Contributors
Rising Value of Unrestored Cars
By Malcolm Welford, Vintage Car Specialist
Decoys & Sporting Collectibles
The Biggest Salmon Ever Caught (In Great Britain)
October 24, 2012What, you may wonder, did the biggest salmon ever caught in Great Britain weigh? As it happens, Bonhams has not just the answer, but also a mounted facsimile of the 64-pound specimen. A woman angler named Georgina Ballantine reeled in the behemoth in the 1920’s while fishing in Scottish waters with her father. The carved and painted wooden model of the fish, mounted in an oak frame, is expected to hook some $6400-$9600 at the November 7th auction in Edinburgh.
Read more...Games Over, Let The Bidding Begin
August 13, 2012Bids for the basketball the U.S. used to defeat China were approaching $5,000. Javelins, signed speedos, nets, soccer balls, score sheets, goal posts, virtually anything portable from the 2012 Olympics are for sale in official online bidding. Torches used in the opening ceremonies are particularly hot.
Read more...Rare Decoys May Lure Buyers
January 11, 2012For some, collecting bird decoys is a passionate pursuit and to serve that lust Copley Fine Art Auctions is hosting a Jan.16 sale of “Sporting Art” in New York including a number of high-end floaters like a hollow white swan by Charles Birch with a high estimate of $120,000. A preening black duck could go for $60,000 and a preening Hudsonian curlew might lure $90,000.
Read more...Sicklebill Curlew Pecks $112,000
August 10, 2011For decoy hunters it was a summer field day on Cape Cod. At an auction held in Hyannis, the showstopper was an extremely rare sicklebill curlew that went for nearly $112,000. Because of its perfect proportions it’s described as the “kind of decoy a collector dreams about,” even though the craftsman who actually made it is a matter of debate.
Read more...Steve McQueen’s Surfboard In Honolulu Auction
June 22, 2011Now that that summer’s here and the beaches are beckoning, it’s almost time for the 6th Hawaiian Islands Vintage Surf Auction in Honolulu. Mint condition, historic surfboards are big draw and none of them will be attracting more attention than what organizer Randy Rarick calls the “ultimate warehouse find.” That would be Steve McQueen’s pristine 1963 ‘speed’ board shaped by Pat Curren and rescued from the actor’s airplane hangar in Santa Paula, California.
Read more...Test Flight For Antique Decoys
April 25, 2011Collectors of decoy ducks flock to St. Charles, Ill. this week for the 46th National Antique Decoy & Sporting Collectibles Show. Collectors buy and trade at the show, but the most visible test of the recovering decoy market will be the annual auction that Maryland-based Guyette & Schmidt will hold later this week. A highlight will be a swan crafted in the 1930’s by Virginia boat-builder Charles Birch. It’s expected to sell for $125,000-$140,000.
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