Words – or text – leapt off the page with a handful of this week’s auction round-up. A pair of early Twentieth Century New York City street signs for Christopher and MacDougal streets sold for $401 and $370, respectively. Former Ambassador to Israel, James G. McDonald’s book My Mission in Israel (1951) came out of a Manhattan estate and found favor with Benefit Shop bidders, to $516. And the word LIBERTY proudly marked a 1794 ‘Flowing Hair’ dollar coin for which Heritage achieved the world-record setting price of $528,000.
Bronze Greyhound Races To Victory At Litchfield
LITCHFIELD, CONN. — A bronze greyhound made by American sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington in 1935 topped Litchfield Auctions’ November 15 sale of antiques and Asian arts. The 26-inch-long-by-12-inch-high sculpture was a gift from the artist to Ruth A. Haas, the first woman to serve as president of a four-year state college in the United States. This sculpture, said to be modeled after the artist’s own canine companion Echo, has made multiple appearances on Antiques Roadshow. Signed, dated and numbered “Anna Hyatt Huntington, 1935 VIII,” the recumbent figure sold to a private collector in Connecticut for $26,000. For information, 860-567-4661 or www.litchfieldcountyauctions.com.
Good Signs At 21st Century Auctions
STONINGTON, CONN. — “We had a couple of nice antique double-sided porcelain New York City humpback street signs, circa early 1900s, sell for $401 (shown top) and $370,” said Max Goclowski of 21st Century Auctions. Measuring 22 by 12 inches, the signs were notable in the firm’s November 8 auction. For information, www.21centuryantiques.com or 860-235-8628.
Exploration First Edition Discovers New Home In CT River Book Auction
SOUTH GLASTONBURY, CONN. — Connecticut River Book Auction’s November 10 sale attracted a good-sized crowd of buyers who, in one instance, traveled from the distant land of New Jersey to attend the evening’s festivities. Among the laughter and comradery, more than 200 lots were sold in less than two hours. The highlight of the night was US Navy Lieut. Charles Wilkes’ (1845) Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition during the Years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842 with Atlas, a first edition that sold for $1,100. For information, 860-908-8067 or www.ctriverbookauction.com.
UN Ambassador’s Israel Memoir Finds Favor In Benefit Shop Sale
MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. — An interesting lot from Benefit Shop Foundation’s November 15 Red Carpet auction was a signed James G. McDonald book, My Mission in Israel, which sold for $516. The signed book by McDonald, the first United Nations ambassador to Israel, bore a copyright of 1951, Simon & Schuster, New York, the hardback book, property of a Manhattan estate, measuring 8¾ by 5¾ by 1¼ inches. For information, 914-864-0707 or www.thebenefitshop.org.
Feeding Frenzy For Rare Sandstone Trough In Hess Auction
NEWARK, DEL. — The architectural collection of the late William K. Du Pont was the focus of Hess Auction Group’s November 11 live and online auction. From the Rocky Hill collection, the sale offered sandstone troughs, dated millstones, historical architectural lumber, hinges, building supplies and stones. Highlights included a rare 14-foot-3-inch sandstone trough (shown), which sold for $24,200; an unusually shaped red sandstone trough, 82 by 45 inches, $9,900; and a dated red sandstone millstone, 73 inches diameter by 7 inches wide, dated 1774, $13,200. For information, 717-664-5238.
Shore Landscape Impresses Buyers At Clars
OAKLAND, CALIF. — Clars Auctions conducted its sale of modern and contemporary art on Friday, November 17. The top performer out of the nearly 300 lots offered was Henrietta May Shore’s untitled oil on canvas depiction of sunflowers on the coast. Measuring 24 by 28 inches in its frame, the painting was sold to a phone bidder from California for $44,100. For information, 888-339-7600 or www.clars.com.
Block Dons White Gloves For November Marble Auction
NEW YORK CITY — The November 18 sale at Block’s Marble Auctions proved successful, as Bob Block shared the white glove sale generated almost 150 percent more than its catalog estimate. Rounding up the day was a transitional, ground pontil marble measuring 1-3/16 inches in diameter. This hand-gathered marble contained shades of translucent purple, yellow, white and oxblood. Block noted that this German-made circa 1850-1900 marble was “rare in size” and of “excellent condition.” After realizing $2,310, this marble will be heading south as the newest addition to a more than 40-year-old collection. For information, 203-209-7076 or www.marbleauctions.com.
Heritage Sets New World Record For 1794 ‘Flowing Hair’ Dollar Coin
DALLAS — A 1794 Flowing Hair dollar, graded B-1, BB-1, R.4, XF45 PCGS and CAC sparked a frenzy of competitive bidding before it finally sold for a record $528,000, leading Heritage’s US Coins Signature Auction to $10,522,000, November 16-19. One of just 140-150 known examples, this magnificent coin drew 58 bids before reaching its final result, which was by far the most ever paid for a 1794 dollar in XF condition; the previous record was $368,000. The result virtually doubled the last time it sold at auction, when it brought $264,500 in Heritage’s 2006 Long Beach Signature Auction. For information, 214-528-3500 or www.ha.com.
Tusk & Bone Installation Heads Fleischmann Sale For Hindman
CINCINNATI, OHIO — In a two-day auction November 16-17, Hindman presented nearly 650 lots in a single-owner sale titled “Beyond A Cincinnati Legacy: The Collection of Mr and Mrs Charles Fleischmann III.” Scoring top-lot honors at $34,650 was a Twentieth Century cast metal, bone and narwhal tusk installation that stood 62 inches tall. Though it was unsigned, it nearly tripled its $8/12,000 presale expectations. For information, 312-280-1212 or www.hindmanauctions.com.
