BY W.A. DEMERS
CLINTON, CONN. — An online and live auction scheduled for September 10–11 will disperse antiques in the inventory of Woodbury, Conn., dealer Harold E. Cole, as directed by the US Bankruptcy Court, District of Connecticut, Bridgeport Division. It is real estate, not his antiques business, that is at the core of Cole’s financial difficulties. “I stepped out of my area of expertise investing in land instead of antiques,” he told Antiques and The Arts Weekly. “Due to a defect with the land/title, I suffered a major loss and a trustee was assigned to see to certain payments.”
The auction is set to begin at September 10 via the Invaluable online auction platform at www.invaluable.com, sold under the aegis of the Hamilton Group, a Clinton-based firm specializing in appraisals, auctions and liquidations. The online bidding will conclude on September 11.
There will be opportunities to view the items up for bid, both with photographs and information about the antiques available for viewing on the website www.hamilton-grp.com, as well as with physical previews on September 9 at 36 Killingworth Turnpike in Clinton. The antiques will be posted online for preview in late August.
According to Mike Knudsen of the Hamilton Group, there are about 1,000 items that will be offered at auction.
As most people who have seen Cole’s merchandise over the years at various antiques shows know, it is a varied mix of Americana, folk art, furniture and paintings. Cole told Antiques and The Arts Weekly, “At first it was upsetting to realize that my antiques assets could be sold, but my daughter [Margaret Heminway] encouraged me to look at this as an opportunity to clean up all of these financial issues and to take that big step into semiretirement. I will be turning 80 in the fall, but due to my love of antiques I hope I can buy and sell until the day I die. However, she has helped me realize that I do not need as much overhead and as much to keep track of.”
Separately, a hearing as been set in Bridgeport for August 26, when the bankruptcy court will consider a motion to sell Cole’s Woodbury, Conn., residence to settle back taxes.
For additional information, www.hamilton-grp.com or 203-433-8052.
