Phil and Joan Castle made the find of their lives in October 2018, when they swept their metal detectors over what proved to be a so-called “purse hoard” of 14th-century British gold coins. Image courtesy of Noonans
LONDON – Phil and Joan Castle, who live in New Romney in Kent, England, have been hunting treasure with metal detectors for more than 30 years. It was in October 2018, while searching one of their favorite plowed fields at nearby Romney Marsh that Joan, using her XP gold max metal detector, found a broken gold coin on the surface. Another signal beside it in the soil revealed a medieval brass purse bar at eight inches down. Phil came over to help and immediately found a gold coin. During the next two hours, the married couple uncovered four more gold coins in an area of five meters, with Joan finding two herself. The purse bar and the coins, which are estimated at £12,000-£15,000, will be offered for sale by specialist coin, medal, banknote and jewelry auctioneers Noonans (previously Dix Noonan Webb) on Tuesday, May 24.
A circa-1820s original Kill Devil fishing lure, the only known surviving example, will be auctioned on March 23 in England. Described as the most important antique fishing lure to come to auction, it is estimated at £4,000-£6,000. Image courtesy of Mullock’s Specialist Auctioneers & Valuers
CHURCH STRETTON, UK – The most important antique fishing lure that has ever been consigned for sale, an original circa-1820s “Kill Devil,” will make a rare appearance at auction in Mullock’s auction on March 23. Specialists in antique and modern fishing tackle, Mullocks says the lure is the only known survivor of its type. It will be offered with a £4,000-£6,000 (US$5,230-$7,840).
An Ettore Sottsass UFO lamp, designed for Arredoluce, realized $3,250 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2020. Image courtesy of Toomey & Co. Auctioneers and LiveAuctioneers
NEW YORK – Designers and lighting companies have been busy coming up with new ways to hold a lightbulb and project light, and winter is a great time to explore their latest solutions. Some are inspired by the skies overhead. Others by style eras, from Deco to disco. Still others are working with interesting materials around which to build a lamp.
On January 27, selections from the collection of the late film critic Joel Siegel will be offered at Leland Little Auctions. Siegel is shown here with Navajo rugs that he acquired.
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. – On Thursday, January 27, Leland Little Auctions will offer the collection of the late Joel Siegel, longtime film critic for the ABC show Good Morning America. The Siegel collection is featured within the company’s 536-lot Winter Estate Auction.
Nan Goldin (American B.1953) ‘Misty and Jimmy Paulette in a Taxi, NYC – 1991,’ Cibachrome print, signed, titled, editioned and dated verso, unframed 28in x 39¾in. Estimate: £6,000-£8,000. Lyon & Turnbull image.
EDINBURGH, Scotland – Nan Goldin is an American photographer best known for her deeply personal and candid portraiture. Her photographs serve to document herself and those closest to her, particularly the LGBTQ community and associated heroin-addicted subcultures. One of her photographs is featured in a Lyon & Turnbull Contemporary and Postwar Art auction on Thursday, April 16.
McKinley Thompson Jr., a Ford designer who helped pen the first-generation Bronco, was the first African American designer hired at Ford Motor Co. after graduating from the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., in 1956. Image courtesy of Ford Motor Co.
DEARBORN, Mich. – Bronco is the product of legendary talent, from the teams who won the Baja 1000 to the collectors who restore them today. But there’s one legend in the story of the Bronco who not only helped create the first Ford 4×4 sports-utility vehicle design, he made history, becoming one of the first African American designers in the industry.
This Barbie No. 2, with box, sold for $6,325 at a recent Theriault’s auction in Chicago. Image courtesy of Kovels.com
CLEVELAND – Barbie turned 60 on March 9.
Barbie creator Ruth Handler, and husband, Elliot Handler, founded Mattel Creations in 1945. She was inspired to design the Barbie doll after watching her daughter play with paper dolls. Most dolls made for children were baby dolls, not fashion models. The first Barbie was introduced at the American International Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959. This date is considered her official birthday.
Actor Daniel Craig recently toured the Omega factory in Villeret Switzerland. Image courtesy of Omega
BIEL/BIENNE, Switzerland – Actor Daniel Craig has made a special visit to the heart of the Swiss watchmaking industry for the inauguration of the Omega factory in Villeret.
Craig, who reprises his role as James Bond in SPECTRE, the 24th Bond adventure, was given a guided tour, as well as exclusive access to the factory’s assembly line. During the visit he was also shown production of the new Omega Seamaster 300 “SPECTRE” Limited Edition.
Terry Kovel set this table with a beautifully traditional Thanksgiving theme. The focal point is Spode china in the ‘Floral’ pattern, which was introduced in the 1830s. Image courtesy of Kovels.com
BEACHWOOD, Ohio – Collectors who are setting a table for Thanksgiving can look to Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel for inspiration. Their plate, glassware and serving pieces reflect their different collecting styles (and ages) and here are their choices.
Terry Kovel’s table is traditional. It starts with blue and white porcelain plates in the Floral pattern introduced by Spode in the 1830s. The sterling silver flatware was a wedding gift to a family member just after World War I. The pattern is Trianon. Pieces are marked “I.S. & Co.,” the mark of the International Silver Co., and the patent date, 1921. The water goblet is pressed glass from the 1880s. The silver-plated figural napkin ring, made about 1880, is decorated with Japanese fans. Terry bought the sterling silver open salt with a cobalt blue glass liner while on her honeymoon. It was made in England in the 1830s. She paired it with a Victorian silver salt spoon and a Georgian-style pepper shaker. Serving pieces include a Victorian silver ladle and a Georgian long-handle stuffing spoon, both with English hallmarks, a hefty Victorian silver cold meat fork, and a silver fruit spoon made in the early 1800s that was engraved and gold washed during the Victorian era. The gravy dish, cover and underplate are cobalt blue porcelain decorated with gold chinoiserie and a bamboo-shaped handle. It was made by the Ott & Brewer Co., which operated Trenton, N.J., from 1871 to 1892. Terry also uses a cut glass relish dish from the Victorian American Brilliant Period.
Kim Kovel favors a midcentury tablescape. The dinnerware was designed by Eva Zeisel (1906–2011) for Hall China Co. The organic Tomorrow’s Classic set of shapes is one of Zeisel’s most popular. The plate pattern is Dawn, 1952, and the butter dish and vase are Fantasy, 1952–57. Water goblets are Block Crystal’s Watercolor-Green pattern from 1984. Classic Greek and Roman architecture is reflected in Kim’s stainless steel flatware with handles in the shapes of flattened columns—Doric capitals for spoons, Ionic for knives and Corinthian for forks. They were designed in 1992 by architect Robert Venturi for SwidPowell (a studio founded in 1982 that commissions international architects to design tabletop pieces) and made by Reed & Barton Co. Also reflecting columns are the candlesticks, designed by Ettore Sottsass (1917–2007) for Baccarat. They’re called Bougeoir Nusku from Baccarat’s 2002 Rencontre Collection. The backdrop is a tablecloth woven in the 1950s.
Antiques enthusiasts can add one-of-a kind freshness to their tables with unexpected pairings of new, vintage and old accessories.
Terry Kovel is America’s foremost authority on antiques and collectibles. She is the well-known columnist and author of more than 100 books on antiques and collecting. With her daughter, Kim Kovel, she co-authors the best-selling annual “Kovels Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide.” Both Terry and Kim are collectors.
About Kovels.com:
Kovels.com, created by Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel, provides collectors and researchers with up-to-date and accurate information on antiques and collectibles. Kovels’ Antiques was founded in 1953 by Terry Kovel and her late husband, Ralph. Since then, Kovels’ has published some of America’s most popular books and articles about antiques, including the best-selling “Kovels’ Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide.” The brand new 2015 edition is now available in bookstores and in the online shop at Kovels.com. Ralph and Terry were featured in three TV series about antiques and collectibles, The most recent was “Flea Market Finds with the Kovels” on the HGTV cable channel. The Kovels’ website, online since 1998, offers 900,000 free prices and includes a free weekly email, “Kovels Komments.” It give readers a bird’s-eye view of the market through the latest news, auction reports, a Marks Dictionary, readers’ questions with Kovels’ answers and much more.
Visit Kovels online at www.kovels.com
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ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
Terry Kovel set this table with a beautifully traditional Thanksgiving theme. The focal point is Spode china in the ‘Floral’ pattern, which was introduced in the 1830s. Image courtesy of Kovels.comReflecting her love of modern design, Kim Kovel created this elegant midcentury tablescape using dinnerware designed by Eva Zeisel for Hall China Co. Image courtesy of Kovels.comLarge (18 x 23in) Copeland Spode flow blue turkey platter with hand-colored decoration, English, sold for $989 on Feb. 7, 2010 at Myers Fine Art. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Myers Fine ArtElite Works Limoges French porcelain game service, 20 pcs including large scalloped platter, 11 dinner plates and eight side dishes, manuf. 1920-1932. Sold via LiveAuctioneers for $1,320 in Jeffrey S. Evans’ Oct. 1, 2013 auction. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Jeffrey S. EvansDoulton Watteau flow blue turkey platter (21 x 17in) with six matching plates. Sold for $1,334 by Strawser Auctions on May 24, 2012. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Strawser AuctionsWheeling Pottery ‘La Belle’ flow blue turkey platter and 12 plates, circa 1893-1910. Sold for $1,150 at Burchard Galleries’ Jan 22, 2006 auction. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers Archive and Burchard Galleries.
‘All things come to him who waits — on himself.’ This postcard offers up sound advice (with maybe a hint of sarcasm) from a century ago. IOLA, Wis. – During National Postcard Week 2014, I was drawn to several box lots of postcards in an online Fusco Auction catalog. I thought the lots had ample potential for launching a collection and inspiring me to learn more about postcards and report on the findings through Antique Trader – the publication where I serve as print editor. I made inquiries on the shipping costs and buying process before bidding; Fusco was timely in their replies to my questions. I bid on two lots via LiveAuctioneers, hoping I would win at least one of them.
I ended up winning the lot of “450-500 Sleeved Mixed World & Theme Postcards.” Participating was simple and exciting; closing the deal with Fusco was a breeze, too. I paid for my lot ($45 plus shipping, in case you were wondering) and they shipped it to me. The lot was soundly packaged and arrived within a couple of days of payment. It couldn’t have been any easier, and I couldn’t have been happier. (Unless I had won the second lot, too, of course.)
Soon after, I was browsing eBay listings and found another lot that I couldn’t help but bid on. This time, it was “Huge US, Holiday & Topical Antique Postcard Lot 600+ Pieces.” I thought it would round out my newly acquired mixed world and theme postcard collection, giving me many topics to explore and write about. (That the lot was located in my home state of Wisconsin, and hence wouldn’t take long to deliver, was an added bonus.) I set my limit and was outbid in short order. I then set another maximum and bid and was outbid again. Then I set another limit (clearly, I don’t know my limits) and bid yet again. The fourth time I set my maximum bid, it was finally enough. I won the lot. At just over $76 for more than 600 postcards, I figured it was a lot of entertainment and education for less than 15 cents per postcard. I paid the seller (via PayPal, of course) and received my purchase in short order.
Though the postcards were securely packed in a USPS Priority Mail box, I was not thrilled about the cards being tightly packaged in a bread bag, effectively rounding, creasing and chipping many of the corners. But overall it balances out to a lot of “edutainment” for a relatively small investment.
After winning just two auction lots, paying roughly $125 for more than 1,000 postcards, I’m excited on the prospect of diving in and sharing what I find.
I don’t expect to find any cards that are worth more than $5 apiece. Generally speaking, postcards in large box lots – like any collectible in large lots – tend to be well-handled. By holding onto realistic expectations, I keep myself from being disappointed and may have some pleasant surprises. To quote Allentown, Pa., bottle digger Rick Weiner: “I’m not in it for the money; I’m in it for the history.”
If you’re looking to start a postcard collection the same way I did, through box lots, you can expect to pay anywhere from $50 to $200, depending on the description. (The better the description, the higher the bids.) However, there have been cases where lots slip through for a fraction of their auction estimates.
Because of my new interest in collecting postcards, I decided to launch a new column called “Postcard Ponderings.” I don’t aspire to replace Barbara Andrews, a dear friend who wrote about postcards for many years in Antique Trader – she is irreplaceable. Instead, my goal is to spark discussions of the values of postcard collecting – and not just in a monetary sense.
Postcards reflect art, culture, history, geography, humor, technology – the subjects are limitless. By exploring the postcard topics and their historical context, the postage, postmarks and messages, as well as home display ideas, an interesting journey lies ahead. I hope you’ll join me in the exploration by following my new column through Auction Central News.
Karen Knapstein is Print Editor for Antique Trader. A lifelong collector and student of antiques, she lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Joe, and daughter, Faye. She can be reached at karen.knapstein@fwmedia.com.
ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
‘All things come to him who waits — on himself.’ This postcard offers up sound advice (with maybe a hint of sarcasm) from a century ago.Smile / Awhile / And while you smile / Another / Smiles, / And soon there’s miles / And miles / Of smiles / And life’s worth while / Because you smile. Postcards can’t get much more optimistic than that … can they?
