Even if you havent seen Casablanca, you've probably quoted it. The famous phrase, "Here's looking at you, kid" that we find ourselves smoothly reciting, was originally ad-libbed by Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) in the most iconic romantic melodrama ever filmed. The timeless classic continues to sweep starry-eyed viewers off of their feet and should one of them happen to be you, we found the perfect chair to catch your fall.  Lot 511, Kathy Callahan, Humphrey Bogart Chair, Plywood and paint, Massachusetts, 1991; Estimate $300 - $500 Dry your eyes! Youll never have to rehearse bitter-sweet goodbyes to Rick Blaine again! Coming up at Skinner, 20th Century Design sale on December 14th is a unique, hand-painted chair depicting Humphrey Bogarts character from Casablanca. How can you resist the design possibilities that this nonchalant stud so coo...Read More

It’s not every day an auction house sells a life size fiberglass cow in a top hat alongside Abraham Lincoln’s signature, a Hadrosaur dinosaur egg, and a New England Queen Anne tall chest. On December 13th, Pook & Pook is going to do just that when they offer up The Eclectic Collection of John Rexroad of Madison, Connecticut, over 300 lots of antique furniture, fine art, clocks, petrified objects, Native American items, ceramics, famous signatures, WWII posters, textiles, trade signs, and more. Lot 231, Life size painted fiberglass cow; Estimate $200 - $300 John Rexroad was born into the field of antiques. Collecting art and antiques has been with him for his entire life.  As a child John was surrounded by historic artifacts and art collected by his grandparents during their world travels. John’s passion for collecting evolved throughout his...Read More

There are enough precious metals burning deep inside Earths core to cover it in a thirteen-foot thick layer of high luster, extremely valuable bedrock (we choose to picture a globe of pure gold). The myriad of magical materials waiting to be mined or violently spit out by volcanic eruptions have fascinated mankind for millennia - especially when its destined for design.  Starting this weekend, Bidsquare will begin the holiday auction season in a series of fine jewelry sales from auction partners such as Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, Fortuna Auction, Rago, Cowans Auctions and Skinner. Here are some upcoming selections that epitomize the extreme beauty of our natural world: Lot 132, Cartier Coral, Diamond, and Emerald Flower Brooch; Estimate $15,000 - $25,000 Blooming inside the catalog at Fortuna Auctions' Magnificent Jewels sale on December 1...Read More

The rooms we love never look as if they came ready-made from a box. They reflect the person who lives within their walls. Ragos Remix - Authentic Style auction on December 2nd is an homage to bucking the norm in favor of authentic style. We (Rago) sat down with Rago’s Design Director, Arlen Sam Brown, to discuss a few of her favorite pieces of décor in the sale and to get some tips on working them into a broad range of design styles. Lot 645, Pair of giltwood fauteuils, French, Late 19th/early 20th c; Estimate $500 - $700 This pair of armchairs is the embodiment of the Remix story - a pair of 100 year old gilt wood fauteuils re-upholstered in a whimsical and contemporary embroidered fabric. You couldn’t ask for a cleaner example of old meets new. Perfect as a pair of french chairs pulled up to a bistro table in the kitchen. Elevate your din...Read More

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! December is typically a quiet period for Asian Art, but there are always great items to discover on Bidsquare. First up is Jackson’s International Auctioneers and Appraisers three-day sale of Native American, Asian, European and American Works! Day 1 of the sale takes place on December 5th and features over 500 Asian Works of Art from China, Japan, and the Himalayan Region. Highlighting this sale are two incredible Japanese pieces from the late Meiji Period (1868-1913). Lot 79, A Very Fine Japanese Mixed Metal Bronze Lidded Urn; Estimate $800 - $1,200 One of these is lot 79, A Very Fine Japanese Mixed Metal Bronze Lidded Urn. Standing at a good height of 9.5 inches, the attractive urn has fluted sides containing realistic mixed metal chrysanthemum blooms in silver and gold. The urn’s shoulders a...Read More

Theres one in every family - the person who has (almost) everything! However, we at Bidsquare believe that the impossible, particular and eccentric personalities are the most exciting to surprise. Weve wrapped up an unexpected gift guide that offers determined loved ones with a plethora of present options. With rare and authentic items added everyday, you can bid and browse for that particular "one" without even having to take your slippers off! The Hobbyist Collector: Help someone start their fine print, poster, or vintage sign collection! Book worms will crunch through the pages of our first and limited-edition options while those with the need for speed can cruise happily through catalogs featuring vintage toys, luxury collectibles, and blinking oddities.  Top Row: Lot 677, Rattan Bicycle, Estimate $800 - $1,200; Lot 310, Jim Dine, Hand ...Read More

The majority of coins produced in the United States today are minted in three main cities: Denver, San Francisco and Philadelphia. This was not always the case. Throughout American history, there have been mints in many U.S. cities. Several noteworthy coins in Ragos Coin & Currency (12/02) auction come from the now defunct Charlotte and Dahlonega Mints. In the period before the civil war, the mints at Charlotte and Dahlonega were used exclusively for the production of gold coins. Given its proximity to the first gold mine in the United States, the Charlotte Mint was a natural choice. From 1835 until its capture by the Confederacy in 1873, it produced approximately $5 million in gold coins. While the Confederacy attempted to maintain production at the mint, they were forced to halt as the Southern economy faltered under war-time stress. Exam...Read More

You would have stopped to watch. Keith Haring, a slender boy in his twenties with a cut-off shirt and circular glasses, briskly exited subway cars armed with white chalk and influence. Between 1980 and 1985 Haring produced hundreds of (illegal) New York City "subway drawings" on unassuming, black matte walls that would have otherwise remained blank and lucky commuters watched him do it.  Public art for all was Harings innermost modus operandi and it would continue to be so after his explosive success and untimely death in 1990 via The Keith Haring Foundation. His iconic illustrations ride on the hind of continuous line and spell out messages of love, war, birth, sex, and life and there isnt a single person they are lost on.   Lot 371, Keith Haring (after) Dinner Service, Set of 29 Pieces, Porcelain, Germany; Estimate $2,000 - $3,000 Coming ...Read More

NEW YORK, NY | How much does that weigh? This question circled my mind like a pesky little house fly frequently landing on the surface of each titanic object. Everyone is going big at The Salon Art + Design 2017 and the impressive efforts of each exhibitor is impossible to overlook. Exquisite items dwell within their temporary environments, dramatically lit overhead or instead commanding the space and illuminating it themselves. If you are looking to disappear into lavish portals of design then this is the show to see.  R&Company; Studio 65, Gufram, Bocca, red stretched upholster over foam, 1986 | The Salon Art + Design, 2017 Surrealist outlets like this deeply poetic and hallucinatory set up by R&Company pack a potent pout. Anchored by a lounge in the shape of bright red lips and encased by deep yellow walls, this arrangement feels like a ...Read More

Discover highlights from Ragos 19th/20th C. Fine Art Auction as they take a closer look at some the works crossing their auction block on November 11th.  Lot 95, Franklin C. "Watty" Watkins, Vista, Oil on canvas, 1963; Estimate $5,000 - $7,000 Franklin C. “Watty” Watkins received formal artistic training at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, but soon found himself drawn to the more avant-garde manipulations of color and form used by Post-Impressionists like Gauguin and Cezanne. In this later work, we see some of these early inspirations come to fruition: bright, playful colors, altered perspectives and varied brushstrokes. Vista was included in the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s 1964 retrospective on Franklin Watkins’ work. Lot 47, Samuel Margolies, Men of Steel, Drypoint on paper, ca. 1940: Estimate $3,000 - $5,000 A master of intagl...Read More