Auction News Network

Contemporary Art At Phillips de Pury

Carrying high expectations, David Hockney’s “Autumn Pool” will highlight Phililps de Pury’s London Sale of Contemporary Art on October 13-14. Phillips anticipates a record for the six-panel 1978 composition, which carries of pre-sale estimate of  $1.1-1.58 million.

TR’s Gun On The Block

The gun Theodore Roosevelt used to shoot thousands of birds will go up for sale on Oct. 5-6, 2010 in Maine.  The James D. Julia Auction house claims the Fox shotgun might be the most valuable American shotgun ever offered at public sale.

Sotheby’s To Test Hong Kong Markets

Across a broad range of categories, including jewelry, wine, watches, art and ceramics, Sotheby’s will test the Hong Kong market in a series of auctions beginning next week. Top seller is expected to be a pair of Qing Imperial porcelain vases, the most valuable of which is expected to sell for $7.73-$10.31 million.

Chinese Art Prices Soar, Japanese Sag

The famous print collection came under the heading of the “Beres Japanese” when it was auctioned Sept.16-19, in Paris.  Compared even to 20 years ago, the results were lackluster, except for a few prints by acknowledged masters of the 1800’s.  In the same week, Christie’s held two sales of Chinese art where prices smashed all previous records.

1790 Jefferson Census At Bonhams

Only a few copies of the first American census in 1790 were signed by then Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. Bonhams is selling a first edition believed to have been the personal copy of Jefferson’s Postmaster, Gideon Granger. It’s expected to fetch $80-$120,000 at the sale on October 4 in Los Angeles.

Mystery Collector’s Dolls on Sale

The mystery collector amassed a passel of rare and vintage dolls over two decades and 125 of them will be offered by Browne Auction Specialists October 23, 2010, at the American Legion Hall in Blue Springs, Mo. The collector died last year. For security reasons, the Browne people say the name of the otherwise well known doll aficionado will not be revealed until the day  before the sale.

1943 Penny Sells for $1.7 Million

A one of-a-kind Lincoln penny, which the Denver mint mistakenly struck in bronze, has sold for $1.7 million at Legend Numismatics. It is the most valuable cent in the world.  The buyer, described only as a southwestern businessman, plans to display it with other rare pennies mistakenly struck by the mints of Philadelphia and San Francisco.

Design At Phillips de Pury

By two measures, length and price, it exceeds all other offerings at Phillips de Pury’s London Design auction on September 28^th. “Le Serpent,” a 22-foot long decorative carpet by Francois-Xavier Lalanne, will be the highlight at the sale, where it’s expected to fetch as much as $156,000.

Hippo with Feet, Snout

Two thousand years before Christ, Egyptians both feared and revered hippotami along the Nile so they fashioned brightly colored, quasi-religious pottery replicas. To ward off attack in the afterlife, the Egyptians often broke off the pottery sculpture’s snout and legs. On October 6, 2010, in London,  Bonham’s will sell a rare piece with all its appendages.  High end of estimated value is $190,000,

Wine Turns Gold In Hong Kong

The Hong Kong wine market continues to soar, as demonstrated by this past weekend’s record-breaking sales at Acker Merrall & Condit and Christie’s.  The two houses reeled in over $15 million, with every bottle at both auctions selling.

Dominick Dunne’s Estate At Stair

By the time of his death last year, best-selling novelist and Vanity Fair contributor Dominick Dunne had become virtually as well known as the rich, famous, and crooked whose lives he chronicled. Later this fall, Stair Galleries will sell the contents of his stylish New York penthouse and Connecticut retreat, and even his green Jaguar convertible, “Audrey.”

Food & Fare at Sotheby’s

By and large, the art that Sotheby’s offers isn’t edible. Their “Art of Farming” sale later this week will be an exception, when the auction house offers “edible heirlooms” as part of a sale and banquet to benefit the GrowNYC New Farmer Development Project.

More Art From Lehman Brothers

Much of the Lehman Brothers collection of postwar and contemporary art has already been sold, but a number of choice items remain. Sotheby’s will offer 147 lots, including items from the Neuberger Berman collection, later this week. Highlights include works by Damien Hirst, John Baldessari, and Ed Ruscha.

Sales Taxes on Collectibles

James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 To Sell

Calling it iconic would be understatement; Sotheby’s prefers to describe it simply as “the most famous car in the world.” It is, of course, the Aston Martin DB5 that James Bond drove in “Goldfinger.” Two were produced for the film, and this is the only one remaining. It has had one owner since its life onscreen, and on October 27 RM Auctions, in association with Sotheby’s, will offer it to the public for the first time as part of their “Automobiles of London” sale.