The firm, displaced after the storm, is back with a full slate of auctions for February thru April.
(LYNBROOK, N.Y.) – Philip Weiss Auctions – down but definitely not out following Hurricane Sandy – has a full slate of auctions planned for the rest of winter and early spring, in its new gallery at 74 Merrick Road in Lynbrook. The new facility is located not too far from its former building, in Oceanside, which was decimated by the storm that forced the firm to vacate.
“It was hard saying good-bye to our old home,” Philip Weiss said wistfully from his new digs in Lynbrook. “After all, we’d been there for over 25 years, holding consistent, monthly auctions. But life goes on, and we’re settling in nicely, looking forward to a series of sales that will let people know, in no uncertain terms, that we’re back. I think 2013 will be a great year.”
This Superman vs. The Robot metal lunch box from 1954 will come under the gavel on Mar. 10.
Actually, Philip Weiss Auctions has already conducted a few small, online-only auctions since the move to Lynbrook, but it is now ready to return to full-bore, live-audience bidding. First up will be a sale dedicated to rare books, historical memorabilia, autographs, stamps, coins and postcards scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 26, with a rare afternoon start time of 3 p.m. (EST).
Two auctions are planned for March. On Sunday, March 10, at 10 a.m., hundreds of lots of toys, trains and toy soldiers will cross the block. Then, on Saturday, March 30, also at 10 a.m., the focus will shift to comics, comic art, sports and non-sports cards and animation art. That will be followed by a massive vintage poster auction, to be held sometime in April (date still TBA).
The Feb. 26 sale will be packed with historical and presidential memorabilia, including a postcard handwritten by JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, some JFK material, a rare painting of Pres. James Madison attributed to Samuel Morse, a single-owner collection of political buttons, presidential and political documents and a super U.S. Supreme Court archive, with 42 signatures.
Other highlights will feature a $400,000 collection of U.S. entires and cut corner stamps, a single-owner Hong Kong stamp collection estimated at $25,000-$35,000 and many group stamp lots. Gold and silver coins and paper currency will also be sold. Items of interest will include an Apollo 11 autographed program and Cole Porter’s traveling gambling game set.
The rare books category will boast a collection of high-end color plate books, and many better volumes of Americana and literature, to include Oriental Field Sports by Capt. Thomas Williamson and Samuel Howitt; Martial Achievements by James Jenkins; Lives of the Queens of England by Agnes Strickland; an Ernest Hemingway archive and a Matthew Brady archive.
The day will also feature four or five original Charles Schulz Peanuts comic strips, some vintage photographs, thousands of postcards, a collection of Sinsabaugh signed photos and more.
The March 10 auction of toys, trains and toy soldiers will showcase a dazzling array of material, to include a 1954 Superman vs. the Robot metal lunch box, a Corgi Batman helicopter and Barboat and Corgi Batmobile and Batboat gift set, mint-on-card Star Wars action figures, a 1970s GI Joe doll, Britains toy soldiers, high-grade Dime Store figures and Marklin fire pieces.
The trains category will be highlighted by a Bing locomotive and Clockwork locomotive, and examples from makers such as American Flyer, Lionel, Ives and Marklin, plus some brass engines and early European train stations. Over 50 lots will be reserved for on-site bidding only.
The March 30 auction could very well end up being the best of the three. Sports items will feature a 1947 game scorecard signed by baseball legend Jackie Robinson, a super rare copy of the book History of Colored Baseball by Sol White, several single-owner card collections and other examples of rare vintage sports memorabilia, the demand for which continues to skyrocket.
Animation art will include a 200+-piece single owner animation collection and material from the estate of Hardie Gramatky, the noted American artist and writer and author of the Little Toot children’s books series. Items will feature a Little Toot original animation cel on a master background (signed and inscribed by Walt Disney) and complete Little Toot original book art.
The April poster auction (when a date is finalized for it) will feature a single-owner high-end collection of circus and Buffalo Bill posters, World Wars I and II posters (to include a rare and unique 1890s U.S. Navy recruiting poster), a collection of minstrel posters, and books and ephemera relating to L. Frank Baum, author of the world-renowned Wizard of Oz books series.
Internet bidding will be provided by Proxibid.com and Auctionzip.com, and phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. Philip Weiss Auctions is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign a single item, an estate or a collection, you may call them at (516) 594-0731; or, you can send an e-mail to Philip Weiss at [email protected].
For more information about Philip Weiss Auctions and the February and March multi-estate auctions, please log on to www.weissauctions.com