Salamander Paperweight Scurries to $154,000 in Santa Cruz
SANTA CRUZ, CALIF. -An extremely rare, French salamander glass paperweight sold for $154,000 at the L.H. Selman Ltd. fall 2000 auction. In addition, an important Russian floral plaque – a rarity for both its uncommon heritage and “plaque” style – went for $52,800. With final sales reaching well over $500,000, the auction made the argument that what is often maligned as desk decoration is revered by many as artwork.
Other antique paperweights exceeded their anticipated prices by thousands of dollars. A multi-faceted Clichy paperweight rocketed to $16,500. A Saint Louis carpet ground paperweight topped-out at $14,300. And contemporary fine glass artists made their marks as well: A Paul Stankard bouquet paperweight weighed in at $5,255, while a Whitefriars Christmas paperweight rang the bells at $1,760.
On-site viewing began in October. Bidding for all the 338 lots was competitive. Both online and phone bidders fought for the Salamander, which easily broke it’s $100,000 mark. The Pantin Salamander is one of only 12 known in the world.
