Notable sales in our May 14, 2021 issue lead with a Regency papier mache and tole side cabinet that achieved $40,625 at Roland Auctions. A horde of unsorted silver US coins from 1964 back to the 1800s rose to five figures at Scott Daniel’s Auction. The sports card collecting arena presented a Topps Tom Brady Retrofractor card that sold for $2,214 at Moggie’s Auction Service, while Paul McCartney’s original RIAA gold record for “Let It Be” realized five figures at Schwenke Auctioneers. A Lionel train, sought-after art and rare books will keep you reading on some of the latest auction activity across the United States.
Regency Chinoiserie Cabinet Gets $40,000 At Roland
GLEN COVE, N.Y. – Top lot honors at Roland Auctions’ April 24 sale went to a Regency papier mache and tole side cabinet that achieved $40,625, well ahead of its $15/25,000 estimate. The piece was not fresh to the market but had extensive provenance that Roland included in the lot notes, including Partridge Fine Arts and Sotheby’s, with comparable examples to ones owned by the Duke of Devonshire. The chinoiserie decoration was attributed to John and Frederick Crace, who are best known for their Chinese-inspired interiors commissioned for Brighton Pavilion from 1800-1810. A trade buyer in the United States was the winning bidder. For more information, 212-260-2000 or www.rolandantiques.com.
McCartney’s ‘Let It Be’ Gold Record Tempts Schwenke’s Bidders
WOODBURY, CONN. – Paul McCartney’s original RIAA gold record for “Let It Be,” which he gave to former agent Vincent Romeo, along with a black and white studio photograph of McCartney, was offered by Schwenke Auctioneers on April 25. Estimated at $3/5,000, it attracted attention from bidders who, it turned out, just could not “Let It Be” and it realized $13,970 from an internet bidder. For information, 203-266-0323 or www.woodburyauction.com.
1933 Lionel Train Pulls Ahead At Brzosteck’s Auction Service
BALDWINSVILLE, N.Y. – An Oak Sellers Hoosier three-section kitchen cabinet with green slag glass in the door and a porcelain top sold for $840 at Brzostek’s Auction Service on April 25. That price was topped by a 1933 Lionel train in its original box (shown), which brought $1,288. Also in the sale, a three-section walnut bookcase took $700. For information, 315-678-2542 or www.askbernie.com.
Volume Four Of ‘Cook’s Last Voyage’ Charts Course For Material Culture
PHILADELPHIA – The volume four atlas of Captain Cook’s Last Voyage, published in London in 1784, sailed to $11,520 at Material Culture’s April 21 sale. The leatherbound volume features two charts and 59 uncolored engravings made by various engravers from the drawings of John Webber, the artist on the voyage. It would be the third and final voyage by Cooke, who would die during a quarrel with Hawaiians. The volume was consigned from the private Beverley Hills collection of Shirley and David Rowen. For information, www.materialculture.com or 215-438-4700.
Silver Horde Makes Weight At Scott Daniel’s Auction
HIGH FALLS, N.Y. – Following the firm’s sale of photographic works by Pamela Rankin-Smith, Scott Daniel’s Auction offered her personal effects in an estate auction on April 24. The lots were led with a horde of unsorted silver US coins weighing 42 pounds, which rose to $16,200. The firm said all of the coins were from 1964 and earlier, some dating back to the 1800s. “At a glance, some are almost uncirculated such as the Morgan Dollars,” the firm wrote. “We have not checked for mint marks, strike mistakes or other minting errors. This is a treasure hunt for someone to go through the thousands of coins and find gems!” For information, www.scottdanielsauction.com or 845-372-4787.
Nye’s Estimate Defeated By ‘Avenging Angel’
BLOOMFIELD, N.J. – “The Avenging Angel,” a pen, ink and wash on paper Old Master work avenged its $700-$1,000 estimate when it brought $24,320 at Nye & Company’s April 21 sale. The work measured 11 by 7-7/8 inches and featured a mark lower left denoting it once belonged in the collection of Joseph van Haecken (1699-1749), a painter and collector who abandoned his own work later in life to become a drapery painter to other artists. For information, www.nyeandcompany.com or 973-984-6900.
Early Brady Card Goes Yard At Moggie’s
MARLBOROUGH, N.H.- Numbered 285 of 557 was a Topps Tom Brady Retrofractor card that sold for $2,214 at Moggie’s Auction Service on April 25. The card dated to 2002 when Brady was only 24 years old and in his second year as a pro with the New England Patriots. The back of the card read, “Tom had completed only one NFL pass when he assumed the helm of the Patriots in the 2001 season. Unfazed, he passed New England to the AFC East title while earning a spot under center in the Pro Bowl.” For information, www.moggiesauction.com or 603-494-5964.
Online Vintage Accents Sale Has A Pair Of Upside Surprises
THOMASTON, MAINE – Two notable lots climbed from modest estimates to five-figure results at the online Vintage Accents sale that closed April 28. By Maine artist Francis Emritz Hamabe (1918-2002), “Eaton’s Castine,” a two-color woodblock print, pencil signed, titled, dated 1959 and numbered 4/20, in an oak frame, matted under plexiglass, 18 by 21 inches, jumped its $200/300 estimate to finish at $2,760. And a large Chinese dragon vase, stoneware meiping with blue-on-grey decoration of a writhing dragon winding around the bulbous body, standing collar and standing 11¼ inches tall, brought $2,520 against a $300/500 estimate. For information, 207-354-8141 or www.vintageaccentsauctions.com.
Trio Of Brass ‘Cloud’ Tables Rise To $8,260 At Copake Auction
COPAKE, N.Y. – There were nearly 800 lots presented in Copake’s April 24 cataloged and unreserved online-only auction, and the top items were three brass hollow base cloud tables that floated to a stratospheric result of $8,260 against their $150/250 estimate. Just like no two clouds are alike, dimensions for each varied: 40 by 28 by 14 inches; 24½ by 15½ by 18½ inches and 35 by 20 by 16½ inches. For information, 518-329-1142 or www.copakeauction.com.
