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Philip Weiss Auctions tops $1 million at June 9-10 sale

[ Fri Jun 15 2007] Philip Weiss Auctions topped the $1 million mark in a two-day, three-session multi-estate sale held the weekend of June 9-10. Top lots included six original Charles Schulz “Peanuts” panels (totaling $193,230); two Lou Gehrig palm prints ($82,490 the pair); and an original oil painting by American artist Douglas Gorsline ($31,640). The sale grossed just about $1.1 million.
“I had a good feeling about this auction,” said Philip Weiss, owner of the firm that bears his name. “We had some fabulous consignments, in a variety of categories. I predicted we might make $1 million, but when we actually hit it I think everybody here just felt jubilant. A lot of hard work went into making that number. Hard work, and wonderful items. It was a great way to end the season for us.”
About 1,500 lots changed hands in a sale that had two sessions on Saturday – one starting at 10 am and one at 5 pm – and a third session that lasted all day Sunday. “It was exhausting but exhilarating,” Mr. Weiss said. He estimated about 300 people made it to the firm’s spacious showroom facility. In addition, there were nearly 3,000 registered online bidders and about 200 phone bidders.
Philip Weiss is a name nearly synonymous with Charles Schulz. It seems every sale boasts a few original “Peanuts” panels, and this auction was no exception. The star lot was a “Great Pumpkin” Sunday page from October 24, 1965, right before Halloween. It soared to $62,150. The comic featured Lucy and Linus writing to the “Great Pumpkin” and was even accompanied by a letter from Schulz.
An original daily panel by Schulz, this one actually drawn on Halloween day (October 31, 1967) realized $32,770. The piece – measuring 28-1/2” x 7” — showed Snoopy and Linus in the “Great Pumpkin” patch. Also, an original “Peanuts” Sunday page, dated May 3, 1959 and with a baseball theme – hammered for $31,640. The excellent 22-1/2” x 15” panel featured Lucy and Charlie Brown.
The signed Lou Gehrig palm prints – one left and one right – came from the estate of Alice Denton Jennings, a palmist who took palm impressions of her famous clients, who later signed them. Her collection was so extensive it spanned several sales. The signed right palm print of Babe Ruth also sold, for $37,290. Another signed Ruth palm print sold for $26,000 at a Philip Weiss sale in January.
Other highlights from the sale follow. All prices quoted include a 13% buyer’s premium.
A large oil-on-canvas painting by the American artist Douglas Gorsline (1913-1985) sailed past all estimates to gavel for a record price of $31,640. The previous record for a work by Gorsline was $2,800. The colorful, mid-20th century street scene depicted a nattily dressed couple. The unframed canvas – measuring 38” tall x 32” wide – even had a few scrapes and tears that didn’t deter bidders.
The original cover art for “Amazing Spider Man” # 92 (January 1971), by renowned comic book artist John Romita, sold for $30,500. The cover, featuring Spidey’s nemesis “Iceman,” was hand-signed in ink by Romita along the left edge. The fresh-to-the-market piece contained all original paste-ups and had some in-line corrections, white-out marks and color notes. It measured 11-1/2” x 17-1/2”.
A large abstract oil-on-canvas work by the Italian painter Mario Nigro (1917-1992), titled “Il Crollo Degli Dei” (1956), fetched $10,170. Information printed on verso included Nigro’s address in Livorno, Italy, and the date of the painting: October 1956. The sizable work measured 51-1/2” high x 39” wide. Nigro was one of the fathers of the Concrete Art Movement, founded in Milano in 1948.
A beautiful Tiffany vase in the shape of a long-stemmed tulip, etched on the base “LCT 48693” and standing 18” high, garnered $14,405; a vintage oil-on-wood panel by the Polish-born American artist Ladislaus Bakalowicz (1833-1904), in a gilt frame and titled “Lady In Mirror,” made $6,7880; and a rare Confederate carte de visite of an unidentified Naval officer commanded $2,315.
Philip Weiss will take a well-deserved break for the rest of June before coming back strong with a trio of sales sure to set the industry buzzing. The first will be a huge one-day sale of general collectibles and memorabilia, slated for Saturday, July 21. Featured will be over 800 lots, including toys, trains, toy soldiers and more. This sale replaces the Annual Tag Sale, normally held in August.
Then, on the weekend of September 8-9, Philip Weiss Auctions will present the lifetime collection of Steve Rathkopf, a dedicated collector of western TV and comic book characters from the 1940s through the 1960s. Included will be comics, pin-backs, non-sport cards, puppets, marionettes, wallets, bracelets, premiums, vintage lunch boxes, 200+ mint paper doll books, posters and more.
It only gets better in October, when the contents of a home on Long Island – sealed for 25 years but bearing countless treasures – are sold in a true fresh-to-the-market estate auction. The unassuming, two-story brick home had been boarded up and looked to the causal eye to be a run-down residence with nothing of value inside. Nothing could be further from the truth. And it will all be sold.
Two truckloads were required to transport the trove that sat, undisturbed, since the early 1980s. Featured will be a turn-of-the-century 5-foot-tall cigar store punch figure; numerous early trade and advertising signs; over 400 occupational shaving mugs; rare 18th- and 19th-century folk art carved ships’ figureheads; turn-of-the-century barber and pharmacy bottles; and a cast iron toy collection.
Philip Weiss Auctions is one of the premier full-service auction houses in the Northeast. To learn more about the company and these important upcoming sale dates, you may visit them online by clicking www.philipweissauctions.com. To consign an item, estate or collection, you may call them directly, at (516) 594-0731. Or you can e-mail them at phil@philipweissauctions.com.

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Farmers Guardian

15 June, 2007

Only a couple of passing airplanes interrupted the strong bidding at Brown & Co machinery auction at Southfield Farm Kirmington, adjacent to Humberside Airport, earlier this week.

The sale of modern farm machinery - on behalf of Messrs J M Dodds, Lancaster & Sons and W Sowerby & Co - was the product of a new joint farming agreement between the parties. Lots included three combines, seven tractors and an extensive array of exceptional arable machinery and equipment.

With plenty of interest, bidding was highly competitive. A 2003 John Deere 9660 WTS combine fetched £68,000, a 2000 Claas Lexion 430 realised £50,000 and a 2004 John Deere 6920S tractor fell to the hammer for £28,000.

Auctioneer, Ken Pritchard, from Brown & Co’s Brigg Office said; “The exceptional trade is a result of good national and local advertising and highlights the importance of the auctioneer’s contact list of buyers.”

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From the Hick Chic Blog

On Saturday morning, my Dad and my Boy and I went to TSC for some essential things like a front tractor tire, two tubes of horse de-wormer, and a new John Deere hat. We didn’t head back to the farm though, because on the other side of town there was a farm auction…and let me tell you if you don’t already know…it’s really hard to not go to a farm auction.

The land in this township is flat. We could see the vehicles lined up on the gravel shoulders from the next concession back. Every kind of pickup truck was there: shiny new ones, nasty beat up ones, a ‘55 Ford F100, a ‘59 Fargo, a few with trailers behind them, and a big 5ton truck from a scrap salvage company.

We picked our way onto the farm. I was just kicking myself for not bringing my camera. This is the kind of event that fires me up in many ways. I love all things rural, I love junk, I love old stuff, I love the stories, real or imagined, that come with it all. I was walking into a gold mine on this hot Saturday morning.

Along one edge of the farmyard was a row of implements. It was obvious that they’d been yanked out of their resting spot just for this occasion. They were all covered with last year’s long dried grass stalks. Five old haybalers in a row still had ancient crusts of hay leaves stuck to them; they’d never been cleaned off before they were left in a shed or out in a field. My Dad, being the kind of guy who’s willing to fix up a junker if he feels it’s worth it, just shook his head. “The scrap guys are gonna be on this stuff like flies.” And we kept on walking.

Over by a hay wagon full of tangled objects, an old buddy of my Dad’s caught up with us and filled us in on some juicy info.

Big Dan’s not well eh?
Josie came back. They’re together again.
Yeah, he says after that big hog barn got put up next door, his property value went down about $100,000.
You know Big Dan used to work for the government eh? This place never had to make a living for him.

I heard a few more stories about Big Dan that sounded pretty far fetched. I’d met Dan and Josie briefly years before, likely at my aunt’s farm, but I couldn’t say I knew them. I just knew who they were. I stood there listening to the gossip and thinking that either Big Dan was more interesting that I thought, or he was a heck of a story teller.

The auctioneer turned on his microphone just before 10 am, as the crowd grew and the heat of the day got heavier. “We’re gonnastartat five. Who’s gotta five, five, five, gotta five, fourfifty, fourfifty, who’s gottafourfifty, fourtwennyfive.”

Another interesting thing about auction sales is the crowd. Farmers of all shapes and sizes and ages; guys with pot bellies in suspenders; thin guys in T shirts, dudes in work boots; women in denim shorts and T shirts advertising the local feed mill; kids with filthy knees and big grins; and every different splinter group of Old Order Mennonite and Amish. Of course anybody there could be Mennonite too, around that neck of the woods. Including us.

There were two Old Order women helping each other out with their kids. They each had a very modern stroller, but they were wearing long dark dresses. They had the most beautiful purple bonnets on their heads. I would love to wear a purple bonnet like that.

When my son and I went into the wooden shed to buy a bottle of water, we handed over our dollar to a pretty young woman with a white apron over her blue plaid dress. She wore plain eyeglasses, had her hair centre parted and covered with a white net covering like the ones both my grandmothers wore. She was so friendly. Later I saw a newlywed Amish couple. How did I know they were newlyweds? His beard was short and fresh, and she wasn’t pregnant. Yet. At least visibly. Two strapping young Amish guys cruised around checking out sale items and likely, also checking out young Amish girls with the small head coverings, the kind without the strings that tuck into the dress.

Dad registered for a bid number, as the Boy and I looked at the rows and rows of furniture in the front lawn. There were about ten TV sets, four recliners, three couches, six dressers, two china cabinets and a church pulpit. I wanted that church pulpit.

Another buddy found my dad. I perked up my ears for more stories.

Big Dan’s dying. He’s only got one lung now.
He never threw anything out. Can ya tell?
Don’t know what this place’ll sell for but the new owner’ll have to spend a few thousand to get it cleaned up.
Yeah, Josie came back to him and they’re speaking to all of their kids again, and the grandkids. They’re making up for lost time before he’s gone.

We did a tour of the house. I was stunned. It’s not that big a house…and yet with all of that stuff on the front lawn, there was still a huge amount of stuff inside. Being a packrat myself, I’m always fascinated and repulsed by other people’s collections. I swear if I ever buy a farm- which I plan to do- I’ll hope they leave as much stuff behind as possible. I’ll spend months going through it and wondering about it. We checked out the addition that never got finished. As we came down the stairs, there she was, Josie herself, in her fuzzy terry cloth housecoat, telling us that all of the building materials to finish the addition were right there in the corner. She looked tired. She didn’t recognize my dad.

Behind the house, two sheds were caving in on themselves, and behind that, a crumbling stone foundation was all that was left of the original bank barn. A Dutch neighbour was discussing the difficulties of the property.

It’ll cost about five grrand to get a backhoe in herrrre and bury that foundation.
I think a bulldozerrrr would be the best way to get this place fixed up.
You knoooow, Big Dan yused to work forrrr the Mounties. He collected money frrrom people.

The Boy and I wandered down the bush lane a few feet. Inside a steel shed, the buggy horses were resting in the shade swishing their tails. The sweat was dripping down our faces by this time. There was absolutely no breeze.

We looked at two identical black buggies parked in the grass. They appeared to be a century old in style but they weren’t. In green pinstriping, one stated on the back axle “2006” while the other said “2003”. Each one had turn signals, and a Department of Transportation sticker. They even had lights. I want one.

I’ve been to quite a few auctions and one thing never fails to amaze me: Get a bunch of farmers together and let them wander over a place and listen to them talk. Everybody’s a critic and all are experts. It’s fascinating. It’s horribly uncomfortable actually. But it’s universal. Your average suburban housewife has nothing on these guys and I know that firsthand.

The Dutch neighbour pointed out to me where Big Dan’s 50acres started and ended. My covetous imagination went wild. I mentally stripped down the two steel sheds and sold them for scrap. I salvaged all the lumber planks from the two falling down sheds. I pictured how I’d finish the inside of that house, how I’d scrounge up glass door knobs and thin hardwood floor strips to match the original 1930’s part. There’d be an inflatable pool in the yard. I had the old stone foundation cleaned up, and all kinds of clay pots full of herbs and flowers and wooden chairs. I pictured the wooden shed all fixed up with my truck, the Jetta and a little John Deere parked in it. I had fences up from the shed to the highway and all the way over to the tree line. Where the steel sheds were disappearing in my mind I had a nice little four stall post and beam barn, with a sand ring in front of it.

The Dutch neighbour was tallying up how much it could sell for. The auctioneer was planning to sell the property at the end of the sale, about two hours on.

We were looking at the goats and chickens in the steel shed. The nannies all had numbered tags on their ears, while the goat kids snoozed in beds made out of plastic barrels. They were awesome goats; roman nosed, curving horns, and smart eyes. They were white with patches of colour.

“I want those goats,” I told Dutch. “I hate mowing lawn.”

“Jah, goats are good for grrazing weeds down.”

“They poop less than dogs.”

“Jah, that’s rrright.”

“I’ve got a good fence to keep them in,” I said.

“How much land do yoooou have?” he asked.

“Sixty feet by a hundred and twenty feet,” I said. “I live in a subdivision.”

“Oh,” he said, “you need to moooove.”

“Yes I do.”

My Boy stuck out his hand but the goats just looked at him. I looked at the two hens clucking around in there. They were pretty black and white chickens. I wondered if, after a life of scratching around in the dirt, they’d taste better than those pasty chickens on pink styrofoam trays in the grocery store. I figured I’d like knowing that they had a chance to be chickens before they became dinner.

“We’re gonnasell everythingonthewagon, and then we’re gonnasell thewagon. Gottanice rubberhose here, whoneeds a rubberhose. Gimme a dollah dollah gimme a dollah.”

It was all getting very overwhelming. The still air, the harsh sun, Josie not dressed for the day yet, the decrepitude of the buildings, all my covetous urges, the lack of camera, the sweat soaking through my son’s T shirt. Men were milling around, waiting beside the thing they wanted to buy until the auctioneer made his way there, still criticizing the farm’s faults, still sharing everything they knew about the circumstances that brought on the sale. My chest ached from the need for 50 acres of farmland, a purple bonnet, a church pulpit, a black buggy, some bandy hens and Boer goats. My writer’s brain was cataloguing all the details. There was so much to remember.

There is something sad for me about auctions. When I was sixteen, my mother’s parents sold their beautiful yellow brick Victorian house in town to move to the nursing home. It was 1987, and a year later my grandpa would be gone. At the sale, I tried not to cry as all the familiar things got carted away by people, some strangers, some we knew, who had converged on my second home and clucked over all the objects, muttered and whispered, and then stood there, faking out all the other bidders, careful not to run the bid too high on what they wanted. The house sold for $80,000. For a decade after that, I wondered what would have happened if I’d been a little older and had a good job…

It was time to go. We were hot and tired and Dad didn’t see anything he needed.

On the way out, we walked past Big Dan. I wouldn’t have recognized him if Dad hadn’t nudged me and quietly pointed him out. He was settled in a big wooden chair, and he was half the size I remembered him from the rare neighbourhood event. He had an oxygen tube in his nose, his black straw hat on his head. People were gathered around him and he nodded, and smiled weakly. Big Dan, local man of mystery, rumoured secret agent, non-discriminating collector of antiquities, gentleman farmer, held court under a shade tree while the auctioneer rattled on.

“Half a dollah, half a dollah if ya goddit, gimme half a dollah…”

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From Agwired.

Weighing Worth

When it comes to purchasing farming machinery and equipment, it just got a lot easier to shop around. Successful Farming, the nation’s leading agriculture magazine, has released a modern price guide for equipment manufactured from 1970 through the present. Successful Farming says “What’s it Worth?” is based on the magazine’s editorial expertise in machinery.

For years, Successful Farming readers have asked “What’s it worth?” Now they will know exactly what to ask for when selling or purchasing all types of agricultural and construction equipment. The one-of-a-kind guide compiles more than 14,000 actual sales prices from Greg “Machinery Pete” Peterson. Peterson also provides the reader knowledge to research accurate price points, identify realistic “asking” prices, determine assets when applying for a loan, establish depreciation schedules, and evaluate an estate. A bonus section provides a “how-to” guide for effectively buying and selling equipment.

“If you are planning on buying or selling used machinery in the future, you need the ‘What’s It Worth’ book,” says Dave Mowitz, Successful Farming Machinery Editor. “Knowing what comparable machinery has actually sold for allows you to confidently set a solid price for equipment you are buying or selling. This data is based on actual prices people have paid for machinery over the past year.”

Buy “What’s It Worth” in stores or at www.successfulfarmingbooks.com. Retailers may email diana.willits@meredith.com if they would like to carry the book in their retail locations.

Founded in 1902, Successful Farming was the first magazine published by Meredith Corporation and has a circulation of 440,000 and 1.1 million readers. Successful Farming is one of the most successful and recognizable brands in the Agricultural industry. Its Web site, Agriculture Online, established in 1995, was one of the first agricultural Web sites in America. It has since received the Jesse H. Neal Business Journalism Award for best Web site, was listed among BtoB magazine’s Media Power 50, and was named Best of the Web by Media Industry News.
In addition to the magazine and Web site, Successful Farming properties include the Successful Farming Radio Magazine®, Successful Farming Data Solutions, Market Research, and custom publishing.

Popularity: 33% [?]

A nod to our friends at AuctionZip to end the week…..

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On a fairly regular basis we receive requests from auctioneers wanting to expand our list of auction categories or auction type. We have been wrestling with this issue since February 2001 when we launched our first website and I can honestly say that there is no easy answer for this question.

In our database bidders are able to search by keyword, browse by location and company, and browse by selecting a date on the calendar. At no time are they able to narrow down the results by auction category.

Why not you ask ?

The more narrow the classification, the more likely someone is going to choose not to look at your upcoming sale. Because most sales are a combination of many types, to give a sale a very narrow type will limit the exposure you receive.

But the one area that you can certainly add a wee bit more detail would be in your auction title. If you are having a coin auctions, it is certainly worth mentioning that in the title and that will get more attention.

There is also a backend issue with adding too many new categories , as all our types are cross referenced with the categories available with the Central Auction Hub. This is so when you send a sale to another site, everyone knows which category it will be called when it is received at the other end.

I hope that explains it a bit better.

Keep sending us your comments and questions, we are always interested in offering an even better service.

Have a great weekend
Dwayne Leslie

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Coming to you live from the South Dakota Auctioneers Association convention in Rapid City SD. I visited with a great group of friendly auctioneers last night in the hospitality room. Lots of informative seminars on tap today, with many geared towards their Continuing Education Credits.

Here you can see President Jeff Storm presiding over the group.

Activities continue until Saturday Evening at the Best Western Ramkota.

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