Gavels and Paddles
Recent Antique & Collectibles Auction Results From Around the World
by Ken Hall

Edouard Cortes work, $34,500, Leland Little
An oil-on-canvas Paris street scene by renowned French painter Edouard Cortes (1882-1969) sold for $34,500 at a Fine & Decorative Arts Catalog Auction held June 19 by Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd., in Hillsborough, N.C. Also, a 1990 Ferrari Testarossa two-door coupe, white, sped off for $44,725; a William IV sterling figural wine centerpiece (London, 1833) brought $16,100; and a 19th century Southern Chippendale chest of drawers (likely western North Carolina) crossed the block for $13,800. Prices include a 15 percent buyer's premium.

“Famous Bitters” bottle, $64,960, American Bottle
A Powell & Stutenroth “Famous Bitters” vintage bottle, one of only a few known and graded 9.7 out of 10 for condition, sold for $64,950 at the 50th Internet and catalog auction held by American Bottle Auctions of Sacramento, Calif. (AmericanBottle.com). The auction went online May 24 and ended June 1. Also, a Bryant's Stomach Bitters (B-242) cone bottle climbed to $40,320; a W&B Shasta Superior Mineral Water bottle made $15,680; and a Washington/Bridgeton (N.J.) bottle gaveled for $9,520. Prices include 12% bp.

Tiffany Dragonfly lamp, $109,250, James D. Julia
A spectacular 22-inch Tiffany Dragonfly leaded table lamp with a border consisting of nine beautiful dragonflies finished with green cabochon eyes sold for $109,250 at a Fine Glass & Lamp Auction held June 22-23 by James D. Julia, Inc., in Fairfield, Maine. Also, a Tiffany geranium-design lamp featuring multi-hued floral blossoms and broad green leaves on an intense blue background brought $63,250, and a massive Tiffany Studios decorated Senior floor lamp with Art Nouveau styling hit $47,150. Prices include 15% bp.

Decorated tall pitcher, $14,950, Jeffrey S. Evans
A free-blown and lily pad-decorated tall pitcher, blue-green, ca. 1850-1890, sold for $14,950 at a sale of Important Early American Glass & Lighting held May 22 by Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates in Mount Crawford, Va. Also, a pair of pressed Boston & Sandwich Glass Co. tulip vases, brilliant deep teal (circa 1845-1865) went for $14,950; a New York State free-blown and threaded vase or jar, deep blue-green, ca. 1845-1865, brought $8,625, and a pair of Loop/Leaf lamps in medium golden amber made $6,900. Prices include 15% bp.

John Lennon lyrics, $1.2 million, Sotheby's
John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for the song A Day in the Life sold to a private American collector for $1.2 million at a Fine Books & Manuscripts Sale held June 18 by Sotheby's in New York. The song was the final track of the legendary 1967 Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which spent 27 weeks at the top of the U.K. charts and 15 weeks at number one on the U.S. (American Billboard 200) chart. The seminal album marked the Beatles' transition from pop icons to artists. The price includes 12% bp.

Einstein manuscript, $578,500, Christie's
An autographed, signed manuscript by Albert Einstein (1879-1955), containing his lecture on The Origin of the General Theory of Relativity (ca. June 1933), sold for $578,500 at a Fine Printed Books and Manuscripts Sale held June 22 by Christie's in New York. Also, an early copy of The Declaration of Independence (Washington, D.C.), engraved by W. I. Stone for the Department of State by order of John Quincy Adams, Secretary of State (dated July 4, 1823), went to a determined bidder for $302,500. Prices include 20 bp.

Cigar Store Indian, $203,150, Heritage
A colorful and well-preserved American hand-carved Cigar Store Indian sold for a world record price of $203,150 at a Political & Americana Auction held May 22 by Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas, Tex. Also, a 1950’s Sands Casino gambling chip, featuring the classic “cowgirl leaning on an hourglass” design, fetched $26,290; a rare Pony Express Bible went for $20,315; a ¾-plate tinted daguerreotype of a Shakespearean actor made $13,145; and a Charleston slave hire badge dated 1800 hit $14,340. Prices include 19.5% bp.

Model 1876 Gatling Gun, $282,000, Greg Martin
A rare model 1876 Gatling gun on a wheeled carriage, extensively marked (including “S. Colt, N.J.”), 14-feet long and 4+ feet tall, sold for $282,000 at a sale of Rare and Historic Arms and Militaria held June 26-27 by Greg Martin Auctions in Irvine, Calif. Also, a massive English 8-bore hammer double rifle by Charles Boswell commanded $35,250; a Pederson .30 caliber device (model 1918-Mark I) brought $32,313; and a lot of two historic Confederate Civil War naval signal pennants hit $19,975. Prices include 17.5% bp.

Chinese jade vase, $578,000, Skinner
A large Chinese jade vase in the shape of a double gourd sold for $578,000 at a sale of Asian Works of Art held June 25-26 by Skinner, Inc., in Boston. Also, another large Chinese jade vase, this one of flattened hu form, coasted to $501,000; a Huanghuali cabinet from the late Ming/early Qing dynasty went for $292,000; and a hand scroll inscribed with “Si ji shang wan tu” (“Appreciating the four seasons”) brought $106,650. In all, around 1,700 lots were offered in a sale that grossed $4.82 million. Prices include 10% bp.

Qianlong bronze censer, $1.386 million, Bonhams
A two-foot-high Qianlong Period (ca. 1750) gilt bronze censer, a bell-form bowl decorated all over with rows of bronze lotus petals above a base of three gilt bronze elephant heads, sold for $1.386 million at an Asian Art Auction held June 22 by Bonhams & Butterfields in San Francisco. Also, a huanghuali and mixed wood altar table from the late Qianlong/Republic period crossed the block for $230,000 and a ca. 18th/19th century rhinoceros horn raft cup, carved as a log boat, topped out at $182,000. Prices include a 15% bp.

Hemingway book, $21,600, Swann
A copy of the first (and only) edition of Ernest Hemingway's Three Stories & Ten Poems (Paris, 1923) sold for $21,600 at a sale of Rare Books and Atlases held June 17 by Swann Galleries in New York. A featured atlas was the complete copy of Richard Blome's A Geographical Description of the Four Parts of the World, with 25 engraved maps (London, 1670). It went to a determined bidder for $19,200. Also, a first-edition copy of Emily Dickinson's first book, Poems, First Series (Boston, 1890), made $7,800. Prices include 20% bp.

Tobacco proof strip, $316,250, SCP Auctions
The unique surviving T-206 Honus Wagner tobacco proof strip, which includes Wagner's card plus four others (Mordecai Brown, Frank Bowerman, Cy Young and Johnny Kling), sold for $316,250 at a Major League Baseball All-Star Auction held in July by SCP Auctions of Laguna Niguel, Calif. Three of the players (Wagner, Brown and Young) are members of baseball's Hall of Fame. The legacy of the T-206 Honus Wagner card dates to its creation and release by the American Tobacco Company in 1909. The price includes 20% bp.

Simon Willard clock, $57,500, Converse
A fine and beautifully-crafted tall case clock by the celebrated U.S. clockmaker Simon Willard (Mass., 1753-1848) sold for $57,500 at a sale of antique clocks and related horology items held June 18 by Gordon S. Converse & Co., based in Strafford, Pa. The auction was held at the Yorktowne Hotel in York, Pa. Also, a set of twin clocks with world time and a perpetual calendar by the Swiss firm Gubelin soared to $16,100 for the pair, and a monumental clock depicting the Reims Cathedral went for $8,050. Prices include a 15% bp.

Apache hide dress, $13,200, Hesse Galleries
An Apache hide dress and mantle decorated with tin jangles, rows of long fringe, bead work and painted designs sold for $13,200 at an Artifacts Auction held May 8 by Hesse Galleries in Otego, N.Y. Also, a Hopewell platform pipe (Hardin Cty., Ohio) breezed to $3,960; a quill-decorated knife sheath with knife earned $2,530; a military officer's fitted sword box made of mahogany, minus the sword but with a sheath, commanded $3,520; and a red-colored Clovis point went to a determined bidder for $1,980. Prices include 10% bp.

Lever-action pistol, $74,750, Rock Island
A factory-cased and engraved Volcanic lever-action Navy pistol sold for $74,750 at a Premiere Sale held Apr. 30-May 2 by Rock Island Auction in Moline, Ill. Also, a rare A.M. Sterling marked and solid-sterling-silver Colt 2nd model derringer pistol rang out at $69,000; a Gustave Young factory-engraved, J.P. Lower-shipped Colt model 1878 sheriff model double-action revolver hit the mark at $46,000; and a U.S. Army First Lieutenant Colt model 1900 automatic pistol, serial # 93, with holster, topped out at $43,125. Prices include 15% bp.

Chinese porcelain bowl, $73,160, Northeast Auc.
A Chinese porcelain bowl with an interior underglaze blue decorated with rocks, waves and ribbons and bearing the Daoguang mark sold for $73,160 at an auction held May 29-30 by Northeast Auctions in Portsmouth, N.H. Also, a 29-inch bronze sculpture of a nymph holding a lily, by Bessie Potter Vonnoh, coasted to $47,200; a pair of blue and white Chinese porcelain vases fetched $42,480; and a 25.5-inch Chinese porcelain charger (ca. 1750), with underglaze red decoration of a dragon, made $42,480. Prices include 18% bp.

Von Menzel work, $32,200, Grogan
A pencil-and-charcoal study of a woman by German artist Adolf Friedrich von Menzel, done in 1892, sold for $32,200 at an auction held June 6 by Grogan & Company in Dedham, Mass. Also, a French astrological mantel clock with dials for the phases of the moon, the astrological signs, days of the week and months and sunrise and sunset brought $28,750; and a bronze work by French artist Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse titled, Enlevement d'Hippodamie (“The Rape of the Hippodamia”), hit $26,450. Prices include 13% bp.

Hopkins portrait, $17,625, Garth's
An 1842 portrait of Brothers Alfred and James Hopkins by Milton W. Hopkins sold for $17,625 at an Americana Auction held May 29 by Garth's Auctions in Delaware, Ohio. Also, a rare Winchester Cartridges advertising board was a hit for $17,625; a poplar Soap Hollow chest, dated 1864 and marked for Jeremiah Stahl, coasted to $14,100; and a figured cherry Sheraton sideboard, dated 1822 and possibly from Cincinnati, realized $9,400. Prices include 17.5 % bp.