FALLS CHURCH, VA.- The premier attraction of Waverly’s March 1 Fine and Rare Books, Maps & Manuscripts auction is an 1840 first edition of John James Audubon’s The Birds of America. It comes with provenance from the Washington, DC-area collection of Charles Truitt and is estimated at $40,000-$60,000.
Known as an “octavo” edition, the 9-inch-tall book is especially desirable because it is complete, with all 500 illustrations present.
“Usually Audubon editions of this type are pilfered for their famous and decorative illustrations, which people frame and display. This one is special because it is 100 percent complete,” said Waverly’s specialist Anson Brown.
The consignor of the Audubon book is Charles Truitt’s son, who has kept and cared for the important book from his father’s collection for many years. He has also consigned to auction an edition of John James Audubon and John Bachman’s The Quadrapeds of North America. It is estimated at $3,000-$6,000.
Another highlight of the 215-lot sale is a circa-1900 fully leather-bound edition of The Life of Napoleon, which came to Waverly’s from a couple in Winchester, Va., who had it on a bookshelf for 38 years.
Continued: http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=53661
Showing posts with label auction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label auction. Show all posts
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
China bans auction of tiger wine after outrage in UK
Tiger bone wine sale
December 2011. The Chinese Government has banned a private auction of 400 bottles of tiger wine, made from crushed tiger bones, which was planned to take place in China. It comes at a time when there is increasing concern about the practice of farming tigers and the imminent threat that the tiger in the wild is facing extinction. There are estimated to be only 3,200 wild tigers left on the planet.
Hundreds of TigerTime supporters responded to the call from the TigerTime Campaign Team to email Chinese officials demanding that the auction be banned.
David Shepherd
The renowned artist and conservationist Davis Shepherd CBE, whose Foundation set up the TigerTime campaign on his 80th birthday in June 2011 said, ‘China is allowing a so called ‘licensed' trade in tiger skins and body parts from so called ‘tiger farms'. The practice of ‘farming' tigers is barbaric in its own right. They are treated like battery hens. Worse still, farming helps support a demand for tiger skins, bones and other body parts that is the perfect smokescreen for the continued shooting, trapping and poisoning of wild tigers. I'm delighted that this horrific auction has been cancelled but the world needs a total ban on all trade in tiger parts if the tiger is to be saved'.
Sam Fox
The former model and now International singer Samantha Fox, one of the celebrities helping lead the TigerTime campaign said, ‘This just shows that people power can work and does work. We've helped stop this awful auction. I'm thrilled we've helped to pull this off - but there is so much more to do. The Chinese Government must ban ALL trade in ANY tiger or Asian big cat body parts from ANY source if we are to save the wild tiger'.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/tiger-wine-sale.html
December 2011. The Chinese Government has banned a private auction of 400 bottles of tiger wine, made from crushed tiger bones, which was planned to take place in China. It comes at a time when there is increasing concern about the practice of farming tigers and the imminent threat that the tiger in the wild is facing extinction. There are estimated to be only 3,200 wild tigers left on the planet.
Hundreds of TigerTime supporters responded to the call from the TigerTime Campaign Team to email Chinese officials demanding that the auction be banned.
David Shepherd
The renowned artist and conservationist Davis Shepherd CBE, whose Foundation set up the TigerTime campaign on his 80th birthday in June 2011 said, ‘China is allowing a so called ‘licensed' trade in tiger skins and body parts from so called ‘tiger farms'. The practice of ‘farming' tigers is barbaric in its own right. They are treated like battery hens. Worse still, farming helps support a demand for tiger skins, bones and other body parts that is the perfect smokescreen for the continued shooting, trapping and poisoning of wild tigers. I'm delighted that this horrific auction has been cancelled but the world needs a total ban on all trade in tiger parts if the tiger is to be saved'.
Sam Fox
The former model and now International singer Samantha Fox, one of the celebrities helping lead the TigerTime campaign said, ‘This just shows that people power can work and does work. We've helped stop this awful auction. I'm thrilled we've helped to pull this off - but there is so much more to do. The Chinese Government must ban ALL trade in ANY tiger or Asian big cat body parts from ANY source if we are to save the wild tiger'.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/tiger-wine-sale.html
Friday, September 10, 2010
World's most expensive book goes up for sale (via Dawn Holloway)
A rare copy of John James Audubon's Birds of America, billed as the world's most expensive book, is to go on sale at Sotheby's, it has been announced.
Only 119 complete copies of the 19th-century book are known to exist, and 108 are owned by museums and libraries.
A separate edition of the wildlife book sold for a record-breaking price of $8.8m (£5.7m) a decade ago.
The copy going under the hammer in December comes from the collection of Lord Hesketh.
It contains 1,000 life-sized illustrations of almost 500 breeds.
It took wildlife artist John James Audubon 12 years to complete his study.
He did so by travelling across America, shooting the birds. He would then hang them on bits of wire to paint them.
The artist then went to Britain to print the volumes and targeted the rich to buy copies.
Lord Hesketh's collection also includes a rare copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, which Sotheby's said is "the most important book in all of English Literature".
Of the 750 that were probably printed, only 219 are known to exist today.
The copy being offered for sale, which dates back to 1623, has a valuation of up to £1.5 million, and only has three pages missing.
It is one of only three textually complete copies to exist in private hands in a comparably early binding.
Letters written from Elizabeth I relating to Mary Queen of Scots are also going under the hammer at the sale, which takes place on 7 December.
David Goldthorpe, a senior specialist in Sotheby's books and manuscripts department in London, said: "To have all these items in one sale is remarkable; it's certainly never happened in my time, 15 years, and people who've been here longer can't recall it."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11242275
Only 119 complete copies of the 19th-century book are known to exist, and 108 are owned by museums and libraries.
A separate edition of the wildlife book sold for a record-breaking price of $8.8m (£5.7m) a decade ago.
The copy going under the hammer in December comes from the collection of Lord Hesketh.
It contains 1,000 life-sized illustrations of almost 500 breeds.
It took wildlife artist John James Audubon 12 years to complete his study.
He did so by travelling across America, shooting the birds. He would then hang them on bits of wire to paint them.
The artist then went to Britain to print the volumes and targeted the rich to buy copies.
Lord Hesketh's collection also includes a rare copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, which Sotheby's said is "the most important book in all of English Literature".
Of the 750 that were probably printed, only 219 are known to exist today.
The copy being offered for sale, which dates back to 1623, has a valuation of up to £1.5 million, and only has three pages missing.
It is one of only three textually complete copies to exist in private hands in a comparably early binding.
Letters written from Elizabeth I relating to Mary Queen of Scots are also going under the hammer at the sale, which takes place on 7 December.
David Goldthorpe, a senior specialist in Sotheby's books and manuscripts department in London, said: "To have all these items in one sale is remarkable; it's certainly never happened in my time, 15 years, and people who've been here longer can't recall it."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11242275
World's most expensive book goes up for sale (via Dawn Holloway)
A rare copy of John James Audubon's Birds of America, billed as the world's most expensive book, is to go on sale at Sotheby's, it has been announced.
Only 119 complete copies of the 19th-century book are known to exist, and 108 are owned by museums and libraries.
A separate edition of the wildlife book sold for a record-breaking price of $8.8m (£5.7m) a decade ago.
The copy going under the hammer in December comes from the collection of Lord Hesketh.
It contains 1,000 life-sized illustrations of almost 500 breeds.
It took wildlife artist John James Audubon 12 years to complete his study.
He did so by travelling across America, shooting the birds. He would then hang them on bits of wire to paint them.
The artist then went to Britain to print the volumes and targeted the rich to buy copies.
Lord Hesketh's collection also includes a rare copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, which Sotheby's said is "the most important book in all of English Literature".
Of the 750 that were probably printed, only 219 are known to exist today.
The copy being offered for sale, which dates back to 1623, has a valuation of up to £1.5 million, and only has three pages missing.
It is one of only three textually complete copies to exist in private hands in a comparably early binding.
Letters written from Elizabeth I relating to Mary Queen of Scots are also going under the hammer at the sale, which takes place on 7 December.
David Goldthorpe, a senior specialist in Sotheby's books and manuscripts department in London, said: "To have all these items in one sale is remarkable; it's certainly never happened in my time, 15 years, and people who've been here longer can't recall it."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11242275
Only 119 complete copies of the 19th-century book are known to exist, and 108 are owned by museums and libraries.
A separate edition of the wildlife book sold for a record-breaking price of $8.8m (£5.7m) a decade ago.
The copy going under the hammer in December comes from the collection of Lord Hesketh.
It contains 1,000 life-sized illustrations of almost 500 breeds.
It took wildlife artist John James Audubon 12 years to complete his study.
He did so by travelling across America, shooting the birds. He would then hang them on bits of wire to paint them.
The artist then went to Britain to print the volumes and targeted the rich to buy copies.
Lord Hesketh's collection also includes a rare copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, which Sotheby's said is "the most important book in all of English Literature".
Of the 750 that were probably printed, only 219 are known to exist today.
The copy being offered for sale, which dates back to 1623, has a valuation of up to £1.5 million, and only has three pages missing.
It is one of only three textually complete copies to exist in private hands in a comparably early binding.
Letters written from Elizabeth I relating to Mary Queen of Scots are also going under the hammer at the sale, which takes place on 7 December.
David Goldthorpe, a senior specialist in Sotheby's books and manuscripts department in London, said: "To have all these items in one sale is remarkable; it's certainly never happened in my time, 15 years, and people who've been here longer can't recall it."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11242275
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Ron the border collie: the Rooney of the sheep dog transfer market
RIGHT: Ron the border collie was sold for £5,000 at auction. Photo: rossparry.co.ukAt 14 months, he has attracted a record transfer fee at an age when many footballers were unable to walk.
By John Bingham
Published: 7:30AM BST 22 Jul 2010
And when it comes to running rings round the opposition, Ron is very much the Wayne Rooney of the sheep dog world.
The tricoloured border collie was sold for £5,000 at an auction that set new ground for the value of sheep dogs, which have become increasingly difficult to come by because of a shortage of trainers.
A 26-month-old sheepdog named Rex fetched the same sum at the sale in Skipton, North Yorkshire, as farmers competed to snap up the best animals in scenes more akin to Sotheby’s or Christie’s.
Ron’s trainer, John Bell, said he knew the dog had star quality the moment he bought him as a six-month-old pup in Northumberland.
“Quite honestly he is just a special dog,” he said.
“He was going far better than the average and he is also, at 14 months, a year younger than the average.
“He has come on so quickly, he has the brains, style, power.” The sale at Skipton Auction Mart drew an audience of 1,000 and broke all records for sheepdog sales.
Potential buyers travelled from as far as the Shetland Islands and the west of Ireland in search of the elite of the sheepdog world, while others even put in bids by telephone.
Adopting the currency of the horse racing world, the two dogs went for 4,900 guineas (£5,145), breaking the record set at the same auction mart six years ago.
Ron was bought by a Scottish farmer and Rex by Nigel Watkins, a farmer from Llangadog, Carmarthenshire.
“There was silence,” said Mr Bell, 77, of Howden, East Yorks. “When dogs go up to £4,000 you can hear them go quiet.
“You get an atmosphere, you get 1,000 farmer types there are a lot of characters.”
Although exceptional, the prices were not unexpected.
With around 90 highly trained sheepdogs for sale, all went for several thousand pounds each.
As the number of specialist trainers available has declined, the market for Britain’s best sheepdogs has begun to resemble the Premier League transfer market.
So highly valued are they that some farmers have installed extra security to prevent them being stolen to order.
Mr Bell also earned more than £4,000 for Floss, a 15-month-old border collie bitch at the same sale.
“People who can’t manage dogs go and buy quad bikes at £7,000 or £8,000,” explained Mr Bell.
“A quad bike will depreciate by about £1,000 a year but a dog, if you multiply that by 10 years of work it is very very little to get a job done bringing in 3,000 sheep.”
In demonstrations on a hillside next to the auction mart, Ron impressed the crowd by carefully rounding up one sheep which seemed determined to break away from the flock.
“Its head was up the moment they let them out of the release pen, I could see straight away that there was going to be a problem,” said Mr Bell, a former horse trainer. “The way he handled it for his age was amazing.
“A lot of them are only just beginning to be trained at that age and he was tracking sheep in two fields.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/farming/7903305/Ron-the-border-collie-the-Rooney-of-the-sheep-dog-transfer-market.html
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Ashes of Coronation Street cat up for auction
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE66I39X20100720
(Reuters) - The ashes of the cat which appeared in the opening credits of British soap opera Coronation Street for 11 years will be auctioned on Thursday.
Frisky's remains will be auctioned at between 100 and 150 pounds, according to Dominic Winter auctioneers.
Coronation Street is Britain's longest running soap opera and is set in the suburbs of Manchester.
The auction listing said Frisky beat off 5,000 other cats in 1990 to win an appearance in the opening credits, crouched on Coronation Street character Jack Duckworth's pigeon loft.
Frisky died in 2000 aged 14, but continued to appear in the opening credits until 2001 and earned thousands of pounds for charity from personal appearances over its lifetime.
The remains, sealed in a wooden casket, will be auctioned with a cremation certificate, publicity shots with Coronation Street actors and a signed photograph of television newsreader Martyn Lewis holding the cat.
(Reporting by Nina Chestney; Editing by Paul Casciato)
(Reuters) - The ashes of the cat which appeared in the opening credits of British soap opera Coronation Street for 11 years will be auctioned on Thursday.
Frisky's remains will be auctioned at between 100 and 150 pounds, according to Dominic Winter auctioneers.
Coronation Street is Britain's longest running soap opera and is set in the suburbs of Manchester.
The auction listing said Frisky beat off 5,000 other cats in 1990 to win an appearance in the opening credits, crouched on Coronation Street character Jack Duckworth's pigeon loft.
Frisky died in 2000 aged 14, but continued to appear in the opening credits until 2001 and earned thousands of pounds for charity from personal appearances over its lifetime.
The remains, sealed in a wooden casket, will be auctioned with a cremation certificate, publicity shots with Coronation Street actors and a signed photograph of television newsreader Martyn Lewis holding the cat.
(Reporting by Nina Chestney; Editing by Paul Casciato)
Friday, July 16, 2010
Corrie cat ashes up for auction
Thursday, July 15 2010, 14:25 BST
By Ryan Love
The cremated remains of a cat who featured in Coronation Street's title sequence for over ten years are being put up for auction.
Frisky the cat, who died in 2000 aged 14, could be seen crouching on the roof of Jack Duckworth's pigeon loft in the ITV soap's titles, the listing on Dominic Winter Auctioneers states.
"Frisky was not only a much-loved family pet, but also captured the heart of the nation and made thousands of pounds for charities," former owner John Rimington told the Wilt and Gloucestershire Standard.
"We were very proud to be his owners and we are keen to keep his memory alive".
Frisky was chosen by the soap from a selection of 5,000 cats and was seen on-screen until 2001.
The auction listing adds: "Frisky got to meet the actors on the show and until his death in 2000 at the age of 14 he earned thousands of pounds for charities by making personal appearances".
Chris Albury, from the Dominic Winter Auctioneers, said that it is the quirkiest item they have had up for auction this year.
"Frisky was synonymous with one of the nation’s favourite soaps," he said. "At this stage we're not expecting an auction room dogfight but this lot will add some light relief into the day's proceedings."
The ashes are contained in a sealed wooden casket with small brass plaque, along with a group of nine colour publicity postcards.
The lot, which is expected to sell for up to £150, goes under auction on July 22.
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s3/coronation-street/news/a244443/corrie-cat-ashes-up-for-auction.html
By Ryan Love
The cremated remains of a cat who featured in Coronation Street's title sequence for over ten years are being put up for auction.
Frisky the cat, who died in 2000 aged 14, could be seen crouching on the roof of Jack Duckworth's pigeon loft in the ITV soap's titles, the listing on Dominic Winter Auctioneers states.
"Frisky was not only a much-loved family pet, but also captured the heart of the nation and made thousands of pounds for charities," former owner John Rimington told the Wilt and Gloucestershire Standard.
"We were very proud to be his owners and we are keen to keep his memory alive".
Frisky was chosen by the soap from a selection of 5,000 cats and was seen on-screen until 2001.
The auction listing adds: "Frisky got to meet the actors on the show and until his death in 2000 at the age of 14 he earned thousands of pounds for charities by making personal appearances".
Chris Albury, from the Dominic Winter Auctioneers, said that it is the quirkiest item they have had up for auction this year.
"Frisky was synonymous with one of the nation’s favourite soaps," he said. "At this stage we're not expecting an auction room dogfight but this lot will add some light relief into the day's proceedings."
The ashes are contained in a sealed wooden casket with small brass plaque, along with a group of nine colour publicity postcards.
The lot, which is expected to sell for up to £150, goes under auction on July 22.
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s3/coronation-street/news/a244443/corrie-cat-ashes-up-for-auction.html
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Mummified moggie goes under the hammer for charity
Published Date: 13 May 2009
By Joanne Ginley
A MUMMIFIED cat discovered in the ceiling of a Victorian building in Bradford is being auctioned on the internet.
Graham Hall, a partner in city-based property auctioneers Harry Hall & Co, decided to cash in on the gruesome find by holding an online auction on eBay – and donating the takings to the RSPCA.The remains were discovered in Dale Chambers in the city centre while the building, a former warehouse, was being converted into flats.
Mr Hall said: "I was quite sure people would bid for it. It isn't decomposed at all, it's just dried out.
"It's horrific when you look at it – it looks like a gargoyle."
On the auction site, Mr Hall says: "It is certainly a gruesome beast, and a real talking point. Even if you haven't got a morbid fascination, you cannot fail to be intrigued by it.
"The fur has completely gone, but the whiskers, teeth and claws etc are intact."
Mr Hall does not know how long the cat had been lodged between the ceiling and floorboards on the third floor but thought it could have been trapped when the building was constructed in the 1840s.
The cat, which originally was put on the site with a starting price of 99p, has since attracted bids topping £100. The auction runs until Friday.
It is advertised as "Mummified cat – Damien Hirst eat your heart out."
Marion Gibson, a witchcraft and folklore expert from Exeter University, said: "Cats and occasionally other animals were sometimes placed in the walls of buildings to keep away bad luck, evil influences such as witches and vermin.
"It was a strange and cruel practice, and people must have believed very strongly that the dead animal would protect them."
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/localnews/Mummified-moggie-goes-under-the.5262434.jp
By Joanne Ginley
A MUMMIFIED cat discovered in the ceiling of a Victorian building in Bradford is being auctioned on the internet.
Graham Hall, a partner in city-based property auctioneers Harry Hall & Co, decided to cash in on the gruesome find by holding an online auction on eBay – and donating the takings to the RSPCA.The remains were discovered in Dale Chambers in the city centre while the building, a former warehouse, was being converted into flats.
Mr Hall said: "I was quite sure people would bid for it. It isn't decomposed at all, it's just dried out.
"It's horrific when you look at it – it looks like a gargoyle."
On the auction site, Mr Hall says: "It is certainly a gruesome beast, and a real talking point. Even if you haven't got a morbid fascination, you cannot fail to be intrigued by it.
"The fur has completely gone, but the whiskers, teeth and claws etc are intact."
Mr Hall does not know how long the cat had been lodged between the ceiling and floorboards on the third floor but thought it could have been trapped when the building was constructed in the 1840s.
The cat, which originally was put on the site with a starting price of 99p, has since attracted bids topping £100. The auction runs until Friday.
It is advertised as "Mummified cat – Damien Hirst eat your heart out."
Marion Gibson, a witchcraft and folklore expert from Exeter University, said: "Cats and occasionally other animals were sometimes placed in the walls of buildings to keep away bad luck, evil influences such as witches and vermin.
"It was a strange and cruel practice, and people must have believed very strongly that the dead animal would protect them."
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/localnews/Mummified-moggie-goes-under-the.5262434.jp
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Antique giant bird's egg on sale
A giant egg laid in the 17th century and thought to be one of the biggest in the world has gone on sale for £5,000.
The egg, with circumference of more than 3ft, was laid by a Great Elephant Bird of Madagascar and is on sale at the Chelsea Antiques Fair in London.
It belongs to antique dealer John Shepherd, of Ashford, Kent, who said he was delighted to be selling it.
He bought the egg last year after seeing David Attenborough discover one while filming in Madagascar.
Mr Shepherd, a trained palaeontologist, said: "The egg has a great social history. The Madagascan Elephant Bird was the only giant bird to exist with man and man caused its extinction.
Pieced together
"It's nice to be able to show children today about environmental issues that have been going on for hundreds of years."
The egg would have contained the chick of a baby Great Elephant Bird but is now hollow after it was broken and pieced back together.
The herbivores, which were hunted by the natives of Madagascar, became extinct in the mid-1600s.
They weighed about half a ton, but predators including pigs ate their chicks and destroyed their eggs.
The flightless bird, the largest to have ever lived, resembled a heavily-built ostrich. It had long legs, talons, and stood at more than 10ft tall.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7963914.stm
The egg, with circumference of more than 3ft, was laid by a Great Elephant Bird of Madagascar and is on sale at the Chelsea Antiques Fair in London.
It belongs to antique dealer John Shepherd, of Ashford, Kent, who said he was delighted to be selling it.
He bought the egg last year after seeing David Attenborough discover one while filming in Madagascar.
Mr Shepherd, a trained palaeontologist, said: "The egg has a great social history. The Madagascan Elephant Bird was the only giant bird to exist with man and man caused its extinction.
Pieced together
"It's nice to be able to show children today about environmental issues that have been going on for hundreds of years."
The egg would have contained the chick of a baby Great Elephant Bird but is now hollow after it was broken and pieced back together.
The herbivores, which were hunted by the natives of Madagascar, became extinct in the mid-1600s.
They weighed about half a ton, but predators including pigs ate their chicks and destroyed their eggs.
The flightless bird, the largest to have ever lived, resembled a heavily-built ostrich. It had long legs, talons, and stood at more than 10ft tall.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7963914.stm
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