Sept. 18th 2010  9am – 2pm

Sept. 19th 2010  1pm – 3pm

The estate of a well known, long-time Quail Creek resident.
The sale will include a handsome console table
with claw feet and marble top;
a Drexel (?) dining suite with a parquet-topped table
and six chairs, all in the Country French style;
a matching, lighted china cabinet with mirrored back;
a chintz chaise with matching ottoman;
a Century mahogany drum table
with embossed leather top and claw feet;
a Century television cabinet
with Chinese-style brass accents;
an electroplated, English fish set ca. 1865;
Cambridge crystal stemware, plates and vases;
a service of sterling flatware
(twelve dinner size place settings, plus serving pieces)
in the “King Edward” pattern by Gorham;
assorted pieces of Lenox china;
a Lexington chest of drawers with brass pulls;
several small pieces of sterling holloware
in Wallace’s “Rose Point” pattern;
a Century club chair with matching ottoman;
a cheval mirror; Bernhardt and Drexel bedroom furniture;
an ornately carved Mexican headboard and footboard with rails;
a large bookcase/curio, possibly Warren Ramsey;
a Century breakfast table with chairs;
a mahogany server/dry bar ca. 1940;
many decorative items, including a Hummel figurine,
several pieces of Brilliant Period cut glass,
assorted bar items, collector plates etc.;
a graceful Drexel secretary in the Country French style;
two attractive armchairs, both designed in the Empire style
and upholstered with wine-colored damask;
a large Century mahogany secretary;
a brass coal box embossed in the Arts & Crafts style;
many Christmas items; linens; women’s clothing;
a kitchen table with a butcher block top;
very full kitchen and garage; books; much more.
Sign-up sheet out at 8 a.m. on Saturday.
Checks accepted only with proper identification.
No public restrooms.  No unattended children, please.
Please park legally, as violators may be towed.
Sealed bids collected on items priced $100.00 and above;
bids to be “called” on Saturday afternoon
after the doors have closed.
EACH DEALER MUST SUBMIT A PHOTOCOPY OF
HIS OR HER TAX EXEMPTION NUMBER,
ELSE SALES TAX WILL BE CHARGED — NO EXCEPTIONS.
STERLING NOT ON SITE UNTIL SALE DAY.

Design In London

Auction Sept. 28th 2010  London

Catalogue Now Online

There is a long standing joke among collectors that says we all have a touch of OCD or hoarding tendencies.   But is it really a joke?  Are we really hoarders masquerading as collectors?  Just because we are collecting “things” instead of food, paper, or odds and ends etc doesn’t necessarily mean we are good to go.

Let’s take a look at some of the similarities:

Hoarder:   Keeps random items in large numbers, sometimes to include trash, food, or random items that seem to have little to no value.

Collector:  Is sometimes known to acquire collectibles in large numbers (sometimes broken, soiled and of little value)

Hoarder:  Places sentimental attachment to items that would appear worthless to others

Collector: Often collects due to nostalgic reasons

Hoarder: Often feels a rush when shopping and acquiring items.

Collector:  Loves the thrill of the hunt and will often buy something they would not normally buy if they cannot find something to acquire in their collecting genre to fill that “need to buy something” void.

So this leads to my next thought:  Why does adding to our collections made us feel so good inside?

The Hartford Hospital in Hartford, CT states that often, compulsive hoarders feel distressed when they see something they want, and feel they cannot relieve the stress until acquiring that item.

I think this is a similar feeling collectors refer to as being “haunted” by an item we have walked away from, in that we think about how we should have bought it over and over.  And when we do buy something, we feel a sense of release.

The media has started exposing celebrities that “hoard” items such as shoes, cars, and even pets.  If you’ve watched Animal Planet you’ve probably seen their new show “Confessions:  Animal Hoarding” Who would have thought?  Paris Hilton is said to have 18 pets.  Will we see her on that show next?

I spoke with my friend Janine Godwin, who is a Certified Professional Organizer with Nooks & Crannies this morning on the very subject.  We wondered if the volume of shows on collecting would create a sense of justification for those who do hoard.

I also started to think about the similarities in shows on collecting vs. hoarding.  Take American Pickers on the History Channel.  One of my favorite collecting shows on air.  It follows the two hosts, Mike and Frank on their picking adventures around the country.  They visit with people who have inherited collections or have built them over the years.  They browse through attics, basements and barns packed to the gills with hidden treasures, in hopes of buying a few to resale later.  E very show offers a new stop, and shows the interaction with the owner of the items. You can see many of them struggle with parting with anything, although they have not looked it the items or used them in years.

Hoarding shows follow professional organizers and therapists to meet with families needing assistance with someone they love who is a hoarder.  The therapist works with the individual to understand what their attachment to the items is, and how they can change their way of thinking so to not compulsively hoard in the future. The professional organizer works to determine what has value, and what should be parted with.

Do you see the similarities in the formats?

It is said three or more of any item makes a collection.  So I guess that means not every collector could be considered a hoarder.  I’ve certainly met collectors with 20 items, and I’ve met collectors with 2,000.

When does one cross over?  When is too many too much?  Would a collector be considered “organized hoarding?”  Things that make you go hmm…

Call it whatever you like, at the end of the day, I’ll still collect things; some in large amounts, some just a few.  Some I’ll buy for nostalgic reasons, some because I just like their look.

Nooks & Crannies – www.nooks-and-crannies.com

An extraordinary circa-1930 “Beau Brummel” dressing table with 30-piece Art Deco silver and cut glass vanity set produced by Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co. Ltd., London. Estimate $20,000-$25,000. Austin Auction image.

Extensive research suggests lavishly appointed dressing table

was made under order of fabulously wealthy 7th Nizam of Hyderabad

AUSTIN, Texas – An extraordinary mahogany “Beau Brummel” dressing table fit for a princess has swept into the spotlight of Austin Auction’s Sept. 25-26 Estate Auction.

The circa-1930 triple-mirrored dressing table is of the highest-quality construction and is fitted with a key-lock safe and exquisite 30-piece Art Deco vanity set of sterling silver and cut glass. The well-marked table and its accessories were crafted by the premier London firm Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co. Ltd.

Each hallmarked vanity accessory is finely enameled and adorned with an Islamic moon-and-star motif as well as one of three images of a regally attired gentleman believed to be Asaf Jah VII, Mir Osman Ali Khan, the Nizam of Hyderabad (1886-1967).

In a Feb. 22, 1937 cover story in Time magazine, His Exalted Highness, The Nizam of Hyderabad was reputed to be the richest man in the world, with a fortune of $2 billion. Among those who enjoyed the lavish lifestyle The Nizam provided were his seven wives and 42 concubines. Austin Auction Gallery associate Chris Featherston said “intensive research into the dressing table’s background gives every indication that the piece was commissioned by the Indian prince, perhaps for one of his wives or concubines.”

“We have convincing photo similarities for the three portraits that appear on most of the items in the vanity set, which include hairbrushes, jars, bottles, scissors, nail files and even an 8-day clock,” Featherston said.  “Our expert in India told us that, in his opinion, the person whose images are the focal point of the vanity items is, indeed, The Seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, one of India’s last princes.”  The vanity was purchased by the consignor in the 1990s from a private antiques dealer, the dressing table is estimated at $20,000-$30,000.

Life-size 84-inch Neapolitan statue of Bacchus (Dionysus), mid-18th century, marble on black granite base, estimate $20,000-$30,000. Austin Auction image.

Many significant artworks, as well as furniture, decorative art, estate jewelry and ladies’ designer handbags, will be auctioned in the Sept. 25-26 auction. Standing 84 inches tall inclusive of black granite base, a life-size Neapolitan marble statue of Bacchus (a k a Dionysus), the god of wine, is adorned by garlands of grapes around his head and waist, and holds a bowl of grapes with one hand and a cluster of grapes with the other. The mid-18th-century sculpture’s age and region of origin have been authenticated by a Professor Emeritus and PhD from the University of Texas’ Art History department. It carries a presale estimate of $20,000-$30,000.

The influence of visionary architect Antonio Gaudi (Spain, 1852-1926) is strikingly obvious in the design of a Gothic Revival carved walnut and stained glass armoire consigned to the auction. The circa-1890 design incorporates four decorative glass-embedded doors, the two central doors displaying artistic leaded-glass panels with an intricate botanical theme. A stunning presentation, the 113-inch-tall by 81-inch-wide armoire is entered in the sale with a $2,000-$4,000 estimate.

Other highlights of the furniture section include a 14-foot dining table from northern Spain, 18th- and 19th-century French furniture, a pair of MacKenzie-Childs rattan chairs, and a circa-1890s six-piece walnut parlor set with carved heads, attributed to John Jelliff. Non-traditional and sure to attract attention on auction day, a Carol Hicks Bolton for E.J. Victor “Bollywood” sofa of beaded and sequined burgundy velveteen could make $2,000-$4,000 at auction, while a Renaissance Revival 3-piece parlor set upholstered in long-haired cowhide and embellished with winged-griffin crests and figural hand rests is cataloged with a $3,000-$5,000 estimate.

Dore bronze figural mantel clock and garniture set by Japy Freres, France, one of more than 40 figural clocks to be auctioned. Estimate $10,000-$15,000. Austin Auction image. $10,000-$15,000

A grand dore bronze figural mantel clock and garniture set by Japy Freres (France) features three winged putti resting over profuse foliate and floral decoration. This exceptionally beautiful ensemble is estimated at $10,000-$15,000. In all, more than 40 figural clocks will be offered, some of them after Auguste Moreau and standing 3feet tall, and others of the Black Forest genre. Within the latter group is a highly detailed 4-foot parcel gilt wall clock mounted with a stag, wolfhound and boar.

Dating to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), a Chinese white jade bear carving is conservatively estimated at $400-$600. Another figural piece with charm and eye appeal is the large presentation drinking horn decorated with a three-dimensional finial shaped as a drunken gnome – estimate $1,000-$2,000. The latter piece is one of a large collection of unusual drinking horns to be auctioned.

The profusion of top-tier antiques continues with a Tiffany dresser set in fitted leather travel case, a scarce and unusual George B. Sharpe gilded sterling ice cream set in fitted leather case from Robbins, Clark & Biddle; and an 1890s handwoven tapestry. Made around 1890 in Leipzig, Germany, an upright Polyphon Musikwereke music box, walnut with crank handle, is accompanied by 36 discs. Its estimate is $4,000-$6,000.

Modern master Dale Chihuly (American, b. 1941-) designed and created the three artist-signed glass sculptures included in the auction. Of billowing and striated yellow glass, the “Radiant Persian Pair” is expected to fetch $8,000-$10,000. A marine-blue creation of similar concept, known as “Paradise Persian,” is estimated at $3,000-$5,000.

Austin Auction has enjoyed great success in the past with designer handbags. The September event includes an excellent assortment of purses by Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo and Louis Vuitton – one of the Vuitton bags is lotted with matching shoes.

Leading the estate jewelry category are a diamond and alexandrite ring, and several pieces of Brazilian beaded accessories with 18K gold clasps. A selection of coveted David Yurman designs will be auctioned, as well.

All forms of bidding will be available for Austin Auction Gallery’s Sept. 25-26 Multi-Estates Sale, including live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information, call 512-258-5479 or e-mail info@austinauction.com. View the fully illustrated catalog online and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com. Visit Austin Auction Gallery’s Web site at www.AustinAuction.com.

Extensive Glass and Crystal Collections

Sept. 16th, 2010  Closes 2pm

Antiques Glassware, Furniture and Art from the Estate of Thomas D. and Sue W. Ferrell.

Preview Sept. 18th 2010  9am – 5pm

Closes Sept. 19th 2010  2pm

Yesterday I was on an adventure with a friend of mine.  Destination?  A packing supply store.   I know what you’re thinking.  She really buys packing supplies at a retail store?  The answer to that is yes, and no.

Normally, I recycle.  I have numerous things coming in, therefore, I store the peanuts, the bubble wrap and most importantly, the boxes all this stuff comes in to use when shipping things out.  It keeps my overhead down, and saves a tree all at the same time.

Every now and then I have an overstock of boxes, and while I stack them one inside another, the pile of boxes can start to add up.

So think back to when I scored that pair of Louis Vuitton suitcases a few months ago.  The box that the trunk came in was “put together” if you will by my picker.  By the time I got the trunk out, the box was totaled.  I figured no big deal. I planned to sell the big trunk locally.

As luck would have it, I couldn’t find a buyer for the trunk locally.  So after several failed attempts I reached out to my client base in New York.  SCORE!

Fast forward to Friday where I spend the day driving around Houston looking for a box that will fit a trunk 32” x 21” x 11”.

One of my favorite places to buy packing materials when I do have the right size is Half Price Boxes.  I’ll never understand how this company turns a profit.  Walk in, walk out with 20 brand new cardboard boxes for $20 or less (not each, for all of them!)

So of course, this is the first place I look.  Denied!

Next..FedEx Kinkos. They have a packing department so I thought for sure…NOPE – try again.

I ended up at UHaul buying a small (optimum word) garment box. You know the kind with the metal pole inside to hang your shirts on when you move?  That’s the one.

Sadly, it almost didn’t fit in the back of my car, and I hadn’t even unfolded the box to build it.

Once I got the beast errr I mean the box home and unfolded it, I realized there would be no way this was going back into my car.  I’d have to think of a backup plan when it comes time to take it to UPS.

It was really the perfect size once I got the trunk inside. It had about 3 inches on each side, enough for me to pad the sides with cushion in case it gets tossed around.  Who am I kidding?  No one will be tossing around a 36” tall, 30 lb box.

Bubble wrap is lightweight right?  Well, the trunk weighed 24 lbs, and by the time I had the sides cushioned in-between the sides and the trunk itself, it weighed 30.

I can’t wait to see what the ground shipping cost is going to be.  I’m sure the $45 I charged will be nowhere near enough!

Lessons learned from this experience:

1.       Keep all packing material, not just some of it. You never know when you are going to need to ship a trunk.

2.       Own a truck, SUV or vintage Lincoln Towncar that has lots of room for packages for times like these.

3.       Only buy small items.  Easy packing and cheap shipping!

I’d love to hear any suggestions you have for cost effective shipping, packing materials, or unique ways to ship collectibles worldwide!

Happy Hunting!

Reyne

DENVER, Pa. – The selection just keeps getting better in Dan Morphy’s Premier auctions, the next of which is slated for Oct. 15-16 and will feature the extraordinary Cristol/Glickman family’s doll collection, the advertising clocks of longtime collectors Jerry and Millie Maltz, and part II of the Michael O’Hearn vintage toy collection. The 1,850-lot auction will appeal to those who seek “fresh-to-market antiques with deep provenance,” said Morphy’s founder and CEO, Dan Morphy.

The opening session will feature an extensive lineup of toys, many coming from the collection of retired California architect Michael O’Hearn. The grouping includes more than 100 Japanese windup toys, 400+ Japanese car lots, 75+ character toy lots and more than 75 examples of pressed steel.

Circa-1954 lithographed-tin Ford Sunliner friction toy made by Haji, Japan, book example with original box, estimate $4,000-$6,000. Morphy Auctions image.

Among the toy highlights are a boxed, tin friction Ford Sunliner, estimate $4,000-$6,000; and many other boxed 1950s-’60s Japanese versions of Oldsmobiles, Plymouths, Buicks and other brands in near-mint condition. The wide-ranging O’Hearn collection also includes space toys, such as a boxed Moon Patrol Space Division No. 3 car, $1,800-$3,000; and a Bandai Space Patrol Super Cycle, $3,000-$6,000.

Within the comic character toy category, bidders will find a rare boxed Schoenhut Barney and Spark Plug figure in unplayed-with condition, $2,000-$3,000; and a windup Howdy Doody Band, near mint with its original box, $2,000-$3,000.

The fleet of pressed-steel vehicles includes all the big names, including Buddy ‘L,’ Wyandotte, Keystone and Steelcraft. A pressed-steel Lincoln made by Turner is estimated at $2,000-$4,000, while an example of the always-popular Buddy ‘L’ Transportation Bus is expected to cruise to a winning bid of $2,500-$3,500.

Day two will open with approximately 350 lots from the comprehensive 50-plus-year doll collection that was established by the late Martha Cristol and later jointly maintained with her collector-daughter, Merle Cristol Glickman. The collection is unique in that it was initially formed from mail-order purchases starting as early as the 1950s, with later acquisitions coming from Chicago-area auctions and tag sales.

Glickman recalled that it was never her mother’s intention to be a specialist. “She favored diversity and preferred to collect dolls of all types from all parts of the world,” she said. Antique French dolls, character dolls, and dolls made of wood, cloth, composition and hard plastic all found a welcome home in Martha Cristol’s collection. Some went on to become blue ribbon prizewinners at UFDC conventions.

Exquisite Bru Jeune bébé, French, circa 1880s, 15½ inches, bisque socket head marked Bru Jne 4, marked bisque shoulder plate, kid body, wood upper arms, bisque lower arms, estimate $18,000-$22,000. Morphy Auctions image.

The wonderful array of dolls to be offered in this session includes an exquisite Bru Jne bebe, $18,000-$22,000; and a Jumeau bebe, $6,000-$9,000. A rare circa-1910 Simon & Halbig fashion lady could fetch $3,000-$4,000. Additionally, bidders may choose from more than 30 Lenci dolls and 30 Madame Alexander dolls in near-mint condition, plus many other coveted types.

European tin toys are led by a fine Marklin steam-powered boat manufactured expressly for the French market, estimate $10,000-$15,000. “This boat is from the first series, and has a unique hull and four original lifeboats,” said Morphy’s CEO Dan Morphy. “It might well end up being the top lot of the sale.” Other European toys include an Ernst Planck #421A live-steam brewery in very nice condition, $2,000-$3,000; penny toys, 10 Noah’s arks and an assortment of German tin wind-up Lehmann toys.

Topping the list of mechanical banks are a beautiful, near-mint example of a Lion Hunter, $15,000-$20,000; and a near-mint-plus Boy Scout bank, $12,000-$15,000. Still banks include a J.M. Harper Nesting Dove, $2,000-$3,000, Shimer Toy Co. Electric Railroad Car, $3,000-$4,000; and a J. & E. Stevens Battleship Maine, $3,000-$4,000.

The antique advertising section of the sale offers a large selection of desirable porcelain and tin signs, and several rare Coca-Cola items. A large 1904 red-version Lillian Nordica poster is estimated at $4,000-$8,000; while a large 1908 World’s Fair Coke serving tray in near-mint condition is expected to make $3,500-$5,500.

Advertising clock created by Baird to advertise its own company; book example, considered “king of all advertising clocks,” estimate $20,000-$30,000. Morphy Auctions image.

Many collectors are eagerly anticipating the chance to acquire rarities from Jerry and Millie Maltz’s magnificent 34-year assemblage of Baird advertising clocks. The Maltzes are experts on the subject of early advertising clocks, and the 27 specialty clocks to be auctioned are actual examples pictured in Jerry’s 1998 reference book titled Baird Advertising Clocks. “This is a connoisseur’s collection,” said Dan Morphy. “The Maltzes left no stone unturned in their quest to find the rarest and best examples.” Among the highlights are an 1897 Baird Coca-Cola clock with double-spring Seth Thomas movement and Chicago label, $15,000-$20,000; and the most coveted of all advertising clocks – a design that Baird created specifically to advertise its own company. In 100% original condition and retaining its original key, the clock ($15,000-$20,000) is believed to have been displayed at Baird’s executive offices in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Other clocks in the Maltz collection represent a panorama of products including – to name but a few – Chief Bonus Tea, El Caza Honeymoon Cigars, Venus Soap, Ghirardelli’s Chocolates, Mischler’s Herb Bitters and the Toledo Blade newspaper, as well as many other goods and clothing retailers of a century ago.

Additional sale highlights include a Caille Eclipse 5-cent floor model standing slot machine, $15,000-$18,000; and an all-original 1960s Bowden bicycle, $3,000-$5,000.

All forms of bidding will be available for this sale, including live via the Internet through MorphyLive or LiveAuctioneers.com. For information on any item in the sale, call 717-335-3435 or e-mail dan@morphyauctions.com. Visit Morphy Auctions online at www.morphyauctions.com.

Show & Sale Open to the public $15 tickets available at entrance

Sept. 17th – 19th, 2010

After 40 years of supplying invaluable information for the antiques and collectibles market, Collector Books is closing its doors. With the release of its last 14 titles this fall, Collector Books will cease publication, though it will stay open through 2011 to sell out its remaining inventory of over 235,000 books.

Collector Books, a division of Schroeder Publishing, began in 1969 when Bill Schroeder saw a need and filled it. This simple want ad, “We buy & sell old fruit jars. Send $1.00 for complete list. Refundable on first transaction. Schroeder’s, Rt. 4, Paducah, KY.”, didn’t generate many sales, but it drew dozens of inquiries from owners interested in information about their jars. Bill compiled a booklet called “1000 Fruit Jars with Current Values” and by 1974 had quit his day job so he could devote all his time to Collector Books.

While Collector Books has published over 1500 different titles on antiques and collectibles, it is their price guide that set an industry standard. Published annually since 1982, Schroeder’s Antiques Price Guide had been the ‘blue book’ of the antiques and collectibles market for almost 30 years. But the current wealth of information available for free on the internet, coupled with the technology to access it immediately even from the most remote locations, has made such price guides obsolete.

Collectors no longer have to cart around a milk crate full of books when they go hunting. All they need is a cell phone web browser. The ‘information super highway’ has made it possible to access price information instantaneously. And gone, too, is the thrill of the hunt. Where collectors once had to search high and low for rare items, the internet has brought them right into the palm of their hands, causing an overall drop in antiques prices as well.

And so, the 29^th edition of Schroeder’s Antiques Price Guide will be the last, and as Bill Schroeder has said, it’s the end of an era.

Telling his employees that the company would be closing wasn’t easy. “I’ve been in just about every facet of the business since I was thirteen,” said Schroeder. “It’s one of the most difficult decisions we’ve had to make and it’s emotional”, he said in an interview with WPSD, the local news station. “We’ve tried every avenue we could. Forty years. That’s a long time.”

Collector Books employs about 50 people. Although 8 have already been laid off, Schroeder has said that most will be transferred to Schroeder Publishing’s other division, the American Quilter’s Society. (Bill & Meredith founded the American Quilters Society in 1984, and built what is now called the National Quilt Museum in 1991.) The company will continue to publish quilting guides as well as their two magazines, “American Quilter” and “Quilt Life”.

“The Glass Cupboard” for Antiques.com