Auction News Network

Mark Birley Sale Doubles Estimates

Mark Birley will always be associated with Annabel’s, the famed—and famously excusive—private club he founded in London in 1962. It was the place to be in London’s swinging 60’s, and is thriving to this day. Around England, however, he was just as well known for his tremendous taste and style, and for what his daughter called the “discrete splendor” of Thurloe Lodge, his home in London. Yesterday, six years after his death, Sotheby’s auctioned his personal effects, including works from his famed art collection, in a London sale that drew 850 registered bidders and at $5.9m, doubled estimates.

As Much As $600,000 Expected For Piano From SS Normandie

Of the many luxurious ocean liners that plied the transatlantic routes in the years between the two world wars, the SS Normandie may have been the most glamorous. Her beautiful interiors and innovative designs set the bar high. An example of that is the ship’s Emile-Jacques Ruhlman-designed art-deco piano, composed of a stunning array of woods and veneers. In a private collection since the 1940’s, when the ship’s contents were first sold, it will be the centerpiece at Sotheby’s 20^th Century Design auction on March 6^th, when it’s expected to cross the block at $400,000-$600,000.

Lalique Glass Hood Ornament At Bonhams

Back in the day the owner of a Citroen, Bentley, Mercedes, Packard or some other fancy car, often installed his own hood ornament. They were called “mascots.” Nobody made more iconic glass mascots than Rene Lalique. At its first Decorative Arts auction in France, Bonhams is selling a Lalique design known as “Victoire”.

Christie’s Luxury Week

Closing out its 2012 season, Christie’s will offer a Luxury Week series of sales, beginning today with an event in New York devoted to jewels, led by a 50.01 carat diamond ring by Graff, (est. $7m-$10m). In tomorrow’s sale, Christie’s will auction a collection of furniture, fine and decorative art from the estate of legendary director Billy Wilder, and in coming days, there will be sales, six in all, devoted to watches, wine, and 20^th century design.

Major French Art Deco Sale At Christie’s

The late Steven A. Greenberg’s collection of Art Deco furniture and objects of design largely concentrated on the work of just three designers: Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Jean Dupas, and Jean Dunand. However narrow its range, however, the more than 200-lot collection, which Christie’s will auction on December 15^th in New York, is considered the most important offering of Art Deco designs to come to auction in more than twenty years. A 1932 fan-shaped desk by Ruhlman, adorned with black lacquer and nickel-plated brass is expected to lead the sale, in which it carries an estimate of $2-$3m.

Brooke Astor’s Estate Finally Comes To Auction

For decades, ruling from her 14-room duplex on Park Avenue, New York socialite Brooke Astor set a standard for philanthropy, and civic responsibility. After her death in 2007 at the remarkable age of 105, relatives battled for five years over the revered heiress’ $130m estate, from which her son was convicted of stealing millions. Now, following that scandal, Sotheby’s has announced it will auction the contents of her stylish two homes. Up for grabs at the September 24-25 charity sale are everything from the guest book for her husband Vincent Astor’s yacht (est. $1000-$1500), to her 1959 Bulgari diamond, emerald and gold necklace ($250,000-$350,000).

$38.3m For Famed Milhous Collection

Over the years, there may have been more valuable collections than the one assembled by the Milhous brothers, but there were few more idiosyncratic. Its core consisted of vintage automobiles and mechanical musical instruments, but it also included such rarities as a full-blown carousel with 42 animals, and a 1920 peanut and popcorn machine once pulled by two horses. This past weekend it all sold at an auction joint hosted by RM and Sotheby’s for $38.3m. Highest price item: a 1912 Oldsmobile Limited Five Touring classic that fetched $3.3m, a new world auction record for an Oldsmobile.

The World’s Biggest Faceted Emerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote a story called “The Diamond As Big As the Ritz.” Were he alive today, who knows what sort of narrative he might be inspired to fashion about a remarkable gem coming up for auction on February 26? It’s a 65,500ct earth mined stone, not quite as big as a hotel perhaps, but large enough to be the world’s largest faceted emerald. Not many precedents exist for evaluating its worth, which accounts for its rather broad  estimate of $100,000-$500,000.

Silver Cups From Salem Witch Trial Judge

Not quite a decade after the notorious Salem Witch trials of 1692, the judge who presided commissioned a pair of silver standing cups, made in 1701 by the goldsmith Jeremiah Dummer of Boston. That judge was Governor William Stoughton of Massachusetts, whose cups will be a highlight at Sotheby’s Americana sale on January 20-21^st in New York. They’re expected to sell for $1m-$2m.

Almost $1m For Contents Of Michael Jackson’s Home

The 524 items from Michael Jackson’s last residence had been expected to realize $200,000-$400,000 at a weekend sale in Beverly Hills. Instead, bidders shelled out almost $1m at Julien’s Auction for the late pop star’s belongings. The highest priced lots were a $35,200 Utrillo watercolor, and a $46,875 oil by Adelsteen Normann, but buyers offered extravagant amounts for other offerings as well, like the $25,750 paid for a mirrored armoire on which Jackson scribbled a message to himself: “Train, perfection March April Full out May.”

A Carousel & Vintage Cars: Milhous Collection To Sell

Bob & Paul Milhous only wanted one object in an Austrian collection. It was a Weber Maestro orchestrion, a mechanical device that produces the sounds of a 24-piece orchestra. To close the deal, the brothers had to buy the entire 260-item collection. Through the years, they’ve added to it, so that their assortment of antique cars, mechanical musical devices, clocks and curiosities now totals over 1200 items. In late February, RM and Sotheby’s will sell it all for what’s expected to be more than $40m.

Small Bottle, World Record Price

The 18^th century Chinese enameled glass snuff bottle that Bonhams offered earlier today in Hong Kong may be tiny. Its price was not. The bottle from the Qianlong period (1736-1795) set a new world record price of $3,328,400. That was over five times its pre-sale estimate, and more than double the previous record, set at Bonhams last year, of $1.19m.

Another Thriller?

It’s all included, even the bed where he died. The contents of Michael Jackson last home, at 100 N. Carolwood in Holmby Hills, will be sold at a Los Angeles auction.  Everything from the armoire on which he tacked a note to himself (“TRAIN, perfections, March April. FULL OUT May”) to a kitchen blackboard on which a child’s scrawl reads “I (heart) Daddy. SMILE, it’s for free” will be offered at the December 17th sale. Julien’s expects the event to bring $400,000-$600,000, an estimate the auction house admits may be conservative “because of the circumstances.”

Malcolm Forbes’ Art & Queen Victoria’s Bloomers

What didn’t interest Malcolm Forbes? The late publisher collected art, hot air balloons, historical documents, yachts, real estate, motorcycles, maritime artifacts and toys—thousands of them. Now, yet another of his remarkable collections will be sold. That would be the contents—500 lots strong– of Old Battersea House, the 17^th century London home, which he restored in 1970. Among the featured lots at the Lyon & Turnbull sale is “For the Squire,” an oil by Sir John Everett Millais, estimated at $800,000-$1.28m.

Update: The Millais painting sold above its low estimate for $886,412, and the Queen’s bloomers swelled to $15,000, more than three times the high estimate.

$6.9m Commode Tops Safra Sale

It required four days for Sotheby’s to sell the vast collection of billionaire banker Edmond J. Safra and his wife Lily. By the time the contents of their various homes in the U.S., Switzerland, and France crossed the block, the final tally was $45.9 million. Top lot at the series of auctions was an 18^th century Louis XVI ormolu-mounted French commode, which sold for $6.9m.