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Category: collectibles & memorabilia
Philadelphia dealer charged with smuggling elephant ivory
Philadelphia Inquirer / July 26th, 2011
A Philadelphia African art dealer was arrested Tuesday by federal agents and charged with the illegal importation and sale of African elephant ivory. A staggering one ton of ivory was seized by federal agents...
"The Great American Hall of Wonders" opens at Smithsonian
ArtfixDaily / July 19th, 2011
The first mass-produced American clock, a locomotive prototype, and Charles Willson Peale’s iconic self-portrait, “The Artist in His Museum,” are part of a major exhibition showcasing American innovation on view at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art until January 8, 2012. "The Great ...
Rare Jane Austen manuscript brings $1.6m at auction
The Improper / July 18th, 2011
English novelist Jane Austen’s unpublished manuscript for “The Watsons,” a story about four daughters of a widowed clergyman who endeavor to marry well, fetched a stunning £993,250 ($1.6 million) at a Sotheby's auction in London. The selling price (with fees) for the 68-page document was ...
Family fights U.S. Treasury over rare 'Double Eagle' coins
USA Today / July 7th, 2011
A Philadelphia family began a court battle on Thursday with the U.S. Treasury over ownership of 10 'double eagle' gold coins from 1933. They claim the cache of coins---perhaps worth $80 million---is rightfully theirs...
Summer exhibitions at Britain's Bowes Museum
ArtfixDaily / July 5th, 2011
The Bowes Museum of Barnard Castle, an English treasure house built in the French chateau-style by 19th-century art collectors John and Josephine Bowes, has drawn a record number of visitors to its trio of summer exhibitions featuring high-style fashion, ancient Egyptian art, and 19th-century ...
Billy the Kid tintype wrangles $2.6m
/ June 28th, 2011
Private collector William Koch ponied up $2.6 million (with 15% commission) for the only known surviving portrait of Billy the Kid at a Denver auction. The tintype of the legendary outlaw blew away its pre-sale estimate of ...
Princess Diana gown swept to $800K at auction
ArtfixDaily / June 26th, 2011
A bidder paid $800,000 (CAN) for a gown that Princess Diana memorably wore when she spun around the dance floor with actor John Travolta at a White House state dinner in 1985. It was the top lot among 14 dresses owned by the late Princess of Wales offered at Waddington's...
Michael Jackson "Thriller" jacket fetches $1.8 million at auction
ArtfixDaily / June 26th, 2011
Perhaps one of the most iconic piece of music memorabilia ever auctioned, Michael Jackson's red jacket worn for his "Thriller" video sold for a record price of $1.8 million at a weekend auction. Bidders traveled from as far as China and New Zealand to attend the sale in Beverly Hills, according ...
Stradivarius violin soars to record $15.9 million
ArtfixDaily / June 20th, 2011
A Stradivarius violin from 1721 sold to an anonymous bidder for a record price of £9,808,000 ($15,894,000) in an online auction on Monday. All of the proceeds from the sale will go directly to aid victims of Japan's earthquake and tsunami. Dubbed ‘Lady Blunt’ for its thirty-year ...
Iconic Marilyn Monroe dress snags $5.6 million at auction
Reuters / June 19th, 2011
Marilyn Monroe's ivory, pleated ‘subway’ dress from "The Seven-Year Itch" swelled high above its presale estimate of $1-2 million to fetch a hammer price of $4.6 million ($5.6 million including commission) at a weekend auction in Beverly Hills. Auctioneer Profiles in History also sold Monroe's ...
World's largest collection of iconic Hollywood costumes at auction
ArtfixDaily / June 5th, 2011
Perhaps the most famous costume in screen history, Marilyn Monroe's ‘subway’ dress from The Seven-Year Itch comes to the auction block this June with an estimated value of $1-2 million. The two-part sale, to be held in June and Dec. 2011, by California-based dealer Profiles in History, ...
Jewelry auctions in Geneva net nearly €140m
thejournal.ie / May 19th, 2011
Jewels with intruiging provenance or rare qualities piqued bidders' interest at Geneva auctions that fetched an impressive total of about €140m. A tiara commissioned for a German princess was among several record-setting pieces in the spring sale series in Switzerland. Christie’s sold more than ...
Islamic art reaches new auction record
Los Angeles Times / April 6th, 2011
Sotheby's in London sold a 16th century illustrated portfolio from the "Shahnameh" ("Book of Kings") of Shah Tahmasp of Persia, for 7.4 million pounds ($12 million) on Wednesday, a new auction record for an Islamic work of art. The leaf comes from the Persian national epic depicting Faridun ...
Kovels Year in Review: Collectibles clean up at 2010 auctions
Kovels / January 4th, 2011
Printed books, movie memorabilia, and Chinese porcelain were among the auction market's superstar categories with great stories in 2010. Record prices for art, antiques, and collectibles were achieved and then quickly surpassed throughout the year. Of note, American historical documents and ...
Nuns sell rare baseball card for $220K
ABC News / December 27th, 2010
Last week, the Balitmore-based School Sisters of Notre Dame sold a rare Honus Wagner baseball card, with condition issues, in a post-auction transaction to a Philadelphia-area cardiologist for $220,000. The T206 series of the Honus Wagner card, produced between 1909 and 1911, is considered the ...
Forbes' toy Lusitania sails to record $194,500 at auction
Bloomberg / December 19th, 2010
The antique toy collection assembled over the course of 40 years by the late Malcom Forbes and his sons went for a total $2.4 million at Sotheby's in New York on Dec. 17. Fetching $194,500, to set...
News Briefs: Audubon fetches $11.5 million; Getty loses goddess
ArtfixDaily / December 7th, 2010
A rare first edition copy of John James Audubon’s masterpiece “Birds of America,” which includes 435 hand-colored illustrations, sold at Sotheby's in London Tuesday night for 7.3 million pounds ($11.5 million), a record for any printed work. Paying well above the previous record of $8.8 million ...
Mark Twain manuscript, memoir captivate audiences
ArtfixDaily / November 21st, 2010
Mark Twain's autobiography---a massive 500,000 words---was published this month after 100 years have passed since his death, per his instructions. The University of California Press edition is flying off bookshelves as readers are intent on discovering more about the inner life and thoughts of ...
Pink diamond pounded down for record $46 million at auction
ArtfixDaily / November 16th, 2010
London jewelry dealer Laurence Graff phoned in the winning bid of 45.4 million francs ($45.6 million) for a rare pink diamond in Geneva on Tues. Its pre-sale estimate of 38 million francs was soundly surpassed to secure an auction record price for a gem. Sotheby's total take for the Magnificent ...
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice fetches auction record
Daily Echo / October 29th, 2010
A rare first edition of Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice sold for a world record price of £139,250 at auctioneers Sotheby’s in London last Thursday. Retaining its orignal covers, the book was estimated to sell between £75,000 and £100,000. A US dealer was the buyer. The enduring ...