitutes Painting Sold in Nazi Germany

On Tuesday, New York art dealer Richard Feigen returned a Caracci painting that he bought in 2000 to its rightful owner, the descendants of German art dealer Max Stern. Under pressure from the Nazis, Stern was forced to sell the painting in 1937. Shortly after, he fled Germany. Feigen questioned the painting’s provenance in 2004 when it appeared on the Art Loss Register, a database that catalogs stolen and missing artworks. Apparently, the painting was part of the same 1937 sale as works that were recently restituted by Lawrence Steigrad Fine Arts.

From Forbes:
Koons Egg Sculpture to Test Art Market Waters

Hearts, then balloons—now a giant egg. Jeff Koons’ 7-foot-wide turquoise egg sculpture will go under the hammer at Sotheby’s on May 12, but there is speculation as to whether it will sell. Sales in the past few months have shown that the most bankable of lots are Old Master paintings—not contemporary work like Koons’ giant foil-wrapped egg. What’s almost definite is that the piece will likely not fetch its presale estimate of $6-$8 million. If it sells, and for how much, will say a lot about the state of the contemporary-art market.

From The Bristol (Conn.) Press:
Historic Terry clocks auctioned in Plymouth

A collection of late 18th- and early 19th-century clocks that belonged to the estate of Eli Terry was auctioned off in Plymouth, Mass., last weekend. Terry, an innovative clockmaker who set up his workshop in Plymouth in 1793, is credited with bringing clocks into the mainstream. Before Terry used waterpower to fuel the mass production of clocks, the timepieces were found only in the homes of elite society. One 1860 clock in the sale sold for $850.

From BBC News:
Record price for rare Motown disc

One of only two copies of Frank Wilson’s unreleased “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)” record sold in England last week for £25,742 ($38,552). Motown boss Berry Gordy had all other copies of the 1965 record destroyed when Wilson became more involved with songwriting and producing at the record label. Wilson wrote a string of successful hits for the Four Tops and Diana Ross and the Supremes, and “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)” was largely forgotten until it emerged as a cult classic in the Northern Soul scene in England in the 1970s.

From Bloomberg:
Madoff Investor Puts Picasso ‘Musketeer’ On Sale At Christie’s

Jerome Fisher, co-founder of the Nine West Group and victim of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, is anonymously auctioning a 1968 Picasso work at Christie’s on Wednesday. Fisher purchased “Mousquetaire a la pipe” in 2004 for $7.2 million, and if all goes according to plan, the painting may bring in double that amount this time around. The estimates are in the $12-to-$18-million range. Though the painting is listed anonymously, two dealers have identified the seller as Fisher.

From ARTINFO:
Rose Committee Votes In Favor Of Brandeis Administration

After the outcry following Brandeis University’s decision to close its Rose Art Museum, the university cobbled together a committee to decide if the move was warranted. The Future of the Rose Committee has now voted in favor of the university’s decision, which also includes plans to deaccession several works from the museum’s collection.

Elizabeth Hendley is a WorthPoint writer based in Seattle.

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From The New York Times:
For Sale: Fragments of the Georgian World

A roundup of collections set to go under the hammer in the New York-Pennsylvania region: Georgian female writers’ correspondence, space-age toys from the 1950s and ’60s and vintage laundry memorabilia.

From The New York Times:
Hirshhorn Museum to Auction Eakins Portraits

Washington’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has decided to part ways with three Thomas Eakins portraits for want of a cash influx for their acquisition fund. The move comes after a two-year assessment of the institution’s collection, which has a total of 220 Eakins works. It is thought that the May 20 sale at Christie’s will bring in a total of $580,000 to $870,000.

From BBC News:
Rare Penny Black hidden in attic

A treasure trove of rare stamps was found in an attic in Wales, most of them preserved beneath crusted bird droppings. In the cache were 27 rare Penny Black stamps—including one of the most prized, from plate 11—and 400 Penny Red and Penny Red-Brown stamps, all issued between 1841 and 1848. The plate 11 Penny Black is expected to sell for £5,000–£6,000 ($7,500–$9,000) at auction in two weeks, and the others for about £200 ($300) each.

From BBC News:
Rare guns exceed auction estimate

The pair of 17th-century flintlock dueling pistols, made by Louis XIV’s gunsmiths, fetched more than twice their presale estimate of £5,000 ($7,500) to sell for £12,000 ($17,900). The guns were recently discovered displayed on a wall in the home of a British collector, who apparently had no idea of their value.

From ARTINFO:
British Museum Returns 454 Artifacts to Egypt

Myers Museum in Windsor, England, has returned 454 Egyptian artifacts back to their homeland. The artifacts were taken from Egypt between 1972 and 1988—well after the 1970 ban on trafficking antiquities. Among the items that were returned are beaded necklaces and bronze coins.

From The Associated Press via Auction Central News:
Tony Bennett gives painting of jazz great to Smithsonian gallery

Tony Bennett added to the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery collection this week with his watercolor painting of the late Duke Ellington—just in time for Ellington’s 110th-birthday celebration. Painted in 1993, the portrait features Ellington amid a backdrop of pink roses. Reportedly, the jazz legend sent Bennett a dozen pink roses every time Ellington wrote a new song that he wanted his friend to record. Bennett previously donated a portrait he did of Ella Fitzgerald to the National Portrait Gallery.

From Macworld (UK):
Rare Andy Warhol Apple serigraph print offered at auction

What do a Campbell’s soup can, Marilyn Monroe’s visage and the Apple logo have in common? All three were famously immortalized by Andy Warhol. The rare silkscreen print of the early Apple logo—commissioned in the early ’80s by Del Yokam, Apple’s first COO—will go under the hammer May 6 at O’Gallerie in Portland, Ore.

From BBC News:
‘Looted’ Chinese relic auctioned

In another case of dispute between an auction house and the Chinese government, the auction of an 18th-century jade imperial seal continued despite protests from Beijing. The Qing dynasty relic sold for 1.68 million euros ($2,221,300) in Paris—more than five times its presale estimate. The seal—like the bronze statues from the Yves Saint Laurent collection that elicited a storm of controversy when they were auctioned a couple of months ago—are thought to have been looted from the Summer Palace outside of Beijing during the second Opium War in 1860.

From BBC News:
Rare Darwin book sold for £35,000

One of only 1,250 first-edition copies of “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection” sold in England on Wednesday for £35,000 ($51,720). The rare, first-run copy of Charles Darwin’s seminal work, which still has its original cloth jacket, is a sought-after volume for many bibliophiles.

From Bloomberg:
Newson Chair Sells for Design-Art Record 1.1 Million Pounds

The aluminum lounge chair that appeared in a Madonna video sold Wednesday for £1.1 million ($1,626,000) at Philips de Pury in London, setting a new record for price paid at auction for contemporary design art. The 1988 “Lockheed Lounge” chair, designed by Marc Newson, was one of the artist’s proofs. Experts are hopeful that the sale will boost the market for contemporary design art.

From The New York Times:
More Job Reductions Planned at Sotheby’s

Sotheby’s is slashing 5 percent of its total work force, the auction house announced Tuesday. The move, paired with salary cuts, comes in attempt to cut costs to the tune of $160 million this year. Spared from the staff reductions are the auction house’s art experts, whose jobs should be safe until after the May auctions in New York.

From Riverfront Times (St. Louis):
Musical chairs: At last, the mystery of the missing Chippendales is solved

Four Chippendale chairs that were at the targets of theft in St. Louis several years ago may be headed to “Antiques Roadshow.” Several years ago, the chairs—which owner Fritz Lehmann kept locked in an office, along with other antiques and family heirlooms—were discovered missing. It was later revealed that during building renovations, the office’s doors had been left unlocked. The chairs were found earlier this month in the St. Louis home of 70-year-old man, who has since been charged with a felony count of receiving stolen property.

From BBC News:
HMS Victory bucket is auctioned

A fire bucket supposedly used in the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar sold at auction in England for £5,100 ($7,535), more than four times its low presale estimate of £1,200 ($1,773). The leather bucket was property of the HMS Victory, the ship that, under the command of Admiral Lord Nelson, defeated the French and Spanish navies in the historic battle.

From Business Wire:
Will Seippel Receives George Mason University School of Management Distinguished Alumnus Award

Will Seippel, founder and CEO of the WorthPoint Corp., was awarded the George Mason University School of Management Distinguished Alumnus Award for 2009.Seippel, who received his B.S. in business administration from the School of Management in 1978, was recognized for “his leadership and business acumen, economic impact and entrepreneurship, commitment to global awareness and service to the School of Management.”

From Bloomberg:
Bond Car, Banksy Vandal on Sale; Madonna Dress Unsold

In Bloomberg’s roundup of auction and gallery news in London: The Aston Martin with the 1964 Bond film, “Goldfinger,” on its resume will go up for auction at Bonhams in London next month along with a Volante convertible. It’s expected to go for £160,000–180,000 ($236,400–266,000). Also, a London dealer is hoping to sell a 2005 Banksy painting for close to $1 million, despite the recently declining market for the artist’s work. Madonna’s hot-pink dress and gloves worn in her 1985 “Material Girl” music video failed to sell at auction in London. Its presale estimate was in the range of £80,000 ($118,200), but bidding stopped £48,000 ($70,900).

From KHOU (Houston):
Hundreds claim to be victim of Houston high-society couple

A Houston couple were sentenced to 14 years in jail after shady dealings at the auction house they owned, Hart Galleries, came to light. Investigators began looking into the activities of Jerry Hart and his wife, proprietors of the Houston auction house, after several of their clients came forward claiming that the pair swindled them out of a total of $3.5 million. Hart Galleries catered to Houston’s elite, selling their valuables at auction and building a successful business—one that has recently come tumbling down amid the allegations.

From BBC News:
Radios go for £207,000 in auction

A collection of 148 rare, vintage radios sold for £207,648 ($306,715) at auction in London this week. A highlight of the collection—all made from 1930 to 1950 out of Catalin resin—was a music box that sold for £26,400 ($39,000).

From Bloomberg:
Madonna’s Chair May Fetch 700,000 Pounds in Design-Art Sale

Phillips de Pury is hoping that a piece of furniture that had a cameo in a Madonna music video will get the auction house off to a good start in its first 2009 test of the design-art market. The chair, Mark Newson’s aluminum creation, appeared in Madonna’s 1993 video for her song “Rain.” It is expected to sell for at least £700,000 ($1,033,000). It’s not the only anticipated lot at the London sale, however. A table and lounge chair designed by Zaha Hadid are estimated to bring in £120,000 ($177,000) and £50,000 ($73,800) respectively.

From The New York Times:
More Artworks Sell in Private in Slowdown

After the dismal sales at art auctions in the past year, more and more collectors are relegating their transactions to the private-sale departments of major auction houses. Though private sales are potentially less lucrative, collectors and museums alike are increasingly fearful of tarnishing their reputations through public auctions. Private transactions also provide instant cash without having to wait for a scheduled auction. This trend is welcome at auction houses, where private sales are easier and less expensive than the hoopla of hyping big sales.

From BBC News:
Rare blue diamond goes on display

A 7.03-carat diamond that is expected to sell for the highest price per carat in an upcoming Sotheby’s auction is on show in London. Estimates put the diamond’s value between $5.8 million and $8.5 million thanks to its rarity. It’s one of a handful of blue diamonds in the world. The diamond was found last year at South Africa’s Cullinan mine and will be auctioned in Geneva next month.

From The New York Times:
Art Collection Dwindles as Disputes Continue

John and Marcia Friede will auction off pieces of their vast tribal-art collection at Sotheby’s in May and June. The entire 4,000-piece collection was intended to be given to San Francisco’s de Young Museum, but due to an inheritance dispute over John Friede’s mother’s estate—and a $25-million debt the Friedes owe Sotheby’s—10 pieces in the collection will be auctioned in New York and Paris. The Friedes’ collection is considered one of the most comprehensive collections of tribal art in the world, amassed over four decades. It boasts an unparalleled group of items from Papua New Guinea.

From The New York Times:
British Copies Found of Ben Franklin Letters

Alan Houston, professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego, discovered a trove of 47 copies of letters relating to Benjamin Franklin while doing research at the British Library. The letters, not seen since 1755, were all written by Franklin, to Franklin or about Franklin. They will be published in The William and Mary Quarterly.

From The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times:
After losing home, studios in wildfire, painter Rosenquist faces uncertain future

A brush fire in Aripeka, Fla., destroyed the home and studio of American painter James Rosenquist this weekend. In addition to the buildings, the fire consumed Rosenquist’s current projects, including a huge mural commissioned by the French government. Firefighters fought to contain the blaze but were forced to pull out when they learned of the propane tank and other flammable material inside the artist’s studio.

Elizabeth Hendley is a WorthPoint writer based in Seattle.

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From The New York Times:
Well on in Years, But Never Out of Date

The Times’ weekly antiques section discusses the growing popularity of antiques in the latest interior designs. Their timelessness appeals to designers of both eclectic and more modern interiors.

From Bloomberg:
Medal For Dog Rip, Who Saved 100 People, Fetches 24,250 Pounds

The Dickin Award given to a dog named Rip for his bravery during World War II sold for £24,250 ($35,600), more than double its presale estimate of £10,000 ($14,700). Rip’s heroic acts during the London blitz—he saved more than 100 people from the bombing rubble—inspired military authorities to train more dogs to perform similar missions.

From Reuters:
Cocteau memorabilia up for auction in Paris

Perhaps one of France’s most beloved creative visionaries of the 20th century, Jean Cocteau wore many different caps. A playwright, artist, designer, poet and filmmaker—just to name a few—Cocteau’s relationship with partner and actor Jean Marais is the center of an upcoming Paris auction. Letters between the two, along with other Cocteau memorabilia like sketches Cocteau drew of Marais, will go under the hammer on Monday. It is expected to rake in an estimated €600,000 ($795,000).

From Auction Central News:
$100,000 baseball card ad poster discovered at estate sale

A one-of-a-kind baseball-card ad poster from 1889 was discovered at an estate sale last month near Albany, N.Y. The poster advertises a card album and features early baseball greats and Hall of Famers Charles Comiskey, Cap Anson, John Ward, Roger Connor and Mike “King” Kelly. Lelands auction house will sell the poster next month. Estimates put the rare, unrestored piece at about $100,000.

From BBC News:
Hitler paintings sold for £95,000

Thirteen paintings thought to be the work of Adolf Hitler during his years as an artist sold in England for £95,589 ($141,000) this week. The paintings, discovered stashed in the garage of an art collector, were reportedly found in Germany in 1945 by a British soldier. The auction’s results exceeded presale expectations—with one painting selling for £10,000 ($14,700).

From The Guardian (UK):
Picasso’s portrait of daughter on show

The portrait that Pablo Picasso painted of his daughter, Maya, when she was a child is on show at Sotheby’s in London. The painting, “La fille de l’artiste a deux ans et demi avec un bateau” (“The painter’s daughter at two and a half with a boat”), will go under the hammer at the auction house’s New York branch and is expected to fetch as much as $23,550,000.

From Bloomberg:
Billionaires Disappear From Russian Art Auction at Sotheby’s

For some time now, the art market has hung its hopes on Russia as an emerging market, but at Sotheby’s recent Russian art auction in Moscow, results weren’t as high as the auction house had hoped. The economic crisis hasn’t been kind to Russia’s billionaires, but collectors still spent a total of $13.8 million at the sale, snapping up items like a silver-and-enamel punch bowl and ladle ($482,500—more than double its original estimate), an 1892 Ivan Aivazovsky painting ($1.6 million) and a 1920 Nicholas Roerich painting ($530,500).

From Auction Central News:
$100,000 baseball card ad poster discovered at estate sale

A one-of-a-kind baseball-card ad poster from 1889 was discovered at an estate sale last month near Albany, N.Y. The poster advertises a card album and features early baseball greats and Hall of Famers Charles Comiskey, Cap Anson, John Ward, Roger Connor and Mike “King” Kelly. Lelands auction house will sell the poster next month. Estimates put the rare, unrestored piece at about $100,000.

From BBC News:
Hitler paintings sold for £95,000

Thirteen paintings thought to be the work of Adolf Hitler during his years as an artist sold in England for £95,589 ($141,000) this week. The paintings, discovered stashed in the garage of an art collector, were reportedly found in Germany in 1945 by a British soldier. The auction’s results exceeded presale expectations—with one painting selling for £10,000 ($14,700).

From The Guardian (UK):
Picasso’s portrait of daughter on show

The portrait that Pablo Picasso painted of his daughter, Maya, when she was a child is on show at Sotheby’s in London. The painting, “La fille de l’artiste a deux ans et demi avec un bateau” (“The painter’s daughter at two and a half with a boat”), will go under the hammer at the auction house’s New York branch and is expected to fetch as much as $23,550,000.

From Bloomberg:
Billionaires Disappear From Russian Art Auction at Sotheby’s

For some time now, the art market has hung its hopes on Russia as an emerging market, but at Sotheby’s recent Russian art auction in Moscow, results weren’t as high as the auction house had hoped. The economic crisis hasn’t been kind to Russia’s billionaires, but collectors still spent a total of $13.8 million at the sale, snapping up items like a silver-and-enamel punch bowl and ladle ($482,500—more than double its original estimate), an 1892 Ivan Aivazovsky painting ($1.6 million) and a 1920 Nicholas Roerich painting ($530,500).

From BBC News:
Scrapyard Spitfire fetches £1.7 million

In a much-anticipated sale, a 1944 Spitfire airplane used during World War II sold for £1,739,500 ($2,550,000) at a Bonhams auction on Monday. The two-seater plane was found in a Cape Town, South Africa, scrap yard in the 1970s. Five years’ worth of restoration work made it auction-ready. The Spitfire’s new owner is no one new to aviation headlines—in 2005, Steve Brooks became the first man to fly from the North Pole to the South Pole in a helicopter.

From The Guardian (UK):
Auction fever: the art of safe investing

Britain’s Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors found that antique prices have risen over the past months, proving that collectors’ decision to invest in jewelry, paintings and antiques has, indeed, affected the market. Items sold at auction for £1,000 ($1,500) or less—particularly jewelry and silverware—had the sharpest rise in prices.

From Bloomberg:
U.S. Seizes Old Master Lost in Nazi-era Forced Sale

The Old Master painting that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials seized from a Manhattan gallery earlier this month will be returned to its rightful owners . The 1632 Dutch painting was on sale at Lawrence Steigrad Fine Arts,. Its proprietor, Larry Steigrad, found out just days before the seize that the painting’s provenance was questionable.

In fact, the painting had belonged to a Jewish art collector in Germany who sold the work under duress from the Nazis before fleeing the country prior to World War II. Steigrad expressed shock when he learned the truth but was thankful that he hadn’t yet sold the painting. U.S. officials are returning the painting to the collector’s heirs.

From Fox Sports:
113-year-old bat used by England great WG Grace to be auctioned

Cricket may not be the most popular sport in the U.S., but in Britain and its former colonies, there is nothing more important. WG Grace was one of the best to ever play the game, and the bat he used during his illustrious career in the latter part of the 19th century will be auctioned off at Sotheby’s in London next month. Presale estimates peg the price at £30,000 ($44,000) for the bat that Grace used while playing for England in an epic match against Australia in 1896.

From The New York Times:
Lincoln Stamps Bring Nearly $2 Million at a New York Auction

A Roswell, Ga., man’s Abraham Lincoln stamp collection brought in $2 million at New York’s Spink Shreves Galleries last week. Featuring rare stamps, proofs, test printings, tax stamps, private issues and other Lincoln stamp-related material, William Ainsworth’s collection was made up partly of a stamp collection he inherited from his father and the rest the fruit of Ainsworth’s own years of collecting. Experts on hand praised the collection’s depth and rarity, including the first stamp issued with Lincoln’s face in 1866, a block of six 1869 stamps featuring the president’s mug ($149,600) and a letter with two 5-cent Lincoln stamps ($77,725).

From BBC News:
Rare Potter drawings go on sale

Cliff Wright’s preparatory drawings for his illustrations on the cover of J. K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” will be on sale at the annual Glasgow Art Fair. The two pen-and-pencil-on-paper drawings are expected to net five figures each.

From Forbes:
Inside Michael Jackson’s Personal Collection

Ah, a look at what might have been. Forbes examines the hypothetically highest-selling lots in the canceled Michael Jackson auction. Topping the list: a custom Rolls-Royce limo—its interior encrusted with gold, natch (estimate upward of $140,000)—and the famous Swarovski crystal-covered white glove (estimate $200,000).

From BBC News:
Rare guns hanging on wall of home

A rare pair of privately owned Thuraine and le Hollandois pistols could sell for at least £5,000 ($7,300) when they are auctioned at Halls auctioneers in England. The 17th-century dueling pistols, made by Louis XIV’s gunsmiths, have been hanging on the wall in a Shropshire, England, home for the last 50 years, their owner unaware of the guns’ value. One expert believes the pistols made their way to England after a British soldier took them from a French chateau during World War II.

From The Boston Globe:
Public library trimming holdings

Following bimonthly meetings that review the Boston Public Library’s special collection, the library is considering selling several items from said collection. A Crehore piano is scheduled to go under the hammer later this year at Skinner Auctioneers & Appraisers, and its proceeds will fund the restoration of the library’s Steinway piano. Also up for sale are a series of Audubon prints—in the library’s collection since the mid-1800s—and a group of Tichnor glass printing plates, which may be given away.

Elizabeth Hendley is a WorthPoint writer based in Seattle.

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From Auction Central News and the Associated Press:
Painting long stored in attic earns $96,600 at Kaminski auction

A recently discovered painting by Jessie Wilcox Smith that appeared in a 1914 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine sold at auction for $96,600. Found in a Vermont attic 30 years after its owner stashed it there, the mixed-media painting is typical of Smith’s work. After formal training at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, she became famous for her illustrations in children’s books and magazines.

From ARTINFO:
JPMorgan Chase Claims Rights to Rijksmuseum-Owned Painting

Recent news stories have shown that not even the wealthiest of collectors are immune to the financial and economic crisis. Case in point: JPMorgan Chase claims that a painting currently in the collection of Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum was put up as collateral by Dutch businessman Louis Reijtenbagh, who then defaulted on his 2006 loan from the bank. Seems simple, save one complication—the museum purchased the painting, Gerrit Adriansz Berckheyde’s “De bocht van de Herengracht,” in 2008 from Reijtenbagh. No legal proceedings have been set in motion yet, and the Rijksmuseum contends that it acquired the painting through legal means and followed correct procedures.

From CNN:
Last Titanic survivor selling mementos to pay bills

Millvina Dean was a baby when she was rescued from the sinking Titanic in 1912, and her mementos from the ship’s disastrous maiden voyage are expected to fetch $50,000 when she puts them up for auction on Saturday. Dean hopes to make enough money from the auction to remain living in the nursing home where she currently resides. Among the items to go under the hammer is the canvas sack that supposedly carried Dean into a lifeboat.

From AuctionBytes:
Proxibid Breaks Auction Records in March and First Quarter

Proxibid, the online auction house, is setting all kinds of sales records. More auctions. More bidders. A higher sell-through percentage. Which just goes to show, if you make it easy for people to attend an auction—in the case of Proxibid, from the comfort of home—people will buy.

From BBC News:
Envelope fails to sell at auction

An envelope bearing some of the first stamps from the Straits Settlements—a British colony from 1867 until the end of World War II and now part of Malaysia—failed to excite bidders at auction. Expected to sell for £1,500 ($2,200), the envelope was mailed in 1868 and survived a voyage on the Red Sea, as well as an overland journey, on its way to being delivered to a woman in Northampton, England.

From Art Daily:
Tsarist Treasures to be Sold at Sotheby’s Russian Art Sales

Sotheby’s upcoming Russian art sales will feature a treasure trove of Imperial Russian antiques. Highlights of the sale include an 1879 silver tea service (estimated selling price: $320,000–$380,000) and a pair of porcelain vases made in the mid-19th century ($1,790,000–2,685,000).

From The New York Times:
They Came From Horrorwood: Ackerman Items On the Block

Pieces from the Ackermansion, the Hollywood home of the late Forrest J. Ackerman, will be center stage at an upcoming Profiles in History auction. Included in the auction preview are Bela Lugosi’s monogrammed ring from a 1948 Dracula movie, Lugosi’s Dracula cape, Lon Chaney’s fanged dentures, a set of comic-book drawings, autographs, newspaper clippings and thousands of other objects.

From BBC News:
Sale of Nazi housewife magazines

Next week, Mullock’s auctioneers in Shropshire, England, will auction off a collection of NS Frauen Warte magazine issues that is expected to fetch at least £500–£700 ($750–$1,050). NS Frauen Warte was the official women’s magazine of the Nazi party, published biweekly from 1935–1945 and featuring recipes and household tips—with a Nazi bent.

From The Associated Press via The New York Times:
Jackson’s Stuff Not For Sale Following Settlement

After being on-again, off-again for quite some time, Julien’s Auctions planned sale of Michael Jackson items and memorabilia is officially off-again. Jackson and Julien’s reached a settlement on Tuesday that allows Jackson to keep the items that were to go under the hammer later this month while the auction house carries on with what was intended to be a pre-auction display of the 2,000 items.

From BBC News:
Historic coins valued at £50,000

Several dozen 400-year-old gold coins found in Oxfordshire, England, have been given a presale value of £50,000 ($75,000) before they hit the auction block in June. A builder found the coins, minted during the reign of James I, 30 years ago, and the man’s grandson is selling all but two. The British Museum bought the two rarest coins, and the rest will be sold individually at estimates between £400–£2,500 ($600–$3,750) each.

From The Boston Globe:
Obama ‘Hope’ artist sees new Boston charges

Shepard Fairey, creator of the iconic “Hope” Barack Obama campaign poster, is facing new charges in Boston. Adding to several existing charges of felony vandalism, a judge added 10 more counts of the same on Tuesday. Fairey has pleaded not guilty to the previous charges, which include alleged vandalism in conjunction with his street-art campaign in Boston. The artist is also in litigation with the Associated Press dealing with violations of copyright law stemming from Fairey’s appropriation of an AP photograph for the “Hope” poster.

From The Telegraph (UK):
Royal wedding cake from 1871 goes on sale

A slice of cake from the wedding celebration of Queen Victoria’s daughter will go under the hammer in Birmingham, England, with a price tag of £145 ($217). The 1871 nuptials between Princess Louise and the Marquis of Lorne stirred up substantial debate as it was the first marriage between a royal and a commoner in more than 350 years. Despite the controversy, the queen made the event an extravagant affair, and the inch-wide slice of cake on sale was part of a 5-foot-tall confection.

From The Irish Times:
Acclaimed Irish art on show ahead of Sotheby’s auction

A preview of the upcoming Sotheby’s sale of Irish art will be in Dublin next weekend featuring works by William Scott, Sir William Orpen, Daniel O’Neill and Roderic O’Connor. The collection paintings, which range from 18th-century to present day, is estimated to be worth about €8 million ($10,578,800). The first auction house to hold a sale dedicated to Irish art, Sotheby’s set a record in 2001 for the most money paid for an Irish painting. The work was Sir Orpen’s “Portrait of Gardenia St George,” which fetched £1,983,500 ($2,974,500) at auction.

From The New York Times:
MoMA Sued Over German Works

Two paintings and a watercolor by German expressionist painter George Grosz are at the center of a lawsuit filed by Grosz’s heirs against the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Grosz’s heirs want the works returned to them, but MoMA refuses to do so. The lawsuit claims Grosz left the works with his dealer, Alfred Flechtheim, in Germany when he fled the country in 1933. Flechtheim died in 1937, and the paintings found their way to New York after that.

From Gibson.com:
Buyer Pays $460,000 for Roy Rogers’ Martin Acoustic

Results from the auction of Roy Rogers’ guitar. The guitar was sold to an anonymous bidder for $460,000—more than 15,300 times what Rogers paid for it at a California pawnshop back in 1933. Only one of 15 OM-45 Deluxe acoustic guitars that Martin produced in 1930, Rogers’ guitar was one of the most rare, coveted guitars in the world.

From BBC News:
Egg art auction raises thousands

More auction results, this time from Scotland. The online auction of more than 50 elaborately painted ostrich eggs raised more than £6,000 ($9,000) for Mary’s Meals, a food charity. All the eggs were decorated by leading Scottish artists, and the top two sellers (£200, or $300, each) were painted by John Lowrie Morrison and Lonnie Fiord.

From The Guardian (UK):
Charles Darwin egg leaves Cambridge museum thrilled after cracking code

A volunteer at the Cambridge University zoology museum found what is thought to be the last egg of a batch that Charles Darwin brought back to England after his explorations around the world on the Beagle. The tinamou egg bears cracks 150 years old and was donated to the museum by Darwin’s son, Frank. Volunteer Liz Wetton came across the egg as she was working on cataloging and repackaging the museum’s extensive egg collection.

From Bloomberg:
Gallery Director Pleads Guilty to Falsifying Records

Steven Harvey, director of the recently troubled Salander-O’Reilly Galleries in Manhattan, has plead guilty to charges of falsifying records. Apparently, Harvey entered the plea March 13, weeks before the Manhattan gallery’s proprietor, Lawrence Salander, was arrested for allegedly stealing $88 million from investors, collectors and the Bank of America Corp. Harvey left Salander-O’Reilly in 2007 to open his own art dealership.

From TVNZ (New Zealand):
Rare, old books heading under the hammer

A collection of 180 rare books will be auctioned at Dunbar Sloane Auction House in Wellington, New Zealand, later this month, with expected sales of $250,000 NZD ($146,600). The private collection of Australasia books includes 1,000-year-old manuscripts, tomes from the 12th and 13th centuries and a page from one of the world’s first printed books.

From The Associated Press via Auction Central News:
Czech police recover stolen surrealistic painting by Toyen

An important surrealist painting by Czech artist Toyen was recovered 17 years after it was stolen from a private collection. Czech police recovered “Northern Landscape” last week when two suspects attempted to sell the painting, which is thought to be worth around $305,000. Another work by Toyen—neé Marie Cerminova—sold last month at auction for about $1 million.

Elizabeth Hendley is a WorthPoint writer based in Seattle.

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From The New York Times:
In Chair Design, An Endless Loop

The Times has a profile of the Elkins Loop chair, designed in the 1930s by a Chicago decorator, in time for the auction of several of the chairs at Sotheby’s today. Presale estimates are in the neighborhood of $6,000–$8,000 for a pair of “The It Chair,” as designated by The Magazine Antiques.

From ARTINFO:
Hearst Castle Paintings to be Returned to Holocaust Heirs

Paintings that have hung at the Hearst Castle in California since 1935 are being repatriated to their rightful owners after a two-year investigation. The investigation found that three paintings, all thought to be works by Venetian artists, belong to the heirs of Rosa and Jakob Oppenheimer, antiques dealers who fled Germany in the 1930s and were later victims of the Holocaust. Two paintings will be returned, and the third will remain with their permission at the Hearst Castle.

From Auction Central News:
Christie’s closes Washington, D.C. branch

Christie’s is shuttering its branch in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., though the auction house hasn’t cited any specific reason for the closure. In a statement, Christie’s said their Washington, D.C., area clients and customers will be served by the New York location.

From The Guardian (UK):
New York art dealer accused of being Bernie Madoff’s middleman

Ezra Merkin, a New York art collector and managing partner of Gabriel Capital, has been charged with almost $2.5 billion in fraud in connection to Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. Merkin allegedly collected money from clients under false pretenses then handed it over to Madoff. Among Merkin’s payoffs? An apartment with $91-million worth of fine art—including one of the world’s largest Mark Rothko collections.

From ARTINFO:
Getty to Return Ancient Fresco to Italy

After accusations of possessing illegally exported artifacts from Italy, the J. Paul Getty Museum is returning a first-century B.C. fresco fragment to its home country. The piece has been in the museum’s collection since 1996, and director Michael Brand says the decision to repatriate it comes after new evidence pertaining to the fresco’s provenance came to light last year.

From Bloomberg:
Qing Dynasty Vase Fetches $6 Million At Hong Kong Auctions

A Qinglong era (1736-1795) Chinese vase was the top lot at Sotheby’s Hong Kong sale today, selling for $6 million and more than doubling its presale estimate. There was a five-minute bidding war for the vase with offers increasing in HK$1 million ($129,000) intervals before a phone buyer sealed the deal. Sotheby’s five-day sale wrapped up with today’s total of HK$178 million ($23 million).

From BBC News:
Jackson fails to overturn auction

Michael Jackson’s request to stop an authorized sale of his belongings was rejected by a Los Angeles judge. The judge ruled that the auction should proceed, after arguments that Julien’s Auctions has already invested $2 million in the sale and could face bankruptcy if the auction were to be cancelled. Though Jackson’s representatives previously agreed on the sale and signed a contract, Jackson reneged and filed suit against Julien’s Auctions last month. The sale remains scheduled for April 22 in Beverly Hills.

From The Associated Press via Auction Central News:
Experts unveil new Leonardo portrait

A previously unknown portrait of Leonardo da Vinci that was discovered in December in a family collection was unveiled in Rome last week. The painting shows the artist as a middle-aged man, wearing dark robes and complete with long hair and a black hat. Carbon dating on the wood indicates that it is from Leonardo’s lifetime (1452–1519), though experts say that doesn’t necessarily mean it was painted then. The portrait belongs to a family in the Basilicata region of southern Italy.

From The Guardian (UK):
Lost drawing of Henry VIII’s great victory uncovered

In another instance of mislabeled pieces in the British Library collection, a previously unknown drawing of Henry VIII’s 1544 victory over French armies in the Siege of Boulogne was discovered in the London institution’s archives. The last in a series of four drawings, experts have wondered over the years why the final piece was never created; turns out, it was at the British Library for centuries.

It was common practice in the 16th century for rulers to commission an artist to commemorate military battles and achievements in a series of drawings that were then the blueprint for oil paintings. The drawing will be on public display at the British Library in an exhibit honoring the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession to the English throne.

From Bloomberg:
Chinese Master Lin Sets Record at $20.5 Million Hong Kong

Sotheby’s much-anticipated Hong Kong sale of 20th-century Chinese and contemporary Asian art kicked off today with a bang. Though records were shattered in several categories, one Lin Fengmian painting proved to be the blockbuster when it sold for HK$16.3 million ($2.1 million)). It nearly tripled its presale estimate to make up a good chunk of the sale’s $20.5 million total. The auction fared better for masterworks than those by contemporary artists, and 158 of the 209 sold. Several nonpainting works also fetched high prices, including two pearl bowls (HK$1.7 million/$219,600) and a pumpkin sculpture (HK$2.72 million/$350,400).

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From Reuters:
Hendrix home tape for sale, shows ‘softer’ side

A Jimi Hendrix home recording is expected to fetch between $70,000 and $140,000 when it goes up for auction later this month. The tape was made in 1968 in New York and made its way to London when the legendary guitarist moved across the pond for several years. It includes tracks from “Electric Ladyland” and a Bob Dylan cover. The tape’s owner says that the tape is a departure from Hendrix’s electric bluesy sound and has a folky, acoustic feel.

From The Guardian (UK):
David Hockney portrait resurfaces

A sketch of Peter Schlesinger that David Hockney made about 30 years ago has resurfaced and will go under the hammer. It’s expected to sell for at least £15,000 ($22,000). Hockney featured Schlesinger prominently in several of his paintings from the 1960s. Other lots in the auction include a Matisse pencil drawing and etchings by Picasso and Lucian Freud.

From Bloomberg:
Smiling Marilyn to Tempt Collectors at London Show

For late photographer Cecil Beaton’s first public selling show in more than 20 years, Sotheby’s is presenting 64 portraits by the Academy Award-winning costume designer. Photographs of Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Pablo Picasso and Queen Elizabeth II will all be in the show at Chris Beetles Gallery in London. Prices range from £3,500–£8,500 ($5,200–$12,600).

From The Baltimore Sun:
Burglars taking the best stuff from a fine old house

A circa-1850 home in Baltimore has been broken into three times so far, and its owner expects more break-ins in the future. To date, two marble fireplaces and an antique cast-iron pipe have been taken from the Thomas Carey House, and owner Jerry Dadds believes they were all stolen by the same thieves. Dadds is combing area antiques stores in search of the missing pieces.

From The New York Times:
Daguerreotype of New York in 1840s sells for $62,500

On Monday, Sotheby’s sold what is believed to be the oldest photograph of New York City for $62,500 to a Nashville, Tenn., collector. The 1840s daguerreotype shows what is now Manhattan’s Upper West Side and what was then a pasture with a white fence. The sum Billy and Jennifer Frist paid for the photo was squarely within the high and low presale estimates of $50,000-$70,000. Frist is the nephew of former Republican Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee.

From The Guardian (UK):
Titanic museum to open in Southampton by 2012

Almost a full century after sinking in the icy Atlantic—and more than a decade after the hit movie based on its demise—the Titanic is getting its own museum in Southampton, England, where the ship embarked on its maiden, and only, voyage. Many of the 4,000 artifacts from the ship will be displayed at the interactive museum, which is slated to open in 2012, along with recordings from Titanic survivors.

From The Art Newspaper:
Rockefeller rooms find homes

Two museums—the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Va., and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art—will be the new homes of two rooms from John D. Rockefeller’s 54th Street townhouse that have been in the collection of the Museum of the City New York for more than 70 years. MCNY decided to deaccession the rooms when it recently renovated its exhibition floors, and the three museums came to an arrangement concerning the Aesthetic Movement interiors.

From BBC News:
James Bond museum to open doors

In more museum news, a new Bond Museum is opening in Keswick, England, that will feature the massive collection of Bond enthusiast Peter Nelson. Among the items exhibited are the convertible Triumph Stag, which had its moment in “Diamonds Are Forever (Bond: Sean Connery); the Lotus Esprit Turbo from “The Spy Who Loved Me” (Bond: Roger Moore); a Russian T55 tank from “GoldenEye” (Bond: Pierce Brosnan); and a Colibri from “The Man with the Golden Gun” (Bond: Roger Moore).

From Bloomberg:
Islamic Glass Bucket Fetches More Than 20 Times Its 2000 Price

The “Rothschild Bucket,” a medieval Islamic glass vessel, sold at Sotheby’s in London on Wednesday for $2.3 million. The 8-inch-high bucket brought in more than 20 times as much as it did at Christie’s nine years ago, partly because it was declared to be a fake by an expert. The bucket is thought to have been made in Syria or Egypt in the mid-14th century.

From The Associated Press via Auction Central News:
Important painting found in Minnesota church closet

A painting by Dutch-born, French-trained painter Christus Consolator was recently discovered in the janitor’s closet at a church in Dassel, Minn. The church’s reverend brought the painting to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts for advice on how to restore the painting after it was found in 2007—he didn’t know it was the work of one of the pre-eminent Romantic painters in 19th-century Paris. Its estimated value clocks in at $35,000, and the church has since donated the painting to the MIA, where it’s one of the highlights of the museum’s 19th-century paintings gallery.

From The New York Times:
Museum is to Show the Human Side of a Cartoon Titan

Another new museum, this time in San Francisco. Walt Disney’s heirs have announced plans to open a museum dedicated to the man who brought Mickey Mouse and his merry band of characters to children the world over. The Walt Disney Family Museum will be a $112-million project to emphasize Disney’s artistic achievements and home life. Somewhat of a reaction to several books that painted Disney in negative light, the museum will feature home movies, Steamboat Willie animation cels, an Academy Award, a screening space and chronological exhibits.

From BBC News:
Tate extension gets green light

London’s Tate Modern was recently approved for a revised planned expansion. Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron will create an 11-story, brick-and-glass building that will lead into the gallery’s existing structure on London’s South Bank. Seventy-four million pounds ($108,850,000)—a third of the construction cost—has already been raised, and completion is slated for 2012—just in time for the city’s Olympic hosting duties.

From The Associated Press via The Boston Globe:
Man says he’ll press claim over Van Gogh painting

Pierre Konowaloff, descendant of a famous Russian art collector, is carrying on in his quest to regain possession of Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Night Café” from Yale University. Yale filed a pre-emptive suit last week claiming that the institution is the painting’s legal owner, but Konowaloff believes it was acquired through illegal means when the Soviet Union nationalized its citizens’ art collections.

From BBC News:
Burns and Wilde possessions sold

A razor that belonged to Robert Burns and Oscar Wilde’s walking cane were sold during the same sale at Lyon and Turnbull auctioneers in Edinburgh, Scotland. Burns’ razor went for £1,350 ($1,931) while Wilde’s ivory-handled cane sold for £7,275 ($10,409), 14 times its presale estimate of £300–500 ($430–715). The cane features Wilde’s initials and cell-location number from his stint in jail on charges of homosexuality.

From Auction Central News:
Earliest known Mantle jersey in Grey Flannel sale

The 1952 Yankees home jersey thought to be the earliest worn by baseball legend Mickey Mantle will go under the hammer in April at Grey Flannel auction house. The famous flannel-pinstripe uniform features Mantle’s number 7, as well as the slugger’s signature on the front. Other lots in Grey Flannel’s auction include a 1920s bat used by Babe Ruth (complete with the Babe’s home-run notches), a “Pistol” Pete Maravich game-worn jersey, Jackie Robinson’s 1949 MVP award and Michael Jordan’s game-worn jersey from the 1992 Olympics.

From The Irish Times:
A Knight’s Sale

Irish furniture expert and Knight of Glin titleholder Desmond FitzGerald has seen many collectors sell off their prized belongings during his tenure at Christie’s, but until now, he’s never been among them. With the current economic crisis, FitzGerald plans to put paintings, silver and furniture from his estate at Glin Castle up for auction at Christie’s London in May.

From Bloomberg:
War Medal for Dog Rip, Who Saved 100 People, May Fetch $14,400

Rip, a stray dog whose keen nose saved more than 100 lives during the World War II blitz in London, will be honored at an auction next month when his Dickin medal goes under the hammer. Rip received the medal, the animal equivalent to the Victoria Cross for bravery, for finding casualties under the rubble after bombings. The medal is expected to being in at least $14,400.

From The Guardian (UK):
Forsooth, restorers botched up bald bard William Shakespeare

The much-talked-about portrait of Shakespeare unveiled earlier this month was apparently altered during the Bard’s lifetime to reflect changes in his appearance. Experts previously thought that the painting, now referred to as the “Cobbe portrait,” was changed after Shakespeare died, but new evidence suggests otherwise. The painting will be on display at an exhibition in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, starting April 23.

From The Associated Press via Auction Central News:
Circa-1900 Paris Metro rail guard auctioned for $27,500

An Art Nouveau-style cast-iron gate that once greeted passengers at the entrance of the Paris Metro sold in New York last week for $27,500. The iconic gates—a similar piece can be found at the Museum of Modern Art—sold for over three times its presale estimate of $9,000. It was designed by renowned architect Hector Guimard.

Elizabeth Hendley is a WorthPoint writer based in Seattle.

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From The New York Daily News:
Tennis great John McEnroe helps nab art dealer Lawrence Salandar, who was indicted for fraud

More details about the Lawrence Salandar case. Anyone who’s seen John McEnroe throw a tantrum on the tennis court knows better than to cross him. Too bad Lawrence Salandar was none the wiser. When Salandar allegedly defrauded McEnroe out of $2 million, he should have known there would be hell to pay. McEnroe paid Salandar 50-percent interest for two Arshile Gorky paintings—the same half-interest that Salandar had already sold to another investor before he sold the paintings and kept the proceeds. McEnroe is only one of the clients of the Salandar-O’Reilly Galleries whose losses has help indict Salandar on more than 100 counts of fraud. He’s currently being held on bail of $1 million.

From Auction Central News:
Michael Jackson sale going forward; auctioneer alledges physical threats

Julien’s Auctions’ sale of Michael Jackson belongings and memorabilia is a go, according to Darren Julien. After lawsuits and even alleged physical threats, the sale will take place in Beverly Hills, April 22–25. Curious onlookers and collectors alike can view many of the sale’s lots at the Times Square Hard Rock Cafe in New York. Among the highlights of the sale are Jackson’s iconic white, crystal-encrusted glove, the entertainer’s American Music Awards for “Thriller” and “Beat It,” and several customized jackets and belts that the King of Pop has worn over the years.

From The New York Times:
The High Altar of the Temple of Love

For the first time, The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) in Maastricht, Netherlands, had a separate section devoted to 20th-century design, but it was a Louis XVI bed that made the biggest splash during the fair, which ended Sunday.

From BBC News:
Art raid thieves were ‘animals’

Four men broke into the house of Esmond and Susie Bulmer, of Bulmer’s cider fame, and tied up the couple’s house sitter before stealing £2 million ($2,865,000) worth of jewelry, antiques, artwork and a Mercedes. Deborah Barnjum was house-sitting for the Bulmers while they were on vacation and was letting their dog out at night when the men ambushed her and tied her to the house’s banister. Paintings by George Frederic Watts and Sir George Clausen were among the 15 artworks stolen.

From Bloomberg:
Grand Prix Car from 1939 May Fetch Record $8 Million

A 1939 200-mph D-Type Auto Union automobile that was discovered in eastern Germany by Russians following World War II will likely fetch $8 million as this type of car rarely appears at auction. The silver Grand Prix race car goes under the hammer at the Bonhams & Butterfields August 14 car auction in Carmel, Calif.

From ARTINFO:
Carnegie, Montclair Museums Deaccessioning Works From Collections

Following the controversy surrounding the decision at Brandeis University’s Rose Art Museum to deaccession several pieces from its collection for fundraising purposes, the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Montclair Art Museum have announced that they plan to do the same. The two museums will sell pieces from their collections—in both cases, items that either no longer fit the museums’ visions or items rarely seen by the public—in order to acquire new pieces. Montclair Art Museum plans to sell a 1951 Jackson Pollock work at an upcoming Christie’s sale while the Carnegie had George Nakashima and Charles and Ray Eames pieces in a Sotheby’s sale today.

From The Associated Press via Auction Central News:
Fate of Titanic, its treasures, in U.S. judge’s hands

A Virginia judge is expected to rule that the wreckage and treasures from the Titanic must remain together and accessible to the public. Because the ship sank in international waters, many legal claims have been laid to the ownership of the ship’s artifacts and wreck site since it was found in 1985. RMS Titanic Inc., the team that salvaged the wreckage, would like to be granted limited ownership of the artifacts.

From BBC News:
Antique giant bird’s egg on sale

An egg laid by the Great Elephant Bird of Madagascar in the 17th century is up for sale at the Chelsea Antiques Fair in London for a cool £5,000 ($7,200). The egg’s circumference measures 3 feet and was laid by the now-extinct bird, whose species died out in the mid-1600s.

From Bloomberg:
Slain Gold Magnate’s Art Sale May Fetch South African Record

The 20th-century art collection that belonged to Brett Kebble, a South African businessman who developed South Deep, the largest gold deposit in the world, before being assassinated in 2005, is expected to bring in at least 100 million rand ($11 million) when it goes under the hammer on May 7 in Johannesburg. Experts say the 133-lot collection might break a record for South African art.

From ARTINFO:
Yale Goes to Court to Protect a Van Gogh

In a pre-emptive tactic to protect a painting in its collection, Yale University has filed a suit arguing that the university is the rightful, legal owner of Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Night Café.” Acquired through donation in 1961, the painting once belonged to a famous Russian art collector, Ivan Morozov. When the USSR nationalized its citizens’ private collections after the revolution, the painting became property of the government, which then sold it. Last year, a man surfaced in Paris claiming to be Morozov’s great-grandson, saying that he has legal claim to the painting.

From AFP:
Hitler art to go on sale in Britain

Thirteen paintings created by one of history’s most infamous men will go on sale April 23 in Ludlow, England. The paintings, mostly watercolors, bear Adolf Hitler’s initials and are thought to have been painted when Hitler was an artist during his 20s. Recently discovered in a garage, the paintings were brought back to England presumably by a British soldier after World War II and are expected to fetch six figures at auction.

From The New York Times:
Art Dealer Is Charged With Stealing $88 Million

More than a year after the implosion of Manhattan’s Salandar-O’Reilly Galleries, owner Lawrence B. Salandar has been arrested and charged with 100 counts of grand larceny, fraud, falsifying business records, scheming to defraud and perjury. The charges stem from allegations that Salandar stole $88 million from clients¬—including such high-profile investors as John McEnroe and Roy Lennox—who consigned artwork to him and never received sale proceeds, and, in some cases, never saw their pieces again.

From The Associated Press:
‘Psycho’ score fails to sell at London auction

The spine-tingling musical score to Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” failed to bring in bids near its low estimate of £30,000 ($44,000) at a Bonhams auction in London on Wednesday. High estimates for the 20-page sheet music topped £40,000 ($56,000). It will be returned to the third wife of Bernard Herrmann, the score’s composer, who was selling it.

From Bloomberg:
Clown Car Toy Sells For Record $103,500 in $4 Million Auction

The cast-iron clown car that was supposed to be the star of Donald Kaufman’s toy collection, indeed, made quite a splash when it sold for $103,500 at auction last week. The toy, made in Germany in 1909, headlined the sale of Kaufman’s extensive, 7,000-piece collection and was originally estimated to bring in $40,000. Kaufman was the co-founder of KB Toys.

From BBC News:
Ostrich egg art in online auction

Scottish artists have decorated more than 50 ostrich eggs for an Easter Monday auction to benefit Mary’s Meals, an international charity that provides food to developing countries. Bidding starts at £50 ($73) for each egg, which are decorated by the likes of John Lowrie Morrison and Ronnie Fiord.

From The New York Times:
Christie’s Is Sued After Francis Bacon Painting Fails to Sell

Weiss Family Art, a family trust led by collector George A. Weiss, is suing Christie’s over a Francis Bacon painting that failed to sell at the auction house. According to the suit, Christie’s reneged on the $40-million guarantee to the trust when the painting went up for auction. The guarantee meant that the auction house would pay $40 million if the painting went unsold, but Christie’s did not to honor the guarantee because of the economic crisis.

From The Associated Press via Auction Central News:
Missing Italian statue found in N.C. couple’s home

A statue of St. Innocent that was stolen from a church in Naples, Italy, almost 20 years ago has been found in Charlotte, N. C. The couple that bought the statue had no idea it had been stolen from Santa Maria degli Angeli alle Croci when they purchased it from an antiques dealer. Sixteen other sculptures and two oil paintings were stolen at the same time.

From BBC News:
Hockney’s housewife gets display

David Hockney’s “Beverly Hills Housewife” will go on display for the first time in two decades before it’s auctioned off at Christie’s of London in May. The painting belonged to collector Betty Freeman, who died in January and whose collection will go under the hammer May 13. Christie’s experts say “Housewife” should fetch between £5–7 million ($7,287,000–$10,201,000).

Elizabeth Hendley is a WorthPoint writer based in Seattle.

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From The New York Times:
Rarefied Collectibles: Relics from Moon Trips

Dallas’ Heritage Auction Galleries plans to auction off on April 1 flight memorabilia that U.S. astronauts have collected over the years—and unlike most collectibles, signs of wear and tear are actually coveted characteristics of space-flight items. Heritage will auction items from spoons and camera pins to Velcro straps. Regency-Superior auctioneers in Beverly Hills is holding a similar sale, which includes a 1963 yellow-nylon test spacesuit (estimated price: $300,000–$500,000).

From The Associated Press via Auction Central News:
Ellsworth Woodward paintings discovered in high school library

Two Ellsworth Woodward paintings worth $150,000 each were found in the library of a Louisiana high school. Originally gifts to the school from Bolton High School’s class of 1917, the landscapes by the famous New Orleans painter are being housed at the Alexandria Museum of Art in Alexandria, La., until proper facilities are built for the paintings. Woodward is known as one of the founders of Tulane University’s Newcomb College.

From BBC News:
Best memorabilia raises thousands

Photographs, jerseys and other memorabilia from the collection of soccer legend George Best went under the hammer on Thursday in Belfast. Highlights of the sale included a replica 1968 European Cup trophy—commemorating one of the most famous games in Best’s illustrious career when Manchester United beat Benfica—which sold for £2,600 ($3,750).

From Bloomberg:
Pearl Carpet of Beroda Sells For Record $5.5 Million

The Pearl Carpet of Beroda, which contains more than a million natural Basra seed pearls, sold for $5.5 million at a Sotheby’s sale in Qatar, setting a record for the highest price paid for a rug at auction. The carpet was commissioned in 1865 by the Maharajah of Beroda, India, who possibly intended to leave it as a gift at the tomb of Muhammad in Medina. The previous record holder was a 17th-century Persian rug that belonged to tobacco heiress Doris Duke. It sold for $4.5 million last summer.

From BBC News:
Darwin first print up for auction

Keys of Aylsham auctioneers in Norfolk, England, will auction off a first-edition, first-issue copy of Charles Darwin’s 1859 landmark tome, “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection,” on April 30. Only 1,250 copies of the book were printed in its first run, and this copy is expected to bring in £25,000 ($36,330).

From The Art Newspaper:
Australian art dealer investigated by fraud squad

Authorities in New South Wales, Australia, are investigating Ronald Coles, a well-known Sydney art dealer, after allegations of fraud surfaced. Coles’ clients, to whom he sold artworks for their personal investment portfolios, accuse him of not following Australian law regarding this type of transaction and also selling their artworks without their permission or giving them the proceeds from the sales. The Robert Coles Investment Gallery specializes in prominent Australian artists.

From Bloomberg:
Versace London Sale Beats Estimates, Fetches $10.5 Million

Even with the loss of its anticipated headliner—Johann Zoffany’s 1783 “Portrait of Major George Maule”—Sotheby’s sale of the contents of late designer Gianni Versace’s Italian villa raked in a whopping $10.5 million, doubling the total presale estimate. A mere nine lots out of the 545 went unsold. The sale’s top-selling lot was a piece commissioned by Pauline Borghese, Napoleon’s sister. The Karl Roos-designed gilt-mounted cherry wood bookcase sold for £601,250 ($874,500).

From Bloomberg:
Christie’s to Offer Qing Imperial Clock at Hong Kong Auction

In the auction house’s first sale in China since the Yves Saint Laurent Qing bronzes debacle, Christie’s will auction a Qing imperial clock in May at a sale in Hong Kong. The clock’s twin piece sold for a record $5 million last May—more than 10 times its presale estimate. Despite China’s tightened sanctions on Christie’s, the clock is expected to fetch at least as much as its twin did last year.

From ARTINFO:
Christie’s Charity Auction Surpasses Expectations

A Christie’s auction to benefit AVEC, or Association pour la Vie et l’Espoir contre le Cancer (Association for Life and Hope Against Cancer), raised $6 million on Tuesday in Paris. Among the 28 lots that went under the hammer were works by Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons and Richard Serra, whose “Backstop (to Thurman Munson)” sculpture had the highest bid with €700,000 ($742,670).

From The New York Times:
Bill Seeks to Regulate Museums’ Art Sales

The New York State Legislature introduced a bill on Tuesday that would make it illegal for museums to sell parts of their collections to cover operating costs. In addition to being influenced by the recent controversy at Brandeis University’s Rose Art Museum, the bill also addresses the National Academy Museum’s December sale of two Hudson River School paintings to raise money for the institution. Though strongly condemned in the art-museum world, deaccessioning currently has no legal implications—partly because of self-imposed restrictions by groups like the Association of Art Museum Directors.

From The New York Times:
Auction Offers 500 Lots of Elvis Memorabilia

Attention Elvis fanatics: Gotta Have It Collectibles is putting 500 lots of Elvis Presley memorabilia up for sale on its Web site, including several items that the King of Rock ‘n Roll wore on stage. Notable pieces include a blue jumpsuit and cape with gold lining (minimum bid: $100,000) and a belt that starts at $8,000. Bidding goes until March 25.

From The New York Times:
Museum Family Denounces Brandeis

The family of the major benefactor of Brandeis University’s Rose Art Museum has added their criticism to the swirling debate about the museum’s future. Members of the art community were outraged when Brandeis trustees voted to close the museum and sell its collection to raise funds for the university.

Responding to the criticism, the group recanted, and the fate of the museum is unsure. As an appointed panel begins a series of meetings this week to resolve the issue, the family of the museum’s major benefactor wants to be heard and asks that the museum to remain open and its collection untouched.

From The Evening Standard (UK):
Versace star lot withdrawn over theft fear

A Johann Zoffany painting that was to be the headlining lot in Sotheby’s upcoming sale of the contents of Gianni Versace’s Italian villa has been taken off the auction block due to questions about its provenance. Presale estimates for “Portrait of Major George Maule” were between £40,000–£60,000 ($56,200–$84,200), but the painting won’t receive a single bid because of speculation that it was stolen 15 years before Versace acquired it.

Descendants of Major Maule contacted the Art Loss Register after seeing the painting featured in an article about the auction, which begins Wednesday, and informed the organization that the painting had been stolen 30 years ago. While Art Loss Register and Sotheby’s investigate the claim, the painting has been removed from the auction.

From The Guardian (UK):
Grapes of wrath: Guernsey wartime wines fetch £50,000

Results from a story reported on last month: The 73 bottles of wine—and one bottle of Champagne—hidden from the Nazis on the Channel Islands during World War II sold yesterday at Bonhams for a total of £50,000 ($70,200). The biggest-grossing lot was two 1934 bottles of Château d’Yquem sauternes that sold for £1,000 ($1,400).

From Wealth Bulletin:
Bonhams whisky sale puts buying spirit into investors

Apparently the collectible Scotch-whisky market is rather recession proof. At a Bonhams sale of rare and collectible whiskies in Edinburgh last week, 95 percent of the 400 lots sold for a total of £92,376 ($130,200). The highest seller was a Highland Park 12-year-old single malt that went for £1,860 ($2,600)—more than three times its high estimate.

From The Detroit Free Press:
Rosa Parks’ items go up for bid

A collection of Rosa Parks’ personal items are being sold by a New York auction house, and The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Mich., is one of the contenders to acquire the collection. Included in the Rosa Parks Archive—thought to be worth several million dollars—are letters, the hat Parks wore the day that started the bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala., and presidential and congressional medals awarded to her. Several civil-rights and African-American history institutions are also interested in the collection.

From BBC News:
Old toys ‘could earn thousands’

British antiques expert Hilary Kay suggests looking in your attic if you’d like to earn some extra cash. Vintage games and toys—at least those in good shape—can be worth thousands of dollars at auction, partly because items from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s play upon collectors’ nostalgia.

From BBC News:
In pictures: Vintage film posters

Christie’s London is holding a sale of rare vintage movie posters this Wednesday, and BBC News has a great slide show of the posters that will go under the hammer. Among the notables are posters from “Sunset Boulevard” (estimate: $5,600–$8,500), “La Passion de Jeanne D’Arc” (estimate: $5,600–$8,500) and “Sabrina” (estimate: $4,200–$7,100).

From The Associated Press via the Denver Post:
Rare Superman comic sells for $317,200

A 1938 edition of Action Comics No. 1—the first comic book to feature Superman—sold for $317,200 at an online auction last week. One of only 100 copies produced, the comic book is considered the “Holy Grail” for collectors. ComicConnect.com hosted the sale for the previous owner, who purchased the comic book for a mere 35¢ in the 1950s.

From The New York Times:
These Canvases Need Oil And a Good Driver

Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal will play host to an exhibit of four of BMW’s famous Art Cars for two weeks this month. The cars, painted by the likes of Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein and Frank Stella, have been a promotional tool of the company since 1975 when art dealer/race-car driver Hervé Poulain asked Alexander Calder to adorn the BMW he drove at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. BMW ran with the idea, and the Art Cars have been exhibited at the Louvre and both the New York and Bilbao Guggenheims.

Elizabeth Hendley is a WorthPoint writer based in Seattle.

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Perhaps the most well-known Irish product—other than Guinness—is Waterford crystal. Founded in 1783 as Waterford Flint Glass Manufactory in the port town of Waterford, in southeastern Ireland, the brand was revived in 1947 under the direction of Czech immigrants. They sought to carry on the tradition and excellent craftsmanship that made Waterford’s hand-cut and engraved lead crystal popular with collectors.

Waterford lamp

Waterford footed vase

Learn more about the Waterford lamp and vase on GoAntiques.

Not only famous for its more public pieces—the ball that drops every New Year’s Eve in Times Square; chandeliers at the Lincoln Center, Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle; the crystal football awarded to the winner of the BCS National Championship Game that determines the number-one college football team—Waterford’s many patterns each have their own distinct details, as well as thoroughly Irish names like Colleen, Kildare, Adare and Maeve. The hand-cut crystal vases, glasses, lamps, bowls, paperweights, dishes, ornaments and other items can be found on many a wedding registry. Collectors don’t have to worry about discontinued patters, either. The company will custom make any request.

Pieces made during Waterford’s first incarnation, from 1783–1851, tend to be rarer. These glasses, chandeliers and sconces fetch higher prices, and thus are more desired collectible than those produced from the 20th century to present.

1850 Waterford sconces

Closeup of 1850 Waterford sconces

These spectacular sconces are being offered on GoAntiques.

Several Irish collectibles were borne out of struggle—more specifically, the potato famines that hit the country from 1845–1852. Renowned for its intricacy in pattern, handmade Irish lace began as a cottage industry during the famines, when all many families had to offer was their handiwork. Ursuline nuns taught women and girls how to make lace by hand, inspired by Venetian lace they brought with them to Ireland from France.

Irish linen tea set

Set of Irish linen place mats and serviette napkins

The linen tea set and place mats and napkins are featured on GoAntiques.

Families developed their own patterns, which became closely guarded secrets handed down through the generations. Most of the Irish lace worth collecting was made in the 20 or so years between 1850 and 1870, before machines that could produce lace were introduced, decreasing demand for the handmade variety. The Sheelin Lace Museum in Bellanaleck, Northern Ireland, is an excellent source for collectors and visitors alike.

"His" Irish linen hand towel

"Her" Irish linen hand towel

If you’re interested in this lovely towel set, go to GoAntiques.

Another famed Irish product, Belleek china, has its origins in the potato-famine years. The town of Belleek, though suffering from the famine, had a stroke of luck when local estate owner John Caldwell Bloomfield set about to find work for Belleek’s citizens. Bloomfield conducted a geological survey of the town, situated on the River Erne in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, and found the soil rich in certain raw materials conducive to making pottery.

Belleek toy shell pitcher

Click here for details on this pitcher.

In 1857, Bloomfield built a factory on the Erne’s Rose Isle in order to harness the river’s flow to grind the raw elements into usable materials. Belleek china quickly garnered a stellar reputation, partly because Bloomfield himself declared that any piece produced with even a slight flaw would be destroyed. Not long after, the railroad came to Belleek—surely due in some part to Bloomfield’s influence—and with it came coal to fire the kilns and a mode of transport to bring the china to other markets.

Collectors can date their Belleek china by studying the piece’s mark. Since its inception, the factory has used 13 different marks, including a special millennium mark used in 2000 only and a 150th-anniversary mark on all pieces made in 2007. The marks vary in color but consistently feature a dog and an Irish harp.

Belleek cracker tray and dessert bowl

If you’d like to add this tray and bowl to your collection (or start a new collection), click here.

Recent interest in Irish-made furniture from the 18th and 19th centuries has seen more pieces for sale at big-name auction houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s, as well as at sites like GoAntiques. This Georgian-style furniture incorporates exuberant carvings—especially of animal faces, perhaps inspired by Celtic designs—as well as classically influenced shapes and designs. Pieces often follow Georgian, and sometimes early Queen Anne, style with mahogany cabriole legs, claw-and-ball feet and carved foliage.

19th-century Irish sideboard

Georgian-style Irish server

If you might like to purchase this sideboard or server, get details on GoAntiques.

Once considered unfashionable and lacking graceful lines, a number of chairs, tables, sideboards and other pieces have sold for five and six figures at auction, sometimes as part of English furniture sales. “Irish Furniture,” published in 2007 by Desmond FitzGerald—the Knight of Glin and president of the Irish Georgian Society—and James Piell, a director at Christie’s, is the definitive book on the subject and chronicles the history of Irish furniture and woodwork.

So this St. Patrick’s Day—and all year round, for that matter—let the luck of the Irish be with you in your search for and sale of art, antiques and collectibles.

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From the Telegraph (UK):
Gianni Versace’s villa’s contents go on preview

Highlights of Sotheby’s 550-lot sale of items from Gianni Versace’s Lake Como (Italy) villa are on display in London before going under the hammer next week. Included in the preview are classical statues, furniture and paintings, which are expected to bring in a combined £2 million ($2.8 million) at auction. The late designer hosted many a celebrity at his parties at Villa Fontanelle, which he decorated in a neoclassical style.

From the Statesville (N.C.) Record & Landmark:
Thousands of dollars in antique stamps recovered

A 29-year-old man has been charged with charges of breaking and entering and larceny after stealing an antique-stamp collection, among other items, from an outbuilding in Harmony, N.C. Parts of the stamp collection, estimated to be worth thousands of dollars, has been in the owner’s family for more than a century. Among the notable stamps in the collection is a $10,000 book of Vatican stamps, as well as German and Japanese stamps from World War II. Police have recovered the entire collection, some of which had already been sold to buyers.

From The New York Times:
Timeless Lincoln Memento Is Revealed

The Smithsonian revealed this week secret engravings on a gold pocket watch that once belonged to Abraham Lincoln. The inscriptions, done by the Jonathan Dillon, the watchmaker who repaired Lincoln’s timepiece, were merely the stuff of family legend to Dillon’s descendants. It wasn’t until curators at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History recruited expert watchmakers to open the piece that Dillon’s inscriptions were revealed. The engravings are two short sentences recording the beginning of the Civil War in 1861. Dillon was working on repairing the watch when he learned that the first shots had been fired.

From Bloomberg:
Missing Aristocrat Lord Lucan’s Desk Sells for 13,200 Pounds

A Bonhams sale of the infamous Lord Lucan’s desk sold for almost twice its high estimate in London on Wednesday. The Victorian-period table went for £13,200 ($18,165), remarkably more than the £5,000–£7,000 estimate. Lord Lucan vanished in 1974, alledgedly after murdering his children’s nanny, and was officially declared dead in 1999.

From The New York Daily News:
Bill Mastro folds sports memorabilia’s largest auction house amid FBI probe

Amid allegations of fraud against its chairman, Mastro Auctions is officially closed for business. Bill Mastro, owner of the largest sports-memorabilia auction house, has found himself at the center of an FBI investigation of shill bidding and card doctoring, among other allegations. Business will carry on without Mastro, however, in the form of a new company, Legendary Auctions, founded by three former Mastro Auctions executives. Legendary Auctions plans to cater to the same high-end clients that Mastro Auctions served.

From Reuters:
Rare Roy Rogers guitar heading for auction block

Christie’s will auction off the C. F. Martin OM-45 Deluxe guitar which had been owned since 1933 by everyone’s favorite singing cowboy, Roy Rogers. One of only 15 produced by the Nazareth, Pa., company, Rogers’ guitar was the first one crafted. The auction house expects the rare instrument to sell for between $150,000 and $250,000 when it goes under the hammer on April 3.

From The New York Times:
Is This a Shakespeare I See Before Me?

A recently discovered portrait of William Shakespeare was revealed in London on Monday. Experts believe it is perhaps the only portrait of Shakespeare made during his lifetime. Through a family connection with Shakespeare’s only known patron, a single family, the Cobbes, has owned the painting for nearly three centuries. Shakespeare scholars are already having a field day discussing the painting’s implications—among them, the Bard’s oft-debated sexuality—and if, in fact, the portrait is a true likeness of Shakespeare.

From The Associated Press via The Denver Post:
Collector: Lincoln photo found in Grant album

The great-great-grandson of Civil War Gen. Ulysses S. Grant has discovered what could possibly be the last photograph taken of Abraham Lincoln before he was assassinated. Though Grant’s relative had seen the photo before in a private photo album that belonged to his great-great-grandfather, it wasn’t until a couple of months ago that Ulysses S. Grant VI examined it more closely. After consulting with Lincoln aficionado Keya Morgan, Grant discovered an inscription on the back of the photo that labeled the figure, standing in front of the White House, as Lincoln. Morgan bought the photograph from Grant last month for $50,000.

From The Associated Press via Auction Central News:
Connecticut dealers push for Antiques Trail designation

Several antiques dealers in Woodbury, Conn., are asking local and state legislators to designate the town, known for its galleries and antique shops, as the Historic Woodbury Antiques District. The dealers say that the designation will help bring in business—something not to be taken lightly in the current recession—and could be the beginning of a Connecticut Antique Trail to connect towns with multiple antiques shops and galleries.

From BBC News:
Rare tin toys go under the hammer

Bidding begins later this month for one of Britain’s largest antique toy collections. The collection of rare tin plates is 50 years in the making and includes several one-of-a-kind toys.

From The New York Times:
Barbie at 50, Popular, Ponytailed and Primo

Happy 50th birthday to Barbie, one of America’s most iconic dolls and certainly one of the most collectible. Even with the re-release of several “retired” models in honor of her birthday, the original 1959 “#1 Ponytail” remains the most highly coveted Barbie. And despite the recession, die-hard collectors are willing to shell out big bucks for Ken’s companion as a surge in interest has accompanied the birthday celebrations. Barbie’s all-time high price auction price is $27,450.

From Auction Central News:
Auctioneer reacts to Michael Jackson lawsuit over Neverland contents

A week after Michael Jackson left the public scratching its collective head following a press conference announcing the performer’s upcoming tour, the entertainment memorabilia auctioneer responsible for the sale of hundreds of Jackson’s personal items is similarly bewildered. Darren Julien doesn’t understand why Jackson filed a lawsuit against his company, Julien’s Auctions, over items and conditions that the two parties had agreed upon in a contract regarding the April sale.

According to Julien, his company has followed through on its end of a contract drawn up and signed by Jackson’s manager, Dr. Thome Thome. (No, your eyes don’t deceive you—his name really is Dr. Thome Thome.) In the suit, Jackson claims that Julien’s Auctions took items from his Neverland ranch without permission to sell them.

From ARTINFO:
Stolen Artworks Recovered in Sting Operation

It took 22 years, but now the case is closed. Eight artworks that were stolen back in 1987 from a Maastricht, Netherlands, gallery were recovered in the southern part of the Netherlands this weekend. Dutch police made three arrests in connection with the theft, including a mother and son. Among the works stolen from the Noortman Gallery were paintings by Renoir and Pissarro. Investigators believe a ninth work was destroyed by the gallery’s (now-late) owner, who was paid $2.8 million in insurance money back in 1987 and was an original suspect in the case.

From Bloomberg:
Chinese Art Dealer Weeps After Refusing to Pay for YSL Bronzes

In the art world, credibility means everything for dealers. That’s why Cai Mingchao—whose now-infamous bid for two Qing dynasty bronze sculptures at the recent Yves Saint Laurent sale turned out to be an empty one—is wringing his hands over his decision not follow through with $40-million payment. In 2006, for example, Mingchao dropped $15 million on a bronze Buddha statue at Sotheby’s, and his reputation as a trustworthy dealer allowed Christie’s to register him as a bidder at the YSL sale without a guarantee or proof of ability to pay. Mingchao bid on the bronzes fully intending to pay for them. It was in the hours after the auction that he began to regret his action. Only time will tell if his decision will tarnish his reputation as a dealer and buyer in the long run.

From The Associated Press via The Denver Post:
First edition Harry Potter sells for $19,120

A soft-cover, first-run copy of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” sold for $19,120 in Dallas at Heritage Auction Galleries. One of only 200 originally printed, the 1997 book is the first in J. K. Rowling’s seven-book series about a boy wizard in England. A vintage comic-book collector in Dubai placed the winning bid, almost doubling the previous record for a soft-cover Harry Potter book.

Elizabeth Hendley is a WorthPoint writer based in Seattle.

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From The Burlington (N.C.) Times News:
Local auction house will sell Declaration copy

Burlington, N.C.-based Raynors’ Historic Collectibles Auction is putting an 1823 copy of the Declaration of Independence up for sale on behalf of a Salt Lake City, Utah, nonprofit organization. In 1820, John Quincy Adams requested that 200 copies be made of the original declaration—which was already rapidly deteriorating—using a wet-ink transfer process. The copy up for sale is one of 38 known to still exist from the set of 200 originally made. It was sold two years ago for $477,650, and auction house owner, Robert Raynor. expects it to sell for at least that much this time around.

From BBC News:
Rare stamp auctioned for £184,000

The rare 1918 inverted Jenny stamp reported on earlier this week sold Wednesday for £184,000 ($259,000), about $48,000 more than expected. Originally, one man owned the entire sheet of 100 misprinted stamps, but as early as the 1940s, the individual blue-and-red stamps were being sold for thousands of dollars each.

From The New York Times:
Despite Outcry, Gandhi Items Sell for $1.8 Million

After much drama and dispute, the sale of personal items once belonging to Gandhi went through yesterday in New York to the tune of $1.8 million. Though Paul Otis, the previous owner of the items, tried to stop the sale at the last minute, Antiquorum Auctioneers elected to proceed. The winning bidder was Vijay Mallya, an Indian business mogul, who says he plans to return the items to India. Otis had tried to reach a compromise with the Indian government over the ownership of the eyeglasses, sandals, bowl, plate and pocket watch that once belonged to the leader of the country’s peaceful independence movement but failed to come to a conclusion in time for the gavel to hit the auction block.

From The Australian:
Score from horror classic Psycho up for sale at Bonhams

An autographed manuscript of the “Psycho” musical score will be on the auction block at Bonhams in London on March 24. Bernard Herrmann’s music in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror film left quite an impression on terrified audiences, especially with its screeching violins during Janet Leigh’s infamous shower scene. Part of a larger sale of Herrmann’s work, the “Psycho” manuscript is expected to fetch close to $89,000.

From The Associated Press:
Michael Jackson sues auction house for sale plans

Since November, Julien’s Auction House has been planning a multiday sale of thousands of Michael Jackson’s belongings—which is why Darren Julien was surprised on Wednesday to hear of a lawsuit filed by Jackson’s company, MJJ Productions, to stop the sale. The suit claims that Jackson never received a promised inventory of the items that were to be included in the sale and that Jackson never gave the auction house permission to sell the items that he earlier authorized Julien’s to remove from Neverland Ranch. Julien says Jackson has cleared everything up until this point, and, until a few days ago, they were working closely with Jackson’s managers on details of the sale.

From The New York Times:
India Rejects Owner’s Proposal on Gandhi Items

With 40 registered bidders, the sale of several of Mahatma Gandhi’s personal items will proceed as scheduled today, despite the owner’s offer to the Indian government that would have stopped the auction. James Otis, who legally acquired the eyeglasses, pocket watch, bowl, plate and sandals, offered to donate the items to India if the country promised to increase its spending to alleviate the plight of its poor citizens or organize a traveling exhibition of the items to promote Gandhi’s peaceful ideals. India rejected Otis’ offer and is scrambling to find a way to stop the sale.

From Auction Central News:
Billion dollar money displayed at March 13–15 Money Show in Portland

The American Numismatic Association National Money Show next weekend in Portland, Ore., is slated to feature a number of rare and priceless U.S. coins and bills. Among the headliners are a 1913 Liberty Head nickel (insured for $3 million), the 1845 “Portland Penny,” an 1835 silver dollar (insured for $3.5 million) and a display of two dozen $100,000 bills.

From Bloomberg:
Smirking Madoff Portrait for $100,000 Finds No Buyers at Armory

It’s no secret that disgraced financier Bernie Madoff has more enemies than friends these days. A 7-foot-wide painting of a smirking Madoff didn’t get a single inquiry at the Armory Show in New York on Wednesday, much less any interested buyers. With the recession like a dark cloud over the show, the mood was markedly somber compared to previous years’ exciting atmospheres. The Armory Show runs through Sunday in Manhattan.

From Forbes:
Asian Art Sales Offer Buying Opportunity

Due somewhat to recent controversy over the provenance and legality of the sale of certain Chinese antiques, dealers and auction houses are quietly anticipating the upcoming Asia Week sales. Those looking for deals can certainly find them—thanks to diminishing interest in buying, collectors can grab stellar pieces with ridiculously low estimates. One example: a Chinese porcelain vase from the Yongzheng period, of which only two exist. With a presale estimate of $100,000 to $150,000, one expert believes it could sell for as much as $2-3 million.

From myfinances.co.uk:
Alternative investments: Art, antiques, wine and anything odd?

With stocks and investments falling every day, more savvy investors are banking on antiques, fine art and other “recession proof” items. As prices drop on big-ticket items, collectors are swooping in to buy long-term investments like jewelry and silver. The experts’ advice: Know the market, buy what you like at the highest quality you can afford, and insure your purchases.

From The New York Times:
Despite Protests, Gandhi Auction Is to Go On

According to Antiquorum auctioneers, the planned sale of several items that belonged to Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi will proceed as scheduled on Thursday despite appeals from the Indian government. The pocket watch, glasses, sandals and bowl have become the center of controversy as Gandhi’s grandson, Tushar Gandhi, first denounced the auction and has come up short so far in his attempt to raise enough money to purchase the items.

From artdaily:
Sotheby’s To Offer a Newly Discovered Painting by Johann Zoffany in its Gianni Versace Sale

First it was Yves Saint Laurent, now it’s Gianni Versace. Objects from the late designer’s Lake Como estate will be auctioned off March 18 at Sotheby’s London, and the 550 lots of antique furniture, sculpture and silver works, and paintings are expected to sell for a total of £2 million ($2.83 million). One notable piece in the group is a previously unknown painting by Johann Zoffany, a German-born artist whose creative output peaked when he lived in England in second half of the 18th century. Despite being in Versace’s collection for 15 years, the painting—titled Portrait of Major George Maule, Acting Chief Engineer of Madras (1751-1793)—was never cataloged. Its presale estimate is £40,000–60,000 ($56,700–85,000).

From The New York Times:
In a Historical House, an Auction of Lincoln Memorabilia

If you’re a collector of Lincolniana, now is the time to stock up. Several auction houses are putting on sales of Abraham Lincoln items, including a 19-lot sale at Cohasco in Yonkers, N.Y., which last week featured some of the last photographs taken of the president as well as bronze lamps used at his wedding to Mary Todd. Rarity plays a big part in the appeal of Lincolniana, as do the multiple comparisons as of late between Lincoln and the current president.

From The Guardian (UK):
Kray twins’ paintings sell for £12,200 at auction

London’s infamous gangsters, the Kray brothers, had an artistic side. Following last month’s auction of the twins’ belongings, eight paintings that Ronnie and Reggie Kray created when they were serving time in jail sold Monday for a total of £12,200 ($17,000). The highest-selling painting features the brothers, clad in top hats and suits, crossing an open field.

From The Associated Press via Auction Central News:
Rare U.S. ‘upside-down’ stamp to be auctioned on Wednesday

A rare U.S. 1918 Jenny stamp will be up for auction in Warwick, England, this week and is expected to bring in at least $215,000. The 24-cent stamp, only one of 100 printed upside down, features a Curtiss JN-4 Jenny biplane and is one of the most famous stamps in the world. Last October, another inverted Jenny stamp sold for $388,125.

From The Atlanta Business Chronicle:
WorthPoint gets $1 million

WorthPoint received a mention in the Atlanta Business Chronicle. The article details WorthPoint’s agreement with Canada-based Terapeak, future plans for product development for the site and its services for collectors of fine art, antiques and collectibles.

From The Associated Press:
Chinese man bids but won’t pay for looted bronzes

The mystery caller who bid $36 million for disputed Qing bronzes is no longer a mystery. He is Cal Mingchao, an auction-house owner who never intended to pony up payment for the sculptures in the Yves Saint Laurent collection that China claimed were looted national treasures. Saint Laurent’s partner, Pierre Berge, has indicated that the pieces would be returned to China if that country showed a better record on human rights.

From The New York Times:
Is Anybody Buying Art These Days?

An informative, if long article on the Mugrabi family, which may own the world’s most extensive art collection worth more than any other private one in the world.

Elizabeth Hendley is a WorthPoint writer based in Seattle.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

From the Associated Press:
China punishes Christie’s for auction of relics

In retaliation for Christie’s sale of Chinese Qing bronze statues, the Chinese government has imposed tightened customs sanctions on the auction house. China maintains that the bronzes, part of the Yves Saint Laurent sale held this week in Paris, are pieces of China’s cultural heritage and should be returned to China. Christie’s should expect close inspection of items it plans to bring in or out of China, and will have to provide extensive documentation of the items.

From Bloomberg:
Jackie Chan Calls Qing Bronzes Sale ‘Shameful,’ Standard Says

Chinese-born action star Jackie Chan has put in his two cents into the swirling, nonstop Qing bronzes debate. Calling Christie’s sale of the statues “shameful,” Chan told The Standard, Hong Kong’s English-language newspaper that the statues are stolen goods.

From The New York Times:
A Spittoon Born in England

In non-Qing bronzes news, David Whitehouse, director of the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, N.Y., discovered a rare Ravenscroft glass spittoon last fall in London—as part of a presale preview of Islamic art. Incorrectly labeled as hailing from 18th-century India, Whitehouse’s keen eye recognized the 17th-century Ravenscroft seal on the spittoon. With about 20 pieces bearing the seal estimated to be in existence, the museum’s high bid of $36,000 brought the spittoon to the U.S., where it is already on display at the Corning museum.

From Gawker:
Five Things People Paid Too Much For at the Yves Saint Laurent Sale

Snarky—and often hilariously perceptive—Web site Gawker has a roundup of the five lots in the three-day Yves Saint Laurent sale that bidders overpaid for. Interestingly, a couple of the items have an accompanying quote from an auction-house expert confirming that the prices paid for the lots were, indeed, inflated. The “sale of the century” was a rousing success, with many lots selling for well above their presale estimates.

From The Associated Press:
Up, up, and away: Rare Superman comic for sale

The 1938 Action comic book that introduced America’s favorite superhero to the masses is up for sale at ComicConnect. Sold for 10 cents when it was published, similar copies of the Superman comic book—of which there are about 100—have gone for as much as $126,000. An expert believes this copy will sell for a significantly higher price.

From United Press International:
Antique money theft suspects nabbed

Police caught up with three Michigan teenagers who allegedly stole a safe full of antique money far from the scene of the crime in Birmingham, Ala. Law enforcement officials were tipped off when one of the trio attempted to change a $1,000 bill at a Birmingham bank. They say that the three males took the safe from one of the boys’ parents in Texas Township, Mich., then stole a neighbor’s car and hit the road.

From The Guardian (UK):
Annie Leibovitz pawns rights to all future work

Even renowned celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz is feeling the pain of the economic recession. Leibovitz borrowed $15 million from Art Capital, a firm that lends money with fine art as collateral, and has put up the copyrights, negatives and contract rights of every photograph she’s ever taken and ever will take as collateral. Included in this group of photos are the iconic images the photographer became known for—portraits of everyone from Queen Elizabeth II and Tom Cruise to a pregnant Demi Moore and Leibovitz’s close friend, author Susan Sontag. Leibovitz isn’t alone in her predicament. Reports are artist Julian Schnabel has taken similar measures.

From Art Info:
The $28M Chair: Mad Hatter or New Harbinger?

Records are made to be broken, and the second night of the Yves Saint Laurent sale in Paris had the floor littered with shattered records. Five hours of bidding on rare Art Deco objects yielded $76,540,719. Ten lots sold for more than 1 million euros ($1.3 million) each. The star of the show was a circa-1917–19 armchair by Eileen Gray, called “The Dragons,” which fetched an unbelievable 21,905,000 euros ($28 million)—more than seven times its presale estimate.

From Bloomberg:
Saint Laurent Chinese Qing Bronzes Fetch $40 Million

The two Qing dynasty bronze statues that have been embroiled in controversy the past few weeks sold Wednesday for $40 million, exceeding presale estimates. After a French judge ruled against China’s claim that the bronzes are national treasures and should not be eligible for auction, Christie’s proceeded to sell the pieces as part of the Yves Saint Laurent sale’s third and final evening. The winning bid came from Christie’s own co-head of Impressionist and modern art.

From The Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch:
Early records catch ear of Smithsonian Institution

A Williamsburg, Va., collector has the ear—literally—of Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian Institution. The museum is looking into adding Wilbert Davis’ collection of quarter-inch-thick records, made for his working antique Thomas Edison Victrola windup phonograph, as well as the phonograph itself, to the Smithsonian collection. The records and phonograph could possibly be included in an upcoming exhibition on music at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Davis purchased the early-20th-century phonograph for $600.

From The Boston Globe:
For struggling Newbury church, weathervane a gift from above

Due to years of declining membership and funds, First Parish Church in Newbury, Mass., was considering shuttering its doors when a Maine antiques dealer approached the church, expressing interest in the weathervane sitting atop its steeple. The dealer, Raymond Egan, told church officials that the gilded rooster weathervane could be worth as much as a quarter million dollars because of its rarity and provenance. The church recently sold the weathervane, built in 1772, to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston for $575,000, well above Egan’s original estimate.

From The New York Times:
Saint Laurent Art Sale Brings In $264 Million

Monday was the first day of the three-day sale of Yves Saint Laurent and partner Pierre Bergé’s massive collection of fine art and antiques, and it certainly did not disappoint. The sale brought in a total of $264 million at Christie’s Paris, and auction records for Henri Matisse and Marcel Duchamp, among others, were set. The only notable work that failed to sell was a Picasso. Bids didn’t reach the painting’s 25–30 million euro ($32–$38.5 million) presale estimate. Art market insiders are hopeful that the collection’s successful showing at auction is a litmus test as to the overall health of the market, and if the YSL sale is any indication, buyers are certainly doing their part to keep the market alive.

From Auction Central News:
Lost pages from Buck’s Good Earth returning home via FBI

Four hundred handwritten pages of Pearl S. Buck’s “The Good Earth” will be on display at Buck’s home near Philadelphia, reuniting the previously lost manuscript with the late author’s desk, chair and typewriter she used to pen the novel. The pages of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, caught up in a battle of legal ownership, were discovered in 2007 after being missing for 40 years. Buck’s heirs claim ownership, as do several foundations connected with the author.

From BBC News:
Iraq’s National Museum reopened

Six years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq—and significant looting of the country’s National Museum—the return of a quarter of the stolen artifacts has facilitated the reopening of the National Museum in Baghdad. About 15,000 artifacts and antiquities housed in the museum were looted after Saddam Hussein’s fall from power, and reopening the museum is a hopeful sign that a bit of normalcy is returning to the war-torn country. Several Iraqi experts, however, believe that the move to reopen comes too soon.

From The Guardian (UK):
Harrow school to auction off unhappy pupil’s astonishing butterfly collection

A collection of butterflies amassed by Walter Rothschild and donated to Britain’s Harrow School by his brother, Charles, is scheduled to go under the hammer at Bonhams in May. The 3,500-piece collection, thought to be worth £60–£80 million ($87–$116 million), is the product of Rothschild’s infamous squandering of his family’s fortune on his personal natural-history hobbies and collections, which included starfish, giraffes, bird eggs and giant tortoises. Part of Walter’s vast collection makes up England’s Natural History Museum, but his focus during the last 40 years of his life—butterflies—will be sold to the highest bidder come May 27.

From The Associated Press:
French throws out appeal over Chinese bronzes

In perhaps the biggest art and antiques news story this year, the sale of late designer Yves Saint Laurent’s massive collection will go on today as planned, according to a French judge’s ruling. An appeal filed on behalf of the Chinese government to stop the sale of two bronze Chinese statues that are part of the collection was rejected, and Christie’s auction house will proceed with the sale. Chinese officials have stirred up controversy in recent weeks claiming that the two statues were plundered from the Summer Palace outside of Beijing during the Opium Wars, and Christie’s has no right to sell the pieces. The bronzes are estimated to be worth between 8-10 million euros ($10.2–$12.7 million) each.

From Obit Magazine:
The Afterlife of Glamorous Things

In the aftermath of the Oscars, an interesting read about the fate of objects from film sets chronicles such collectibles as Dorothy’s red shoes from “The Wizard of Oz” (one pair sold to a private collector for $666,000), Rosebud from “Citizen Kane” (Stephen Spielberg bought it for $60,500) and even the cabin used in “Fargo” (sold for $10,000 to a woman who is currently renovating the building). In the world of movie-memorabilia auctions, even Donald Trump doesn’t always get what he wants. The famous businessman lost out on an upright piano featured in “Casablanca.”

Elizabeth Hendley is a WorthPoint writer based in Seattle.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth