Prior to this sale, I couldn't remember being entrusted with an important collection whose owner I did not know personally. In this auction, however, there are two. Each unique, as all collections are, Stephen Sachs iron toys and Eberhard Luethkes steam engines are collections that differ in ways well beyond their contents. I didn't have the pleasure of knowing either Stephen or Eberhard while they were alive, but I came to know each of them in handling their treasures. I realized I was vicariously meeting two collectors whose approaches to collecting were as different as the items that intrigued them. Lot 415, Rare Hubley cast iron Indian Say it with Flowers three-wheel delivery motorcycle; Estimate $18,000 - $25,000 When I saw pictures of Stephens toys, I was astounded by the number of items in his collection. When Pook & Pook Vice Presid...Read More

After a slow start to 2017, the Asian Art market is finally waking up from its brief winter slumber. March is always one of the busiest months for Asian Art in North America - with over twenty-five auctions occurring during Asia Week, New York from the 9th to 18th. As always, sale results will be a strong indicator for the market’s direction in the coming months.  To coincide with Asia Week, Bidsquare will be featuring Asian Art sales from two of the larger American regional auction houses. On March 18th, Skinner’s in Boston, MA will be holding their Spring Asian Works of Art auction. Even though Chinese art is still highly represented, the 550 lots also covers items from the Japanese, Indian and Himalayan regions. Lot 202, Jade Boulder, China, 18th Century; Estimate $60,000 - $80,000 Their highest estimated item is lot 202, Chinese Jade Bo...Read More

In the annals of exploration, Captain James Cook is considered an absolute heavyweight. At a time when the British Empire was spreading its wings wide, he made three extensive voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the east coast of Australia, the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of the two New Zealand isles. Captain James Cook - a serious man in a time of funny wigs On Saturday, March 18 Rago offers bidders the chance to relive the wonder of Cook’s epic third voyage when they offer a Lot 1854 in their Great Estates sale. Commissioned in the early 19th Century, this book contains over 60 engravings and 20 maps depicting the cultures and geography of the Pacific Islands, including "The Reception of Captain Cook in Hapaee", "A Human Sacrifice, in a Morai, in Ota...Read More

WARNING: The artworks in this sale are going to make you jealous. Hipsters eat your hearts out. This catalog is filled with so much originality, I dont quite know how to fully prepare you for it. I didnt expect to turn over stones and keep finding pockets of intrigue as cool as the two adorning Bruce Springsteens worn out Levis on the "Born in the U.S.A" album cover. But, I did. On March 19th, Material Culture will auction an epic merger of collections in their formally titled, Heart of the Collection | American Self-Taught, Haitian, Jamaican and African Art From the Collections of Jonathan Demme and Ford Wheeler. This sale is a union of many kinds; friendship, culture, artistic vision, design, travel and an compelling amount of intellectual girth. It is not only exciting because of the quality of works being offered but also because of whe...Read More

By the mid 1920s Henry Ford was looking to follow up on the massive success he’d enjoyed with the Model T. First produced on 1908, the Model T was considered the first affordable automobile, had been the first car ever produced on an assembly line, and opened up travel to the burgeoning American middle class. With over 16 million units sold, it would eventually be voted the most influential car of all time. Time for snazzy suits! Henry Ford and son Edsel at the launch of the Model A in December, 1927 And yet sales, once so robust, were beginning to flag. Competitors, led by General Motors, had started closing in, offering more powerful engines, new convenience features, and cosmetic customization. Developments Ford considered unnecessary, like electric starters, had shifted in the publics perception from luxuries to essentials. Despite his ...Read More

If this is your first encounter with Lettuce Ware, we'll give you a moment to digest.  Crisp, lifelike leaves curl and glisten in a variety of ceramic forms; tea cups, saucers, bowls, platters, pitchers, napkin rings, etc. (yes, you can seemingly drink chamomile, twirl linguine or pour lemonade out of a head of lettuce) all molded and perfected by the steady hand of artist, Dodie Thayer. Ms. Thayers designs, first started sprouting up in the 1960s at elite luncheons and garden parties in Palm Beach, Fla. Distinguished hosts such as; Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Bunny Mellon and C.Z. Guest were not only setting fashion trends, they were planting seeds for the exclusive, value that would grow with the desire to own these luxurious leaves.  Lot 401, Six Dodie Thayer Lettuce Ware Coffee Cups and Saucers, Estimate $400-$600 In their heyday, collectin...Read More

Who doesn't appreciate a proportionate balance of sophistication and fun? Especially if it comes in the form of an auction! Skinner Auctions on Upcoming Decorative Arts and online Furniture Auctions will focus equally on impressively priced items for the seasoned collector as well as offering attractive, reasonably priced items for those just starting to acquire their tastes. We've pulled together an eclectic selection of anticipated antiques to help slide you across the monetary scale.  Lot 387, Twenty Turned and Carved Butter Stamps, America, 19th Century; Estimate $2,000 - $3,000 Everything is better with butter! This group of twenty, intricately designed butter stamps offers an exciting glimpse into the early American kitchen. What better way is there to learn about a culture, but through its cooking traditions? Featured motifs like; sh...Read More

The practice of collecting coins can be traced back to ancient times. Archeological evidence and historical records dating as far back as Ancient Rome and medieval Mesopotamia suggest that scholars, state treasuries, and even private citizens collected and catalogued old, exotic and unique coins. But why do people collect coins? And what value does a coin hold beyond its intrinsic, or commodity, value? The reasons people choose to collect coins are as varied as the objects themselves. Some numismatists collect coins purely for their historical value, seeing them as relics of the cultures and societies that minted them. Others collect coins as ‘art in miniature’ and prefer coins engraved with dramatic and artful reliefs. But many (if not most) coin collectors choose their acquisitions based on a different metric - market value. The market va...Read More

The shear impressionistic force of Frank W. Benson's sporting artworks make them hard to forget. You are swept so far away, so quickly by their gripping depth, it feels a bit like gazing up at an unexpected solar eclipse. Light strikes first, spreading edge-to-edge across the water like a blanket as expansive as the sky that opens up into infinity. Thin horizons and rising mountain ranges continue on like a looking-glass-world traveling well beyond their paper margins. Benson tucks his passion for the outdoors tightly under the shadow of every birds wing and sinks heavily like a stone around a lone fishermans canoe. We've selected a few of Bensons dazzling works on paper from Copley Fine Art Auctions upcoming Winter Sale catalog, live auction on February 17th to get lost in his great land-escapes.  Lot 37, Frank W. Benson, Sunrise, Etching,...Read More

A reminder of the shadier side of the furniture industry will be on show Saturday, February 18 when a pair of Bernardo Plycraft “Pretzel” Walnut armchairs go under the hammer in Charlottesville, VA. Selling as lot 179 in Bremo Auctions’ Mid-Century Modern & Decorative Arts sale, this famous design was once at the center of a controversy that would eventually show its manufacturer in a less than flattering light. In the 1950s, the Herman Miller Company, led by George Nelson, was working on creating lightweight chairs out of plywood. Their Pretzel chair was designed by Nelsons office in 1952 and produced by a Massachusetts-based company called Plycraft. The chair proved too fragile and costly, so Miller stopped production in 1957.  Lot 179 - the stunning pair of Bernardo Plycraft "Pretzel" Walnut Armchairs But because of the Pretzel, Plycraft...Read More