Auction News Network

Silver Spoons, High Prices

Many collect flatware, some just spoons.  An even smaller subset—numbers unknown– has a passion for vintage silver spoons.  For these collectors, Christie’s has fashioned a sale in early June that’s likely to quicken pulses. It’s an auction of some forty 14^th and 15^th century examples from the Benson collection.  Expected to be among the most valuable is a set of six 15^th century apostle spoons, estimated at $229,000-$381,000.

Paul Revere’s Teapot coming To Auction

Paul Revere did a lot more than ride a horse at midnight. He also practiced dentistry, drew political cartoons, designed the Continental currency, even ran a hardware store. But his genius was in working silver, and a Revere teapot–the only one of its kind still privately owned–will be sold by Christie’s later this month in New York. High estimate is $250,000.

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).

Hollywood Agent Sue Mengers’ Private World

From the 1960s through the 80s, talent agent Sue Mengers was part of the bunch that ruled the Hollywood roost. The client list of the notorious agent, who died late last year, included the likes of  Barbara Steisand, Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway and Candace Bergen, and even after Mengers retired in the late 80s, her dinner parties remained one of the hot tickets in town. Next week Bonhams will be offering a two-day sale of her estate, or “private world.”  Leading the mix at the June 11-12 event in Los Angeles is a 17^th/18^th century Chinese altar table, estimated at $20,000-$30,000.

$250,000 Expected For Olympic Marathon Cup

Spyros Louis, a one-time Greek water carrier, won the first modern running of the Olympic marathon 116 years ago. 17 runners started that race, 10 finished, but one was later disqualified when it was discovered he rode part of the way in a carriage. Louis was presented with a richly embellished silver cup now consigned by his family to Christie’s for its Olympic posters and icons sale next month in London.

$300,000 For Chinese Bronze Wine Vessel

Bronze vessels, inlaid with gold and silver were powerful symbols of wealth and power in China, often buried with their owners, only to be dug up 2-thousand years later. At its Asian antiques sale, Elite Auctions will offer an anthropomorphic Wine Container with a removable head cast during the so-called “the Warring states” period (475-221 BC). High estimate, $300,000.

Washington Wine Cooler Sells For $800,000

A silver wine cooler George Washington gave to his close political ally Alexander Hamilton sold for nearly $800,000 today at a Christie’s Americana auction in New York.  Washington commissioned the Sheffield-plated cooler designed to hold four bottles with orders that in keeping with the new country it was not to be “extravagant.” It is simply decorated with a lion’s mask and ring handles.

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.

Royal Attic Sale

Even royals, it appears, have attic sales. This one concerns the property of the late Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. Sotheby’s will sell it in Amsterdam on March 14-16.  Although the Queen acquired some of these 1600 lots, most of the furniture, porcelain, glass, silver, and art was accumulated by previous royal generations over the past 150 years and has been stored in the attics of the seven royal palaces in the Netherlands.

Bonhams To Sell Jennifer Jones Estate

Jennifer Jones died in 2009, after an Academy Award-winning career as an actress, and marriages to three celebrated men: actor Robert Walker, producer David O. Selznick, and industrialist Norton Simon. Much of her estate has been dispersed; the art collection she shared with Simon is the Pasadena museum that bears his name. On January 16 in Los Angeles, Bonhams will sell a variety of items that remain.

George Washington’s Will

One of only 13 copies of George Washington’s will as well as early Presidential letters of Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and Jackson will be among the more than 200 lots offered by R.W.Oliver’s this week in a sale billed as “Personal Property of 10 Generations of the descendants of Thomas Green (b. 1640).” Much of the collection was accumulated by Andrew H. Green (1830-1918), who was known as “The Father of Greater New York.”

Multi-Topic