Sotheby’s is pleased to announce the sale of the Histoire Naturelle on October 13th 2011 in Paris.

Sotheby’s is pleased to announce, in association with the auction house PIASA,
the sale of the Fabius Frères Gallery collection on the 26th and 27th October 2011 in Paris.
The 400 sculptures, pieces of furniture, works of art, drawings and 19th century paintings,
estimated to sell in the region of €10 million ($14,5 million), will be on view at the Galerie
Charpentier for five days prior to the sale. The Fabius Frères Gallery is known worldwide
for the exceptional quality, condition and provenance of the works of art in their collection.

1974 Julius “Dr. J” Erving ABA Eastern Conference All-Stars game-used uniform. Grey Flannel Auctions image.

WESTHAMPTON, N.Y. – Grey Flannel Auctions today announced details of its Sixth Annual Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Auction and other special events associated with the 2011 BHOF induction ceremony. The live auction will take place on Friday, Aug. 12 at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

This year’s enshrinement is expected to attract a packed house of returning Hall of Famers and other VIPs. The Class of 2011 includes (alphabetically): Teresa Edwards, Artis Gilmore, Herb Magee, Chris Mullin, Dennis Rodman, Arvydas Sabonis, Satch Sanders, Tara VanDerveer and Tex Winter. Also, legendary Harlem Globetrotter and hook shot inventor Reece “Goose” Tatum will be inducted posthumously.

Grey Flannel Auctions will begin its Hall of Fame activities on Aug. 11 by hosting an invitation-only pre-induction dinner for Hall of Famers, inductees and industry dignitaries at the Hall of Fame’s Center Court. The following afternoon, starting at 1 p.m., Grey Flannel will conduct its 170-lot auction of vintage basketball-related memorabilia.

“The material in our Basketball Hall of Fame auction amazes me more and more each year, but this year’s selection tops all others,” said Grey Flannel Auctions’ president Richard E. Russek. “Many of the jerseys, uniforms and other mementos were consigned directly by players, their families or team employees, and at least 50 lots are accompanied by letters of authenticity from those sources.” Russek added that six Hall of Famers plan to attend the auction in person.

A featured highlight is the collection of veteran TV commentator and 25-time Emmy®Award winner Al Trautwig, whose

Two handwritten letters about Lew Alcindor that UCLA Bruins coach John Wooden sent in 1968 to Hall of Famer and close friend Charles “Stretch” Murphy. Grey Flannel Auctions image.

passion for a career in sports solidified during his teens, when he served as a ball boy for the ABA New York Nets and stick boy for the New York Islanders.

Among the most important items of game-used apparel in the Trautwig collection is Julius “Dr. J” Erving’s 1974 Eastern Conference ABA All-Star uniform. The striking red, white and blue uniform embellished with stars, Erving’s name, the number “32” and “ABA” is entered in the sale with a $10,000 reserve.

Another stellar lot is Rick Barry’s game-used ABA/NBA Super Games II uniform from 1972. “To our knowledge, this is the first ABA Super Games jersey ever to be offered at public auction,” said Russek.

While working for the Nets as a ball boy, Trautwig became a trusted insider, Russek said, sometimes even babysitting Rick Barry’s children. “The provenance for the Rick Barry Super Games jersey is direct and impeccable,” Russek said. “It comes with LOAs from both Rick Barry and Al Trautwig.” The jersey’s reserve is $5,000, although it is expected to go much higher. Russek explained:

Circa 1967 Lenny Wilkens St. Louis Hawks game-used and autographed road jersey. Grey Flannel Auctions image.

“Rick Barry was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in History, and there’s tremendous interest, now, in game-used material connected to those Top 50 players. Collectors have become very competitive for these items and it has driven prices through the roof in our past sales. We expect to see a continuation of that trend in this sale,” Russek said.

A circa-1967 St. Louis Hawks game-used and autographed road jersey comes to auction from two-time Hall of Famer and Top 50 player Lenny Wilkens. “This is the only Lenny Wilkens game-used St. Louis Hawks jersey known to exist. There will be huge interest in this lot,” Russek predicted. “It has everything going for it – rarity, provenance, the connection to a Hall of Famer and Top 50 player, and an LOA from Lenny himself.” Reserve: $10,000.

Lot 30 in the auction consists of two letters the UCLA Bruins’ head coach John Wooden hand-wrote in 1968 to his close friend and fellow Hall of Famer Charles “Stretch” Murphy. The sensational contents of the letters detail in frank terms the strained relationship between Wooden and his star player Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). “These eye-opening letters have to be read to be believed,” said Russek. They will be auctioned as one lot with a $10,000 reserve.

2005 Robert Horry San Antonio Spurs World Championship ring. Grey Flannel Auctions image.

The auction inventory boasts five championship rings, including Robert Horry’s 2005 San Antonio Spurs World Championship ring and Bailey Howell’s 1968 Boston Celtics World Championship ring. On the collegiate side, there’s sure to be strong competition for Lynn Shackelford’s 1966-67 UCLA Bruins NCAA Championship ring.

Several items came directly to Grey Flannel from colorful Class of 2011 inductee Dennis Rodman. Within the selection are: the painting used as cover art for Rodman’s autobiography Bad As I Wanna Be, Rodman’s game-used Bulls sneakers, and an array of awards, including his 1990-91 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award (reserve $2,500). Rodman’s much-publicized fling with Madonna is recalled in Lot 63 – a basketball hand painted with an alluring image of the athlete’s one-time girlfriend in scanty black lingerie.

1972-73 Dave Cowens Boston Celtics NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Grey Flannel Auctions.

The highest achievement to which an NBA player can aspire is the Most Valuable Player Award (a k a The Podoloff Trophy). For the first time ever, an NBA MVP Award will make its appearance at auction, when Grey Flannel opens the bidding on the 1972-73 trophy given to former Boston Celtic Dave Cowens. Standing 3ft. 9in. tall, the trophy comes straight from Cowens’ personal collection and is cataloged together with a photo match. This infinitely important award from a Hall of Famer and Top 50 player has been chosen to serve as the featured final lot of the sale and carries a reserve of $10,000.

Grey Flannel’s Friday, Aug. 12, 2011 auction will take place at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, 1000 W. Columbus Ave., Springfield, MA 01105, starting at 1 p.m. Eastern Time. In addition to in-person and phone bidding, Grey Flannel welcomes absentee bids, including by phone (please call to reserve a line) and through its website: www.GreyFlannelAuctions.com. Printed catalogs are free to all registered bidders. The fully illustrated electronic version of the catalog may be viewed online at www.GreyFlannelAuctions.com.

To request a catalog, register as a bidder or obtain further information on any lot in the auction, call 631-288-7800, ext. 223; email gfcsports@aol.com.

Top lot of the sale, a French circa-1914 bisque doll created by sculptor Albert Marque, 22 inches, signed and incised with the number ‘12,’ $168,000. Image by Frasher’s Doll Auctions.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Sculpted by the renowned French artist Albert Marque (1872-1939), an extremely rare 1914 portrait doll originally commissioned for the Paris boutique Margaine-Lacroix sold to rousing applause for $168,000 (inclusive of 12% buyer’s premium) at Frasher’s July 9 auction. The buyer, who beat out four phone bidders and additional on-site bidders at the KCI-Expo Center in Kansas City, was new to Frasher’s client roster.

“The winning bidder is a collector of French dolls and German character dolls, and they obviously go for the very best,” said Barbara Frasher, president of Frasher’s Doll Auctions.

As noted by doll historians, during World War I, Albert Marque was persuaded by Parisian couturier Jeanne Margaine-LaCroix to sculpt 100 fashion dolls, each signed, numbered and clothed in a custom-designed costume representing royalty or a particular region of France. The exquisite 22-inch dolls were celebrated by the French not only as important artworks but also as cultural icons that stood up proudly to the influx of wartime dolls from Germany.

The “A. Marque” doll in Frasher’s sale was numbered “12,” making it a very early and desirable example. “I have only seen two other A. Marque dolls at auction with an earlier number,” said Frasher. “While it has been said that 100 of these dolls were commissioned, that number is speculative. The highest number I have ever seen on this type of doll was around ‘60.’”

1872 French bisque poupee by Bru Jeune et Cie., 16 inches with ‘E’ mark, $3,737. Image by Frasher’s Doll Auctions.

Frasher said the quality of sculpting on the doll is “exquisite…You can tell that it was the work of an accomplished sculptor, not only from the quality of the doll’s head, but also the hands. The bisque head and limbs were added to a uniquely flared torso designed by French artist Aristodema Botta. The entire presentation is very unusual.” The doll was a popular attraction at the auction preview, Frasher said, because many collectors had never before had the opportunity to examine a rare A. Marque doll in person.

In 1993, Frasher’s made headlines with another French doll. The rare, 23½-inch exhibition model depicting an elegant Creole lady was produced by Jumeau expressly for the 1884 World Exposition in New Orleans. At Frasher’s, it sold for $231,000, and in so doing, set a world auction record for a French doll – a distinction that remained unchallenged for 17 years.

The A. Marque doll sold on July 9 came from one of three private collections featured in Frasher’s 277-lot sale. After the event, which grossed $418,670, dolls were shipped to points throughout the United States as well as to Russia, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Circa-1870 Louis Doleac signed French bisque poupee, $9,200. Image by Frasher’s Doll Auctions.

Barbara Frasher noted that approximately 20% to 25% of the sale was sold over the phones, with significant underbidding from the Internet. The top lot purchased online through LiveAuctioneers.com was a circa-1880 French bisque, wood-bodied fashion doll attributed to Louis Doleac, which realized $10,305.

Another highlight was the especially nice 24-inch bisque Bebe Triste by Emile Jumeau, with very finely painted facial features and blue paperweight eyes that rendered a melancholy expression. The doll settled at the midpoint of its estimate, selling for $15,680.

Another fine Jumeau, a circa-1878 Premiere Bebe, was noted as being the earliest of its particular type. Described in the auction catalog as having “superb complexion, modeling and expression, and exceptional eyes,” the 15-inch bisque beauty featured an excellent original body, wore a fine fitted silk couture costume and bore a “Jumeau Medaille d’or Paris” stamp. It sold within estimate for $7,280.

Other notable lots included a circa-1850s Mme. Leontine Rohmer petite poupee, 14 inches in length, with rare swivel-neck design and almond-shape cobalt glass eyes. Its all-original body included porcelain

Circa-1850s Mme. Leontine Rohmer poupee with rare swivel neck and cobalt glass eyes, 14 inches, $6,325. Image by Frasher’s Doll Auctions.

forearms. The coveted French fashion doll clothed in a deep-burgundy gown and straw bonnet exceeded its presale estimate to finish at $6,325.

Additional highlights included a classic 1872 Bru bisque poupee, 16 inches with “E” mark, $3,737; a petite Steiner bebe, 10½ inches with a label from the Parisian doll shop Au Nain Bleu, $3,920; and a highly sought-after model of the Emile Douillet Jumeau bebe with “E.D.” signature, $4,600. An 18-inch Francois Gauthier (F.G.) French bisque bebe with an “A La Tention, Guyot” shop label was bid to $5,040.

A section of the sale that “caught fire” with collectors was the extensive offering of doll costumes and clothing. “Some of the dresses brought as much as $1,500; and some of the bonnets went for $500 to $600 apiece. There’s a huge interest in accessories and clothing,” said Frasher. “Costuming a doll to make it one’s own is something collectors really enjoy. The highest prices are paid for antique clothing in good condition, but there’s also a strong market for contemporary productions replicating period clothing.”

Frasher, whose doll-auction business is now in its 29th year, said gloomy economic news has not deterred collectors from bidding on dolls. She believes that, overall, the doll market is stronger than some other avenues for investment.

Francois Gauthier (F.G.) French bisque bebe with ‘A La Tention, Guyot’ shop label, 18 inches, $5,040.

“Collectors have concluded that owning dolls brings them enjoyment and that they are a pretty sound investment over the long term. They’re not like a stock. You can hold them in your hand and enjoy them. The fact that there are still a lot of quality dolls coming onto the market and attracting good prices is a positive sign.”

Frasher’s Doll Auctions will hold its next event on Nov. 5-6, 2011, again at the KCI-Expo Center. The approximately 300-lot sale will have a heavy emphasis on French and other high-quality dolls. The inventory will also include a large selection of vintage costumes, dresses, bonnets and accessories. Quality consignments are currently being accepted for Frasher’s January auction in Scottsdale, Arizona – now a 20-year tradition with antique doll buyers.

To contact Frasher’s Doll Auctions, call 816-625-3786 or e-mail frasher@aol.com.

NATIVE AMERICAN: Clothing, costumes, headdress, suede, jewelry, drums, beaded objects, pottery, shoes, baskets, rawhide pouches, Hudson Bay jackets, fur trapper coats WESTERN: Ghost Riders Western canvas barn jackets, canteens, chaps POTTERY AND PORCELAIN: Lenox lamp, Rookwood, Johnson Brothers, Occupied Japan, Copeland Spode, Roseville, Mexican pottery, Goldscheider porcelain figures PRIMITIVE: birdhouses, Washer wringer, butter churn, buckboard bench, framed barbed wire samples FURNITURE: Pennsylvania Dutch trunk, glass-top display coffee table, Chinese red lacquer cabinet, Victorian carved chairs, piano stool, painted nightstand, folk art furniture, child’s rocker, contemporary curio, industrial coffee table on castors, patriotic painted dresser, folk art painted trunk, lady’s writing desk PRINTS & PAINTINGS: Western & Native American Artwork, STERLING FLATWARE: 19 Sterling Reed & Barton Marlborough pattern teaspooons & knives TOYS: Renwal shipyard, Marx Disneyland trains, ventriloquist dummy, tin litho toys, dolls & doll clothes, rocking horse, doll houses, N. H. Hill Brass Co. pull toy, Lone Ranger knives MISC: Canteens, Bradford Exchange, Michael Jordan uniform, oil lanterns, train lantern, American flag, books, pocket knives, Champleve lamp, Murano studio art glass, lucite display cases, postage stamp collection, black Americana

Sotheby’s is delighted to announce an exclusive collection of leading designers and artists for MATERIAL WORLDS, its second outdoor selling exhibition in collaboration with Sudeley Castle, from 28 July to 30 September 2011. The exhibition brings together cutting-edge, one-off and limited edition works in strikingly different materials by 11 artists and designers, including Tord Boontje, Amanda Levete, David Adjaye, Ingo Maurer and Paul Fryer. Set amongst the romantic ruins of Sudeley and its award-winning gardens, the works will challenge the boundaries of Design, Art and Craft.

Dan Ripley’s Art & Antiques Auction this Saturday July 23rd. Bid in person, online or by phone. visit www.antiquehelper.com for more info.

Consignments being accepted for Rago’s November 12th Fine Art Auction through September 21st.