The subject of myriad songs, books, films, documentaries and even a musical, the Titanic has also spawned a healthy trade in artifacts and related memorabilia, with interest in these ratcheting up in this, the centenary year of the disaster.

Items from the Titanic were first salvaged in 1987 after the wreck was discovered in 1985, in an expedition led by oceanographer Dr Robert Ballard. From bars of soap, to menus, money and children’s shoes, they are poignant reminders of a terrible loss of life. One of the most interesting artifacts salvaged to date is the collection of perfume samples from perfumer Adolph Saalfeld, who survived the disaster. He left behind a leather pouch with some 90 bottles of scent, which was found, on the ocean floor in 2000. Although Saalfeld escaped, he was apparently haunted by the disaster for the rest of his life and he would ask his chauffeur to drive him around London at night, to try to him sleep.

This 17-ton section of the RMS Titanic, recovered from the ocean floor during an expedition to the site of the tragedy, is among 5,000 other items will be auctioned as a single April 11, 100 years after the sinking of the ship.

The scarcity of Titanic artifacts has made them prohibitively expensive for most collectors. Previously, a deckchair —one of only six remaining intact (they were thrown to passengers as life preservers) —was sold at auction for $46,000. A pincushion, brought onboard the liner by Fr. Francis Brown, who subsequently disembarked at Cork, Ireland, fetched $26,000, while a letter written to his niece while onboard also sold for $26,000.

Enter the search term ”Titanic” on eBay and more than 63,000 results are returned. Earlier this year, a sketch from the James Cameron film ”Titanic” (drawn by Leo DiCaprio’s character in the film but done in real life by Cameron himself) sold for $16,000.

Binoculars found among the debris of the Titanic wreck.

This cherub once adorned the grand staircase of the RMS Titanic.

This April, one of the most significant collections of Titanic artifacts goes under the hammer. While there have been Titanic auctions in the past, the thousands of items that go on sale on April 11 have all been salvaged from the wreck. Included among the 5,000 diverse pieces (the result of seven expensive and often dangerous trips to the wreck) are reading glasses, diamond bracelets, a 17-ton slab from the hull and even hairpins, as well as a bronze cherub that once adorned the Grand Staircase. The strict class divisions that governed society are apparent in the contrast between the third-class dining room service cup and the first class ”Special Service” demitasse, which are also included.

The collection, which is valued at $189 million, is being sold at Guernsey Auctioneers & Brokers in New York.

“Who on this planet doesn’t know the story of the Titanic and isn’t fascinated by it?” asked Guernsey’s president, Arlan Ettinger. “Could Hollywood have scripted a more tragic or goose-bump-raising story than what actually happened on that ship?”

Also included is intellectual property, such as a detailed map of the ocean floor where the Titanic finally came to rest.

However, only serious buyers are being entertained at this auction. The conditions of sale are that the collection is purchased in its entirety and that its new owner is committed to preserving the collection and ensuring that at least some of it is on display at all times. The sale is also subject to court approval and, according to the auction house, several buyers have already expressed an interest.

This bracelet was recovered from the RMS Titanic.

Relatively more affordable is a postcard which goes on sale on Jan. 21 at an auction house in Dublin, Ireland, where it is predicted to sell for in excess of €5,000 ($6,400). Written by a 35-year-old plumber, Andrew Johnston, it is addressed to his father, William Johnston of Aberdeenshire in Scotland and apologises for not writing before he sailed and that “we don’t get to New York till Wednesday next so I will write when we get there.” Johnston died alongside his wife and daughter. The family, who were set to start a new life in the United States, had been booked on another ship the previous year. That sailing was cancelled and they subsequently rebooked on the ill-fated liner.

David MacDonnell, of MacDonnell Whyte auction house, said there has been an extraordinary amount of interest in the postcard from all around the world. “People want to know more about the family but all we really know is that they were in third class steerage and the entire party perished,” he said. “We’ve even had inquiries from people in Aberdeenshire to say that Johnston without an “e” is an unusual surname and that there is no record of anyone with that name in the area, but it is possible the family died out.”

MacDonnell reckons that the €5,000 estimate is a conservative figure, given that this is the centenary year. The Ship of Dreams still continues to sail in our memories, it would appear.

Prospective auction bidders must be pre-qualified and agree to comply with all covenants and conditions attached to the collection. Those wishing further details should contact Guernsey’s, the auction house selected by RMS Titanic, Inc. and Premier Exhibitions for this unprecedented offering, at 212.794.2280.

Claire O’Mahony is a Dublin (Ireland)-based freelance journalist and is a regular contributing writer for WorthPoint-UK. She writes about a varied range of topics, including travel, health, beauty, fashion, interior design and food.

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WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

The Mirror
Antiques Roadshow’s Most Unusual Find: Toilet Paper Rejected by The Beatles

The “Antiques Roadshow” has turned up one of its oddest ever items . . . an unused roll of toilet paper rejected by The Beatles. They refused to use it while recording at the Abbey Road studios in the ’60s, claiming it was “too hard and shiny” and also thought it was disgraceful that each sheet was stamped with the EMI logo. But the roll was sold with a jokey letter of authentication by EMI manager Ken Townsend at the Abbey Road sale in 1980.

Associated Press
Il Duce’s Last Suitcase of Clothes Sells at Auction

An Army corporal stationed in Italy in the waning days of World War II acquired a suitcase of war booty he sent home and stowed in a bedroom closet in upstate New York for 65 years. In it: Il Duce’s duds. The brown leather suitcase was purported to have been taken from Benito Mussolini when the Fascist dictator and his mistress, Claretta Petacci, were captured and executed by partisans in April 1945 as they tried to flee northern Italy along with retreating German forces. It sold on Sept. 18 for $6,325, less than its pre-auction estimate of $10,000 to $15,000.

Agence France-Presse
WikiLeaks Auctions Memorabilia to Raise Funds

LONDON – Fancy a signed version of a WikiLeaks diplomatic cable, or a sachet of coffee smuggled out of jail by Julian Assange? Then the cash-strapped whistleblowing website has the auction for you. With its coffers empty because of the blocking of credit card payments by major operators including Visa and MasterCard, WikiLeaks is selling off what it bills as unique memorabilia to meet its running costs. In the first of four fundraisers which opened on auction website eBay at the weekend, $9,469 (£6,000 , €6,863) is the opening bid for the most expensive lot: one of only two laptop computers used to prepare the “Cablegate” release of tens of thousands of secret US diplomatic messages.

Business Wire
Proxibid Prepares for Equipment Auction Frenzy in September

OMAHA, Neb. – Proxibid, the world’s largest real auction marketplace, is heading into one of its busiest months of the year. This September marks the strongest September in company history, with a total of 845 auctions on the calendar, of which 120 are Heavy Equipment and Farm Machinery auctions. Proxibid auction agents will provide on-site assistance at 53 events, which translates into 102 agent days or more than 1,000 man-hours and 100,000 miles traveled to manage events across North America and the Middle East throughout the month.

Associated Press
Irish ‘Bad Bank’ Selling Debtor’s Art Collection

DUBLIN – Ireland’s “bad bank” and Christie’s auctioneers say they are selling a bankrupt property baron’s art collection, including a work by Andy Warhol. The auctions Nov. 9 in New York and Nov. 17 in London include Warhol’s “Dollar Sign” and “Man Doing Accounts” by Jack B. Yeats. The 14 paintings for sale have an estimated value of €1.7 million to €2.2 million ($2.4 million to $3.1 million). Ireland’s National Asset Management Agency has seized control of tens of billions’ worth of possessions of the nation’s bankrupt property speculators.

Blooomburg
Ferrari Daytona Beats Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts to Top $11.8 Million Sales

A Ferrari convertible and two Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts stole the limelight at $11.8 million U.K. auctions as collectors competed for the finest classic cars and passed on others. Two high-value Jaguars failed to sell. The Ferrari 365GTS/4 Daytona Spyder last night took a top price of £595,500 pounds ($940,592) with fees at Bonham’s annual auction during the Goodwood Revival festival. The 1971 car overtook the veteran Rolls-Royces, which fetched £485,500 pounds and £419,500 pounds, respectively.

Sunday Star Times (N.Z)
Troubled New Zealand Developer Terry’s Second Ferrari out the Door

Debt-laden property developer Terry Serepisos—best known as the owner of the Wellington Phoenix football club and for his role in the New Zeland version of “The Apprentice” television show—has put his Ferrari convertible on the block. His silvery blue 2007 Ferrari F430 is to go under the hammer at Turners Auctions prestige car auction in Auckland next Saturday. The car is one of two Ferraris that Serepisos had in his garage. He sold the other one, a 2001 360 Spider, in May last year. “I’ve got another one. I don’t need two Ferraris,”” Serepisos told “Business Day” when the Spider was put up for sale last year.

BBC Online
Tony Curtis Auction Angers Family

An auction of property owned by the late actor Tony Curtis—which made more than $800,000 and included work by several famous artists, including Warhol, Balthus, Picasso and Chagall, alongside Curtis’s own paintings—has angered his children, who say they were not consulted over the sale. Among the items sold on Saturday was the star’s jacket from “Some Like It Hot,” which raised $48,000. The items were sold by Curtis’ sixth and last wife, Jill. His daughter Allegra said: “This is not what my dad would have wanted.”

Tacoma News-Tribune
Hoping to Seem Hip, eBay Targets Mobile Users

EBay’s name is synonymous with auctions, but that’s created an image problem for the online marketplace. These days, most of the things people purchase on the site aren’t sold through auctions; they have fixed prices. And, the majority of items for sale are new—not musty antiques or old collectibles. Richelle Parham, eBay Inc.’s chief marketing officer, says plenty of people see eBay as an auction-focused marketplace, despite the reality. “We need to change that perception,” she says.

Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Whistleblower: They’re Not Sold on ‘Gavel Girl’

Mike Lamprecht needed money to remodel his kitchen, so he gathered up some antiques and postage stamps he’d collected and took them to the Shakopee Auction Center. The property was sold at auction, and Lamprecht should have received 75 percent of the proceeds in 30 days from auctioneer Jennifer Anne Sexton, who goes by the name “Gavel Girl.” Nearly six months later, he’s still waiting for his $2,315.25. “I am really angry and it almost makes me more angry that she hasn’t communicated with me,” says Lamprecht, 57, a school psychologist who lives in Minneapolis. “I feel like have been totally ripped off.”

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WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

“Killer Stuff and Tons of Money: Seeking History and Hidden Gems in Flea-Market America,” by Maureen Stanton. Published June 2011 by Penguin Group, hardcover , 336 pages.

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with author Maureen Stanton and discussing her new book, “Killer Stuff and Tons of Money: Seeking History and Hidden Gems in Flea-Market America” and her views on the current world of antiques, collectibles and collecting in the U.S.

Rebekah Kaufman: On behalf of WorthPoint, thank you for speaking with me today about your new book, which I have read and thoroughly enjoyed. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in antiques or vintage collectibles, or is collectors themselves.

Maureen Stanton: Many thanks, it is my pleasure. I am actually member of WorthPoint, and think it’s a great site and an excellent source of information, as it presents the real value of items in the aggregate and over time.

Rebekah Kaufman: Would you please tell us how you came upon the germ of the idea to write your book, “Killer Stuff and Tons of Money: Seeking History and Hidden Gems in Flea-Market America?”

Maureen Stanton: In 2000, I was living in Ohio and in graduate school, getting my MFA. Kurt Avery—the protagonist of the book, whom I had known at college—called me and said that there was an auction taking place close to where I lived. He asked if I would like to go along with him to the auction, and if so, could he crash at my house the night before the sale. I said yes on both accounts, and went to the auction with him. As a matter of fact, I bid for him as a proxy, as he did not want his competitors at this auction to know he was there. I was intrigued by this experience and wrote an article about it, but didn’t do anything with the piece. Fast-forward three years, and I reconnected with Kurt over another antique event, and I remembered why this culture intrigued me from the start. Then I accompanied him to Brimfield—the largest outdoor antiques show in New England—and realized that there was a whole world to explore … much more than an article’s worth! It was at this point that I had the idea for the book, and began thinking about the project within the framework of a book.

Rebekah Kaufman: So the timeline from start to finish for the book was about a decade?

Maureen Stanton: Yes, I started in 2000 and attended my last show in 2010 just before I handed the finished manuscript to my publisher. The last year and half of the project I spent intensely preparing the book—finding the story in 900 pages of material and organizing all the interviews and materials into a form that best represented the tale I was trying to tell.

Rebekah Kaufman: When you started writing the book, did you have a range of ideas to research as part of the plan, or did the story take on a life of its own?

Maureen Stanton: The process was very organic. At first, I thought I would make this a global study of the flea market world and include the flea markets of London and Paris—a huge undertaking, for sure. I then realized I needed to scale things back a bit and focus on the United States. That was part of the arc of learning I went through as part of writing the book—something you really can’t plan ahead. I was never really sure how the book would shape up but my goal was always to bring the authentic experience of what I was seeing or doing to the reader … to give them a window into a whole world of information, emotions and logistics that they would not have access to otherwise.

Rebekah Kaufman: How did you capture information for your book?

Maureen Stanton: I always carried around a book and took notes on my conversations and experiences. I tried to be as unobtrusive as possible so my notes were brief. At breaks, or at the end of the day, I would write in reminders of the conversation or quotes. When I got back to my office, I would type these things up in a form that could be used for the book. I also sometimes used a tape recorder for some interviews.

Rebekah Kaufman: How did you know when you had enough information to write the book?

Maureen Stanton: I knew it was time to get down to work when I stopped taking notes on my experiences with Kurt and at shows. I also lost my eye for what may be interesting to a layperson over time, as a result of my learning curve in the industry. It became harder to find new angles, and I started to question myself— “Am I a worker or a writer?” When I reminded myself that I was a writer—and the novelty of the antique world was far less than when I started—I knew it was time to hit the keyboard.

Rebekah Kaufman: Are you personally a collector or antiques or vintage enthusiast?

Maureen Stanton: I am not a collector of anything specific per sea, but I love most antique and vintage items. I do especially love vintage jewelry—but not really in a collector’s sort of way. I purchase things haphazardly, not in a planned or curated manner. I go to antique shows and flea markets pretty regularly, but I am very disciplined with the amount of cash I bring along. I love the history behind older things; that they have a legacy and richness to them.

Rebekah Kaufman: How has the research you have done for this book changed (or not changed) your life and the way you look at things?

Maureen Stanton’s work has been featured in “Creative Nonfiction,” “Fourth Genre,” “Iowa Review,” “American Literary Review,” “The Sun” and “Riverteeth,” among other journals, and anthologies, including “Best of The Sun,” “Best of Brevity” and “Best Texas Writing.” She has received numerous awards, including the Pushcart Prize, the National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, and a Maine Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship. She teaches creative nonfiction at the University of Missouri.

Maureen Stanton: I am very concerned about the environment and the “carbon footprint” today’s manufacturing requires. I sincerely believe antiques are the ultimate “green” functional and decorative home items. Given the choice between old and new items, I always choose the old if at all practical. I am much more conscious of what I buy now and the narrative behind its production and manufacture. I always prefer to buy things that have a story or history to them.

Rebekah Kaufman: Would you comment on how you see the role of technology in the industry and the positives and negatives associated with it?

Maureen Stanton: Technology is a double-edged sword when it comes to antiques and collectibles. On the positive side, it is easier for buyers and sellers to connect, especially around rare or more esoteric items. On the negative side, it has changed the definition of what is “rare.” Something that seldom, if ever, came up for sale in the secondary market could appear twice or three times in a very short period of time, given the exposure and visibility the Internet now provides the world on a 24/7 basis. This can drive down prices and the perception of what is desirable based on rarity.

Technology has also shifted the responsibly of knowledge. In the past, it was important that the dealer or seller knew what he had, and priced it accordingly. Now, people can list things on marketplaces like eBay with very little knowledge and let the market identify and value the pieces.

It is also possible now to build a collection or a successful business without ever leaving your home—not attending shows, sales and events. Given the hands-on nature of the industry, this would be all but unthinkable only a few years ago.

Rebekah Kaufman: There has been a large influx of new television shows that focus on people making money buying and reselling vintage and antique goods recently. Do you think this visibly can help raise the average American’s interest in antiques?

Maureen Stanton: I think I have counted maybe 10 new shows of this type in the past two years alone, I believe there have been four new ones this summer! In my opinion, it is no coincidence that this is in lockstep timing with the ongoing recession. Everyone has a dream of finding a fortune in the trash or a dumpster. But this is a dream, and not a reality, which makes for good storytelling on TV. These shows in general have shown antiques as a commodity with possible value, and not the stories behind them and how hard it is to find them—which I think is the most interesting part.

I am also a little concerned that these TV shows have a slightly sinister tilt to them, that the buyers have knowledge that they are not sharing with the sellers, and are taking advantage of them. In reality, antique dealers are very concerned about this perception; most are very fair and trustworthy. Dealers are very concerned about their reputation; in this world trust and credibility are the most important things. Dealers in general really enjoy sharing their knowledge about an item; this is in part why many got into the business.

Rebekah Kaufman: Finally, do you think the antique business has a future here in the U.S.?

Maureen Stanton: Yes—I am not gloomy about this. Everything has peaks and valleys. I think what people are collecting has changed. People in their 30s and 40s now have a little money and are interested in spending it on items that remind them of their childhood. So the pure definition of what is vintage has changed—and gotten younger! The hope is that these sorts of items—dolls, comic books, toys, etc.—are gateway items to more expensive and exclusive things. Producers are also changing the rules for shows, allowing “newer” older things on the show floor in an effort to attract more people to their shows. As long as people have a need to own things that are meaningful, the antique industry will remain vibrant.

Rebekah Kaufman: Maureen, many thanks for your time and insights. It has been a pleasure to speak with you!

Rebekah Kaufman is a Worthologist who specializes in vintage Steiff and other European plush collectibles.

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WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

A monumental Billy Ray Hussey lion, a must for collectors and a fine example of North Carolina folk pottery, will be among the items auctioned off on June 19, 2010 by Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd.

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. – Nearly 800 fresh-to-the-market lots in a wide variety of categories will be sold at a two-session Fine & Decorative Arts Catalog Auction slated for Saturday, June 19, 2010 by Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd.

Headlining the event will be the private collection of Daisy Wade Bridges, which includes more than 200 lots from her lifetime collection of porcelain and North Carolina pottery. She previously worked for Josiah Wedgwood & Sons, where she was introduced to the world of ceramics and their manufacture. A philanthropist, she donated many artifacts of merit to the Mint Museum in Charlotte.

A historical Blue Staffordshire ship plate with an E. Wood Burslem mark, made circa 1820s.

Bridges collected, studied and wrote about Wedgwood for many years, until one day she noticed that great ceramists and great history were just as alive and interesting in the U.S. as they were in Europe. She proceeded with considerable enthusiasm to study the wares from our country and the remarkable ash and salt glaze traditions in North Carolina. She has written extensively on the subject.

In addition to Bridges’ collections, Session I will also be dedicated to Asian objects, collector cars, antique clocks, American and European silver, American and Continental paintings, American and Continental furniture, porcelains, bronzes, antique rugs, fine jewelry and a wide array of decorative arts. The second session, starting at 6 p.m., will be dedicated entirely to fine and vintage wines, a burgeoning genre on the auction circuit.

“This auction will be a great way to wrap up the first half of 2010, which has been very successful,” said Leland Little of Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales. “The merchandise in this auction is very strong, and we expect the inventory to remain consistent into the fall.” Online bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted.

The North Carolina pottery in the sale—mostly from Bridges’ collection—will feature a rare Pisgah Forest baluster vase with pewter overlay and aubergine glaze; a monumental Billy Ray Hussey lion figure with multi-color glaze and abundant curly clay to the mane and hind-quarters; a rare form Burlon Craig face wig stand; a pair of contemporary lidded vessels by Donna Craven; and a Mark Hewitt large lidded jar with ash glaze.

Porcelains will include a pair of Delft lidded garniture vases from the late 17th or early 18th century, with polychrome glaze and figural decorations; a fine pearlware center bowl (likely Leeds, England, circa 1750s), circular with scalloped trim; a mid-18th century English stoneware salt-glazed teapot; and Staffordshire pieces: a pair of squirrels, a rabbit form soup tureen and a grouse form tureen.

The fine wine session will feature one lot of 10 bottles of Chateau Latour Pauillac (1994) with an opaque dark ruby/purple color and an intense nose of walnut and cassis scents; one lot of 12 bottles, also Chateau Latour Pauillac (1995), medium to full-bodied, with original tissue; and one lot of nine bottles of Chateau Tertre Roteboeuf Saint-Emilion, dense and full-bodied, with intense layers of fruit.

Decorative arts from the Daisy Wade Bridges collection will include a late 19th century Federal style 25 ½-inch girandole mirror surrounded by a gilded concave frame decorated in floral relief; an early 19th century English Sheraton rent table with a revolving circular top and an old tooled leather surface; and a Historical Blue Staffordshire ship plate with an E. Wood Burslem mark (circa 1820s).

Walker painting: Oil on canvas painting by James A. Walker (Br., 1841-1898), titled “Siege of Paris,” signed and dated.

Continental art will be offered in abundance. Examples include an oil on canvas by James A. Walker (Br., 1841-1898), titled “Siege of Paris;” an oil on canvas by Robert Mols (Bel., 1848-1903) of Antwerp Harbor; an oil on canvas portrait of Catherine of Braganza from the circle of Sir Peter Lily, late 17th century; an oil on canvas portrait of “W. Boyce” attributed to Allan Ramsay (Br., 1713-1784); and an oil on canvas rendering of an evening street scene in Paris by Edouard Cortes (Fr. 1882-1969).

American art will be no less impressive. Works include an oil on canvas of the Grand Canyon by Dawson Dawson-Watson (Tex., 1864-1939); an oil on canvas half-portrait of John Bispham (circa 1834) by Thomas Sully (Pa., 1783-1872); an 1819 oil on canvas steamboat painting by Francis Speight (N.C./Pa., 1896-1989); and an oil on canvas spring rendering by George L. Noyes (Mass., 1864-1954).

American furniture will feature a rare 18th century Southern Queen Anne drop-leaf table from North Carolina; a mid-19th century mahogany rocking chair and foot rest attributed to Thomas Day; an early 19th century Southern Chippendale walnut chest of drawers, likely western North Carolina; and an early 19th century diminutive walnut and yellow pine Southern cellaret, also likely North Carolina.

Continental furniture will include a 19th century Venetian sofa with fruitwood frame, camelback with outswept rolled arms and Dupioni silk upholstery; a pair of inlaid Belle Epoch side tables (circa 1900), with highly figured rouge marble oval top with pierced brass gallery; and an early 19th century Georgian breakfront bookcase, carved mahogany with double cove-molded cornice over four doors.

Nine bottles of Chateau Tertre Roteboeuf Saint-Emilion (1995), all in good condition, will cross the block.

Asian objects are certain to get paddles wagging. Expected top earners include an important large bronze Buddha (19th century or earlier), a solid cast figure seated on an integral hollow lotus plinth; a large early 20th century hand-painted Japanese screen, four panels with wooden frames; and a Chinese porcelain eight-panel table screen from the 19th century, with 13 tiles and a mahogany frame.

Continental sterling silver will include a Victorian “Warwick” wine cooler (Sheffield, with Walker & Hall sponsor’s mark) and a William IV figural wine centerpiece (London, 1895 date letter). American silver will feature an important Southern Coin cup by Leinbach, footed with applied handle; and a Tiffany & Company ice cream server in the “Blackberry” pattern, made between 1902 and 1907. Also to be sold June 19 will be a pair of figural bronzes by the French artist J. Clesinger (1814-1883) and a 19th century Marti & Cie tortoise shell key-wound mantel clock.

Several collector cars will cross the block, to include a 1990 Ferrari Testarossa two-door coupe, white with red interior and 20,302 miles; and a 1995 Bentley Brooklands four-door sedan, light blue with cream interior and 27,450 miles.

Also on Friday, June 18, at 3 p.m., there will be a presentation on “The Artistic Legacy of Thomas Day: Master Craftsman and Free Man of Color,” given by Patricia Phillips Marshall, curator of decorative arts for the North Carolina Executive Mansion and the North Carolina Museum of History.

The remaining 2010 Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd. catalog sales are scheduled for Sept. 18 and Dec. 4.

For more information about this auction, call 919.644.1243, e-mail to info [at] LLAuctions [dot] com or visit the Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Web site.

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WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

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By the 1970s, many auctioneers opened auction barns where they conducted once-a-week or twice-a-month auctions. Others rented fire halls and other civic facilities. These auctions featured objects that came from combining estates and/or consignment. Hard core group dealers had reserved seats in the front two or three rows. Large pieces were located in an area beside or behind the auctioneer’s podium. Smalls and box lots were laid out on tables along the outside walls.

When it was time to sell smalls, runners would select objects from the tables, place them on a tray, and take them to the auctioneer. The auctioneer would select an object and offer it for sale. Occasionally, the auctioneer would sell by choice. Bidders would compete for the right to select one or more objects from the tray for the final bid price. Once the sold item(s) was removed, the bidding started again. The process continued until the remaining items on the tray were offered as a lot, one price takes them all.

Even in the 1960s, objects at Country auctions sold for hundreds and thousands of dollars. These were the exceptions. More than half of the offerings brought less than $50. Many box lots sold for dimes or quarters. A box lot realizing more than $5 was unusual.

Several key changes occurred within the auction environment in the 1970s. Sotheby’s and Christie’s entered the picture. High-end merchandise gravitated to New York and other large city catalog houses. While the small local auction barn survived, several developed into strong regional auction houses. These captured a portion of the high-end and most of the middle market. The American Bicentennial called attention to the importance of collecting and living with antiques and collectibles. The Country Look and the antiques and collectibles associated with it were prime beneficiaries.

As Americans became collecting conscious in the 1980s, prices of antiques and collectibles rose. Increased competition at regional and national auctions drove up prices. Trade periodicals, as well as the national media, began reporting auction results. The general conception that there was no limit to what an object was worth proved a boon to auction prices.

The recession of the late 1980s-early 1990s and the growth of electronic accounting software encouraged auctioneers to evaluate their sale practices. Auctioneers began to focus on the average lot price and cost of sales. Christie’s spun off Christie’s East and Sotheby’s its Arcade to sell lots valued below $1,000, reserving high-end items for specialized and single-owner catalog sales.

Although never in dispute, local auction houses and auctioneers became more aware of the fact that it cost just as much to sell a $5 lot as it does to sell a $500 lot. Once the unit sale idea was firmly implanted, auctioneers began to establish per-unit sales goals. Initially, these goals were modest and not discussed openly. Most bidders were unaware they existed. The increasing practice of grouping objects into lots went largely unnoticed.

Although Christie’s and Sotheby’s never published their per lot minimum, the amount was openly discussed in the trade. A $1,000 per-lot minimum was in place by the mid-1990s. It rose to $2,000 as the century ended. Today, the minimum is either $5,000 or $6,000 per lot, depending on the source. Christie’s closing of Christie’s East and Sotheby’s abandonment of its Arcade had wider implications. In essence, Christie’s and Sotheby’s conceded the sub-$5,000 per-lot material to the regional auction houses. Further, Christie’s and Sotheby’s reduction in their specialized divisions allowed this material to gravitate to the strong specialty auction houses.

[Author’s Aside #1: It is expensive to run an auction house or gallery. By the early 1980s, the percentage charged the seller no longer provided sufficient income to meet costs. This resulted in part from the lowering of the selling commission to attract material in a highly competitive marketplace. Auction houses instituted other fees, such as charging for the placement of photographs in catalogs and sharing advertising costs. The auction buyer’s premium penalty—a payment for the privilege of buying—was the most egregious invention. It provides a cash guarantee for the auction house when an object is sold. The institution of a per-lot minimum is just another attempt to achieve profitability.]

When the per-lot minimum at local, regional and specialized auctions was $50 or $100, it drew little attention from the collecting community. Many lots were sold individually. Grouped lots consisted of two or three items. Large lots were being sold as boxed lots.

This recent Great Recession caused many local, regional and specialized auction houses to examine their per-lot minimum. In 2010, $300 is starting to replace $100 as the per-lot minimum. The amount of objects involved increases exponentially when considering the number valued under $100 versus the number valued under $300.

If you are a collector, examine your collection. How many objects are worth $300 or more? How does this number compare to your collection count?

The $300 per-lot minimum is a serious threat to how business is done within the antiques and collectibles trade. If auctioneers are no longer willing to sell objects unless their individual value or lot value exceeds $300, the average collector is faced with finding an alternative to selling the majority of his collection.

[Author’s Aside #2: I am not being judgmental. Auctioneers have every right to institute a $300 per-lot minimum. There are times when they must place their interests ahead of their customers. This is one of them.]

If the $300 per-lot minimum has dire consequences for the collector, it has catastrophic consequences for the person who needs to dispose of household contents. Auctioneers of household contents have been in a quandary for more than a decade. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to meet expenses, let alone make a profit, when selling household contents. Household auctioneers have developed per sale minimums, a number today that exceeds $10,000 ($25,000 in some instances) and is becoming more and more difficult to reach during the Great Recession.

What is the fate of low-end material, whether household goods or part of a collection? The fate of most household goods is likely to be the landfill or “free” boxes placed alongside the curb or road. Garage salers are junking far more than they are selling. Collectors have no choice but to become dealers, either setting up at flea markets, malls and/or shows or selling on the Internet until their material is dispersed.

While the Great Recession has accelerated this process, it is not the cause. This trend has been blowing in the wind (it is a cliché, but appropriate; hence used) for more than a decade. It appears irreversible.

The general public and the small collector are the market segments that are hit hardest by a $300 per-lot minimum. Since the introduction of this minimum is in its initial stages, it will take five to eight years for its full impact to be felt. Now it is in place, there is no reversing it—a sad truth.

For the moment, antiques and collectibles investors are safe. However, the $300 per-lot minimum will eventually rise to $500. When it does, the investor will lose his/her immunity.

Is the Internet the only sale option remaining for the sub-$300 item? I want the answer to be no. However, I have not been able to identify other viable alternatives. Any suggestions?

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Rinker Enterprises and Harry L. Rinker are on the Internet. Check out his Web site.

You can listen and participate in Harry’s antiques-and-collectibles radio call-in show “Whatcha Got?” on Sunday mornings between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Eastern Time. It streams live on the Genesis Communications Network.

“Sell, Keep Or Toss? How To Downsize A Home, Settle An Estate, And Appraise Personal Property” (House of Collectibles, an imprint of the Random House Information Group), Harry’s latest book, is available at your favorite bookstore and via Harry’s Web site: http://www.harryrinker.com.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the 20th century. Selected queries will be answered on this site. Harry cannot provide personal answers. You can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker [at] aol [dot] com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered. Please indicate that these are questions for WorthPoint.

Copyright © Rinker Enterprises, Inc. 2010

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This Paul Evans (American, 1931-1987) 10-piece sculpted bronze dining suite, made in 1970 featuring Stalagmite glass-top dining table, set of eight dining chairs with purple micro-suede seats and backrest; sideboard with two slate tablets and bi-fold doors concealing interior shelves. Signed “PE 70.” Offered as three lots, total selling price: $59,225. Image courtesy of Austin Auction.

AUSTIN, Texas – Austin Auction Gallery chalked up a solid $260,000 total with its April 18, 2010 Important Spring Estates Auction, led by a keenly pursued selection of Mid-century dining room furniture designed by Paul Evans (American, 1931-1987).

The 10-piece sculpted-bronze dining suite consisted of a large ‘stalagmite’ glass-top table, eight chairs upholstered in purple micro-suede, and a long, sculpted-bronze server set with two slate slabs. The consignor had purchased the suite in 1970 from the Chicago showroom of Directional Furniture, for whom Evans designed.

The Evans set was offered in three lots with a total estimate of $17,000-$23,000, but bidders knew an opportunity when they saw one and pushed the aggregate price to $59,225. The table made $10,925, while the coveted complete set of chairs soared to $29,900. Completing the ensemble, the sideboard closed at $18,400. All prices quoted in this report are inclusive of 15-percent buyer’s premium.

“We had nine or 10 phone bidders from all over the country who were interested in the Paul Evans set,” said Austin Auction associate Chris Featherston, “but amazingly, it all went to a buyer from our own hometown here in Texas. One of the phone bidders, who was from New York, was surprised that he had been outbid by someone from Austin.”

An 18th-century Louis XV-style marble-top carved console from the same estate that produced the Paul Evans furniture also met with success in the sale. Heavy phone participation boosted its closing price to $8,625.

The fine-art section of the sale included a special collection of eight artworks by John Strevens (British, 1902-1990). Strevens exhibited regularly at the British Royal Academy, Royal Society of British Arts, the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, and the Paris Salon.

“The owner of the paintings had her portrait painted by Strevens and bought additional works by the artist,” Featherston explained. “The eight paintings sold for a total of $26,996, with individual prices ranging from $1,150 to $5,463.”

A category that garnered considerable interest was Asian art. “Since we have been online with our sales, we have gained quite a few buyers out of China,” said Featherston. “Last year many of those buyers were conspicuously absent from our sales. This year the Chinese buyers were back in force, especially for the red coral pieces in the sale.”

Featherston explained that because of over-harvesting and polluted ocean waters, raw red coral has become a scarce commodity. “Even 20th-century pieces like some that we auctioned attracted a lot of attention,” he said.

A group of four small red coral snuff bottles representing a woman, an urn with a relief image of a deer, and two eggplant forms with beetles in relief sold for $1,725 (estimate $200-$400); while a diminutive (4¼-inch-tall) red coral figure on an elephant made $1,265 (estimate $300-$500). Yet another example of Asian art that surpassed estimate was the 2½-inch-tall hornbill snuff bottle with dipper that garnered $1,725 against expectations of $200-$400.

Fashionistas swarmed to bid on the 13 lots of designer clothing by such notable names as Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass and Richilene New York. In total, the wardrobe of classics earned $7,619.

Featherston said he was disappointed that the sale’s star lot—an opal, diamond and pearl necklace that reputedly belonged to America’s first interior designer, Elsie de Wolfe—did not find a new owner. “The necklace didn’t sell, but it made a lot of people aware of us and the level of quality we offer in our sales,” he said.

For more information about this auction, call 512.258.5479, e-mail info [at] austinauction [dot] com or visit the Austin Auction Gallery’s Web site.

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Anatomy of an Auction

QUESTION: What is the universal signal from bidder to auctioneer   means  that “cut your opening dollar amount in half?” I thought it was when you took your bid card and kind of waved it sideways at the auctioneer with a cutting motion.

– A Reader

ANSWER: “I’m bid 50 . . . now 100 . . . I’m bid 50 here will he give a hundred, now 100? . . . Awright, sir, then 75 . . . 75 ? 100, and 100, I wanna 100 . . .”

There’s nothing like a melodic chant of the auctioneer to grab one’s interest and capture the imagination. Passing from the lips of an expert, the chant has a magnetic appeal that is addicting to some and enjoyed by all. It lures bidders to the sale and encourages them to covet offerings as varied as the creations of man. And when done right, it emboldens them to spar with their bids to gain the final victory—offering the winning bid! But to play the game you must understand what’s going on.

Our auctioneer was calling for a $100 bid when a man gave him $75. How did that happen? He received a “cut” bid. So what does that mean? Like the questioner noted, it means the bidder signals the auctioneer that he will offer half the increment the auctioneer is asking for. Here, half of the “jump” from the $50 bid to the $100 sought is $75.

The “slice” the questioner described is made whit either the hand (or the bid card) and it’s a widely recognized signal for “cut” bids. It can be made in front of or beside the bidder. By example, if the auctioneer has a bid for $20 and is calling for $25, a bidder’s “cut bid” signal indicates the bidder’s willingness to bid $22.50. Some bidders with a particular flair for drama make the cut across their throats. That one always gets your attention.

Another signal for a cut bid is to hold the hand up and press the end of the thumb against the last joint in the index finger. You might practice that but remember, I said the index finger.

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QUESTION: I always hear from non-dealers that they don’t like some auctions because there are too many dealers who drive the prices up. It seems dealers would only pay wholesale, so non-dealers should almost always get a good deal, unless they are bidding against each other. Any thoughts on this?

– A Fellow Virginian

ANSWER: Dealers who buy to resell can never outbid serious buyers who buy for their collections, so long as profit remains the objective. Dealers have to buy wholesale so they can mark their merchandise up sufficiently to cover their costs and then sell at, or near, retail and make a profit. It’s just simple arithmetic and basic business. Auctioneers say serious bidders will pay retail, dealers will pay wholesale, and some bottom bidders are the same as “No Sale!”

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— by Steve Proffitt

Steve Proffitt is an auctioneer and attorney at law He is the general counsel with The Motley’s Auction Group and an instructor Reppert School of Auctioneering.

© Copyright John Stephen Proffitt III

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A French industrial steam engine clock that will be up for auction at Fontaine’s Auction Gallery on May 30-31.

More than 1,000 lots of vintage antique clocks and watches—many of them exceedingly rare and highly collectible timepieces—will be sold at a two-day, four-session sale scheduled for May 30-31 by Fontaine’s Auction Gallery in Pittsfield, Mass. The centerpiece lot promises to be a rare and fine E. Howard Model #61 floor standing astronomical regulator, the third such clock to be sold by Fontaine’s.

The first one, a magnificent example, soared to $195,500 at a Spring Clock Auction held in June of last year. The second one, offered at Fontaine’s Fall Clock Auction in November, was a superior example that brought $189,750.

“The one we’re selling May 30th is the best of the three, without question,” said John Fontaine of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery. “I’m very curious to see what it sells for.”

A rare and fine E. Howard & Company Model #61 floor standing astronomical regulator clock will be one of the hundreds of clocks and watches that will be up for auction on May 30-31 at Fontaine’s Auction Gallery in Pittsfield, Mass.

The weekend will kick off with Session I, on Saturday, May 30, beginning promptly at 11 a.m. Over 275 lots of catalogued clocks will be presented, among them the E. Howard #61, boasting a four-jar mercury pendulum. But other E. Howards will be offered, too. These include an extremely rare Model 70 wall clock with 20-inch dial; a massive Model 87 floor-standing clock with jeweled pallets, four-jar mercury pendulum and time-only brass movement; and #1 and #5 banjo clocks.

Also featured will be a hard-to-find Chelsea ship’s clock with a 10-inch dial and rare, patinated Verde brass case with brass dial; a fantastic French Industrial mantle clock; an Elmer O. Stennes presentation Girandole banjo clock; an Elmer O. Stennes lyre clock; an Elmer O. Stennes weight-driven Massachusetts shelf clock; Seth Thomas weight-driven regulators; and an Umbria #7 regulator clock.

Session II—which will begin around 3 p.m. that day—will be an uncataloged Discovery Auction. More than 400 clocks, comprising about 250 lots, will cross the block.

“Bidders must be present to preview and bid in this session,” Fontaine said, “as the clocks are uncataloged and being sold as-is.” He added, “Absentee and phone bids will be accepted in this session if you have previewed the lots.”

Session III—to be held Sunday, May 31, at 11 a.m.—will feature over 250 lots of fine cataloged wristwatches and pocket watches. Included in the group will be a very rare Rolex Model Ref. 4500 two-tone chronograph; a Rolex Tank wristwatch made for Bucherer; a very nice Waltham five-minute repeater pocket watch; and an interesting Dudley Masonic Masons pocket watch with special movement.

Session IV—to be held that day, starting around 2 p.m.—will be another Discovery Auction, this one dedicated to pocket watches and wristwatches, over 400 of them. Many will be sold in multiple item lots and large groups. And like in the clock Discovery Auction, bidders must be present to preview and bid, as the watches are cataloged and will be sold as-is. Absentee and phone bids will also be accepted.

The auction will be held in Fontaine’s Auction Gallery’s spacious showroom, located at 1485 West Housatonic Street in Pittsfield, Mass. Previews will be held on Friday, May 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and on Saturday and Sunday (May 30-31), from 8-11 a.m. both days. Online bidding will be facilitated exclusively by Artfact.com. For more information, log on to www.FontainesAuction.net.

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A retired clown.

Coloradans grew up watching the children’s show “Blinky’s Fun Club” on KWGN-Channel 2 from 1965 until it went off the air in 1998. By then Blinky—whose real name is Russell Scott—had been running the antiques shop on South Broadway that bore his screen name for about 10 years.

In good weather, he would sit on the sidewalk wearing one of his trademark hats and waving back to passing motorists.

Now 87, Blinky has turned in his driver’s license and determined he no longer has the energy to run the store. He closed the doors on Nov. 12. Corbett’s Auction House of Littleton handled the final sale on Nov. 23.

Dressed in an orange cardigan, Blinky cheerfully autographed a stack of black-and-white publicity photos from his TV days and congratulated hundreds of bidders on their purchases. If he was disappointed in the sales, which amounted to pennies on the dollar, he kept it well hidden behind a beaming smile.

“Money isn’t everything,” he explained to well-wishers. “Enjoy yourself today.”

Rows of tables held a bewildering array of collectibles in an equally broad range of conditions. There were boxes of license plates, china, toys, lunch boxes, hand tools, musical instruments and gadgets.

Blinky’s good humor was rubbed off on auctioneer Adam Kevil, who kept a brisk pace even as display cabinets, furniture and other large items sold for well below $100.

But Kevil couldn’t hide his frustration at the slow bidding for the choicer items, such as a century-old Singer red eye treadle sewing machine. Red eyes in good condition typically sell for upward of $400.

“Goodness gracious, somebody bid, or I’m going to lose my job,” Kevil exclaimed before surrendering the item for $25.

There were some notable exceptions. A toddler-sized wicker buggy “pulled” by a rocking horse sold for $255. A Grundig radio sold for $100.

The most popular items may have been Blinky the Clown signs, including bidding for a large sign that Kevil coaxed to $575.

Even in what he says is now his real retirement, Blinky may be turning to what could become a new collectible. He paints and autographs birdhouses that are sold as curios in two Denver-area restaurants.

WorthPoint—Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles

Nearly everyone is looking to raise some quick cash these days. Whether you want to sell off some antique china or an old guitar you no longer play anymore, odds are that you have something around your home that you can turn into instant money.

So when Fox News asked me if I could do a segment on helping people to raise quick cash, I told
them of course I could, I wrote the book on it. OK, well I wrote A book on it. They were interested in interviewing me because I have over 25 years in the liquidation business, and I’m all about flipping things quick for a profit.

Click here for a link to the video.

They came out to Barre, MA and did a shoot in a one of my client’s houses, a woman by the name of Sue Mero whom I’ve

made several purchases from in the past. What Fox wanted was a situation where I could point out how the avearage American could gather things in thier homes to sell for quick cash. They didn’t want to feature a lot of high end antiques, but rather everyday items that anyone is bound to have, so that’s what we advised folks on.

I talked about the demand of popular DVDs, video games, costume jewelry, old photo albums and more. Then we went over how and where to sell these, and what to expect when you need to sell fast.

The whole shoot took about 2 hours, but of course it was condensed into about a 4 minute segment. It was a delight to be featured on a major news channel, but I also saw it as a validation for buyers and sellers of antique and used items.

These things are being sought out because with the new economy, people are turning away from cheap, mass produced items in favor of getting higher quality goods for less money. Many times they take comfort in knowing they are buying  from folks who are in the same boat and feel good about putting money in the pocket of an average American, rather than a big box store.

You could expect to pay about  1/3 to 1/2 or the retail price for a gently used item, in some cases even less. Why would you shop retail these days if you didn’t have to?

In the antiques and unique items arena, people are looking for what I call “Investibles”. An investible is something that one can purchase with the very real expectation of it being worth more when they go to re-sell it.

This has been my expertise and niche in the marketplace for years. I can tell you that it works, and that it’s one of the oldest games played. It’s similar to the stock market, but much safer.

If you compare collectibles against the stock and real estate markets, you’ll see that collectibles have far out performed the other two.

What I love about my business, is that anyone can get into it at some level for almost no cost. Most people have tried to flip something in their lives at one time or another. The ones who have been successful at least one time, are bitten by a bug that is hard to turn away from. I don’t know of any ex dealers who have ever gotten out of the business completely.

The reason for this, is that it’s almost impossible to turn your back on a quick profit. Someone may have sworn off selling collectibles forever, but I can gurantee that if they find a 1958 Mickey Mantle baseball card for a few dollars, they are back in the game.

Right now there are a lot of people hurting financially. On one side of the coin, there are those that need to generate quick cash by selling. The other side of the coin is those that need to save by buying used rather than new OR those looking for Investibles.

No matter what happens in the new economy, I’m betting my future that those two needs will always exist. If you see the logic of that statement, shouldn’t you at least learn the basics of this crucial set of skills?

Here are a few tips from my book about what to expect when selling to a dealer.

• Wholesaling to a dealer: If you’re seriously considering the idea behind this chapter you’ll benefit from a rough idea of what you can expect to be offered for what you have. You need to know what percentage of retail dealers expect to pay.
• Be prepared to be offered 25-50% of the retail value of your item at the most, and that’s if an item is a good seller.
• Swallow hard and realize that dealers will offer 10-30% of retail when buying in volume such as a basement full or when making offers on less desirable items. Before you panic, breathe deep and remember my pledge to help get you the best money possible QUICK, but you are not going to get top dollar. Selling wholesale is quick and here in this chapter I’m demonstrating how to get the higher end of the wholesale price, but it’s still going to be the wholesale price.
• Know Your Prospect: Try to find what your prospect’s weakness is. Do they like old ball cards, furniture? Are they passionate about antique toys? Most classified ads from people looking to buy, state that “they buy almost anything”, but every dealer has favorites and if you have some of those in your offering, you have leverage.

The above is just a small sample of what you can expect when selling to a re-seller. It’s merely a bite out of Chapter 2 in the book. While these basics are easy to understand, more than just the few tips are needed to hold your own against a professional if you want to get the best money possible for your items.

Selling Your Valuables is available in as an instant MP3 Audiobook download, a Text format or on CD, and is only $4.95.  Click here to find out more.

In the beginning I was willing bid what it took to get it. But after the bidding got closer to 500.00 I though to myself. Yikes!

What if was coin silver and not sterling. The seller could not offer any additional information. I do know much of the older Native American stuff is not marked for silver content.

Squash Blossom necklaces are not exactly a rare item. They are very abundant on line. So I figured it would be better to back down unless I knew for sure it was sterling. Of course weeks later I am still wondering if only I had hung in there that piece would have been mine!

In other words I am wondering what determines the value of these pieces. The silver content? The workmanship? The size of the turquoise stones? The signature?

Gee in today’s economy I am surprise that there is any bidding competition.

With us dealers and collectors the urge to obtain, to have and own is a strong.

This is not the first time that Pickford’s possessions have been up for sale. The December 2006 sale by Julien’s offered more than 200 items from the legendary actress’ collection, which featured a collection of personal correspondence from Douglas Fairbanks to Pickford that sold for more than $28,000.

Saturday and Sunday’s auction, too, had some standouts. The auction sales, under the expert auctioneering skills of Kathleen Guzman, started slow with a great portion of the continental furniture going way below estimates, and the trend continued throughout the first and second sessions. However, Lot 268, the 103-piece dinner service by Capo di Monte exceeded its estimate of $8,000 to $10,000, selling for $13,000.

The silver for the most part made a poor showing with the exception of the Victorian-era Elkington Epergne centerpiece, Lot 272, which sold within its $1,500 to $2,500 estimate for $2,000.

Session three, which included expected heavy hitters, saw more activity and higher bidding. Lot 411, the Mercier portrait of three children in a landscape, did not meet its estimate of $25,000 to $35,000, instead selling for $15,000. Next up were the Paul de Longpre oil-on-canvas botanicals, Lots 412 and 413, that sold, again below or just touching their estimates at $17,000 and $20,000, respectively.

The collection of Rodin-style watercolors, discovered to be the works of the infamous forger Ernst Durig with an estimate of $8,000 to $10,000, crashed at $1,000. The landscape attributed to Asher Durand with an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000 made a poor showing at $5,000. This was one of my picks, but upon personal close examination of the painting, it was clear that this was not a Durand. The painting lacked the luminosity and depth of detail attributed to his works.

Haseltine horse is a winner

There was no surprise that Lot 423, the Herbert Haseltine sculpture of a Percheron horse exceeded its estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. A New York dealer purchased it for $34,000. Haseltine’s works, which consisted largely of equestrian statues and were commissioned throughout his career by the rich and famous, hold their value, and it’s possible that this piece was purchased for immediate sale to a client.

The show wrapped up with the excitement of session four’s sale of the autograph book, Lot 749, which had an estimate of $6,000 to $8,000. This impressive collection of personalized autographs from 1926 through 1981 included the luminaries of the century such as Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart, Pearl Buck, Lillian Gish, Mussolini, George Bernard Shaw, Jonas Salk, FDR, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and hundreds more. To a serious collector of autographs, this collection would be at the center and a jewel to own. It went for $19,000.

– By Christopher Kent, a member of the WorthPoint board of advisers and director of evaluations for WorthPoint. He is also an antiques and collectibles generalist, fine-arts broker and president of CTK Design.

WorthPoint—Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles

If Debbie and Randy Coe (coesmercantile.com) lived down the street, I would be privy to an endless supply of “Rinker on Collectible” column ideas. Alas, they live in Hillsboro, Ore. Whenever my travels take me to or through Portland, I make every effort to visit with Debbie and Randy, at the very least to share a meal together.

Linda, my wife and provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, Conn., attended a NASH conference held at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Wash., a 40-minute drive from Portland. Her conference ended at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday, and our red-eye flight back east departed Portland at 10:10 p.n. Pacific Daylight Time. Debbie and Randy agreed to meet us for dinner.

Debbie and Randy are among the shrewdest dealers in the collectibles trade. They sell on eBay, at general and specialized antiques and collectibles shows, and at antiques malls. Randy maintains a detailed analysis of their selling patterns. They constantly adjust their merchandise to reflect the latest buying trends. At our dinner, Debbie and Randy shared the proofs of the 15th book they have authored for Schiffer Publishing, a book about Corning ware.

Our conversations are staccato and freewheeling. Stories flow fast and furious. Every collecting category and aspect of the antiques and collectibles game is fair game. By the end of our conversation, I have made notes for several future “Rinker on Collectibles” columns. Usually, I allow the ideas to germinate for a few weeks or months. Not this time, I had roughed out this column in my mind before I boarded the plane.

After exploring a number of topics, Randy, Debbie, and I started telling customer-service stories. Customer service is a scarce concept in the antiques and collectibles trade. Buyers are so used to the lack of customer service that when encountered, it is a shock.

Randy talked about two experiences at an antiques mall. He had bought a large quantity of material and noticed a pile of cardboard boxes in a corner behind the sales counter. “May I have one of those cardboard boxes to transport my purchases?” Randy asked. “No,” replied the sales clerk, “We use them for our eBay customers.” There stood Randy with cash in hand to pay for his purchase. He was a customer, just not the right kind.

Although Randy and Debbie deal in a wide variety of material, they specialize in glass products. Randy had selected and paid for several dozen glass pieces. As the sales clerk was handing Randy his change, he remarked, “I suppose you want me to wrap them, don’t you?” Well, duh! Randy certainly knew better than to throw his glass purchases in a box and trust God or who or whatever that the pieces would arrive home unbroken.

Randy’s stories inspired me to launch into one of my pet peeves regarding eBay sellers—their abject failure and desire to make the “second” sale. I buy on eBay. I do not sell antiques and collectibles. I keep what I buy. My eBay feedback is more than 1,200. When I send payment or use PayPal, I specifically indicate that I collect “x” and that I welcome direct quotes. I can count on two hands and maybe a toe or two the number of times an eBay seller offered me additional items. Occasionally, I receive an e-mail indicating they have posted an item for sale on eBay which I may be interested in buying. This is not what I want. I offer the seller a chance to deal direct, to sell an item quickly and without any extra added sale expense.

I was in a soapbox mood by this time. “The only customer service eBay sellers care about is getting their money as fast as possible and padding their profit with excessive shipping costs,” I protested. I decried eBay sellers’ failure to build long-term customer relations. eBay sellers, like so many antiques show dealers, adhere to the philosophical principle that if I do not buy it, someone eventually will come along who will. I need them more as suppliers than they need me as a buyer—so much for the old “money talks” cliché.

Randy sat there with a Cheshire cat grin on his face. “Okay,” I said. “Let me have it.” Without hesitation, Randy responded, “If it was not for the bad customer service, you probably would never buy anything from eBay sellers.” And, you think I am blunt.

The more I thought about Randy’s remark, the more truth I saw in it. Suppose every dealer/seller in the trade did give a damn about customer service and “second” sales. As soon as they acquired merchandise for which they had customers, they would be on the phone or sending e-mails attempting to sell it “on the spot.” The merchandise would never appear in their booth or be offered for sale on eBay. As much as I would have been a willing buyer, I was effectively removed.

I trust you see the irony in this. Bad is never good. Okay, there may be exceptions. When I was a bachelor in the early 1960s, I was not looking for “A Few Good Men” like the Marines, but “A Bevy of Bad Women.” I wasn’t a hippie in the ’60s, but in my early 60s . . . well, that is another story.

Sellers often confuse standard service, i.e., what a customer has a right to expect, with good customer service. In the case of an eBay seller, the buyer should expect an accurate description, one that includes a list of all defects, a sufficient number of photographs to allow proper inspection of the object, a clear indication of payment and shipment terms and cost, a prompt response to e-mail questions and purchases packed properly to avoid breakage during shipment. This is standard service. Good customer service is when the eBay seller goes beyond this.

One example is method of payment. I am not a fan of the eBay Payment Nazis who accept PayPal, money order or cashier’s check. I have read numerous articles, letters to the editor, e-mails and lengthy diatribes in the listings as to why they do this. Life is so much sadder when you lose trust in your fellow man.

I prefer to pay with a personal check. Most eBay Payment Nazis spell out their dictatorial payment terms in their listings. Hence, if I do decide to bid, I do so knowing full well what I am facing .

However, given my feedback, the relatively low cost of my purchases (yes, I am cheap) and my position in the trade, if I am the successful bidder, I e-mail the seller asking if he or she will make an exception. As a good customer, I make it clear that I have no problem with them waiting until my check clears before sending the merchandise. I credit those who respond, no matter what their answer, as practicing good customer service. I accept their right to refuse. The eBay sellers I detest are those who never respond and then send dunning e-mails asking why I have not paid. The answer, Stupid, is that I was waiting for a courtesy response to my e-mail.

An example of good customer service is when an eBay seller only charges for postage plus the cost of packaging material when adding shipping and handling charges to the bill. I keep careful track of what I pay versus the service I get. In a majority of cases, the cost of postage (including delivery confirmation) and packaging is less than half of what I was charged. Those sellers who think the buyer should pay for their packaging and trip to the post office are mistaken. These are part of the cost of doing business. Whenever the cost of postage and supplies is less than half of what I paid, I make a point to click the “unreasonable” star when leaving feedback.

I am looking for a few funny bad customer service stories, such as the two Randy told me, for use in lectures. Send your contributions to harrylrinker [at] aol [dot] com. Thanks.

You can listen and participate in “WHATCHA GOT?,” Harry’s antiques-and-collectibles radio call-in show on Sunday mornings between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Eastern Time. If you cannot find it on a station in your area, WHATCHA GOT?” streams live and is archived on the Internet.

“SELL, KEEP OR TOSS? HOW TO DOWNSIZE A HOME, SETTLE AN ESTATE, AND APPRAISE PERSONAL PROPERTY” (House of Collectibles, an imprint of the Random House Information Group), Harry’s latest book, is available at your favorite bookstore and via Harry’s Web Site.

WorthPoint—Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles

www.harryrinker.com.

Individuals fleeing the stock market are building large cash reserves. Growth potential in savings accounts and certificates of deposit (CDs) is minimal. The buzzword on the street is tangibles, solid objects that can be seen and held. Antiques and collectibles are tangibles. Some surplus cash already is flowing into the antiques-and-collectibles marketplace.

And article by Jeanine Poggi on Forbes.com last month pointed out that the auction sector of the antiques-and-collectibles marketplace has and remains impervious to economic trends. Auctions are a winner when times are good as well as tough. In good times, buyers compete to pay top dollar. In bad times, there are those who have to sell no matter what. There are more than enough buyers willing to take advantage of the resulting bargain prices.

“Wallet-whippers” beware

Investing in antiques and collectibles is a tricky business. It requires skill and years of expertise. The wallet-whippers—those individuals who think they can just whip out their wallet and start buying—will quickly find they are in over their heads. Further, investing in antiques and collectibles is an intermediate and/or long-term proposition. Short-term investing does not work. Market movement takes years, not months.

Lest there be any confusion, this column is about financial investment, i.e., buying antiques and collectibles as commodities to be bought and sold as market fluctuations dictate. It is not about love or any of the many other “investments” that make antiques and collectibles fun to own.

When buying antiques and collectibles as commodities, it is critical to identify those objects that bring the highest dollar, not necessarily those which are the most desirable. Thanks to Internet sites such as Artfact.com and GoAntiques.com, data is available to make these determinations.

Number of collectibles-and-antiques categories mushrooms

Throughout much of the 20th century, there were “blue chip” antiques-and-collectibles categories that experienced a steady rise in value over time. “Blue chip” categories vanished as the 20th century ended. Today’s market is trendy. Many previously favored categories, such as cut glass, have fallen on very hard times. The market also has become more sophisticated. Where it once consisted of approximately 1,000 identifiable collecting categories, the count now exceeds 30,000.

Investing in antiques and collectibles today requires an expertise that includes an awareness of past market trends, current market values, factors that might influence the market and future prospects. Unbiased experts are few and far between. Far too many potential investors rely upon advice from individuals with a vested interest in the object or collecting category, usually from the sales point of view.

Foreign buyers view the market differently

Much of the new money flowing into the American antiques-and-collectibles marketplace is going to come from abroad. These investors think globally, a much broader perspective than usually encountered by players in the American marketplace. They are not likely to see the same investment potential in a period Goddard and Townsend Chippendale secretary bookcase as an American investor. However, they understand the investment potential in a photograph with authenticated signatures of all four Beatles. The trade has reached a point where investment-grade material divides into global and national investment-quality pieces, mirroring a similar trend for low- and middle-grade material on auction Web sites.

What, if anything, does this have to do with the average collector or investor? The answer is very little. High-end investing now requires the ability to spend $50,000 to $100,000 or more per unit. This is a key point. Bluntly put, if you only have between $5,000 and $25,000 to invest, find another investment vehicle.

Finally, expect to be bombarded over the next several years with media stories about record prices being paid for items. James D. Julia recently sold a Colt .44-caliber revolver for $800,000 plus buyer’s premium. This is the start. Many more will follow.

Look for buying opportunities

Remember, it is a mistake to judge the strength of any collecting category by its high-end sales. A collecting category’s strength rests on the sales of it low- and middle-end material. When viewed from this perspective, a good market is one in which prices are stable. Continually falling prices are a sign of a bad market. The current economic situation is going to test every collecting category. While caution may appear to be the order of the day, opportunities abound. It is a great time to buy, provided you know what and why you are doing it. If you do not, buy/hire the expertise you need.

You can listen and participate in “WHATCHA GOT?,” Harry’s antiques-and-collectibles radio call-in show on Sunday mornings between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Eastern Time. If you cannot find it on a station in your area, WHATCHA GOT?” streams live and is archived on the Internet.

“SELL, KEEP OR TOSS? HOW TO DOWNSIZE A HOME, SETTLE AN ESTATE, AND APPRAISE PERSONAL PROPERTY” (House of Collectibles, an imprint of the Random House Information Group), Harry’s latest book, is available at your favorite bookstore and via Harry’s Web Site.

Richard Mantia with Mastro Live Auctions talks about Mastro’s new division for numismatics and the world record they recently set with the purchase of a Polish gold 1925 pattern coin. WorthPoint’s Dan Borsey has the story.

WorthPoint – Get the Most from your Antiques and Collectibles

Antiques, fine and decorative Art, furniture, collectibles and memorabilia are on offer at this glamorous and stylish auction of Pickfair, the estate of Mary Pickford.

The auction is being held by Julien’s Auction at the Beverly Hills Hilton Nov. 22 and 23. Auction Network will broadcast live streaming video of the sale and provide viewers with real-time, interactive bidding. I will be there to add color and commentary on some of my picks, best buys and best investments during the auction.

In the golden age of silent movies, Mary Pickford, “America’s Sweetheart,” captured the hearts of the moviegoing world. In addition to her illustrious film career, her achievements in the Hollywood movie industry include being co-founder of United Artist Studios, co- founder of the Academy of Arts and Science and the first hand and footprints in front of the famous Grauman’s theater on Hollywood Boulevard.

She and husband Douglas Fairbanks Sr. were Hollywood royalty and during their marriage, created Pickfair, the legendary house and grounds that served as host for dignitaries, foreign heads of state and all the leading stars of the day.

Many of the items featured in this sale have at one time throughout the years been featured in press releases and magazines such as Architectural Digest, House and Garden and the Los Angeles Times. Of the more than 700 items for sale, many will garner high bids. Here is a sampling of my picks.

Lot 268, a 103-piece porcelain dinner-service collection of the Napoleon and Josephine pattern made by Capo di Monte. It’s exquisitely over-the-top and includes decorative devices such as raised allegorical figures, gilding, latticework and central coat of arms with a blue underglaze mark. Made in the early-20th century, its estimate is $8,000 to $10,000. This service will appeal to the serious porcelain-designer collector.

Lot 652, a Continental silver, gold, enamel and garnet-studded jewel casket, gifted to Mary Pickford by Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, has dual appeal—celeb and royalty. Designed and crafted by Luigi Pallotti, this will far surpass its $3,000 to $4,000 estimate.

Lots 412 and 413, two paintings by Paul de Longpre (1855-1911). Longpre is known for his botanical paintings, particularly roses. French by birth, Longpre relocated to New York and established himself as a successful artist. In the late-19th century, he moved to Los Angeles and became the city’s first major still-life painter. It is likely that he is the first Southern California painter to earn major national reputation.

In 2007, Bonham’s and Butterfield, in their sale of California and American paintings and sculpture, sold a Longpre oil on canvas titled, “Bouquet of Pink and White Peonies,” for $144,000. The estimates of $20,000 to $30,000 each are conservative at best.

Lot 417 is a landscape by American Hudson Valley artist Asher Durand (1796-1886). This impressive oil-on-board depicting an expansive vista of trees, lake and a sailboat is typical of the lush style of the Hudson River School. Signed Durand A, the 21¼-by-35-inch painting is a fine example of Durand’s work.

It does not have the same draw as the “Kindred Spirit,” a painting he did that featured artists Thomas Cole and William Cullen Bryant positioned in a natural setting in the Catskills. That painting sold at the 2005 Sotheby’s auction for $35 million, which set the mark for the highest-selling painting of an American artist at the time.

It’s anyone’s guess what this painting will go for with an estimate of $25,000 to $30,000. I suggest that it will cap at around $45,000.

Lot 433, a group of three 19th-century needlework samples is a sleeper at $1,200 to $1,800. These three, polychrome needlework on homespun textile feature alphabets, flowers, biblical verse and animals. The market for American needlework holds its own and continues to sell well. It’s a curious homespun addition to the sale when stacked against the European furniture and decorative items. I think these three will walk home at a good price.

Note: Most, if not all, the still shots, film memorabilia and letters of Pickford, Fairbanks and Buddy Rogers, Pickford’s third husband, are going up with low estimates.

Items that consistently sell much higher than the posted estimates are personal diaries, appointment books and guest books of celebrities.

Lot 749 is going in with an estimate of $6,000 to $8,000, which will be blasted out of the water. Autographs include notables such as FDR, Marconi, Mussolini, Thomas Edison, George Bernard Shaw, Henry Ford, Grand Duke Alexander Mikailovich of Russia, Pearl S Buck, Lillian Gish, Amelia Earhart, H.G. Wells, etc. etc.

– By Christopher Kent, a member of the WorthPoint board of advisers and director of evaluations for WorthPoint. He is also an antiques and collectibles generalist, fine-arts broker and president of CTK Design.

WorthPoint—Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles

Lot 268

Since the beginning of civilization, jewelry has play an important part in society. It has been used to signify status, highlight beauty or to distract from homeliness.

Favorite pieces have been buried with the dead, and have been worn to mark the passing of the dead as in the case of mourning jewelry.

A wonderful piece of jewelry is probably the most often received gift item.

It’s no wonder then, that antique jewelry would become and endure as one of our favorite collectibles.  The same could be said for antique jewelry as a a real estate agent might say about a piece of land,”they ain’t makin’ anymore of it”.

Not only are they not making any more of it, but much of it is being destroyed, melting it down makes it even scarcer than it already is. During the 1980s when the price of precious metals were high, thousands of people sold off antique gold and silver jewelry to be melted down for quick cash. The same thing is happening now.

Recently gold hit as high as $900 per oz and I believe I saw silver as high as $18.00 per oz..  Both have come down a bit, but remain relatively high.

There’s an old saying, gold loves bad news, meaning that when economic times are tough people turn to gold as an investment. What we have is another period now when a lot of people are selling off gold and silver jewelry for quick cash.

That makes two “gold rush” periods in recent history which have caused a lot of antique jewelry to be destroyed. This affects the value of all antique jewelry, gold, gold filled and plated etc., because when a collectibles market fluctuates, it does so in a permeating way.

Antique jewelry is a classic, and classics are very safe long term investments. The value of a physical thing can never go to zero as with a stock or a bond, thus investing in good quality gold and silver jewelry at the right price is about as safe as it gets.

Can you think of any collectible or antique that a friend or even you yourself might own that is worth less now than it was 10 years ago? Beanie Babies don’t count. I’m talking about good quality, time tested antiques. I’m guessing you’ve answered no, but the same cannot be said for many stocks and bonds.

Of course like any investment, you have to buy right, because “well bought is half sold”.

Starts $9.95 no reserve. 14kt w/ 14k chain.

My favorite way of buying any antique as an investment is through the auction method. There are some basic rules  to follow to make sure your getting investment quality grade collectibles at prices that will reap rewards in the future.

Here are those rules, they apply whether your buying at an online auction, or a live auction:

• Don’t bother with auction items that have “reserves”, you are wasting your time, you will not get an item at an investment price there. That’s not even an auction really, it’s a store item, you just don’t know the price yet. Don’t play games with these jokers, there are enough real auctions out there to patronize.
• Pay very close attention to the description, be careful for terms that are vague and imply that the seller is not really sure of what they have. Term such as “style”, & “revival” “such as” all imply the item in question is not an authentic period piece.  Some sellers are just legitimately not sure of the item, some sellers are shady.
• If in doubt ask questions. I  put my phone # in my eBay auction listings for higher end items, it’s on my web-site and everywhere else I do business. If your considering a high end auction item and the seller doesn’t have easy access, ask yourself why.
• Many antique items are engraved,  this can deplete the value a bit in most cases. The value loss is not as much if the item is only engraved on the inside or back of the item. It’s also easier to sell an item that is only marked with a common single initial as your likely to find a buyer with a first name who can use it for themselves or as a gift.
• Set a price threshold which you won’t surpass when bidding. This is the best way to insure you don’t get caught up in “auction fever” and grossly overpay for the item. Nothing is a good investment if you overpay for it.

This stunning antique 14kt bracelet also starts at $9.95

I can almost hear you saying, “yeah, good luck finding pieces like that which are really auctioned with low starts at no reserve”!

Well I can assure you, great quality auctions of antique jewelry do happen every day by reputable sellers online and offline. You just have to beat the bushes a bit. No worry though, to start off with I’d like to introduce an antiques estate from North Admas MA which I’ll be auctioning off on eBay starting this Monday evening!

The auction will consist of many lots of  antique gold, silver and costume jewelry, porcelain and much more. Every lot will fall into the criteria of a real auction as listed above!

There is so much, that the entire estate should take about 2-3 months to get up on eBay. Some of the items will be sold by the piece, some will be sold in lots. All of it will be sold no matter what the price!

Most items will start at $9.95 or lower and every one is an investment quality collectible.

The estate, (technically, it’s a revocable trust as the benefactor is still alive) comes from an Audrey Dearing Sweeney who was president of the North Adams Massachusetts Historical Society. If you have any interest in a chance at getting quality antique items for far under the money, you will not want to miss these lots as they are being sold on eBay.

Besides the antique jewelry there are many other items from just about every category of antiques you can think of. I’ll be listing the contents as fast as I can get them up on eBay. The auctions will all start and end on Sundays until the estate is completely liquidated.

Everything featured in the pictures here, will be up for auction on eBay starting Sunday evening. All auction items are guaranteed to be as represented and start at $9.95 with NO RESERVES and free shipping for the holidays!

Can you think of a more beautiful gift than a piece of antique jewelry? Why not give one nice thing that  will increase in value rather than lots of disposable gifts that will be forgotten about before the New Year rings in?

Your thoughtful selection will be revered for many years.

Thanks for reading.

You can click on any of the pictures or links below them to see these and many other items from this estate starting Sunday evening.

A signed art nouveau Geo Jensen sterling pin  starts at $9.95

Philanthropists, fine-art buyers, community leaders and famous glass artists were in attendance, while online bidders followed the action live via high-definition video produced by Auction Network.

The entire fourth-floor ballroom held displays of more than 350 stunning art-glass objects. Slow, cool jazz tunes played live as guests mingled among the exhibits, enjoying appetizers and cocktails, admiring the brilliant art on display and placing “silent” bids” on more than 250 objects of glass art. The silent bidding ended as dinner was served.

Finely appointed dining tables encircled a large raised platform where the auctioneer, Kip Toner, dazzled the audience and encouraged bidding. Tuxedoed servers provided food and wine as some 70 glass-art objects were presented to the audience, one by one, for live auction. The guests bid happily and competitively, raising more than $800,000 for the school. It was an eye-dazzling event successfully orchestrated to help fund the important work being done at Pilchuck.

Pilchuck Glass School is recognized worldwide as a leader in art education in the medium of glass. Established in 1971 by famed artist Dale Chihuly, benefactors Anne Gould Hauberg and John H. Hauberg, Pilchuck is now an international center for glass-art education. The school operates under the visionary methods of Mr. Chihuly and is now co-chaired by him and Leslie Jackson Chihuly.

For further information concerning support, educational programs, future events, etc., call the Pilchuck Glass School at 206-621-8422.

WorthPoint—the premier Web site for art, antiques and collectibles

I was asked by the WorthPoint team to assist our partner Auction Network in broadcasting Fontaine’s Auction Gallery’s Nov. 9 antique-clock sale, live and in hi-definition over the Internet.

I was thrilled to participate in this cutting-edge auction featuring more than 250 investment-quality antique clocks. This was a great opportunity to see some of the world’s finest old clocks, and I arrived the day before the sale to inspect them at my leisure. The sheer quantity of high-grade clocks displayed at Fontaine’s was a real sight to see.

Several astronomical regulator clocks were in the sale, including the top-selling clock of the day, an E. Howard Floor Regulator 61 (Lot 105), which brought a whopping $165,000, not including the 15-precent buyer’s premium. Also among the astronomical regulators was a rare U.S. Clock Company “Regulator D” (Lot 70)that hammered down for a mere $32,500. A Howard 60 wall regulator (Lot 166) sold at a relatively low $40,000.

Several jeweler’s regulators were sold in the $9,000–$13,000 range. Some of the French clocks fared well with, a Japy Freres compendium crystal regulator (Lot 88) hammered at $13,000, while a beautiful Serves-type porcelain and ormolu revolving-dial annular table clock (Lot 125) sold for $8,000. A triple animation waterfall clock featuring Baccarat-type spiral glass rods turning to simulate running water mounted on fire gilt and patinated bronze case (Lot 141) brought $6,500.

Deals for bargain hunters

While the clocks mentioned above may seem like the clocks sold brought lots of money, there were some real bargains to be had, too. It seems the open escapement Royal Bonn porcelain clocks in the sale sold for less than usual, with six of them selling at $550 each, and another three bringing only $450 each. All were in perfect condition without chips, cracks or scuffs. Of the Royal Bonn clocks in the sale, Lot 241 was of a very pleasing blue color and brought $650, and couple of English skeleton clocks under glass domes (Lots 10 and 249) sold for just $600 each.

I believe that the real bargain of the day was the large E. Howard pocket-watch advertising display in this great old crusty finish (Lot 164). It was in pretty good shape for having been hanging outside for so long. At $6,000, the collector who purchased it must have been smiling all the way home.

All this goes to show you, auctions are like football games . . . like the saying goes “any given Sunday (or in this case Saturday), anything can happen.” After the sale, I spoke with the gracious auctioneer, John Fontaine, who said he was “generally happy with the sales’ outcome.”

“With the condition of this economy, it’s really no surprise the exceptional clocks sold well and the middle-range clocks went for bargain prices,” Fontaine added.

Fontaine’s next clock auction will be in May 2009.

Mark Peer is a WorthPoint Worthologist specializing in antique clocks.

WorthPoint—Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles

Lot 21, an American silver tankard with an estimate of $50,000 to $60,000 will ignite the sale. With an attribution to Bartholomew Le Roux, the only Huguenot silversmith working in New York City in the 17th/18th century, this museum-quality tankard will undoubtedly be the focal point of a public or private collection and will set the tone for the rest of the sale.

Lot 126 is the portrait of Mr. McCausland and his daughter, Frances P. McCausland, by Charles Peale Polk (1767-1822), nephew of Charles Willson Peale. Polk is more limner than portrait painter. His sometimes flat rendering of his subjects is indicative of the style of American portraits of the time He is, nevertheless, well represented in major public collections. It will be interesting to see what bottom line this paintings achieves. Estimate: $40,000 to $60,000.

The sale progresses with another superb piece, a Federal tall-case clock, Lot 135, designed, crafted and signed, Oct. 11, 1811, by New Jersey’s premier clockmaker, Isaac Schoonmaker. The clock displays the best of early-19th-century style and design with the unique touches that have distinguished Schoonmaker as one of the most-sought-after clockmakers in the U.S. The estimate of $10,000 to $15,000 will be met and exceeded.

Lot 324, a pair of rococo revival rosewood Stanton Hall armchairs is a major design departure from the more spare design pieces listed heretofore. Designed by J+ JW Meeks, 1836-1855, this pair of chairs embodies the flamboyance of the rococo period with a central rose cartouche design flanked by a pierced crest rail and tufted back, serpentine front seat and carved rail on cabriole legs terminating in stylish scroll feet. Estimate: $4,000 to $6,000.

Lot 358, a carved-pine seal of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a fascinating piece with an estimate of $30,000 to $50,000. Formerly owned by Thomas B. Wanamaker, son of department-store magnate John Wanamaker, this last quarter of the 19th century piece is carved with a figure of an Indian dressed in a shirt, leggings and moccasins, holding a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. The motto translated from Latin is “By the sword we seek peace but peace only under Liberty” appears in the bannerette. This seal hung at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition and was purchased by Wanamaker at the close of the festivities. The item piques my interest, and I will be fascinated to see what the hammer brings down on this one.

– By Christopher Kent, a member of the WorthPoint board of advisers and director of evaluations for WorthPoint. He is also an antiques and collectibles generalist, fine-arts broker and president of CTK Design.

WorthPoint—Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles