Nov 12, 20206 min read

Opinions are like Cyclops Eyes...

Here we go….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 host and guide to the world of auctions – This is Episode 3 of Season 3....and officially The Hottest You Tube Series and Social Media Sensation in the world, okay, the auction world.

And just wait until you see what I have in store for you today. More real auction results from real auction houses and an all access pass to the valuable insight provided by following 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, you might just learn something.

So welcome back subscribers and hello newbies...This post has 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 skittles…taste the rainbow.

Don’t forget to check out the drop down section below….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….they are 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 US Marine WWI Era Enlisted Dress Visor Cap that brought $425 at Leland Little. Military Collectibles have a great following. They have been consistent over the years too. Don’t discount grand pa’s old uniform, medals and ephemera. Even old love letters from the theatre can have significant value! A nice lot on eBay just sold for $440.

#9 is the Clark's Walnut Spool Cabinet that just sold for $850 also at Leland Little. They’ve had a few great sales with some wonderful teaching opportunities so you might hear their name a lot. They get great estates. Anyway, with the growing popularity of the sewing machine, invented in 1844, a whole new market opened up. And no one wanted to spin their own threads anymore…who’s got time for that, so women began to purchase ready-made thread on wooden spools. And you have to have a place to store it right…so the Spool cabinets was born.

Nostalgia is money!

Alright #8 is the Piero Fornasetti (Italy, 1913-1988), Double-Sided, Lidded Urn that brought…$1300 at Leland Little…how about that for a 2 faces cookie jar. Again, it’s a case of doing your homework. Today Fornasetti’s creations, under the artistic direction of his son Barnaba, are found in all sorts of design elements and home goods. Keep an eye out.

#7 A Georgian Apple Form Tea Caddy just sold for $2000 @ Leland Little. I love Tea Caddy’s. They are adorable little wood boxes that seem to come in all forms. Most notably produced during the Georgian era (1714 to approx. 1837) & named after the Hanoverian Kings George I, II, III & IV. You will see this term referenced often in the Antique and Collectible world. And now you’ll know what it means…

You thought Georgia, the state, didn’t you…? Oh...that was just me, and for most of my childhood....

#6 is a tiny Chinese Blue & White Stem Cup that brought $2600 at Cottone. I would have guessed $30 prior to seeing this 3-5/8 inch tall vessel with zodiac decorations. How about you? If you can find a course in Chinese Antique identification, I suggest taking it. But other than that, the best way you can learn is following these auctions. There is gold in them their hills and knowledge is power.

Dumb luck is good too.

So, what’s next…. #5 John Speed’s c.1676 Map of America just sold for $2800 at Freemans. My favorite part of this lots is in the title….” with those parts unknown” …meaning several areas of the America’s had not been yet properly surveyed.

And just to illustrate the desirability of rare maps, just a short while back, Simpsons Galleries sold this Rare Civil War Era Map of Texas, circa 1862 for $115,000. It was entitled, Pressler's Map of the State of Texas. You see, there’s a lot of demand out there for cartography and a great auction will find the money.

Let’s move on to #4 a Gulf Oil Store Display just did $6500 @ Morphy’s…. only 11 x 10 x 4 inch, it included a great pair of oil cans, complete with graphics. I am always talking about cross collectibles and this one. It’s Americana, Advertising and the Motor Heads would like it too. Rare finds like this are always in demand.

#3 is a Ben Austrian, Oil on canvas, Hen with chicks that saw $13,750 @ Pook and Pook…. Ben Austrian, the American painter, is best known for his realistic depictions of farmyard life. Particularly chickens and barns. He was known for his attention to detail and brushwork.

“Honey, what are you doing out there in the barn…I am just painting the chickens dear….”

Okay…. I got to get back to that Morphys sale that featured all sorts of Automobilia with #2…this Penn Trump Motor Oils Sign, c.1936 brought, $42,500…the double sided sign itself was only 18" x 22" but commanded an amazing price. A super rare variant really brought the collectors out and when you have an amazing auction like this, you attract the serious collectors. That’s a tip for the, “should I sell my collection, slowly or all at once.” I always say, all at once. Buyers love and will pay a premium when lifetime collection come up. The rarest of the rare tend to exceed expectations as you have the full attention of the collector community versus a few pieces being one offs in an estate or multi consignor auction.

BTW, that’s just my opinion and opinions are like cyclops eyes…(and now my title makes sense....maybe)

Are you ready for it…? #1 was titled “a Rare Cut Glass Bowl with Gorham Sterling Mounts” and it sold for $60,000 at Cowans. This bowl was striking, but wow. That’s a lot of money. From the late 19th Century, I would have ventured a guess of $2500, and supposedly an educated guess as I am supposed to know what I am doing, but again, this shows you the awesome power of and why I believe in Auctions. Were you going to stick $60,000 on that and throw on Etsy…? I didn’t think so.

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

But now it’s time for this weeks "viewer email"...

This week's question comes from Ronald Betts of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania who asks...

“Do you think it’s a good time to sell your silver?”

Yes…it’s up and I say take the win now. Just do a little homework and make sure you don’t have something special. Yes, a lot of it might just be bulk silver that you can just sell for scrap or spot, but names are so important. Tiffany, Buccellati, Georg Jensen and more…. selling for 2 and 3 times their weight. Got a question, ask me or your local expert. I hope that helps….

So, thank you everyone….do not forget to email me………josh@joshlevinespeaks.com - where you too can ask me any, and all questions…some are getting really good.

And before I go, if you enjoyed this post, Subscribe Below! Please Give Me Thumbs Up and Leave Comment....

Be sure to check out all the great auction houses from today’s post and support your local auctioneers…they are some of the hardest working people in show business! And again, I want to thank the Lucky Odds out of San Antonio Texas, for providing me their hit song, Whiplash, check them out at theluckyodds.com & remember to Support Your Local Musicians and Artists…DO IT!

I’ll see you next week...or……………. Last Week at the Auction!

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