(MATTHEWS, N.C.) – An extremely rare Winchester three-panel triangle mobile-style die-cut poster soared to $13,080 in an Internet and catalog auction held by SoldUSA.com, the premier hunting, fishing, militaria and collectibles site. The auction went online in February and concluded March 21-22. It was a new world auction record for a Winchester three-panel triangle mobile-style die-cut poster. “This sale supported my belief that there’s no evidence the economy is affecting tangible investments whatsoever,” said Chris Roberts, president of ... Read the full story

(OCEANSIDE, N.Y.) – A sepia postcard, depicting a Hall of Fame plaque of baseball legend Babe Ruth and boldly signed by the Bambino himself, sold for $62,150 at a two-day, three-session multi-estate sale held March 28-29 by Philip Weiss Auctions. It was a new record for a signed postcard by Ruth – or any other player – by about 33 percent. It was but one in a collection of similar postcards. “The Babe Ruth card was the linchpin piece of a remarkable Hall of Fame plaque postcard collection,” said Philip Weiss of Philip Weiss Auctions. ... Read the full story

Real estate auction firm, Radius Management, LLC is pleased to announce it is placing over 80 brand new homes up for public auction and all properties Must Be Sold. The majority of homes being offered for bid are composed of new builder’s inventory, most of which have never been occupied and fall under state minimum warranty requirements. This once in a lifetime opportunity is scheduled for April 26, 2009 and will be held at the Great Wolf Lodge Conference Center, 100 Great Wolf Dr Grapevine, Texas. Auction bidder registration will begin at 10:00am that ... Read the full story

A group of four modern medals sparked a bidding war in the Charterhouse March auction of collectors items in Sherborne when they sold for £6,000 “The medals, which were consigned for auction by the recipient generated a good deal of presale interest with collectors and dealers alike.” Commented Richard Bromell. “On the day, there were several telephone bidders, but it soon settled down to a Dorset collector in the saleroom bidding against an Australian telephone bidder who was having a late night! In the end, the hammer fell down in the Australian’s ... Read the full story

It might be yours for just € 25 000: the Bernard edition of Maria Sibylla Merian’s two great books on the insects of Suriname and Europe. Published in Amsterdam in 1730, the work, featuring 256 stunning copperplate engravings, is to be sold at the Ketterer Kunst auctions in Hamburg on 18 und 19 May 2009. Maria Sibylla Merian’s “Over de voorteeling en wonderbaerlyke veranderingen der Surinaamschen insecten …” is indeed a highlight of the Hamburg auction of Rare Books – Manuscripts – Autographs – Decorative Prints with Marine ... Read the full story

NEW AFRICAN WORK SHOWS LINK BETWEEN RITUAL & MODERN ART Such is the growing interest in modern and contemporary African painting that Bonhams has organised a first ever sale on 8th April of Contemporary African Art featuring artists from at least six African countries. A key work in this sale sums up the reason why Bonhams has taken this dramatic decision. Giles Peppiatt, Head of African Art at Bonhams says: “This particular work by the young female Nigerian artist Nnenna Okore (born 1975) titled Ashoebi II 2008 is a bridge between Africa’s ritual ... Read the full story

Madonna’s charity Raising Malawi helps to launch the new book I Am Because We Are (PowerHouse Books, $49.95), and an online auction on April 2nd to benefit children in Malawi, a country of only 13 million people, yet home to over 1 million AIDS orphans. I Am Because We Are is a poignant new book of images and testimonials of AIDS orphans and their families by award-winning photojournalist Kristen Ashburn. The book features images taken by Ashburn for Madonna’s feature documentary of the same name as well as her work documenting the pandemic throughout ... Read the full story

Gottschalks Inc. today announced that, after completing the Court-supervised auction for its business, the Company, in consultation with the agent for its senior secured lenders and the unsecured creditors’ committee, has agreed to the proposed liquidation of certain of the Company’s assets by a joint venture comprised of SB Capital Group, LLC, Tiger Capital Group, LLC, Great American Group, LLC and Hudson Capital Partners, LLC. As proposed, the joint venture would be appointed by the Company to conduct the sale of merchandise located at the ... Read the full story

Christie’s announces the auction of Glin Castle; A Knight in Ireland on 7 May 2009 at Christie’s in London. The sale will offer selected works from the personal collection of Desmond FitzGerald, 29th Knight of Glin, the renowned collector, scholar and a leading campaigner for the conservation of Irish heritage. The pre-sale exhibition will present the works from the sale of Glin Castle – a Knight in Ireland alongside works from the auction of Irish and Sporting Art on 8 May, and will be on public view from 30 April to 1 May and 5 to 6 May 2009 at ... Read the full story

Sotheby’s spring sale of Modern and Contemporary Prints presents a strong selection of works from the 19th century to present day and will take place on April 30 and May 1, 2009. Works from the sale will be exhibited at Sotheby’s New York galleries beginning April 26. Within the American prints offered there will be vibrant Gustave Baumann woodcuts of the American Southwest; a seemingly unrecorded Childe Hassam wood engraving titled The Lillies (est. $6/8000), an image relating to both to an etching and a 1905 drawing depicting a nude woman gathering ... Read the full story

(Chicago, IL) – A single cellar auction of French Classics from a Magnificent Cellar brought heavy bidding at Hart Davis Hart in Chicago this weekend. The auction realized $2,673,549, far surpassing the pre-sale auction estimate of $1,607,600-2,412,060. Underscoring the strength of the bidding, 227 of the 590 lots hammered over the pre-sale high estimate while only 17 of the lots hammered under the low estimate. The most expensive lot of the day was a case of 1978 Montrachet from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti which brought $45,410 against a pre-sale ... Read the full story

(HILLSBOROUGH, N.C.) – A rare North Carolina surveyor’s compass, made around the late 18th century by Guilford County artisan Camm Moore (1755-1845), soared to $28,750 at a quarterly cataloged auction held March 21 by Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales, Ltd. It was the final sale held in the firm’s South Nash Street location. Next month, it moves into new digs, at 620 Cornerstone Court. “With the success of this cataloged auction, we were able to end on a very positive note at our present address,” said Leland Little, owner of ... Read the full story

The second auction of DVLA number plates in 2009 has just ended and results are hinting that there may be some cause for celebration. Not only was the total raised up from £3.3 million at January’s auction to £3.65 million but this follows the increase from £3.1 million for the last sale of 2008. Another significant result is the number of plates unsold which was a vey low 194 compared with 271 at January’s sale and 300 at the last sale of 2008. It may be that this a hint of “ green shoots of recovery” as personalised number plates are a luxury ... Read the full story

Bloomsbury’s 2nd April Bibliophile Sale consists of 710 lots, as always encompassing a variety of subjects to appeal to collectors and would-be collectors as well as the trade. The highest value lots are in the Continental Literature and History section, for example lot 297 Rhetorica Vetus et Noua by Cicero with a commentary by Marcus Fabius Victorinus, Venice 1481/2 carries an estimate of £1800-2200. The following lot, dated 1492 is Punica by Caius Silius Italicus the epic poet, orator and politician under Nero, is expected to fetch £1500-2000 while ... Read the full story

On April 3 and April 4, 2009, Eldred’s Auction Gallery in East Dennis, MA will present its annual spring auction of “Americana, Paintings, Sporting Items and Marine Art.” This two-day sale features over 1,100 lots of furniture, paintings, silver, ceramics, decoys, maritime and folk art. The Eldred’s auction will be available live online to bidders and interested viewers around the world, exclusively through Artfact Live!, Artfact’s industry leading online auction bidding platform. If you can’t be part of the action on Cape Cod on April 3rd and ... Read the full story

RAML Real Estate and Auctions is a company that creatively markets and auctions unique properties. In the past they have auctioned luxury resort and residential properties, commercial properties, and land. Martin Raml, president, conducted his first auction in 1973. RAML is a creative auction company engineering the bidder assistance programs. In this troubled economy, more creativity is needed for buyers and sellers who are turning to auctions for transacting real estate. This is a perfect example of an opportunity for those unemployed with a severance ... Read the full story

Alberto Giacometti’s Le Chat from 1951 will appear at auction for the first time in 34 years. This iconic bronze has been in a private European collection since the 1960s and will be one of the highlights of Sotheby’s spring sale of Impressionist and Modern Art in New York on the evening of May 5. Prior to its exhibition and sale in New York, the rare composition will be exhibited in Moscow and London. It is estimated to sell for $16/22 million. Le Chat captures the form, character and movement of the feline. It is closely related to the artist’s lean, ... Read the full story

Grogan & Company Fine Art Auctioneers and Appraisers is pleased to announce their April Auction will be held on Sunday, April 19th at 12 noon. The sale will be comprised of American and European Paintings, Prints and Sculpture, 18th and 19th century Furniture, Decorative Works of Art, Silver, Jewelry and Oriental Rugs and Carpets from a variety of estates and collections. The Fine art offerings will feature a collection of paintings and miniatures descended from Frederick Tuckerman, the writer and brother of the famous botanist, who’s name graces ... Read the full story

When Charles Martignette passed away in February 2008 his collection was already the stuff of legend, containing every major name of American illustration – on multiple canvasses – from the last century. A full 4,300 pieces, comprising his entire art collection, will be featured in a series of auctions at Heritage Auction Galleries, starting this July with the firm’s July 15 Illustration Art Auction. A public exhibition of the Martignette Collection has been scheduled in New York City, May 20-22, at the Ukrainian Institute (formerly Fletcher-Sinclair ... Read the full story

Bonhams & Butterfields’ spring 2009 auction of 20th Century Decorative Arts, to be held in Los Angeles on April 6th, features a diverse group of works spanning a century of design. The works on offer will highlight the full range of 20th century artistic output, from the important early years through the modern period. The firm is pleased to offer an important collection of furniture designed in 1963 for the Bowler House, Palos Verdes, California by Lloyd Wright, son of Frank Lloyd Wright. Also known as the ‘Bird of Paradise’ residence ... Read the full story