Jasper Francis Cropsey Sells For $660,000

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers auctioned the personal collection of accomplished Cleveland rheumatologist Dr. Paul J. Vignos Jr. to a packed room of bidders and thousands of others on the telephones and internet. The November 6-8, 2011 auction included American and European paintings and prints, English, French and American 18th and 19th century furniture, European and American silver, porcelain and glass, antiquities, sporting decoys and angling and fishing equipment.

Competitive bidding resulted in a successful sale total of $3,018,378 and set numerous auction records. John Bunyan Bristol, Gate, St. Augustine, Florida, sold for $73,200, becoming the highest price ever paid for a work by Bristol. Jasper Francis Cropsey, Dawn of Morning, Lake George, sold for $660,000, setting an auction record as the fourth highest price ever paid for a work by the artist.

Other highlights included William Trost Richards, Rocky Coast, sold for $170,800 more than doubling its estimate of $60/80,000. A Greek pottery skyphos, sold for $41,480 and a gilt and patinated bronze figural mantle clock sold for $34,160.

“Dr. and Mrs. Vignos were consummate collectors,” said Leslie Hindman, President and CEO. “We are thrilled to have handled their extensive collection in a single-owner auction. The collection is reflective of their style: thoughtful, elegant and magnanimous.”

Sold for $34,160

Sold for $73,200

Paintings, prints, instruments of navigation, sextants, telescopes, depth instrument, diving helmets, tell/tale compass, compass’, barometers, Civil War items, clocks, speaking trumpets, whaling items, scrimshaw, swifts, canes, pie crimpers, sea chests, RARE presidential life saving medal, cased models, half hull models, dioramas, RARE Confederate Vessel Registry, and more.

DENVER, Pa. – Veteran coin-op and gambling machine collector Larry DeBaugh has joined Morphy Auctions as head of the company’s Antique Coin Op & Gambling Machines division.

“All of us at Morphy’s are very pleased that Larry has agreed to join our team,” said Morphy. “Larry has an excellent reputation among his peers and brings a lot of credibility to what we’re doing. He has a passion for the hobby and will enable us to take the Coin Op department forward.”

A lifelong resident of Baltimore, DeBaugh has collected slots and other coin-ops for the past 40 years. His fascination for the machines goes back to his childhood.

“In 1965, it became illegal to transport gambling machines across state lines, and outside of Nevada, Maryland was the last state where it was legal to operate slot machines,” DeBaugh explained. “I can remember, as a boy, going to yacht clubs with my parents and seeing slot machines in play. Even after it became illegal, there were still places on Maryland’s eastern shore that had them in operation. I was always fascinated by them.”

While in his early twenties, DeBaugh bought his first slot machine. “After that, it snowballed,” he said with a laugh.

In addition to collecting machines, DeBaugh amassed what may be the country’s largest collection of original coin-op machine literature and gambling tokens. Having a natural mechanical aptitude, DeBaugh also learned how to restore machines that were no longer functional. “But the most fun has come from meeting other collectors at shows and auctions who share my interest in these machines,” DeBaugh said.

Morphy’s first specialty auction of coin-operated and gambling machines under the supervision of Larry DeBaugh will take place on March 17, 2012. The sale will feature machines from the collection of the late Frank Zygmunt Sr., a well-known Chicago-area collector whose name lives on through Zygmunt & Associates, the antique slot machine and jukebox business now run by his son Frank Jr.

To contact Larry DeBaugh, call 410-336-1728 or e-mail watling1@comcast.net.

Following on from our record-breaking and best-ever season of sales in May and June, including the Evill/Frost Collection, Sotheby’s is pleased to announce its first ever Evening Auction of Modern and Post-War British Art on 15th November, with a Day Auction to follow on the 16th November.

Season highlights include works by Edward Burra, Sir Stanley Spencer, Lynn Chadwick, Paul Nash, Henry Moore and Peter Lanyon, as well as works from The Dartington Hall Trust Collection, sold to support the Trust’s work in the Arts, Social Justice, and Sustainability, including works by Ben Nicholson, Christopher Wood and Henri Gaudier-Brzeska.

The Paris important European Silver and Objects of Vertu sale will include around 50 lots of gold boxes and objects of Vertu and 250 lots of European Silver from 16th to 20th centuries.

The Vertu section will feature a nice selection of fans such as “L’Allégorie de l’Amour”, with Princess Marie von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen monogram by Mr Alexandre, Paris, circa 1880, as well as some Viennese enamelled and crystal silver-mounted pieces and gold boxes.

The silver section includes notable pieces from all over Europe.  From Spain there are two 17th century salt-cellars.  From France a coffee-pot by Pierre Germain, a pair of three-light candelabras by Pierre-Louis Goguelye, Paris, 1785 and a large Odiot silver-gilt soup tureen embossed with the coat of arms of Prince Borghese.  Pieces from Germany include beakers and tankards and from Belgium there is a pair of rare large candlesticks by Philippus Moermans of Antwerp, 1674-1675.  Italy is represented by a rare and large holy water-stoup made in Genoa circa 1580, but you will also find pieces from Russia, Austria, Hungary and South America.  There is also a nice selection of 19th and 20th century pieces such as tea and coffee sets, jardinière, claret jugs and a wide selection of silver table services.