CRANSTON, R.I. – An adorable circa 1920 Tiffany & Co. platinum repeater pocket watch sold for $12,500 and a 2003 U.S. $25 Liberty Eagle gold coin climbed to a record $4,688 at an Estate Antiques & Fine Art Auction held Thanksgiving weekend, November 24th, by Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers, online and in the Bruneau & Co. gallery located at 63 Fourth Avenue in Cranston.

Offered were about 500 lots of fine jewelry, sterling silver, original artworks, furniture, art glass, sculpture, folk art, Asian objects and more. Online bidding was via bidLIVE.Bruneauandco.com, LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Bidsquare.com, and by downloading the mobile app “Bruneau & Co.” on iTunes and GooglePlay. Telephone and absentee bids were also accepted.

“It was a great feeling to start the auction with excitement seven lots in, hammering down the Tiffany repeater watch followed by an unbelievable record for a $25 Gold Eagle just six lots later,” said Travis Landry, a Bruneau & Co. specialist and auctioneer. “When two collectors truly want something, you don’t know where it will end. Bidding was spirited throughout the day.”

The Tiffany pocket watch was the sale’s top lot, and no wonder. Made in Switzerland around 1920, the watch boasted a platinum case with silvered Art Deco stylized face, subsidiary second hand dial and 29-jewel C.H. Meylan movement. It was signed on the face. A later chain had been added. The watch exhibited normal wear, but was in overall good working order, ready to use.

The 2003 $25 U.S. Liberty Eagle gold coin, consigned by a Massachusetts gentleman, was encapsulated and graded well at PCGS MS69. It was a new auction record for that type of coin.

Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers company president and auctioneer Kevin Bruneau remarked, “It was a great auction with a strong crowd right after Thanksgiving, with a lot of in-house buying. New collectors enjoyed themselves the day after a holiday, and jade did well, selling solely in-house.”

Tops in the jade category was a Chinese Qing Dynasty celadon white jade plaque, showing a fine reticulated carving of a phalanx of storks foraging in a marsh in high relief. “You can see the stone is double carved with background and foreground details,” Mr. Bruneau commented. “The jade also tested true with our Presidium gem tester.” The item sold to a happy bidder for $2,812.

Following are additional highlights from the auction. All prices quoted include the buyer’s premium.

An atmospheric coastal Maine seascape watercolor on paper, done by Boston School avant-garde painter George Hawley Hallowell (Mass., 1871-1926), depicting an evergreen lined coast with white capped waves crashing against rockery in the foreground with a mountainous background, went for $3,125. The work was artist signed and nicely housed in a 36 inch by 29 inch frame.

A circa 1920 Art Deco 14kt yellow gold cigarette case with inscribed Art Deco lineal design and spring-loaded interior clip, monogrammed “JHN” and having untouched patina, fetched $6,875. Also, an early 19th century American-made Chinese Chippendale gilt wood mirror, decorated with shapely reticulated acanthus leaf fretwork surmounted by a Chinese bird having an upturned neck and spread wings, impressive at 57 inches tall by 27 inches wide, gaveled for $3,438.

Persian rugs were a hit with bidders. A circa 1900 palace-size Persian Mahal wool carpet rug, 26 feet 2 inches by 17 feet 3 inches, having a diamond ivory medallion with floral tendrils surrounded by thousands of flowers and lattice work within geometric and floral borders, rose to $5,312; while a Persian Middle Eastern Bidjar carpet rug, also made around 1900, 15 feet 10 inches by 11 feet 6 inches, having a central red field with blue medallions, hammered for $2,250.

On December 1st, Bruneau & Co. held a Toys & Comics Auction, also online and in the Cranston gallery. Up for bid were comics such as DC Flash #105 CBCS 9.0 est. $15,000-$25,000; Marvel Fantastic Four #48 CBCS 8.5 est. $3,000-$5,000; Marvel Incredible Hulk #181 CBCS 9.4 est. $6,000-$9,000; DC Detective Comics #142 CBCS 6.5 est. $2,000-$3,000; and other rarities. A post-sale report will be issued soon. Bruneau has emerged as a leader in pop culture collectibles.

To learn more about Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and the firm’s calendar of upcoming auctions, visit www.bruneauandco.com. Updates are posted frequently. To contact the company via e-mail, use info@bruneauandco.com. Or, you can phone them at the gallery, at (401) 533-9980.

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