In Ohio, a Toulouse-Lautrec Poster Garners Five Figures

With a New York gallery on the phone and many parties via the Internet and present in the gallery itself, a volley of bids was discharged pursuing the hot item - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's "Divan Japonais."

The piece was not even revealed to the auctioneers themselves until well after the first press release announcing the auction. In an offhand manner, John Farkas, the presiding auctioneer, announced upon opening the bid at $20,000, "Everyone should be bidding ...after all, what do you have Toulouse?" The witty aside brought laughs and the poster fetched a price of $32,200.

The uniqueness of the sale attracted a crowd of varied interest - namely, those there for automobile collectibles and those present to bid on the extensive vintage poster collection. Online, individuals from Germany, France, Austria and England took on the formidable gallery audience. Meanwhile, art galleries from New York City and California were on the phone ready to snatch up specific items.

A museum in California, present via telephone, bought a 1969 Mehari Citroen for a museum piece. This bid attests to the quality of the pieces comprising the estate of automotive historian Merle "Mickey" Mishne. Camera Works books by Alfred Stieglitz exceeded expectation and fetched prices nearing $5,000. The boyhood photos of J.H. Lartigue are another hot item that exceeded estimates. Every piece in this auction sold for market value, and in most cases, higher.

Signed and numbered prints by Hearsey and Juratovic, Fearnley and Watts once again fetched bids from automobile enthusiasts. Original vintage posters from World War I, the French-Algerian Campaign, the Spanish Civil War and World War II - as well as a vast collection of original advertisements from complementary eras - intrigued a separate audience. Photos and illustrations featuring turn-of-the-century life and times captured the interest of still yet another audience.

Prices reported include buyer's premium.