GLENMOORE, Pa. – Wiederseim Associates Inc. has lined up more than 500 lots of furniture and accessories, silver, paintings, clocks, ceramics, jewelry, railroad items, a pocket watch collection and Britains toy soldiers for its annual Thanksgiving Weekend Auction on Nov. 28. The auction, which will begin at 9 a.m. Eastern, will be conducted in Griffith Hall of the Ludwig’s Corner Firehouse, 1325 Pottstown Pike (State Route 100). LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

Consignments have come from estates and collections from Delaware, New England, Pennsylvania’s Main Line and locally from Chester County.

From Boston, a 19th-century Classical mahogany sofa with leather upholstery, scrolled arms and carved saber legs is expected to sell for $1,500-$2,000. It measures 34 inches high, 71 inches wide and 19 inches deep.

A late-18th-century New England slant-front desk of tiger maple has a $1,500-$2,000 estimate. The desk is 42 inches high by 32 inches wide by 19 inches deep. It has replaced brasses and several repairs to the drawers.

What was likely a wedding present, a Pennsylvania Queen Anne-style two-part walnut highboy stands 69 inches high, 39 inches wide and 20 inches deep. The bench-made piece contains a brass plaque that reads "Lelia T. Woodruff & Francis J. Stokes, M-6-26-1912." It has an $800-$1,000 estimate.

Topping the clocks in the sale is a 19th-century Federal tall case clock having a broken arch bonnet and a 30-hour movement. In a cherry case that stands 94 inches high, the clock has a $900-$1,200 estimate.

The holiday sale will include many dazzling pieces of jewelry. A sapphire and diamond ring has four half-carat round-cut blue sapphires surrounded by 16 round brilliant-cut diamonds and six single-cut accent diamonds in an18-karat yellow gold setting. With the diamonds totaling approximately 2.45 carats, the ring has a $2,500-$3,500 estimate. A ladies mesh 22-karat yellow gold bracelet having a marquis-shape lapis lazuli cabochon stone is estimated at $1,500-$2,000.

Among the fascinating smalls in the sale is a carved bone whistle in the shape of a dog’s head. Dating to the late 1800s, the 2 1/2-inch-long whistle has great detail and glass eyes. This unique item sports a $200-$300 estimate.

Previewing will take place Friday, Nov. 27, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 28, from 7 a.m. until the start of the sale.

For details phone 610-574-9010.

View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Click here to view Wiederseim Associates, Inc.'s complete catalog.

CHESTER, N.Y. - William J. Jenack Auctioneers will present its end of fall sale on Sunday, Nov. 22, beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern. The auction includes a collection of Native American Indian baskets and jewelry; a collection of fine Chinese antiques; paintings and artwork by such artists as Eugen Kampf and Rufino Tamayo; vintage and modern cameras, optics and related accessories; and 19th- and 20th-century furniture including custom and period and architectural room fittings. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

The American Indian baskets were collected in the 1930s and 1940s by A. Thomas Henderson of Middletown, N.Y. Henderson is a well-known local historian, author and antiquarian bookseller. Henderson’s books included several on the history and tragedy of the American Indians, especially those of the Orange County region of New York. Henderson has an interest in the history of Native Americans as he shares bloodlines with them. The baskets are mostly of Pima or Apache origin and in fine condition. They carry estimates of $200-$3,000.

Highlights of the Chinese works of art are a Sung Dynasty carved and polychromed wood figure of Avalokitesvara perched upon a rocky outcropping, estimate of $12,000-$18,000. The statue is part of the collection of American artist Ben Birillo and carries an Orenda Authenticity Certificate. Also offered from Birillo’s collection is a finely carved limestone head of Buddha of the Sui Dynasty, estimate of $10,000-$15,000. It too has an Orenda Authenticity Certificate and is also part of the ex-collection of Ludwig Brectschnieder, Munich.

Following those two star lots are a Sung Dynasty pottery cat form pillow, estimate of $1,500-$2,500; Chinese Han Dynasty polychromed pottery pillow, estimate of $800-$1,200; Sung Dynasty double gourd form vase with applied decoration, estimate of $800-$1,200.

Furniture of note include an American Chippendale-style cherry tall chest of drawers, Victorian carved walnut secretary and a fine diminutive New York Federal carved settee with dolphins and fully carved hairy paw feet front and back. In addition there are several other pieces of 19th- and 20th-century furnishings, Oriental carpets and accessories.

Perhaps the largest and potentially most interesting lots in the sale are two 19th-century architectural carved and paneled rooms from the Clemson Brother’s-Star Hacksaw Co., Middletown, N.Y. The president’s office consists of walnut paneling, crown moldings, doors, fireplace surround, marble sink and fitted lavatory, window moldings and built-in shutters. The payroll office has outfitted in oak panels with cabinets, doors, crown moldings, window moldings and shutters. Other offerings from the factory are original nickel plated gas-o-liers (electrified), elaborate wrought iron fencing with stars and flame standards and a fantastic bronze fireplace surround with fender, andirons and bronze gas logs. All fittings are to be sold in place and removed by the buyer.

For details call William J. Jenack offices at (845) 469-9095 or visit the Web site www.jenack.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Click here to view William J. Jenack Auctioneers' complete catalog.

LONDON – Phillips de Pury & Co.’s new series of theme auctions held in London and New York blends contemporary art and popular culture in an exciting, innovative way. Their third MUSIC theme sale, which will take place on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 21, 2009 at the company’s London galleries, adds a new dimension to the auction experience with the introduction of live music and a cross-pollination of artistic sources.

The sale – featuring Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com – will incorporate four components: contemporary art and design with a reference to music, art created by contemporary musicians, portraits of contemporary musicians by top photographers, and music memorabilia.

Simon de Pury, chairman of Phillips de Pury & Co., commented: “Whether it’s Peter Blake creating the ultimate album cover for the Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles in the 60’s or more recently, Damien Hirst doing all the fabulous artwork for the last two releases of The Hours, there has been an inextricably close link between art and music.”

Top lots include two works by Damien Hirst, Beautiful Psychedelic Rays of Dancing Love Hours Spin Painting, 2008; and Spin Skull with Clocks in Eyes, 2008. Both works were produced in collaboration with the band The Hours.

Also included is a silkscreen on paper by Andy Warhol titled Michael Jackson, 1984, and a work on paper by Martin Kippenberger, Untitled (Self Portrait, Chelsea Hotel), 1990. These top works will be auctioned off alongside artworks by other important names in contemporary art, including Sam Taylor-Wood, Thomas Hirschhorn and Candice Breitz.

The inclusion of artworks created by contemporary musicians is the section that Phillips de Pury is proud to introduce as part of this new concept. Presenting some of the biggest names in music alongside some of the celebrated contemporary artists of today, the sale provides a new dynamic and dialogue between art and music. Some of the works included in this section are by Nick Rhodes, Pete Doherty, Moby, and Marilyn Manson.

Photography will play a large roll in the sale, with contemporary photographs of musicians and rock stars by top photographers such as Helmut Newton, Peter Lindbergh and Mario Testino. Key photography lots include Jonas Mekas’s Collection of 40 Film Stills, and Peter Lindbergh’s triptych, Keith Richards, New York, 1999.

In addition, rock, pop and hip hop memorabilia round out the auction, with such inclusions as hip hop jewelry, fashion, toys, musical instruments and lyrics. Top lots include Damon Dash’s platinum and Asscher-cut diamond cross pendant, and Bob Dylan’s signed Greatest Hits album cover. A limited edition Gibson Flying V electric guitar, used by Michael Jackson in the video for Scream will also be offered, alongside Björk’s multicolored couture dress designed by Bernhard Willhelm and worn during her Volta Tour.

According to Phillips de Pury, the MUSIC sale will be the first auction ever to be held with live music. The acclaimed musician Matthew Herbert, will create a “sound carpet” to accompany the auction conducted by Simon de Pury.

A new printed catalog in the form of an art and lifestyle magazine has been created for the theme sales. Every catalog includes interviews with artists, curators and collectors, art world news and more. The MUSIC sale catalogue will include articles on: Martin Creed, Jónsi and Alex, Matthew Herbert, Daniel Birnbaum, Christian Marclay, Graham Coxon, Goldie and Jeffrey Lewis, and an interview with Damien Hirst.

For information regarding the sale, call Phillips de Pury in London at 011 44 207 318 4010. Visit them on the Web at www.phillipsdepury.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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Click here to view Phillips de Pury & Company's complete catalog.

NEW ORLEANS – Nearly 1, 500 lots of antiques and fine art will be sold at New Orleans Auction Galleries’ Winter Sale on Nov. 21-22. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

Fine Continental furniture will be some of the many highlights. A grand Italian mahogany secrétaire à abattant, made in the first quarter of the 18th century, carries a $12,000-$18,000 estimate. It features a case fitted with a frieze drawer over a drop front, centered by an elaborate inlaid intarsia panel of musical and foliate patterns. The interior is fitted with an arched galleried platform centered by a gilt putto and with a mirrored back. Supported by dolphin-head feet, the case stands 66 inches high, 42 inches wide and 21 inches deep.

A Regency mahogany and ebony-inlaid sideboard from the first quarter of the 19th center is a large and impressive piece. The sideboard, which measures 39 inches high by 99 inches long and 28 inches deep, disassembles for ease of transportation. It has an $8,000-$12,000 estimate.

Art will include fine old paintings as well as contemporary works. A standout example of the former is by John Neagle (American, 1796-1865), Portrait of Mrs. Negus and Her Granddaughter Susan Negus. The oil on canvas, 36 inches by 28 1/4 inches is dated 1851. Neagle was born in Boston, but worked most of his career in Philadelphia where he had success as a portrait artist. He was influenced by Thomas Sully, another leading Philadelphia portrait painter, and eventually married Sully’s daughter. The painting has a $7,000-$10,000 estimate.

Haystacks by Moonlight, an oil on canvas measuring 18 inches by 22 inches is the work of Jean Charles Cazin (French, 1841-1901). Presented in an exhibition frame affixed with a brass plaque bearing the name of the artist and the title, the painting has a $10,000-$15,000 estimate. It is signed at the lower right “C. Cazin.”

George Rodrigue (American/Louisiana, Contemporary) is famous for his Blue Dog artwork, and New Orleans Auction Galleries has two prints for the Winter Auction. Sometimes I Feel Like a Blue Dog is a limited edition silkscreen print, 24 inches by 21 1/2 inches. It is signed and dated “7/90.” The estimate is $3,000-$5,000.

The two-day auction will contain many lots of sterling silver and estate jewelry.

For details on any lot in the sale, call 504-586-8733.

View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Click here to view New Orleans Auction Galleries, Inc.'s complete catalog.

PITTSBURGH – Modern and contemporary fine art and 20th-century furniture and design will comprise Concept Art Gallery’s auction Nov. 21. Included in the 344-lot sale will be an award-winning work by Pittsburgh artist Samuel Rosenberg (1896-1972). The sale will begin at 10 a.m. Eastern at the gallery in Regent Square, 1031 S. Braddock Ave. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

Rosenberg’s Emergence II, an abstract oil on canvas, won the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Institute Prize in 1954. The 30- by 30-inch signed painting carries a $10,000-$15.000 estimate. It is pictured in Barbara Jones’ book Samuel Rosenberg, Portrait of a Painter. Rosenberg taught drawing and painting at Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University). One of his students was Andy Warhol, whom Rosenberg reportedly saved from expulsion in 1947.

An Andy Warhol Vegetarian Vegetable Soup serigraph made in 1969 will be featured at the sale. The print measures 35 inches by 23 inches and is marked “L” from an edition of 250 plus 26 artist’s proofs lettered A to Z. It is signed “Andy Warhol” in ballpoint pen. In a black wooden frame, the work is estimated at $8,000-$12,000.

A painting to watch is Theo Tobiasse’s Maternité au Chat, a 21 1/2- by 18-inch oil on canvas that has a $10,000-$15,000 estimate. The painting done in 1967 is described as a signature-style Tobiasse painting of a mother holding a child with a cat in the foreground. Tobiasse (Israeli, b. 1927) was raised in Paris, where his Jewish family hid away in an apartment from the Nazis during World War II. Since 1961 Tobiasse has enjoyed ever- increasing recognition and popularity across the globe, with one-man shows in New York, Paris, Tel Aviv, Tokyo and Caracas to name a few, notes the auction catalog.

The sale will open with a nice selection of designer furniture. One of the highlights is a Thin Edge rosewood buffet cabinet that George Nelson designed for Herman Miller Furniture Co. The Model 5720 has four drawers and two shelved cabinets. It measures 32 3/4 inches high by 80 inches long by 19 3/4 inches deep. Showing normal wear, the unit is estimated at $3,000-$6,000.

Numerous pieces of studio pottery will be sold at the auction. A Pablo Picasso pitcher titled Little Headed Yan is red earthenware with glazed and incised decoration. It is and stamped “Madoura” and inscribed “Edition Picasso 195/300 V101.” The 10 1/2-inch-tall vessel has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate.

For details phone 412-242-9200.

View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Click here to view Concept Art Gallery's complete catalog.

The acclaimed 545-lot steam toy collection includes many great rarities, said Morphy’s CEO and owner, Dan Morphy. “The Wagners bought only the best pieces – like the steam-driven motorcycle with sidecar, and extremely desirable steam-driven boats,” Morphy said. “By anyone’s assessment, it’s a premier collection.”

Lowell Wagner, a former auctioneer, said he attributes his early interest in steam toys to his farming background. “Even though he used a gas tractor, my father was one of the last farmers in the area to thresh rather than using combines,” Wagner said. “Steam and threshing go together in history.”

The timeline in the Wagners’ collection runs from the 1870s to modern day, but most of the toys to be auctioned are pre-1925 examples in excellent condition, many of them boxed. The top-shelf entries are those made by Marklin, said Wagner. “Even though they were sold as toys, Marklin steam toys were so well made, they could be models. Part of their appeal is their robust construction.”

A sizable portion of the collection is devoted to steam toys made by the American company Weeden, with several examples that are seldom, if ever, seen in the marketplace. “Some of them were made in very low numbers or are prototypes that never went into production at all, particularly the steam trains,” said Wagner.

The European and British steam toys in the couple’s collection include designs by Bing, Ernst Plank, Doll et Cie., Carette and Butchers (England). Steam traction engine toys and steam rollers are represented by designs from Krauss & Mohr (Germany), Gisea (Italy), Cranko (New Zealand, 1935-1945), Scorpion (Australia), Mastrand (England), J. Falk, and two Swedish companies: ADE Traktor and H.A. Mobile.

Also to be sold are steam-powered boats by the French manufacturer Radiguet and American firms Ives, Blakeslee & Williams Co., and Weeden, which produced the sale’s rare Gloucester and merchant marine ship. From Boucher comes a live-steam outboard motor called the Polly-Wog.

Additional American productions include steam engines and toys by Edgar Side, Buckman, Peerless, Kenton (including two showroom models), Miller, IND-X, J. & E. Stevens, George Brown, Beggs, and Holly. A fascinating Doll et Cie. (German) steam toy accessory exhibits the processes for making cotton, i.e., ginning, spinning and weaving.

The Wagners also assembled one of the largest known collections of vintage Fisher-Price toys, which comprise 200+ lots in the December sale. “This collection spans the history of Fisher-Price from 1931 to the present,” said Morphy Auctions Chief Operating Officer Tommy Sage Jr. “There are several unique prototypes that never went into production – toys that people at the Fisher-Price factory had on their desks.” Paddle toy prototypes include a Hawaiian dancer, bulldozer and early plug-style telephone switchboard. The collection also includes numerous pre-1940 and early wind-up Fisher-Price productions, many with attractive boxes and labels.

A lineup of 75+ pressed-steel automotive toys will be ready to roll. A special highlight is the fleet of Metalcraft trucks, known for their crossover appeal to advertising collectors.

More than 200 lots of American and European trains represent the brands American Flyer, Lionel, Ives, Voltamp and Marklin. A star lot is a Stephen Girard train set in unrun condition with all original individual boxes and a crisp original set box – estimate: $10,000-$15,000.

Marble collectors will be gathering around the Wayne Sanders collection built over 50 years. “Over time, Mr. Sanders acquired some unbelievable hand- and machine-made marbles,” said Morphy. “We expect a big turnout for this 200-lot portion of the sale. The market for marbles seems insatiable.”

More than 100 mechanical and still banks will be waiting in the wings at Morphy’s sale. An all-original Roller Skating bank straight from a house in New York (estimate $40,000-$60,000); a superb Boy Stealing Watermelon with 99% original paint ($15,000-$25,000), and an Organ with Dancing Bear that Morphy described as “stunning, with unbelievable highlights” ($10,000-$15,000) lead the category.

A J. & E. Stevens Jonah and the Whale pedestal bank came to Morphy’s after a program about the auction house was rerun on national television. “We were featured on the CBS Sunday Morning show in 2007, after the $7.7 million auction of the Steckbeck mechanical bank collection,” said Morphy. “The original owner of the Jonah bank, who received it as a gift in the 1920s, saw the rerun of the show and asked her brother to drive it in from western Pennsylvania. It’s one of perhaps a dozen known examples and has an estimate of $25,000-$35,000.”

A diverse array of dolls awaits collectors, starting with 1960s/’70s Barbie dolls and 65 boxed outfits for the teen queen and her sidekicks Skipper, Francie and Ken. Among the German bisques are dolls by Kestner, ABG, B&P and Simon & Halbig (including an 1159 lady doll), plus a nice selection of baby dolls. French bisques are led by at least five Jumeau dolls and one original Tete Jumeau.

Other choice lots include an early Steiff teddy, a Schoenhut Humpty Dumpty Circus Tent with animals and performers; antique and vintage doll furniture and carriages. A highlight is the dealer stock and a sizable selection of mostly French and some German bodies and parts from priest and pioneer doll dealer the late Father William Crandall.

A timely inclusion in the December sale is the holiday antiques collection containing many charming belsnickles and Santas. An oversize (30-inch) Santa candy container with bisque face and blue coat was previously in a private collection in Germany. “This one is special. When a candy container stands 2½ feet tall, it’s not just a candy container but also a statue,” Morphy observed.

The Christmas grouping also includes many beautiful ornaments and an early 20th-century, 30-inch Santa in sleigh with reindeer. “Both the Santa and reindeer are nodders, which is unusual,” Morphy said. “This item was in a 1926 catalog issued by a toy company in Germany, which is where this particular consignment came from.”

Additionally, the sale includes 125+ PEZ lots, 90+ coin-operated gambling, penny arcade, slot and gumball machines; 200+ boxed cap guns, 85+ occupational shaving mugs, and 80+ figural silver napkin rings.

For additional information on any lot in the sale, call 717-335-3435 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet through www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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Click here to view Dan Morphy Auctions, LLC's complete catalog.

SULZBURG, GERMANY – Germany’s “auction house in a castle,” Auktionshaus Kaupp, is making history with its 2,800-lot fall sale. Not only will its Nov. 26-28 auction series comprise the biggest event ever conducted by the company, its contents also required the production of a four-volume catalog – the largest in the firm’s history.

The upcoming sale reveals Auktionshaus Kaupp's stronger focus on Modern and Contemporary art, with one of the catalog volumes devoted entirely to the genre. But director Karlheinz Kaupp says he and his team have assembled an exceptional spectrum of art objects covering almost all collector’s interests, thanks to various extraordinary consignments from Noble provenances such as Villa Douglas, former property of countess Marie von der Goltz; property of the von Brauchitsch and derer von Rom families; and numerous other consignors.

A private collection of carpets from southern Germany and a huge collection of jewelry and wristwatches from a Nuremberg patrician dynasty will be offered, as well as a sizable collection of 18th- and 19th-century glassware from the estate of an entrepreneurial family from Freiburg.

Decorative arts are in the spotlight on day one. From a Thuringian private estate comes an impressive collection of 18th-century Meissen porcelain, including a tankard with Kakiemon decoration, a Lowenfinck tureen whose cover features numerous fabulous characters, a 1780s landscape-decorated tobacco box and a chinoiserie pot with handle designed by Meissen director Johann Gregorius Hoeroldt.

Kaupp will offer approximately 180 special glass objects on Nov. 26, most of which are from the aforementioned Freiburg estate. Highlights include a circa-1744 glass with lid decorated with a crowned coat of arms, and a circa-1610 beaker. Additionally, there will be many magnificent glasses, bottles and beakers with reasonable opening prices.

Also on opening day, Kaupp will present a fine selection of Russian works of art, including a set of important Russian Easter eggs by the imperial porcelain manufacture St. Petersburg. One of the eggs has a portrait of St. Anthony, while another from around 1870 shows a view of the Alexander Newski church in Potsdam from around 1870.

In the Art Nouveau/Art Deco section, one of the highlights is certainly the signed, circa-1910 Tiffany Studios Double Poinsettia table lamp. Another key lot is the bronze vase by Chalon, showing a female nude with ice crystals in her hair.

Jewelry and watches are contained in their own separate auction catalog volume. Among the featured lots are a courtly ensemble of natural pearls and diamonds, and a museum-quality pendule à negre featuring an allegory of trade with the colonies and the ideal of a noble savage. Also noteworthy are two table clocks from the 17th century made by Johann Sayller of Ulm and Christoff Müller from Augsburg.

Day three includes a variety of bronze sculptures and other first-class objets d’art, including a rococo ivory bacchante scene attributed to the French sculptor Claude Michel Clodion. A moderate estimate has been placed on a nice, 17th-century Venetian box.

A finely crafted mircomosaic brooch in an 18K gold mounting depicting the Roman Pantheon, a micromosaic box with a view of the Colosseum in Rome are deemed to be pieces of exceptional quality.

Amongst the Old Master paintings is the exquisite Girl with Dove, attributed to the famous rococo painter François Boucher. An equally impressive painting titled Consequences of War probably came from the studio of Peter Paul Rubens. Also highly regarded is a painting attributed to one of the most famous rococo masters – Jean Antoine Watteau.

After the success of the spring auction, Kaupp is particularly pleased to be able to sell four additional works of excellent quality by Carl Spitzweg. The top lot is undoubtedly the enchanting painting On the Bastion. The painting shows a yawning soldier standing on the top of an inoperative, almost romantic bastion. Other important Spitzweg works include The Serenade and the small, charming painting The Watchmen. All Spitzweg paintings are listed in the catalogue raisonné by Prof. Dr. Wichmann, and detailed expert reports for these works, written by Prof. Wichmann, are available. The three paintings are joined by Landscape with a Small Town, which proves Spitzweg’s mastership in landscape painting.

In addition to traditional 19th-century paintings, Kaupp also offers various interesting works from the early 20th century, such as a portrait of the legendary French vaudeville dancer Cléo de Mérode, attributed to Giovanni Boldini. Cows Returning Home by Hans Thoma was formerly part of the Collection of Georg Schäfer in Schweinfurt, and most recently was owned by a Swiss gentleman.

Arabian Warriors is considered one of the most brilliant canvasses by Arthur Trevor Haddon. The painting shows Arabian men on horseback with weapons, in front of Oriental architecture.

In the Modern art section are works by Rupprecht Geiger, Arnold Topp, Rita McBride, Otto Dill and Nam June Paik. Lovis Corinth is represented with one of his famous and sought-after Walchensee paintings showing the beautiful lake in Upper Bavaria and its surroundings. The North American painter Edward Alfred Cucuel, whose impressionistic works have been influenced by various study visits in France, is represented with a nice portrait of a woman and a floral still life. Sculptures include five exceptional works by Ludwig Kasper. All are listed in the catalogue raisonné by Werner Haftmann, and four of them were exhibited in the Georg Kolbe Museum in Berlin as a long-term loan.

The auction offering is rounded out by carpets, fine silver, prints and books, clocks and quality furniture from the Baroque through Biedermeier periods.

The preview will take place at Castle Sulzburg from Nov. 17-23. For further information call 011 49 7634 50 38 0 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . View the fully illustrated catalog online at www.kaupp.de.

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HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. – Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd. will sell nearly 750 lots of high quality antiques and fine art – most of them fresh to the market items from prominent local estates – on Dec. 5. The auction will begin at 9 a.m. Eastern in the firm’s new facility at 620 Cornerstone Court. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

An array of categories will be represented, to include period American furniture; Continental furniture; American portraits and traditional American art; European art; bronzes and statuary; Southern pottery; estate jewelry and watches; vintage lamps and art glass; Americana; vintage musical instruments; first-edition books; over 70 lots of Asian art; and gold and silver coins.

June Lucas, the director of research at Old Salem Museums and Gardens in Winston-Salem will give a lecture titled Wood as Canvas: the Paint-Decorated Furniture of Piedmont, N.C., on Dec. 4 at 3 p.m. at Little’s auction facility. Lucas’ talk will focus on the late 18th- and 19th-century furniture makers in the Piedmont region of North Carolina and their use of paint decoration.

Previews are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 28, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 3, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Friday, Dec. 4, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. An evening reception will be held Thursday, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m.

Furniture will abound at the sale. Examples of period American furniture include a Southern Chippendale walnut step-back cupboard, circa 1800-1820, made in western North Carolina; a walnut early 19th-century Southern chest on frame, Rowan County, N.C.; an early 19th-century mahogany New York Federal tilt-top candlestand; and a circa 1800 fine Southern mahogany Hepplewhite inlaid cellaret.

Classical American furniture will feature a nice diminutive pier table, circa 1830, mahogany and mahogany veneers, with a marble top, Corinthian columns and mirrored base on carved paw feet; a carved sofa, Philadelphia or New York, dated on the back in chalk 1827, mahogany over white pine; and an early 19th-century recamier in the Baltimore manner, mahogany and mahogany veneers.

Continental furniture pieces will include a Renaissance Revival dressing table, circa 1860, fruitwood and wood veneers with light and dark inlay; a Belle Epoque French escritoire, Louis XV style, mahogany with ormolu mounts; and a lovely Irish 19th-century Chippendale-style triple-back settee, mahogany, with a shaped crest in a carved eagle motif.

Traditional American art will include a still life oil on canvas of fruit by Paul Lacroix (New Jersey/New York, 1827-1869), signed lower left and housed in the original gilt wood frame; and an oil on canvas rendering titled Moonlit Snow, by Aldro T. Hibbard (Massachusetts/Vermont, 1886-1972), framed and signed. A nice selection of European art will feature an oil on canvas work by Patrick Hennessey (Irish, 1915-1980), titled Summer.

Antique American portraits will also cross the block. Some stars of the category include a framed oil on canvas of William Bicker Walter (1796-1822) by Sarah Peale (Michigan/Pennsylvania, 1800-1885); a miniature, possibly ivory, of Robert Brooke (1770-1821) attributed to Thomas Cummings (New York/Connecticut, 1804-1885); and a pair of watercolor on paper portraits by the renowned New England artist James S. Ellsworth (1802-1873).

Southern pottery pieces will include a rare Edgefield District Dave the Slave 5-gallon ovoid form jug, with applied ear handles and an even medium brown alkaline glaze, with wide mouth and rolled rim, inscribed and dated (1857); and a Jugtown (North Carolina) Chinese blue Tang vase, Oriental translation form, with applied extruded handles and strong deep wine allover the glaze.

Examples of Americana are sure to impress the crowd. Highlights include a large American eagle carved in New England in the late 19th century; a 19th-century Virginia leather key basket, oblong form, hand-stitched brown tinted leather; a rare Joseph Farr Bass surveyor’s compass, New York; and a Northampton County, Pa., needlework sampler dated Oct. 7, 1832, by Susanna Lerch.

Bronzes and statuary will include pugilists in pose by Eberhard Encke (German, 1881-1936); four putti in drunken revelry by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (French); a bronze titled Bear by Anna Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973); a 19th-century marble statue of a girl and dog by J. Roulleau; a pair of gilt bronze dancers by Agathon Leonard (French, 1841-1923); and a bronze greyhound dog by Eli Harvey (American, 1860-1957).

Sterling will feature an important Southern coin silver footed silver cup by Leinbach with an applied handle, a beaded border to the foot and mouth and a body with an elaborately hand-engraved landscape scene; a 125-piece King pattern Dominick & Haff sterling flatware and Kings III Reed & Barton, retailed by J.E. Caldwell & Co.; and an important American coin silver beaker owned by William Walker, rector of Trinity Church and Christ Church in Boston prior to and after the Revolutionary War.

Rounding out the top lots will be vintage musical instruments, including a 1915 Gibson F-4 mandolin, serial no. 24534, with red sunburst spruce top and oval sound hole; vintage books, including a true first-edition copy of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, published by J.B. Lippincott Co. in 1960; and around 45 lots of antique gold and silver coins, most of them late 19th and early 20th century.

For details call 919-644-1243 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Click here to view Leland Little Auction & Estate Sales Ltd.'s complete catalog.

NEW YORK – ArtistsinAuction, an online auction house for emerging artists, is joining forces with LiveAuctioneers.com to create a new way to buy and collect artwork from a group of carefully chosen artists from across the United States. Through the ArtistsinAuction online auction and catalog, collectors can buy from talented, up-and-coming artists at price points to suit any pocketbook.

ArtistsinAuction is currently showcasing works by more than 20 artists in a timed auction through LiveAuctioneers.com that will conclude on Dec. 5, 2009. Choose from all forms of media, from photography to painting, drawing to sculpture.

Featured artists include:

Photographer Billy Newman - Billy’s deep interest in the elements of nature that encompass our everyday lives is revealed through the digitally processed photographs of his subjects. Newman studied at Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California.

Painter Alex White-Mazzarella - Alex urges viewers to explore and transcend their worlds and cultures through a conceptual imagination and his use of acrylics, oils, and charcoal, among other media, combining color, line and motion.

Fiber Artist Clairan Ferrono – Clairan creates fiber collages and drawings by piecing, fusing, stitching and quilting both commercial cloth and fabric she has dyed, painted, discharged or printed by hand. She is currently a full-time studio artist living in Chicago. Clairan relies on an emotional—rather than an intellectual—center for inspiration. Her spontaneous work style has earned her national and international recognition.

This year ArtistsinAuction has joined hands with New York City’s Children’s Museum of Art, one of the oldest children’s art museums in the world. A portion of the proceeds from all artwork sold during the December auction will be donated to the museum to help this fine institution further its goal of “celebrating the artist in every child.” For information on the Children’s Museum of Art, please visit http://www.cmany.org.

On Thursday, Nov. 19, ArtistsinAuction will host a launch party and preview featuring art from the Dec. 5 auction. Several top emerging artists will be in attendance to show their work and chat with guests over cocktails. Sponsored by Absolut, the reception will be held from 7-9 p.m. at Studio IMC, 7th Floor, 95 Morton St. (between Greenwich and Washington Streets), New York City 10014. It is open to all who have an interest in the work of up-and-coming artists. To RSVP the event, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

For more information about ArtistsinAuction or any artwork in the sale, call Ricky Lee at 347-385-2424 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Visit the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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About ArtistsinAuction:

ArtistsinAuction was created by Leslie Chasen and Cheryl Peress, both avid art lovers and collectors, after multiple successful ventures in online auction selling on behalf of private sellers of art.

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Click here to view Artists in Auction's complete catalog.

PARIS (AP) – The 18th century porcelain from which Yves Saint Laurent dined, a Cartier watch he used to wear, the leopard-print couches and gilded chairs he lounged on: It's all to hit the auction blocks as the late French couturier's longtime partner liquidates their art-and-knicknack-filled residences.

The sale, organized by Christie's from Nov. 17 to 20, is the follow-up to the blockbuster auction earlier this year of Saint Laurent and partner Pierre Berge's extensive art collection. Billed as “the sale of the century,” the February auction included masterpieces by Picasso, Ingres and Mondrian and amassed euro342 million (US $513 million)

This time around, though, it's the thousands of workaday objects – including furniture, lamps, rugs and cutlery – that are to be disbursed.

Highlights include a 1949 gouache painting by Fernand Leger, a pair of gilded armchairs specially ordered by Queen Hortense of Holland for an 1812 costume ball and elaborate crystal chandeliers.

The auction is also full of quirky items that are likely to have more recession-friendly prices –salt shakers, including ones shaped like pointy-eared dogs; glass frames containing preserved beetles or butterflies; and a blotter with a hand-shaped handle made from antler.

Other unusual offerings include a caviar service set made from shells with diminutive mother-of-pearl knives, bone-handled magnifying glasses, a Malian step ladder, a 19th-century billiard table in walnut and fancy daggers of all shapes and sizes. Mundane offerings are to include yellow cotton curtains, pots and pans and metal lawn chairs.

Many of the objects lack the kind of detailed information about their place and date of origin that accompanied the lots at the February sale.

“This was really a living collection built around comfort and the home,” Christie's furniture specialist Simon de Monicault told The Associated Press during a preview last week. “They kept very little information about where these objects came from.”

“It's really very intimate and very personal and very different from the first auction, which was made up of museum-quality pieces,” said Monicault. “Beyond the usual collectors, we expect to get bidders who are seduced by the idea of owning something that was once used by Saint Laurent but maybe couldn't afford anything at the first sale.”

Still, Monicault said the fact that the lots once belonged to Saint Laurent was not taken into account in establishing the estimates and warned that it could drive prices up.

Among a handful of mythical 20th century designers, Saint Laurent is widely credited with modernizing women's wardrobes by popularizing ladies' pants. Saint Laurent died in 2008, aged 71, after a year-long battle with brain cancer.

Soon after his death, Saint Laurent's business and life partner Berge decided to liquidate the collection the two men spent decades painstakingly amassing – guided in large part by their own aesthetic. The profits from the November sales are to help fund the fight against AIDS.

The objects from this month's sale were taken from Saint Laurent's legendary Left Bank apartment on rue Babylon, his office, an apartment belonging to Berge, and the couple's Chateau Gabriel in Normandy.

Photos of how the objects were arranged in the houses – where paintings, sculptures, boxes, bowls and vases covered virtually every horizontal surface – dot the halls of Christie's Paris headquarters, where the collection on display ahead of the four-day auction.

Visit Christie’s online at www.christies.com.

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

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PHILADELPHIA – Against an expansive wall inside Kamelot Auctions a dozen men stand back to admire two gigantic antique rosewood sideboards that have just been installed side by side. Originally from a French chateau, the sideboards date to approximately 1875. Each one measures 12 feet high and more than 13 feet wide, adding up to a great, gleaming mass of richly polished bronze-studded wood that evokes a magnificent dining hall somewhere in the Loire Valley. Ornately carved superstructures of open shelving are crowned by large bronze central insignia bearing an embellished “A,” while drawers, cabinets and more open shelving define the lower sections, all of it punctuated at even intervals by large bronze rosettes and decorative bronze pulls.

Hundreds of antiques, including many large-scale architectural furnishings like these, from Edra Blixseth’s Monarch Designs Collection, have recently traveled across the United States to be sold at Kamelot Auctions in Philadelphia on Nov. 21. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.

Edra Blixseth and her former husband, Timothy Blixseth, are the founders of the Yellowstone Club, an ultra-exclusive ski resort in Montana. The 13,600-acre club south of Big Sky was sold out of bankruptcy in July.

In June a judge in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Montana rejected Edra Blixeth’s argument in favor of switching her Chapter 7 liquidation back to a Chapter 11 restructuring. The decision required Blixeth to turn over control of her estate to a trustee to begin selling it off to pay creditors.

At the peak of their success, the couple had amassed an empire of international real estate holdings referred to as Yellowstone Club World, a high-risk expansion of their original Montana development project. According to Forbes, in 2005 Timothy Blixseth’s net worth exceeded $1 billion. At that time, Edra Blixseth found herself with miles of rooms to arrange throughout her 30,000 square foot estate, in addition to the expansive common areas of the community buildings on site in Montana. Taking on the challenge as a self-fashioned professional designer and hospitality entrepreneur, Mrs. Blixseth created Monarch Designs, in whose name she spent lavishly on antiques, decorative arts, fine art and other furnishings, amassing a vast collection full of eccentricities and drama.

The Blixseths’ failing marriage, however, was perhaps the first in a chain of events that resulted in one of the most contentious and notorious bankruptcy cases of the decade. Divorce proceedings and the advent of a severe economic downturn heaped upon a colossal burden of debt, including a huge loan from Credit Suisse to build up Yellowstone World, ultimately dealt havoc on the couple’s venture.

Many of the pieces Blixseth collected were generously proportioned and elaborately crafted, reflecting her extravagant taste and her flair for grand gestures as the club’s self-appointed interior designer. One very good Victorian walnut china cabinet with stepped cornice and four beveled glass doors displays skillful carvings of griffins, scrollwork and fruit, and stands 93 inches high and 72 inches across. It is estimated to sell between $5,000 and $8,000.

An inlaid and ebonized antique credenza in the manner of Herter Brothers, notable for its striking, detailed design measures no less than 71 inches high and 62 inches wide. This item is being offered with estimates of $2,500-$4,500.

There is also a good antique inlaid center table in the Renaissance Revival style, circa 1870, also with excellent detail, estimated between $4,500 and $6,500; and an upholstered Italian walnut and gilt oversized chair, circa 1890, estimated between $700 and $900.

The architectural collection also includes several fireplace mantles like one in carved walnut with molded top, tapered columns and pilasters with lions’ heads, circa 1900, estimated between $3,000 and $5,000.

Full sets of furniture for bedrooms and dining rooms have been tagged and arranged in the auction company’s vintage industrial showroom. One particular set on prominent display includes 10 chairs, a table measuring 61 inches wide by 51 inches deep (plus two 20-inch leaves), a china cabinet, a server and a sideboard, all in walnut and so elaborately carved as to appear almost animated. The entire set will be offered with estimates in the range of $10,000 to $15,000.

Bold craftsmanship characterizes this sale, as evidenced by the likes of an artful, Yellin-style wrought-iron hanging light fixture with central Gothic style rectangular panel and three candelabra extending from each end. This unusual circa 1910 chandelier is modestly estimated at $800-$1,200 and could be one of the day’s best bargains

Exterior décor in a variety of styles will be available, as well, and buyers will find many lots in keeping with the grand scale of so many of the interior architectural pieces. Outside Kamelot’s main entrance, for example, a pair of life-size cast-bronze elk standing nearly 10 feet high is ready to welcome bidders, with estimates pegged between $3,000 and $6,000.

The sale will include plenty of antique iron, some cast and carved stone, exceptional stained glass windows and doors, and other highly decorative and interesting architectural elements like an antique copper building façade ornament in the form of a medieval-style face with verdigris finish, estimated between $1,000 and $1,500.

Exaggerated scale and lavish embellishments also permeate decorative and fine arts categories. Larger paintings to be presented include a pastoral European landscape with sheep signed “Armand deVillers,” and another painting with sheep, more moderate in size but more eccentric in subject matter, features a scene in oil from Cervantes’ Don Quixote, signed “Victor Adam” and dated 1892. A three-piece neoclassical style mantel clock incorporates rouge marble and bronze in a porcelain-faced clock box and matching candelabra.

The sale holds the promise of good entertainment and good deals on many curiosities, commercial fixtures and colorful collectible furnishings, too. Many rugs in a variety of styles and sizes are anticipated to sell at pleasing prices. There are wooden telephone booths, antique display cases, industrial tables and shelving, taxidermy and vintage sporting equipment, such as a coin-operated free-standing punching bag with strength meter estimated at $700-$900. A rare pair of carved and mirrored Victorian billiard cue racks and scoreboard are novel items, but also elegant and well-executed

“This sale will potentially offer some really great values on unusual items,” said Kamelot Auctions co-owner Jeff Kamal. “We’re excited to offer our customers such an unusual collection, all without reserves—it’s a rare opportunity."

The sale begins at 10 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 21. For information on any lot in the sale, call 215-438-6990. View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Click here to view Kamelot Auction's complete catalog.

PITTSBURGH – Ray Haradin’s Old Toy Soldier Auctions will present a 640-lot selection of antique and vintage figures in an absentee, phone and Internet auction closing Nov. 21. The spotlight will focus on two important collections known to toy soldier enthusiasts worldwide: the late Dr. James “Doc” Wengert’s collection of figures, vehicles and other scale-model toys related to military medicine; and the 30-year Britains collection of Deutschebank managing director Vincent C. Banker. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.

A third-generation physician, Doc Wengert was a U.S. Navy flight surgeon who served in Vietnam. Later in his career, Wengert changed his specialty to psychiatry and worked at V.A. hospitals in his native Nebraska. Throughout his life he harbored an interest in military medical figures – doctors, nurses, orderlies, stretcher bearers, wounded soldiers – and all the accoutrements a collector might desire in setting up a miniature M.A.S.H. unit, like operating tents, field kitchens, rescue dogs and emergency vehicles.

Doc Wengert was well respected among his fellow collectors. “He had a deep knowledge of the history of military medicine, and he never missed attending the Chicago Toy Soldier Show,” said the event’s co-promoter Steve Sommers. “He could spot a Red Cross on a made-in-Japan tin bus across a crowded flea market. No paint variation or casting difference in a figure was too subtle for Doc’s eye.”

“Doc collected medical figures all through his life. He had it all,” said Old Toy Soldier Auctions’ owner, Ray Haradin. “Although his collection included many French and German rarities, he didn’t care so much about the manufacturer, the material or the country of origin; he just wanted for it to be related to war-time medicine. He liked anything unusual, like the circa-1934 Johillco Abyssinian Red Cross unit with black servicemen and a white nurse (estimate $300-$350). He also had several rare French penny toy ambulances.”

The auction contains approximately 150 medical-theme lots from the Wengert collection. A 20-piece circa-1890 T. Krause (German) medical ensemble depicting British wounded, a surgeon, tent, quarters and ambulance is expected to make $900-$1,200. Another desirable grouping is the French, circa-1930 hollow-cast set consisting of a mule carrying two wounded World War I “Poilu” soldiers accompanied by a medical officer. The lot is estimated at $280-$320

The second premier collection in the Nov. 21 sale is the Britains pre-World War II toy soldier collection of Vincent C. Banker. A Yale graduate and former U.S. Marine, Banker began collecting after an impulsive purchase of more than 500 figures he spotted in a London shop window in 1985. In the years to follow, Banker immersed himself in the hobby, “buying the best that Burt Ehrlich and James Opie had to offer,” said Haradin. “His collection was even featured in an issue of Town & Country magazine.”

Vincent Banker has decided to move his troops on to the next generation, and as a result, bidders in OTSA’s upcoming sale will find themselves in the enviable position of being able to acquire exceptional antique figures from a long-held collection. Highlights include the catalog cover lot, a circa-1900 Britains first-version set 101 Life Guard Band in red. The slotted-arm 12-piece set could make $600-$700 at auction. Another top lot, a beautiful circa-1919 Britains second-version Royal Field Artillery Gun Team with mounted officer, carries an $800-$900 estimate.

The auction also includes a number of quality figures and sets from other consignors. Sure to be at the top of many a collector’s wish list is the 1937-1941 Britains Noah’s Ark set presented in an ark-shape box. “This is only the second one I have ever seen,” said Haradin. “It includes Noah and his wife and a variety of paired animals, including penguins, monkeys, elephants, rhinos, flamingos, hippos, llamas, lions and a polar and brown bear. It’s an extremely desirable set and will probably sell for $6,000 to $7,000.”

The Britains Lambeth Walk set depicting a couple dancing was made for only one year, 1939, and was based on the musical Me and My Girl. The two-piece set is estimated at $1,400-$1,600.

A boxed circa-1920 Mignot (French) Hunting Set with mounted hunters, a variety of wild animals, trees, dogs and a cottage is expected to fetch $700-$900, while a circa-1910 Heyde (German) Old Volunteer Corps set 1387 could reach $2,200-$2,800 at auction.

Manufactured under the banner of Britains’ plastic line, Herald, a 1960s store display farm set with an appealing, colorful box is entered with an $800-$1,200 estimate.

The auction also includes a rare 1934 Britains Father Christmas pencil sharpener made as a commissioned item for Fellowes Office Equipment, estimate $320-$350; approximately 70 Vertunni 1950s-vintage Napoleonic court figures, estimate $120-$150 each; and a large selection of artillery sets with various guns.

“This is, by far, the most diversified sale we’ve ever had,” said Haradin, summarizing the contents. “There are close to 60 different manufacturers and many esoteric items that you just don’t normally see.”

For information on any lot in the sale, call Ray Haradin at 412-343-8733 or 800-349-8009. E-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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Click here to view Old Toy Soldier Auctions USA's complete catalog.

NEW ORLEANS - Neal Auction Co.’s highly anticipated annual Louisiana Purchase Auction on Nov. 21-22 is expected to garner considerable attention from around the country. Typically with a southern regional slant, the trademarked auction has come to epitomize the South - Southerners, what they collect and what they hold dear. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.

Paintings included in the sale range from those of an early historic nature, to those that reflect an International artistic movement as explored by a Southern artist.

A certain highlight will be lot 229, a 1780 portrait miniature of the Revolutionary War hero Lt. Col. John Laurens of South Carolina by Charles Willson Peale (American/Pennsylvania, 1741-1827). The portrait miniature has an $80,000-$120,000 estimate. As a testament to the portrait’s significance, an almost identical copy of the South Carolina hero’s likeness was commissioned of the artist in 1784; that portrait resides in the Independence Hall Collection in Philadelphia.

Another oil of historic merit is lot 262 a Jean-Baptiste Henri Durand-Brager (French, 1814-1879), which depicts the salient moment immediately following the famous battle between the Confederate raider Alabama and the USS Kearsage, in which the CSS Alabama begins its fatal watery descent. This large painting, 32 inches by 59 inches, has a $40,000-$60,000 estimate.

The American Scene Movement is well-represented in the auction by John McCrady (American/Mississippi/New Orleans, 1911-1968) with lot 416, an environmentally visionary painting titled Sic Transit, in which Man and Nature are portrayed together in a state of delicate coexistence. The painting depicts an anthropomorphic cloud casting a dark shadow over a clear-cut, cultivated and eroding landscape. The award-winning painting (1941 Blanche S. Benjamin prize) succinctly embodies its Latin inspiration: Sic transit gloria mundi or thus passeth the glory of the world.

Contemporary social realism is also reflected in the sale with lot 455, Stephen Scott Young’s (American/Florida, b. 1957) socially provocative Flip Flops and Lace, a 1991 watercolor. Likened to Wislow Homer, Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth, Young is considered the leading watercolorist of our time.

Original watercolors and drawings are represented by, among others, John James Audubon (1785-1851) and Charles Courtney Curran (1861-1942). An Audubon watercolor, lot 263, depicting The Stanley Hawk (aka Cooper’s Hawk) is sure to be a highlight of the auction, as original watercolors by the artist are rare. Multiple works Curran, a noted American Impressionist are included in the auction through a collection of the artist’s sketchbooks, which are comprised of more than 100 pen and ink drawings and watercolors.

Prints range from Havell edition Audubon engravings from the Birds of America to a rare 1860 Bien edition folio of the artist’s most famous work. Lot 270, the Bien folio is considered one of the finest examples of large-scale chromolithographic art of the mid-19th century. The Bien edition, named for chromolithographer Julius Bien, was conceived by Audubon’s younger son, John Woodhouse Audubon, as a reissue of the 435 images of his father’s seminal work in an effort to save the Audubon family’s dwindling finances. The outbreak of the Civil War, however, put an end to the ambitious project and only 15 of the 44 projected parts were produced. Neal Auction’s Bien folio consists of the first 14 of these parts; the last was likely lost in wartime transit.

The Belle Cheniere Collection, Paris, Texas, will begin this year’s Louisiana Purchase Auction with a 98-lot single-owner sequence. It features a chronological history of American art, as reflected through various mediums and forms—wooden chairs, for example, from the “Pilgrim” century (17th century) to the early 20th century.

Southern furniture in the sale includes a range of early Louisiana examples such as lot 220, a late 18th-century mahogany and cypress scroll-foot armoire descended in the family of Don Esteban de Quinones (Havana/New Orleans 1748-1815); lot 239, an early 19th-century Louisiana Cuban mahogany petit armoire with cabriole legs; lot 316, a circa 1830 “plum pudding” mahogany armoire attributed to New Orleans free man of color Dutreuil Barjon Jr.

The auction will offer a selection of American art pottery including lot 420, a 1902 Newcomb pottery oil lamp base, executed by Harriet Joor, one of the first artisans to attend Newcomb College, as well as a massive 1930s Shearwater bowl, lot 422, designed and carved by Walter Inglis Anderson (American/Mississippi, 1903-1965). Because of its impressive size and its long-since discontinued uranium glaze, the bowl should garner collector interest.

The 2009 Louisiana Purchase Auction will include a host of items of historic import. A War of 1812 scrimshaw powder horn inscribed “Property of John Lovrien” and featuring the American flag with 13 stars carries an $8,000-$12,000 estimate. Historic letters include a Revolutionary War battlefield letter from the “Swamp Fox,” Brig. Gen. Francis Marion, to Brig. Gen. Thomas Sumter; an autograph letter signed by Gen. Robert E. Lee; and an autograph letter signed by Jefferson Davis to the captain of the steamboat Natchez. Confederate treasury notes will also be offered in the sale. Highlights will include two $1,000 Montgomery notes and a $500 Montgomery note.

Neal Auction Co. will also offer a collection of published and exhibited pre-Columbian art from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Other lots in the sale have been deaccessioned from the Bayou Bend Collection of Miss Ima Hogg.

Part II of the John W. Mecom Jr. Collection of Mardi Gras Memorabilia will be sold on the second day of the auction. Proceeds will benefit the Galveston Art Center, Hurricane Ike Restoration Project.

The auction will begin Saturday, Nov. 21, at 10 a.m. Central. The Sunday, Nov. 22, sale will begin at 11 a.m. Central. For details phone 800-467-5329.

View a fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Click here to view Wittlin & Serfer Auctioneers' complete catalog.

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, N.Y. – A circa-1933 game-used home jersey worn by the New York Yankees’ immortal Iron Horse, Lou Gehrig, tops an all-star lineup of sports apparel, equipment and memorabilia in Grey Flannel’s Holiday Auction, with absentee bids accepted now through Dec. 9.

While a fatal illness forced Lou Gehrig to retire in 1939 at the age of 36, his monumental achievements as a hitter and first baseman live on in the history books, with a career record of 23 grand slams that is still unchallenged. The first athlete ever to appear on a box of Wheaties, Gehrig is in a league of his own, and so is his game-worn apparel. His pinstriped Yankees home jersey offered by Grey Flannel is 100 percent original, with Gehrig’s long-retired number “4” on the back and the name “L. Gehrig” chain-stitched in red on the inside collar. Once part of the renowned Barry Halper Collection, the iconic jersey is entered in Grey Flannel’s auction with a $225,000 reserve. As is the case with all game-used jerseys auctioned by Grey Flannel, the Gehrig jersey is accompanied by a Grey Flannel Auctions Letter of Authenticity (LOA).

Another early game-used Yankees jersey dates to 1927-1930 and was worn by catcher Benny Bengough. The front of the jersey, which carries a $5,000 reserve, is emblazoned with the team name “YANKEES” in blue felt, while the name “Bengough” is embroidered in cursive inside the collar. The player number “42” appears in an identical style of stitching on the jersey’s front tail.

Jerseys worn by stars from the current world champion New York Yankees lineup are poised for the auction spotlight, as well. A 2009 pinstriped game-used home jersey from team captain Derek Jeter, who this year broke Lou Gehrig’s all-time record for hits by a New York Yankees player, features a Yankee Stadium Inaugural Season patch on the left sleeve and his player number “2” on the back. This coveted jersey, with photo match, commands a reserve of $10,000. A game-used road jersey from Jeter’s teammate, slugger Alex Rodriguez, is ornamented with both a “Yankee Stadium Final Season” and “2008 All-Star Game” patch, plus a black armband in memory of Yankees outfielder and broadcaster Bobby Murcer. A-Rod’s jersey has a $7,500 reserve. Both the Jeter and Rodriguez jerseys are accompanied by Yankees-Steiner LOAs.

Documenting an unforgettable World Series in 18K white gold is the 2004 Boston Red Sox World Championship ring with original box. On the left shank in raised relief is the phrase “Greatest Comeback in History 2004,” with a pair of red enameled Boston Red Sox “socks” beneath it. The ring is generously adorned with diamonds and rubies, as well as words and images symbolic of Boston. Reserve: $10,000.

Another premier lot is the 1971 Willie Mays San Francisco Giants game-used flannel road uniform described by Grey Flannel’s experts as “absolutely gorgeous…one of the finest Mays flannels we have seen.” The uniform is accompanied by a Grey Flannel LOA, and Mays’ signature on the uniform pants has been verified by James Spence Authentication. Reserve: $10,000.

Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson’s 1969 St. Louis Cardinals game-used and autographed flannel road uniform features the pitcher’s surname “GIBSON” and player number “45” on the back in eye-catching red on navy blue felt. On the left sleeve is the Major League Baseball “100th Anniversary” patch. Gibson autographed the front of the jersey, adding the year “1969,” with verification by James Spence Authentication (JSA). Reserve: $10,000.

Ty Cobb might only have been remembered for his mean-spirited antics were it not for the fact that, along with Ted Williams, he was one of the greatest pure hitters in baseball history. The Baseball Hall of Fame charter inductee’s lifetime .367 batting average is still a standing record. Two important Cobb-related lots are entered in the sale, one of which is directly connected to the infamous “flying spikes” episode of 1947, in which Cobb sharpened the spikes of his shoes and cut the arm of an opponent, Philadelphia Athletics third baseman Frank Baker. In a hand-written letter to Joe Fisher (presumably a fan), Cobb elaborately explains his side of the story, blaming sports writers for exaggerating the circumstances surrounding “the so-called Baker spiking incident.” The two-page letter, written on personalized “Tyrus R. Cobb” stationery, is made even more desirable with the inclusion of an 8 by 10 inch black and white photo of the spiking incident, autographed and dated by Cobb. With an LOA from JSA, its reserve is $5,000.

Grey Flannel’s 869-lot Holiday Auction includes choice articles from all major sports. A remarkable limited-edition book titled XL Super Bowl The Opus documents 40 years of Super Bowl history, from 1967 to 2006. Exhaustively researched and lavishly produced, this leather-bound, gilt-edged edition with silk-covered presentation box contains 850 glossy pages and weighs an unbelievable 88 pounds. What makes the book extra special is the page of Super Bowl MVP autographs, with signatories including Bart Starr, Joe Namath, Len Dawson, Chuck Howley, Roger Staubach, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman and many more. The book also features exclusive, never-before-seen Super Bowl images taken over 40 years by top sports photographers. There’s much more to know about this fully authenticated book, which is number 76 of an edition of 400. Read the full description in Grey Flannel’s catalog online. Reserve: $25,000.

Among the basketball items of note is a Dave DeBusschere New York Knicks game-used and autographed home jersey accompanied by multiple certifications, including a copy of a hand-signed LOA from DeBusschere himself, in which he states that he wore the jersey between the years 1969 and 1973. The late Dave DeBusschere was one of the most talented and feared power forwards ever to play in the NBA. His trim-style red, white and blue Knicks jersey is a connoisseur’s item and carries a reserve of $10,000.

Basketball Hall of Famer Nate Thurmond was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history, and if anyone deserved to drive a car like the 1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III offered in Grey Flannel’s sale, it was Nate. The vehicle’s spaciousness and luxury appointments perfectly suited the genial giant known for his classy wardrobe and champagne lifestyle. With “NATE 42” California license plates and other custom features such as a sunroof and factory air to U.S. specifications, this regal set of wheels comes with Hollywood provenance, since its original owner was singer Glen Campbell. The Rolls-Royce was previously offered by Grey Flannel; this time it is entered with a lowered $30,000 reserve, which is below the appraised value. The lot includes a priceless bonus: dinner with Nate Thurmond, who will personally turn over the keys.

Also within the selection of re-offered items – mostly Americana and pop culture pieces that have been re-consigned – is a coin-operated “Laffin’ Sal” automaton that was once part of the old Playland Amusement Park in San Francisco. Through a robust interior speaker, Sal’s raucous recorded laughter was a familiar sound not only at Playland but also at the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, where she famously joined other carnival attractions on the midway. Reserve: $2,500.

Making its Grey Flannel auction debut is a circa-1960 bathing suit that was personally owned and worn by Marilyn Monroe. The black cotton blend one-piece suit is a classic style with four buttons placed vertically down the front. The provenance accompanying the item is impeccable. It comes with an LOA from Monroe’s former personal secretary, May Reis, who was allowed by the Monroe Estate’s executor to select articles from the star’s wardrobe as mementos. The bathing suit has a $2,500 reserve.

Bidding in Grey Flannel’s 2009 Holiday Auction closes on Dec. 9. View the fully illustrated electronic catalog online at www.GreyFlannelAuctions.com. Printed catalogs are free to all registered bidders. For additional information, call 631-288-7800, ext. 228 or 223; or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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Edward Carson, famous for his prosecution of Oscar Wilde and for his leadership of the Irish Unionists, was appointed Solicitor General by Queen Victoria in 1900, and these uniforms were his official court dress. Included in this lot are the official documents of appointment and both morning and evening wear uniforms along with specially made shoes and hat, as well as silk stockings.

The uniforms were inherited by Lord Carson’s second wife Ruby, who auctioned them in the 1970s. A Belfast collector has had them since. Most of the rest of Carson’s personal memorabilia was sold to Dr. Ian Paisley. He is believed also to have been offered the uniforms at the time but couldn’t fit them in his car and regrets to this day not having gone back for them.

There is great interest in Northern Ireland in these heirlooms of Ulster Unionism’s greatest hero, and both Dr. Ian Paisley, First Minister, and his son Ian Paisley Jr. are anxious that they come back to a public collection in the province. On the other hand there are wealthy collectors in the Republic of Ireland who might want this distinguished Dubliner’s relics.

The sale features a collection of other scarce items from Unionist history, including two flags from the first parade of the Ulster Volunteer Force in 1912, which are expected to make $3,000-$4,500. There are also several photographs, posters, medals and militaria from the Anti Home Rule Movement from the 1890s to the 1920s.

The rest of this fascinating sale is an eclectic mix of historical and literary manuscripts, printed ephemera, militaria and memorabilia. Fans of the Irish television series The Tudors might like to see a vellum manuscript signed in 1557 by an implacable enemy of King Henry VIII and his daughter Queen Elizabeth I – Pope Paul the Fourth (Giovanni Pietro Carafa, 1476-1557), who was a zealous proponent of the Inquisition and supporter of Queen Mary. This beautifully handwritten 550-year-old document is an appointment of a cardinal by the Pope and bears his signature and seal and the signatures of 28 cardinals. It is expected to fetch $7,500-$10,000.

A fantastic discovery of immense Irish academic and musical interest is a book of original lyrics and music in the hand of Ireland’s greatest lyricist, Thomas Moore (1779-1852). Comprising 176 pages, mainly in the composer’s own hand, this amazing manuscript, now valued at $15,000-$22,500, was found in a job lot of antiquarian books in Wiltshire, England, near where Moore ended his days. Perhaps it will now find its way to an Irish institution for the benefit of scholars of this great Irishman.

For further information on any lot in this sale, call Whyte’s in Dublin at 011-35-31-676-2888 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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