AMHERST, N.H. - The $10.50 check that astronaut Neil Armstrong wrote just hours before he and his Apollo 11 crew were launched on their famous flight to the moon has been auctioned for $27,350.

"I think it is incredible that this small check signed by Neil Armstrong has sold for such a fantastic price exactly 40 years to the day that it was signed," said Bobby Livingston of RR Auction, the company that held a 17-day online auction of the check. Bidding lasted until 8 a.m. today.

The lot represents the most expensive single signed Neil Armstrong autograph ever sold, according to Anthony Pizzitola, vice president of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club, breaking the previous record of $19,000.

The check was purchased by Jack Staub, an engineer and business owner from Newport Beach, California.

“From an engineer's (my) perspective, Armstrong rode the back of 10,000 years of human development,” Staub said.  "You can draw a straight line from the invention of the wheel to Edison and Einstein to this check, and then to Armstrong's first step onto the moon. I feel quite humbled.”

Staub told the Boston Globe he had been prepared to pay as much as $40,000 for the astronaut memento. He said he plans to keep the check and "pass it on to my kids.”

RR Auction obtained the check through Noah Bradley, who bought it at auction from Harold Collins' son George in 2004. George Collins told Bradley that on the morning of the launch, Armstrong realized that he owed Harold Collins, NASA Chief of Mission Support, $10.50. He made out the check and told Collins that it should be cashed ONLY if he died in space.

The only known Apollo-era check of Armstrong's, its signature includes his middle initial and is one of only a handful of items signed in full by Armstrong, who has not given an autograph since 1994.

"This is probably the coolest Apollo 11 autograph in private hands," Livingston said. "Here's Neil Armstrong rocketing to fame, and he wanted to make sure that he paid his debts in case anything happened."

RR Auction LLC recently auctioned the autographed photo of Albert Einstein with his tongue wagging for a record $74,340. Since its inception in 1976, RR Auction has published close to 350 consecutive monthly autograph catalogs, which are distributed internationally.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - "Wow" is one word to describe the bidding action at Jackson's International June 23-24 auction, and perhaps "predictable" might be another. The sale saw one new world record set, drew more than 450 registered bidders and produced gross sales of $1.2 million dollars. Eighty lots sold online through LiveAuctioneers.com.

The top lot of the auction was a watercolor that topped prices realized at $100,800. The story surrounding the painting is just as interesting as the price, which was a world record at auction for the artist, who remained a mystery until Jackson's research led to its identification.

A little over two months ago, an East coast dealer who regularly consigns European paintings to Jackson's sent in an unsigned watercolor landscape he had recently acquired at auction for less than $1,000. The painting, by all appearances, looked like a typical, albeit nicely executed, early 19th-century watercolor of Roman ruins.

The painting arrived at Jackson's just a few days before the company's auction catalog was to be sent to press. It was checked in and initially described as an early 19th-century watercolor, probably British, as indicated by the consignor's cover letter.

The painting, which depicted a landscape with old Roman ruins, was photographed and about to be cataloged as an anonymous 19th-century Continental watercolor. However, the painting caught the eye of Jackson's president and CEO, James L. Jackson, who had not seen the painting when it first came in but was impressed with its quality and size. Although no signature appeared on the front, his instincts told him that it needed be taken out of the frame and examined more carefully.

During his examination, Jackson discovered an inscription in pencil on verso that read, "Painted by John Middleton in Rome about 1825." There was also a middle name, but it was indiscernible.

Assuming at first that it was indeed a European work, and having a certain early 19th-century British feel to it as suggested by the consignor, Jackson speculated it might have been painted by a minor watercolorist from Norwich, England, named John Middleton. However, when his research showed that British artist John Middleton, who painted large landscapes as well, was born in 1827, Jackson knew it could not be the same artist who painted the picture he was examining.

Additional research by Jackson indicated that this same John Middleton had a father who also painted landscapes and whose life dates would fit the period of the mystery painting - yet he was unconvinced.

Jackson could not find a middle name for either of the British John Middletons to help substantiate any hypothesis. With the auction catalog deadline now only a day away, Jackson turned his research to the subject of the painting, subsequently identifying it as the ancient ruin known as the Tomb of the Plautii Family, located near Tivoli, Italy, a few miles outside Rome.

With all this said, Jackson was still not satisfied that the creator of such a large and impressive work could be completely unknown and decided to once again have a go at the inscription on the back of the painting. By this time the catalog was already at the printer, with the painting cataloged simply as being by "John Middleton, 19th century."

The indistinct middle name, which Jackson believed was the key, at first glance appeared to read "Igarst" or perhaps "Izarst," none of which made sense. More research and a helpful tip led Jackson to discover that the reason he was finding nothing under European artists was because the artist of this painting was not a European but rather an American with the obscure middle name of "Izard," which turned out to be the artist's mother's maiden name. Indeed, "Izard" was the very name by which the artist was known to family and friends. Thus the mystery was solved; the painting was by American artist John Izard Middleton (1785-1849).

The artist was born to a prominent family at Middleton Place Plantation, today an important historical landmark just outside of Charleston, S.C.. His father, Arthur Middleton, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. What little is known about John Izard Middleton is fascinating to say the least. Nineteenth century American author, social critic and art professor Charles Eliot Norton dubbed Middleton "the first American Classical archaeologist." Like his father, young John was educated at Cambridge University. In 1810, the younger Middleton married Eliza Falconet who bore him one child, who did not survive.

While on the Continent, Middleton became mesmerized with the ancient ruins found throughout Italy and, like many gentleman artists of the day, began making observations and sketches of the sites he visited. Between the years 1808-1809 Middleton compiled a group of detailed sketches for the purpose of publishing a folio-sized book which he did in 1812 under the title "Grecian Remains in Italy: A Description of Cyclopian Walls, and Roman Antiquities. With Topographical and Picturesque Views of Ancient Latium."

Later on in the 1820s it is believed that Middleton began work on what he had hoped would be a follow-up book, titled "Roman Ruins." Many of the images were eventually published some 174 years later, in 1997, by the University of Carolina Press under the title "The Roman Remains - John Izard Middleton's Visual Souvenirs of 1820-1823."

Middleton completed many drawings and watercolors for his second edition, although he would never see them published. He and his wife took up permanent residence in Paris, where he died in the year 1849. His body was eventually returned to Middleton Plantation where he is buried. Sadly during the U.S. Civil War the Middleton family estate was ransacked and burned, taking with it a vast multitude of irreplaceable treasures accumulated by the Middleton family over two centuries - and no doubt many of John Middleton's works as well.
A quick bit of research revealed that no known works by John Izard Middleton had ever been sold at public auction. Therefore there were no comparable sales in which to gauge what the value might really be. However, as Jackson commented, "Everyone in the game knows that paintings executed by American artists in the Colonial period or Federal period and which are not in the category of portraiture are generally speaking quite rare."

Jackson continued, "As I continued to learn more about Middleton, I knew that such a large and exceptional work was going to have considerable value. However I also knew I needed to notify the right people, which we did through a campaign of press releases and contacts with various museums, institutions and galleries in the Charleston area. By the day of the auction we had received three substantial absentee bids, and eight telephone bidders had signed up. To make matters even more interesting, the painting still carried its original $1,500-$2,500 presale auction estimate, which had been assigned to it when it originally arrived."

Bidding on the painting opened at $10,000 with an in-house bidder and slowly wound its way upward between phone bidders (including two European bidders) to the remarkable final selling price of $100,800 (including buyer's premium).

Commenting on the sale, which realized $1.2 million, James Jackson said: "You know, the one trend that continues is interest in blue-chip material, be it a painting, vase, sculpture or piece of furniture. These items still seem to be maintaining their own. And it would seem that other areas offer good buying opportunities at present, particularly in the second-tier merchandise."

NEW ORLEANS - A 1904 Newcomb College art pottery vase decorated by Marie de Hoa LeBlanc electrified Neal Auction's June 27-28 Summer Estates Auction when it sold for a record-smashing $169,200. The highly important, 13-inch vase in the Clematis pattern soared above its $35,000-$45,000 estimate to achieve a world record auction price for Newcomb pottery.

Neal Auction Co. began promoting Newcomb Art Pottery as an important genre of American Arts and Crafts during the early 1980s, before any other auction company in the country. They are credited with having pioneered the Newcomb pottery market, cultivating it, and consistently achieving world record prices for exceptional examples of Newcomb sold under their auspices. A spokesperson for the purchaser of the June auction's highest-priced lot remarked that the Clematis vase "represents a high-water mark for Newcomb College pottery and stands as perhaps the finest example extant of their floral designs."

Artworks filled in the rest of the slots in the auction's "top five." A small (9 x 12 inch) oil painting by William Aiken Walker (American/Charleston, 1838-1921, active New Orleans, 1876-1905) titled Wash Day: Cabin Scene drew significant attention from collectors nationwide. It sold near the top of its estimate range for $28,850.

A painting by Joseph Rusling Meeker (American/Missouri, 1827-1887) depicting "Bayou Peyone," also drew considerable attention, with a number of left bids in the auctioneer's book. The 1879 oil realized $28,200.00 - just shy of its $30,000 high estimate.

George Louis Viavant's (American/New Orleans, 1872-1925) watercolor still life titled Nature Morte: Mallard Duck put in a surprisingly strong performance. It more than doubled its high estimate to settle at $27,025.00. As a side note, Neal Auction continues to maintain the record auction price for a work by Viavant, with Nature Morte: Duck, which sold on Dec. 3, 2005 for $41,000.00.

Rounding out the quintet was a painting by Meyer Straus (American/California, 1835-1905, active New Orleans 1869-1872) titled Dusk on the Louisiana Bayou. The circular, 10-inch picture of a man navigating a pirogue filled with baled Spanish moss through the water achieved $25,850.00 against a $12,000-$18,000 estimate. Neal Auction continues to maintain the world record price for a Meyer Straus painting sold at auction, with Louisiana Landscape, which sold on Dec. 3, 2005 for $75,000.00.

Collectors of Asian art showed their resolve when lot 333 crossed the auction block. The pair of Chinese famille verte porcelain rouleau vases, probably from the Daoguang (1821-1850) period attracted intense interest from abroad, particularly Asia. The elegant duo sold to a European buyer on the phone for $18,800.00.

A quintessential example of Alfred Heber Hutty's (American/Charleston, 1877-1954) watercolor technique was Mrs. Hutty's Garden, a scene the artist spotted on Tradd Street in Charleston, S.C. The artwork made $17,625.00.

Despite evidence of some restoration, a fine, 20th-century Chinese carved ivory river scene climbed well above its $6,000-$8,000 presale estimate to achieve $14,687.00. The intricately carved piece, which likely dates to the late 1960s/early 1970s Cultural Revolution period in China, sold to an Asian collector against significant telephone and absentee competition from this country and abroad.

Forty-nine lots sold via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. A late-19th-century Italian carved and gilded console and mirror, with openwork crest of scrolled foliage, engaged putti and columns, went to an online bidder for $7,995.

Also selling via LiveAuctioneers was William A. Slaughter's (Texas/California, 1923-2003) Bluebonnets by the River, a signed 12 x 16 inch oil-on-canvas painting in an attractive giltwood frame. It finished its run at $5,535.

To contact Neal Auction Company, call 504-899-5329.

View Neal Auction Company's Summer Estates Auction catalog complete with prices realized online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

NEW YORK - Bloomsbury Auctions successfully entered the fast-growing wine auction market on June 19 with a competitive 17 percent buyer's premium and a set of guarantees unmatched by any other wine auction house. The sale concluded with a solid 67 percent sell-through rate overall, with 100 percent of the champagne lots sold. Additionally, the sell-through rate for Bordeaux was 83 percent. The top lot, and 124 others, sold through LiveAuctioneers.com.

In keeping with Bloomsbury Auctions' company mission to sell at every level of the market, auction buyers were attracted by an incredible selection of prized Bordeaux and Burgundy along with an eclectic mix of wines from single bottles to regions not typically found at auction.

LiveAuctioneers helped pop the virtual cork to initiate Bloomsbury's exciting new department, with 125 lots selling online during the high-profile event. To no one's surprise, the lot comprised of 12 bottles of 1989 Petrus, the Bordeaux blend described by wine connoisseur Robert Parker as "stunningly opulent, rich, full-bodied...exotic...remarkably youthful," was in strong demand. A LiveAuctioneers bidder ultimately prevailed with a $28,680 bid.

Six 1.5-liter bottles of 1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild - regarded as the modern-day equivalent of the vintner's immortal 1959 vintage - were headed to another LiveAuctioneers bidder's wine cellar, after a successful bid of $26,290 was lodged against the presale estimate of $15,000-$19,200.

Other top selling lots included:

• 12 bottles of 1995 Petrus which sold for $13,145 (Estimate: $10,800-$12,900)
• 12 bottles of 2003 Ausone which sold for $12,870 (Estimate: $10,800-$14,400)

"We are delighted with the results of our inaugural wine auction and believe we have made significant headway in changing the game in this market," said Bernard Frelat, CEO Bloomsbury Auctions, New York. "With our attractive buyer's premium, unique money-back guarantees and a broad choice of wines, auction buyers can truly build their cellars with confidence."

"Only through Bloomsbury Auctions, do buyers have a full-cellar solution for both investment and consumption along with an unprecedented level of protection on their purchases," added Dave Sokolin, president of Sokolin LLC, who handled the wine expertise and logistics for Bloomsbury Auctions.

Bloomsbury Auctions plans on holding several wine auctions per year, with its next specialty wine event scheduled for October 2009. Consignments will be accepted until July 31, 2009.

Click here to visit the online catalog, with prices realized, for Bloomsbury's June 19 sale.

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. - An important and complete 132-piece modern hammered sterling flatware service for 12 by the renowned California silversmith Allan Adler sold for $15,525 at Leland Little's June 13-14 Historic Hillsborough auction. It was the grand opening event for the firm in its new gallery location, at 620 Cornerstone Court in Hillsborough.

Allan Adler honed his craft in California in the 1930s, and developed a strong following among many Hollywood celebrities (he once hosted Katharine Hepburn at his workbench as an apprentice), as well as presidents, museum curators and silver collectors. He once described his work as "clean lines with a bent toward the unconventional," and that was evident in the large service that changed hands.

The silver service was the top earner of the more than 800 lots that crossed the block during the two days. About 250 people packed the showroom for the Saturday session, while around 150 bidders were counted on Sunday. Just under 1,000 absentee and phone bids were recorded going into Saturday, and Internet bidding was brisk via LiveAuctioneers.com, with around 500 registered bidders participating online.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - One of the original signed prints of Albert Einstein sticking his tongue out at photographers has been sold by a New Hampshire auction house for $74,324.

"Every kid has it in their dorm room on the wall," Bobby Livingston of RRAuction.com in Amherst said Saturday. "It's such an iconic display of freedom of speech."

The picture was taken in 1951 by UPI photographer Arthur Sasse after a 72nd birthday celebration for the physicist. As Sasse tried to coax a smile for the camera, Einstein stuck out his tongue.

Two years later, at the height of the McCarthy anti-Communist hearings, Einstein signed the photo and gave it to broadcaster Howard K. Smith as a gesture of his admiration of Smith's work.

Translated from German, the inscription says: "This gesture you will like, because it is aimed at all of humanity. A civilian can afford to do what no diplomat would dare. Your loyal and grateful listener, A. Einstein '53."

By 1953, Einstein had begun speaking out against McCarthyism.

"Einstein, escaping Nazi Germany, fully understood what was happening in this country and was commenting on it," Livingston said. "That's what makes it so special, he wrote on it and explained his intentions."

David Waxman of Great Neck, N.Y., is the new owner. He is a specialist in important scientific books and autographs.

Waxman said the image probably is the best-known picture of Einstein, appearing on T-shirts and even currently on a New York City billboard.

He said Einstein's inscription makes it even more valuable.

"It's one of a kind, highly important, speaks to the culture, speaks to anybody who looks at it and thinks about it a bit," Waxman said. "It's a message of intelligent nonconformity."

Waxman intends to put the photo up for sale, perhaps with other photos of famous scientists.
____

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-ES-06-20-09 1511EDT

BOSTON (AP) - The Enchanted Village has a new home and will continue to enchant Boston-area shoppers during the Chrismas holidays.

Jordan's Furniture purchased the iconic holiday display from the City of Boston for $140,000 at a public auction on Thursday, June 18. Jordan's president Eliot Tatelman - who topped six other bidders - said he fondly recalled strolling through the Enchanted Village as a child.

Tatelman plans to set up the display at Jordan's store in the Boston suburb of Avon.

The 8,000-square-foot attraction includes dozens of mechanized people and animals in a traditional New England holiday scene.

It was originally set up at the old downtown Jordan Marsh department store - no connection to Jordan's Furniture - to attract holiday shoppers.

The Enchanted Village was most recently housed at the Hynes Convention Center, but hasn't been open to the public since 2006.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-ES-06-18-09 2152EDT

PARIS (AP) - A Paris auction of art belonging to Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada has netted $2.63 million.

Auctioneer Claude Aguttes said Wednesday that 75 percent of the sale's 1,100 items were sold.

Kenzo decided to part with the collection, acquired over the past two decades, when he sold his Paris mansion to move into a smaller Left Bank apartment.

The collection included a rich variety of Eastern and Western art, from bronze Buddhas to Hopi Kachina dolls from the American southwest. An 8th-century Buddha sculpture from Burma sold for $88,575, while the Kachinas fetched $14,115.

Some of the auction's lots didn't sell, however, including a set of 16th-century red lacquerwear from a Japanese monastery.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-CS-06-17-09 1544EDT