Nov 5, 20206 min read

How much did that sell for?

Here we go again, it’s Last Week at the Auction...America's Favorite Top 10 List of Auction Results from around the globe as hand selected by me, Josh Levine, your post host and guide to the world of auctions. This Post is Episode 2 of Season 3....and it continues to be The Hottest You Tube Series and Social Media Sensation in the world, okay, you know…. the auction world.

What’s on tap for today post you ask? How about the Original Bobble Head…. or some sound words of wisdom, like…”Don’t play with Legos.” This post has 3 Books to Rule them All…and The Golden Goose is on the loose…

Any maiden fans with me…. Anyone, anyone….no, I haven’t lost it. This quick post should bring you up to speed in a few short stanzas. And as always, these are real auction results from real auction houses and with that comes valuable insight to what’s really going on in the secondary market. Whether you are a reseller, an appraiser, an auctioneer, downsizing an estate, thinking of selling a collection or just like antiques and collectibles, I think you just might learn something.

So welcome back subscribers and hello newbies...I got the goods...Amazing Auction Results, Fun Facts and so much more...and as I always say...” Nothing is more interesting than the Auction World.” Not even Jeffrey Dahmer’s Refrigerator Condiment Selection…I am guessing Grey Poupon.

Don’t forget, that I have all the links below to everything I discuss, social media channels and most importantly, where you can find out more about all of these great auction houses. It’s where I find out about all this cool stuff!

So, let’s get on with it…. it’s LAST WEEK AT THE AUCTION.

#10 is a Great Star Wars Lego Set, The Ewok Village Playset that brought $400 at R&R Auction in Glendale AZ. It is part of their ongoing 3-month long Sci Fi Sunday’s sales. They have been liquidating a 4000 plus lot collection and it has been so much fun to watch. This set retailed for $249 on 7 years ago and has appreciated almost 75%. That’s a heck of a return. The moral of the story here is, buy your kids big Lego sets, don’t let them open or play with them, then use the money for college. But seriously, Legos have been an amazing story for several years now. Collectors love them!

#9 is a 1925 Gibson A Jr. Mandolin that just sold for $750 at LELAND LITTLE. Musical instruments continue to have great resale values and names like Gibson, Martin and Fender have been leading the pack. Gibson Mandolins reined supreme in the early 1900s and this was actually considered to be an inexpensive student model in its day. But today, even these models are highly sought after as the professional versions from the period are commonly $3000+. And just let you know how serious collectors are, a 1920s Gibson F5 can command $20,000 and more.

Alright #8 is a classic Le Coultre Atmos Clock that just hammered for $1300 @ LELAND LITTLE…I have featured these clocks before but notice the trend up. They continue to be prized for a design that fits just about anyone’s, space and taste. You can find these at estate sales for a buck or 2…. meaning $100 or $200 and there are a great buy at that. Keep your eyes peeled.

#7 a Ford Service Station Clock just sold for $1500 at MORPHY'S and was part of a wonderful Automobilia Sale. I am featuring the 18" diameter beauty as it demonstrates an excellent of a Cross Collectible. It’s a clock, it’s advertising, its Americana, it’s auto related…. all that equals a large audience of potential buyers and bidders. That is the best kind of collectible there is.

#6 A Spode "Christmas Rose" China Dinnerware Service for 12 just brought $2400 at LELAND LITTLE…. China China China…we have a love hate relationship. You are fragile and I have moving you, but when you bring a few thousand, I love you again. As you may or may not know, this market has been soft for the past 10+ years, but I choose this set to illustrate two points. (1) There are still buyers out there so learn the more desirable patterns and (2) Take note to the time of year you are selling. This is the time to sell your sets. You have people looking for their next Thanksgiving or Christmas Set. It’s the only time people get formal anymore. And when they are thinking about buy a set. So, sell tomorrow! Or just leave it in the attic another year.

So what’s next….#5 A wonderful Meissen Nodder just hammered for $2800 @ COTTONE….The first nodders were made in China appearing in the late 1600s and depicted a smiling Buddha. They reached their pinnacle when the Meissen company in German began producing some of these amazing beauties. For almost 100 years these were highly prized pieces. In the 20th Century, the nodder saw a rebirth as the baseball bobble head. It seems we can’t get enough of those bobbin & noddin figures. They can’t help but make you smile.

Let’s move on to #4 is a Pair of Chinese Famille Rose Yellow-Ground Garden Seats that brought $4250 @ COTTONE…Chinese again you say. Well I have more before we are over. This market is hot. Keep your eyes peeled as many 19th Century finds are commanding top dollar and they are all over the US in homes as they were export here in the 1950s and 60s during the cultural revolution. My fans have heard this before, but I will continue to beat the point home. I want you to find some treasure.

#3 is a Wendell Castle Music Rack or Sheet Music Stand as I’d call it, that sold for $11000, also at COTTONE…it was Signed WC73'…for Wendell Castle 1973 and is an excellent example of the American Craft Movement in Furniture. This has also been referred to as Castle’s Biomorphic pieces. Wendell Castle created some of the most unique pieces of handmade sculpture and furniture and was active for over four decades. Should you come across a work of his, you should take a second look at the price tag. I believe these will be an investment for years to come.

Okay…. You are going to love this…. #2 is a First Edition Set of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy which just brought $30,000 @ Hindman. Don’t overlook books, and especially those household names. Very often their first pressings and prior to their fame, are highly prized. Tis set is a case in point but another example I will give you to make it real for you is Harry Potter. A 1997 J. K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone just sold for $120,000. Signed First Edition. That’ll make you look through the books at the Thrift Store won’t it. If you find one now, send tips to josh@joshlevinespeaks.com or make a donation in my name to St Jude’s Children Hospital.

So what is in the top spot this week…. well, it’s from you guessed it. China. #1 is a Chinese export Porcelain Tureen in the form of a goose and from the Qing Dynasty, circa 1760s….and it just brought $50,000 at Freemans. I must admit. If I saw this at an antique store with $300 on it, I would have walked right by. I just would not have known, but now, I’ll be looking. That’s the point of this show. You can’t know everything, and I learn each week with all the pre-show research I do and hope you find it beneficial to your antique and collectible education too.

But I am not done….I’ll call this a bonus, but again, its also an educational illustrator. A Chinese Blanc de Chine (Sheen) Porcelain Figure of Lohan sold for wait….1st, let me tell you…It had a $400 to $600 auction estimate from Hindman, a very prominent international auction house with experts in the field….so what do you think it sold for…

$290,000…. I’m done. Seriously…. I would have actually said $300-500. Are you seeing a pattern here too. AUCTION PEOPLE ! If you had it in your antique store, you weren’t going to put a $290,000 price tag on it, you were going to say $499 were you….

And now you know what happened, Last Week at the auction!

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Also, be sure to check out all the great auction houses from today’s show and support your local auctioneers…they are some of the hardest working people in show business! And speaking of show business, if you check out the YouTube Version of this episode, our sound track is Whiplash by the Lucky Odds out of San Antonio Texas, check them out at theluckyodds.com & remember to Support Your Local Musicians and Artists…these are some of the hardest hit folks in the economy right now. So do it….