Paula and Howard Ellman, New York City dealers specializing in Tiffany art glass, are always on the lookout for fresh, high quality merchandise with which to stock their booth at the popular Miami Beach Antiques Show.
What they found when they purchased some items for stock at an April 2008 Freeman’s auction in Philadelphia, however, might best be filed under the heading of “déjà vu.”
In late April, the Ellmans purchased several items of art glass at Freeman’s European furniture and decorative arts sale. Howard Ellman said that for such routine purchases, the couple did not attend the auction, but called and left bids on the items in which they were interested. A shipping service was hired to deliver the pieces for which they had left successful bids.
When four items arrived in early May, as Howard Ellman was unwrapping them, he asked his wife, “Don’t we usually remove our labels whenever we sell a piece?” There, on the bottom of each Tiffany piece, and placed there more than 30 years ago, was affixed a label that identified their business.
The shocking discovery that they had just purchased pieces that had already belonged to them resurfaced painful memories of a 1971 break-in involving their shop and those of other Tiffany dealers. The theft, which occurred at the now-defunct Antiques Center of America on East 53rd Street on January 13 that year, was reported in The New York Times and other media. Of the 110 dealers operating in the group shop, only 15 businesses †those specializing in art glass, especially Tiffany †were robbed.
The crime was never solved, but Howard Ellman told Antiques and The Arts Weekly that he believes it had been a targeted theft by knowledgeable burglars, aimed solely at stealing art glass, especially Tiffany. “We had other things in the shop that had more value, but they only took the Tiffany,” he said.
The Ellmans recall that between 40 and 50 items were stolen from their inventory. In checking with Freeman’s after the sale, they discovered an additional 12 items sold at the auction that had been part of the theft. Thirty-seven years ago, the stolen pieces had a value of between $10,000 and $12,000, according to the Ellmans. Fast-forward to 2008, and a vase priced at $225 back then would be worth about $3,500 today.
The twist of fate sent the Ellmans to the Art Loss Register (ALR), a London-based firm that maintains a database of information about stolen works of art. It determined that they were entitled to the return of the auction purchase price †and that they could keep the merchandise, and the firm worked with Freeman’s to reunite the Ellmans with the items that rightfully belonged to them. In some cases, where the successful bidder was unwilling to surrender the item, the Ellmans received the proceeds from the sale.
Chris Marinello, ALR’s executive director in the New York City office, said the Ellmans’ experience reveals an overarching lesson for antiques and fine art dealers †the importance of holding onto purchase receipts and other paperwork.
“Many people would not have held onto sales receipts for items that had been stolen that long ago,” he said. “In this case, due to their thorough records, including purchase receipts going back to the mid-1960s, the ALR was able to prove to the auction house that all 16 items rightfully belonged to the couple.”
Asked what had made them hold onto receipts and inventory records for so long, Paula Ellman replied, “I just had an idea that [the stolen items] would show up again some day.”
And will the Ellmans place the recovered Tiffany pieces on a special, hallowed shelf in their home? “No,” said an unsentimental Howard Ellman, “they all go into stock. These pieces are for sale. The only ‘hallowed’ item in my life is my wife.”
The Art Loss Register is encouraging other victims of the 1971 theft to add their losses to the ALR’s database in hopes of recovering more stolen items. To contact the ALR, www.artloss.com or 212-297-0941.
