Four-panel oil painting,
$20,000, Ahlers & Ogletree
A vibrant and colorful four-panel oil on canvas panting by Nyoman Gunarsa (Indonesian, 1944-2017), titled Balinese Dancers, overall 106 ¼ inches by 107 inches, sold for $20,000 in an online-only Fine Estates & Collections auction held Aug. 25-27 by Ahlers & Ogletree in Atlanta, Ga. Also, pair of Chinese blue and white porcelain phoenix tail vases, 17 inches tall, finished at $18,750; and an untitled paint splatter work by Sam Francis (Calif., 1923-1994), artist signed, brought $18,750. Prices include a 25 percent buyer’s premium.
E. S. Cooper oil painting,
$18,750, Crescent City
An oil on canvas painting by E. S. Cooper, titled Wooden Bridge in a Louisiana Bayou Landscape (1888), sold for $18,750 at a September Select Auction held Sept. 9-10 by Crescent City Auction Gallery in New Orleans, La. Also, a felt on paper work by Keith Haring (N.Y., 1958-1990), titled If You Want to See More (1984) rang up $10,000; a polished aluminum kinetic sculpture by Lin Emery, titled Petals, realized $7,500; and a 1987 Mercedes Benz 300 SDL sped away for $6,875. Prices include the buyer’s premium.
37-star American flag from 1867,
$10,625, Holabird Western Americana
American flag with 37 stars in very good condition, made in 1867 upon the admission of Nebraska as a state, sold for $10,625 at a Rush to the Rockies auction held Aug. 25-28 by Holabird Western Americana Collections in Reno, Nev. Also, a circa 1898-1908 Vota & DeHeines (Silverton, Colo.) pocket whiskey flask achieved $4,375; and a collection of around 90 Paleo points (arrowheads) that included a wide variety of shapes and materials changed hands for $8,750. Prices are inclusive of the buyer’s premium.
1899 “Stanley Steamer” vehicle,
CA$44,250, Miller & Miller
An 1899 Stanley Stanhope Model No. 1 “Locomobile” vehicle, popularly known as the “Stanley Steamer” because of its steam engine, sold for $44,250 in an online-only Petroliana & Advertising auction held September 10th by Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., in New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada. Also, a 1907 REO Model A 5-passenger touring car chugged off for $41,300; and a prototype of the 1911 Model H REO pickup truck sped away for $35,400. Prices are in Canadian dollars and include the buyer’s premium.
Keith Haring chalk drawing,
$30,750, Nye & Company
A chalk drawing by pop art icon Keith Haring (American, 1958-1990), titled Ourobourus (circa 1983-1985), from the artist’s Subwayseries, 46 ½ inches by 58 ½ inches, sold for $30,750 at an Estate Treasures auction held Sept. 7-8 by Nye & Company Auctioneers in Bloomfield, N.J. Also, a silkscreen by Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987), titled Pete Rose, signed by Warhol and Rose, numbered PP 5/8, brought $17,220; and a ceramic plate by Pablo Picasso for Madoura, titled Goat’s Head, rose to $13,530. Prices include the buyer’s premium.
1963 Belgian dance organ,
$350,000, Morphy Auctions
A robot dance organ, created in 1963 by Gebroeders Decap (Antwerp, Belgium), one of only three made in a 105-key configuration, sold for $350,000 at the sale of the Henri Krijnen musical machines collection held Sept. 9-10 by Morphy Auctions in Denver, Pa. Also, an ornate and gilded Koenigsberg 70-key ‘Harmonium’ street organ, made in Holland in 1910, found a new home for $54,120; and a Gastaud et Raibaut for Bodson ‘Double Tino’ orchestrion (Paris, 1925) brought $73,800. Prices include the buyer’s premium.
Ten old Lincoln head pennies
$1.1 million, GreatCollections
A collection of ten century-old Lincoln head pennies in superb proof condition and all from the Philadelphia mint sold for a combined $1.113 million in an online auction that ended August 28th by GreatCollections.com, based in Irvine, Calif. One was a first-year issue Lincoln cent from 1909 with designer Victor D. Brenner’s initials on the reverse. It sold for $365,625, a record price for that coin. Also, four other pennies dated between 1909 and 1915 brought more than $100,000 each. Prices include the buyer’s premium.
Two Andrew Clemens bottles,
$98,750, Bonhams Skinner
Two patriotic sand bottles by Andrew Clemens (one shown) sold for a combined $98,750 ($75,000 and $23,750) at an Americana sale held August 13th by Bonhams Skinner in Marlborough, Mass. Also, the original manuscript journal of Cleopatra’s Barge on a Voyage of Pleasure (Vol. 1) by James Crowninshields went for $100,000; a John Halley Bellamy carved and painted patriotic eagle plaque realized $20,000; and a carved, gilded and painted Phrygian cap earned $10,000. Prices include the buyer’s premium.
Musgo Gasoline porcelain sign,
$1.5 million, Richmond Auctions
A 48-inch, double-sided porcelain Musgo Gasoline sign sold for $1.5 million at an auction held August 27th by Richmond Auctions in Greenville, S.C. It was a new world auction record for an antique advertising sign, besting the previous record of $400,000. The sign was discovered in an attic in Michigan and had never been seen by the public. It also had never been used as a septic tank lid, like many Musgo signs from that time (the mid-1920s, during Musgo’s brief, six-month life). The price includes the buyer’s premium.
Alice Baber painting,
$187,500, John Moran
An original painting by Alice Baber (American, 1928-1982), titled Swirl of Sounds, The Ghost in the Banyan Tree (1976), sold for $187,500, a new world auction record for the artist, at a Summer Modern & Contemporary Art auction held August 30th by John Moran Auctioneers in Los Angeles. Also, Ernie Barnes’s (American, 1938-2009) The Lineman(1968) hit $237,500; and Andy Warhol’s (American, 1928-1987) John Wayne (1986), from his Cowboys and Indians series, brought $150,000. Prices include the buyer’s premium.
Fritz Scholder painting,
$378,375, Bonhams
A painting by the Luiseno painter and colorist Fritz Scholder (1937-2005), titled Dartmouth Portrait #8 (1973), sold for $378,375 at a Modern Native American Art sale held August 31st in Los Angeles. Also, a pastel drawing by Jaune Quick-to-See (b. 1940), titled We Are Part of the Earth, rang up $94,875; a series of five woodblock prints by T. C. Cannon (1946-1978), titled Memorial Woodblock Suite (1977), rose to $57,075; and Victor Reece’s Raven Prince (1991) made $14,025. Prices include the buyer’s premium.
1904 Chicago license plate,
$34,000, Donley Auctions
A Chicago license plate from 1904, considered “the holy grail of the Chicago plates,” sold for $34,000 at a Vintage License Plates & Vehicle Tags sale held August 28th by Donley Auctions in Union, Ill. The plate, made from aluminum sheeting and painted black, featured “1904” stamped vertically on the left-hand side, the number “1” bookended by two dashes in the middle, and the words “City of Chicago” in the lower bottom edge. Chicago switched to brass plates in 1905. The price includes the buyer’s premium.
Copy of Action Comics #1,
$3.4 million, Goldin Auctions
A copy of Action Comics #1 (1938), graded CGC FN 6.0, known as the “Rocket Copy” because of a rocket stamp placed on the cover over 80 years ago by the original owner, a 13-year-old who purchased it from a newsstand, sold for $3.4 million in a private sale held in September by Goldin Auctions (based in Runnemede, N.J.) in conjunction with Metropolis Comics of New York. Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joel Shuster. Action Comics #1 is credited with helping to launch the superhero genre.
Costa Rican banknote,
$36,300, Doyle
A Costa Rican 1918 Cien Colones banknote with five line provisional overprint in red, graded in Very Fine condition, sold for $36,300 at a sale of the Kop family collection of Costa Rican coins and banknotes held September 13th by Doyle in New York City. Also, a Costa Rican 1917 50 Centavos coin changed hands for $18,150. The auction totaled $1.164 million, which surpassed the pre-sale high estimate of $692,050. An exceptional 97 percent sold by lot and 100 percent sold by value. Prices include the buyer’s premium.
Paul Evans sideboard,
$50,000, Roland Auctions
A Mid-Century Modern sculptural two-door, wall-mounted sideboard sold for $50,000 at an auction held September 10th by Roland Auctions in Glen Cove, N.Y. Also, a gilt framed ink and color on paper Chinese scroll depicting men on horses, 14 inches by 100 inches (sight), rose to $22,500; an oil on canvas by Ker-Xavier Roussell (French, 1867-1944), titled Baigneuses (Bathers) brought $20,000; and an oil on board by Eldridge A. Burbank (American, 1858-1949) fetched $7,500. Prices include the buyer’s premium.
Elon Musk mementos
$165,265, RR Auction
A collection of never-before-seen Elon Musk photos and memorabilia from his college girlfriend Jennifer Gwynne (pictured here with Musk in a photo taken on the University of Pennsylvania campus in 1995) sold for $165,265 in an online auction held Aug. 12-Sept. 14 by RR Auction, based in Boston. The photo sold for $2,773. Also, a 14kt gold and emerald necklace given by Musk to Gwynne, plus two photos, reached $51,008; and a birthday card inscribed by Musk to Gwynne hit $16,643. Prices include the buyer’s premium.
New Englands First Fruits,
$277,200, Freeman’s
A rare first edition copy of New Englands First Fruits, on early colonial New England, including the first printed account of Harvard University, sold for $277,200 at a Books and Manuscripts auction held September 21st by Freeman’s in Philadelphia. Also, a first edition copy of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz fetched $37,800; a scarce copy of Narrative of Sojourner Truth rose to $27,720; and a 1738 colonial treatise on paper money changed hands for $21,420. Prices are inclusive of the buyer’s premium.
1952 Mickey Mantle card,
$12.6 million, Heritage Auctions
A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 baseball card, graded Mint + 9.5, sold for $12.6 million at a Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction held August 27th by Heritage Auctions in Dallas. It was the most ever paid for a sports collectible at auction. The card was found in 1985 by Al “Mr. Mint” Rosen, who received a call from a suburban Boston seller whose father had been a delivery driver for Topps. It changed hands several times after that, selling for $50,000 in 1991. The $12.6 million price includes the buyer’s premium.
Warhol screenprints set,
$503,750, Clars Auction
A complete set of ten screenprints from Andy Warhol’s (American, 1928-1987) Cowboys and Indians series (1986), each print 36 inches by 36 inches, sold for $503,750 at a Fall Modern + Contemporary Art + Design auction held September 16th by Clars Auction Gallery in Oakland, Calif. Also, a black cast vinyl sculpture by KAWS (American, b. 1974), titled Four Foot Companion (2007), 51 inches tall, fetched $75,000; and an Angelo Mangiarotti ‘Eros’ dining table made $18,750. Prices include the buyer’s premium.
Betty White director’s chair,
$76,800, Julien’s Auctions
A director’s chair used by Betty White during the production of the hit TV show The Golden Girls sold for $76,800 at a sale of Property from the Life and Career of Betty White held September 25th by Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, Calif. Also, a silky lavender dress with artistic white dots worn by Ms. White in 1986 publicity images rang up $32,000; and two of Ms. White’s teleplays, for the pilot and final episode of The Golden Girls, went for $57,600 and $51,200. Prices are inclusive of the buyer’s premium.
‘Nine Peaches’ vase,
$860,000, Hindman
A famille rose ‘Nine Peaches’ globular bottle vase (Tianqiuping Qianlong Period, 1735-1796) sold for $860,000 at a Chinese & Himalayan Works of Art auction held September 23rd by Hindman in Chicago. Also, a painting by Qi Biashi, titled Chrysanthemums and a Dragonfly, left the room for $68,750; a small lemon-yellow glazed porcelain saucer dish commanded $25,000; and a blue glazed porcelain bowl and a copper red glazed porcelain dish changed hands for $17,500 each. Prices include the buyer’s premium.
