Auction: Aug. 25th & 26th  9:30am

Saint Louis, Missouri

Auction Sept. 1st  6pm

Featuring a one owner collection of English, European, and American paintings

Exhibition Aug 27th – Sept. 1st  11am – 7pm, closed Sunday

Bidding begins: Aug. 27th, Lots close Sept. 2nd

Featuring:

William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916), Estimated $150,000/$250,000

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841-1919), Estimated  $50,000/$60,000

Welcome to S&S Auction!

Join us for our August Decorative Arts Sale on Monday August 23rd at 8:00am!

This auction will include a fine selection of over 2000 lots of antiques and accessories from area homes and estates. Included will be a collection of fine antiques, furniture, art, decorative accessories and 20th c. design.

Approximately 100 select lots will be available for online bidding through Artfact.com.

If you cannot attend, ple ase contact us and we will be happy to assist you in arranging absentee or phone bidding.

Visit our website at www.ssauction.com

We look forward to seeing you!



Auction August 28th, 2010

Featuring:

Property of the Estate of Leila Hadley Luce, Porcelain and Pottery, Furniture, Decorations, Jewelry and Coins, Musical Instruments, Paintings, Prints and other works of Art, Carpets and Rugs, Lighting, Silver, Silverplate and Metalwork.

One dealer shows Reyne two rare plates from the 1930’s he picked for one tenth their true value and another dealer tells the story of how she picked (right out of a bird cage) a rare sewing accessory in the form of a bird, which was made in 1839.

You’ve just brought home a piece of antique furniture and underneath a bit of grime or an ugly coat of paint, you recognize an item that may be valuable, or beautiful, or possibly both. What do you do next?

Will a simple cleaning and restoration suffice? Or would you prefer a complete refinish?  How can you decide?

The First Step: A Closer Look.

Examine the piece carefully for clues about its origins. Search every surface for anything that looks like a signature or manufacturer’s label. If the piece isn’t antique it may still be valuable, and we’ve all seen episodes of Antiques Roadshow featuring refinished American masterpieces that should have been allowed to retain their original patina.

If you find a mark that you aren’t able to interpret, take the piece to a local museum curator for an expert opinion before you do anything to the finish.

Next: Cleaning.

Clean the piece thoroughly and gently using water and a bit of oil soap. Cleaning alone may bring a beautiful piece of antique furniture back to life. Add a little glue to the loose joints and replace the brass fixtures and this may be enough to win over a skeptical spouse and help the new-old furniture find welcome in your home.

Stripping the Old Finish Off

If you’ve decided to go forward with a refinish, your best and safest option is have the work done by an antique restoration professional. But if you’re comfortable with the risk and have the tools and a ventilated space in which to work, few DIY projects are as satisfying as this one.

Some Notes About Strippers

Furniture strippers are highly toxic to breathe and should not be allowed to come in contact with skin. Methylene chloride based strippers work the fastest, but are also the most dangerous. Gel strippers are a safer and slower alternative, but neither of these options can really be considered “safe.” Work outdoors if possible, wear gloves, and dispose of any rags or stripper-soaked items outside since they’re highly flammable and can spontaneously combust. Always read and adhere to package directions.

Furniture strippers develop a waxy skin when exposed to air. This keeps the product from evaporating before it can sink into the wood. So if you’re trying to remove a thick coat of paint, apply one generous layer of stripper—don’t keep brushing or you’ll break the skin and allow the product to evaporate.

Then let the stripper work. Be patient. Before it dries, test with a plastic scraper to see if the old paint is ready to come off. If you wait too long and the stripper dries out, just apply another coat.

When you’ve tested a section and the old finish comes off easily, go forward and scrape all of it off. For hard-to-reach grooves and spindles, use a piece of string or a toothpick to work the old finish away. You can go back and reapply stripper to any stubborn patches.

After the entire piece of antique furniture is stripped, clean it with denatured alcohol and let it stand for at least twenty-four hours.

The New Finish

After that, you’re ready to sand the piece, prime it, and apply a new finish or coat of paint. Research historically appropriate finishes or paint colors if you like. Otherwise you may want to match the new finish to another piece of furniture or an existing room in your home.

Remember: just like furniture stripper, varnishes and paints are toxic and should always be used in areas with good ventilation. Read the package carefully for safety warnings, disposal rules and application instructions.

By Erin Sweeney

For Antiques.com

Recently I had the chance to attend the Alameda Point Antiques Faire in Alameda, California.  I had heard about the show from friends and thought I’d check it out personally.

Can you say “Pickers Paradise?”

The first thing I noticed was the size of the show.  On this particular day there were about 900 dealers exhibiting.

The show opens to the die- hard buyers at 6am (please note, this is no longer me!)  It costs a little more (entry fee) to get in that early, but is worth the investment.  Bring your flashlight!

The next thing that caught my attention was the varied array of merchandise.  Inexpensive to WOW!  American, Italian, French, German, etc.  Victorian, Modern and everything in between can also be found.

I spoke with Allen Michaan, the show promoter, who mentioned the show is vetted.  This I found surprising.  What an undertaking!  According to Michaan, everything must be pre-1970.  He spends his day looking to make sure the dealers all follow the rules.  If anything newer is found, he insists the dealer must put it away.  Anyone setting up with a full booth of new items is asked to leave.

This is a plus for dealers and buyers alike.  The dealers like keeping the show standard, as they know quality merchandise equates to more sales.  Buyers hate digging through new things to find the old.  It won’t take long for customers of a show to spread the word when merchandise falls short of their expectations.

It was reported that over 10,000 visitors attended the show that day, and might I add they came to shop.  You saw plenty of people carrying bags (not just myself), armfuls of smalls and wheeling large pieces of furniture to their cars.  I saw a lot of things I wanted to buy, including the prop for The Wizard of Oz (the Wicked Witch of the West’s legs!) and I also saw someone carrying them out!

The show is open one day a month.   As a dealer, you love this. It’s a lot of work setting up and tearing down all in a day, however, you know the people that attend the show come to buy. They know they have little time to make up their mind and execute a purchase.

Alameda Pointe Antiques Faire is held the first Sunday of every month.  The dealers come from near and far, so don’t expect to see the sale local dealer merchandise at the show you’ve seen in shops around the Bay area.

For more information, visit their website at:  ww.antiquesbybay.com

Auction August 21st, 2010  10am