Auction News Network

Used Space Capsule, Anyone?

Just as America’s space program is winding down, the value of space-related collectibles is taking off. Earlier we reported on a Bonhams’auction commemorating the 50th anniversary of America’s first manned mission in space. Not to be outdone, on April 12th Sotheby’s is having a space related auction of its own, featuring a 1961 Soviet space capsule estimated at $2-$10 million.

Bonhams’ First New York Rug Sale

Although Bonhams has been active in many categories in New York, it has never ventured into fine Oriental rugs. All that will change on February 28, when the auction house will offer 154 examples of 18^th & 19^th century carpets and rugs  from China, India, Israel, Persia, Turkey and Uzbekistan, as well as a collection of Flemish and French tapestries.

Lena Horne’s Estate Doubles Estimate

In a gallery packed with bidders and fans, Lena Horne’s estate sold at Doyle New York for $318,000, more than twice the high estimate. There were 200 lots of art, jewelry, furniture, clothing and memorabilia owned by the late Hollywood star, and buyers at the three-hour auction snapped up every one of them.

Spacesuits & Such At Bonhams

It’s been 50 years since astronaut Alan Shepard blasted off on Freedom 7, becoming the first American in space.  To commemorate the flight, Bonhams is staging a Space History sale on May 5, when a variety of unusual items will be offered, including a spacesuit worn by Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975. It’s estimated at $100-$150,000.

The Mutiny On The Bounty, According To Bligh

Few episodes in maritime history are as familiar—or often dramatized—as Fletcher Christian’s 1789 mutiny aboard the HMS Bounty, when Captain William Bligh and those  loyal to him were set adrift in a small boat in the South Pacific. Bloomsbury Auctions will offer a 1790 first edition of Bligh’s own account of the adventure (est. $4900-$8100) on February 24 in London.

“Lady Chatterley’s Lover” & A Rare Atlas

At the time of publication, D.H. Lawrence’s “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” was considered too risqué to be produced in England, so the first edition of 1000 numbered copies was printed at Orioli in Italy. Cheffins, in Cambridge, England, is selling one of these numbered copies, signed by D.H. Lawrence, at its Specialist Books, Maps and Prints sale on February 23, when it’s expected to fetch $4000-$4850.

23-volume, “Description de l’Egypte,” For Sale

Upon attacking Egypt, Napoleon directed some of France’s leading explorers, scientist, artists, and others to make a complete survey of the country, find everything to know about its buildings, animals, flora and fauna, and culture. It took 27 years and fills 23 volumes. A first edition of the work, “Description de l”Egypte,” will be auctioned by Christie’s in Paris on May 11.

Fine Vintage Pens At Bonhams

Is it coincidence or cause that as the world turns digital, fine fountain pens have been growing in value? Tomorrow in Los Angeles Bonhams & Butterfields will offer a selection of 278 vintage pens, some as much as a century old, as well as 167 modern writing instruments. Their condition is, according to Rick Propas of Bonhams, “as close to perfect as 90-to 100-year old pens can possibly be.

Update: A 1930′s Pilot Maki-embellished fountain pen was the top seller at $14,640, or double its high estimate. Other strong sellers were a 1905 Parker ‘Lucky Curve’ with a snake design ($9,150), and a Waterman Red Ripple#20 ($9,760).

Swann’s Claims Record For Catlett Bronze

Swann’s didn’t quite get the $120-$180,000 it was anticipating for Elizabeth Catlett’s four-foot bronze, “Untitled (Standing African-American Woman).” All the same, the sculpture’s $108,000 final price was enough to secure a new artist record for a work in bronze, and it was the highest price paid at the African American Art auction yesterday.

The Truth About Billy The Kid

One of only two documented tintypes of Billy the Kid will be auctioned on June 25 at Brian Lebel’s Old West Show and Auction in Denver. They’re hoping for $300,000–$400,000.  The problem with the picture is young Billy was not left handed.

Basquiat Leads Phillips de Pury Sale

Buyer fatigue my have been a factor at Phillips de Pury’s sale of Contemporary Art last night. After a hectic week of auctions in London, bidding was tempered at the event, which realized $8.7 million, below the auction’s $9.3 million low valuation. The top seller was Jean Michel Basquiat’s “Overrun,” for which a European telephone bidder paid $1.78 million, just over the low estimate.

Slash’s Guitars, Corvette & Harley To Sell

Former  Guns & Roses lead guitarist Slash will be paring his possessions in a Beverly Hills sale, including just the sorts of things you’d expect from a rock legend: electric guitars, jewelry, flashy concert outfits, furniture from his Hollywood Hills home, and motorcycles. The top-valued item at Julien’s March 26th sale is Slash’s 1966 427 V-8 Corvette, estimated at $90,000-$100,000.

A Silent Screen Star’s Pistol

Silent screen star William S. Hart didn’t just play cowboys. Pals with both Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp, he lived the life on a spread in Newhall, California called Rattlesnake Ranch. Now Florida-based Affiliated Auctions will sell an archive of his western-themed possessions, including the 1907 Colt New Service D/A revolver that he often used in his films. It’s expected to sell at the March 5^th auction for $7-$10,000.

Warhol Leads Christie’s To $98.8 Million Result

Christie’s sale of Post-War and Contemporary Art may have lacked the theatre of the Sotheby’s auction the previous night, when a gaggle of demonstrators protested the “Orgy of the Rich.” All the same, the London sale earlier today didn’t lack for drama. Dealer Larry Gagosian paid $17.4 million, more than twice the high estimate, for an Andy Warhol self-portrait, in private hands since 1974.

Sotheby’s ‘Orgy of the Rich’ Contemporary Art Sale

At Sotheby’s Contemporary Art sale in London, a band of protesters opened a banner decrying the “Orgy of the Rich” in progress. Apparently it didn’t inhibit the buyers, who snapped up 54 of the 59 works offered for a $71 million total that exceeded estimates.