Lessons Learned From the Schorsch Auction - The Practical Stuff (Part II)

I've done a lot of thinking about the Schorsch Auction at Sotheby's. After hours spent studying these pieces, analyzing details and comparing results, I came to the following conclusions -- 

especially about collecting antiques.

American School 18th century

MARGARETHA SIGEL(IN) IN A CREWEL EMBROIDERED GOWN POSED WITH A LAMB

Inscribed and dated: Eva Margaratha Sigelin/Sep 1761, further dated Pinxit Ano 1763.
oil on canvas
36 in. by 24 1/2 in.
CIRCA 1763

pre-auction estimate:  $15,000-30,000.... she sold for $55,000 to an absentee bidder.
Note  the unusual embroidered crewel dress!

Size doesn't count. Not for assigning value, that is. Smaller pieces could sell for just as much -- or more.

Provenance does.

Condition may well be affected by age. (Many of the oldest, most fragile pieces had repairs and restoration. Of course...or they wouldn't have survived so long.)

Look for the unusual...like the child's cap and ancient shoes below. (They all did well.)

Buy the best you can afford.

Look for the Really Old Stuff.

Buy what you love. But...

Don't expect your kids to value what you did. The Schorsches had their rooms photographed, with certain items proudly pointed out. Obviously, they valued those pieces more than others.
     And what was put up for auction? Those same 'important' pieces. Obviously, they weren't as meaningful to the kids and grandkids.

Mourning At the Schorsch Auction at Sotheby's

Thought you'd enjoy some of the mourning-related items from the recent Schorsch estate auction at Sotheby's. 
     This couple really enjoyed this genre -- in fact, they had a 'mourning museum' in a cemetery for some years! Their taste was interesting AND eclectic. Sometimes buyers agreed with them -- sometimes they didn't. 

Poor Old Lord Nelson did terrible; apparently he's not missed much, anymore. His tribute (Lot #815) barely cleared $500, including buyer's premium. (And the auctioneer really had to work to get that.)




This piece did better.



At Lot #747, it sold for $38,000.

FINE SILK PAINTED MOURNING PICTURE: TO WASHINGTON, S. FOLWELL, PHILADELPHIA, DATED 1799

Estimate 8,000 - 12,000 USD

FINE SILK PAINTED MOURNING PICTURE: TO WASHINGTON, S. FOLWELL, PHILADELPHIA, DATED 1799

Signed S. Folwell / Philada Pinxt.
16 in. by 20 1/4 in.

But prices could vary all over. Though nearly all the George Washington-related items did well, this piece, Lot #744, only sold for  $3500. Poor baby.

RARE SILK EMBROIDERED MOURNING PICTURE: AMERICA AT THE TOMB OF WASHINGTON, ATTRIBUTED TO A MEMBER OF THE HUTCHINSON FAMILY, THE FOLWELL SCHOOL, PHILADELPHIA, CIRCA 1810

Estimate 4,000 - 6,000 USD

A tomb inset with printed reserves inscribed, THY LOSS EVER SHALL WE MOURN and SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF THE ILLUSTRIOUS WASHINGTON, stamped American eagle grasping an olive vine in its talons, the whole within an eglomisé border inscribed: AMERICA AT THE TOMB OF WASHINGTON.
21 1/2 in. by 25 1/4 in.




Makes you want to weep, doesn't it...

Embroidered Pictures at the Schorsch Auction - Sotheby's

Why am I continuing to bring up the Schorsch auction at Sotheby's? 

Because it was one of your very few chances in recent years to take a long and detailed look at decorative antiques. Mostly American (also called "Americana"), but some other pieces thrown in. Even the American pieces, like these embroidered pictures, show some European influence -- particularly that of Britain. 
    In general considering their size and condition, these sold well. Mostly.


This one, Lot #765, went for $1250.



Lot #767, shown below, sold for  $750.  Both pictures' pre-estimates valued considerably more than that. Didn't matter -- all the items at this auction sold for what they'd bring. No reserve.

This piece, Lot #769, a mourning picture to the memory of George Washington, went for $10,000.

RARE SILK EMBROIDERED MOURNING PICTURE: ‘WASHINGTON, FIRST IN WAR, FIRST IN PEACE, FIRST IN FAME, FIRST IN VIRTUE’, PROBABLY PENNSYLVANIA, EARLY 19TH CENTURY

Other mourning pieces about George did well -- but ironically, some prints, paintings and such connected with him while alive didn't always sell that well.

Moral of the story: Buy George - but make sure he's dead to get the best price.

This one did okay -- but it was stitched after his death.  Lot #827, it sold for $16,000.

PAINTED AND EMBROIDERED: WASHINGTON AND HIS FAMILY, MARY FOLLANSBE, NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS OR BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS (DOGGETT SCHOOL), DATED 1812

Estimate 10,000 - 20,000 USD

Even a handful of George Washington curtain tiebacks before it went for $4,000.


The Schorsches had several children -- perhaps that's why they appreciated these family pictures so much.

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: How 'Bout Dem Broncos

We're finally letting out a big sigh of relief this morning.

Coloradoans and Broncos fans everywhere collectively held their breath until the last minute of the Superbowl. (Final score: Denver 24, Carolina 10.) True to form this season, the Broncs went out and did their job. Over and over and over again. Particularly the defense. 
     Cam Newton showed his admiration by a sulky interview that made him look like a spoiled brat. (One pundit excused him by saying he could hear Harris expounding on the Broncos' victory -- and after all, who would want to listen to that behind you, while you were talking out front. Uh huh. Sure.)
     I am amazed at all the media types who are now announcing how wonderful the Broncos are, how they knew it all the time, etc etc. Months went by this season, without our boys being able to get a fair shake...let alone any respect.
    Well, now they've got plenty.

Back in Internet-land:

Helping someone who's had a miscarriage. Spoken by someone who just went through this heartrending experience. (From Red and Honey) And building on this...

Struggling with grief -- and infertility. Another struggling post by someone who knows what it feels like. (From I Pick Up Pennies)

What blue-eyed people have in common. Yes, I am one.

A fire-scrumble. Intriguing... from Scrumble-Art. (Yes, there's more at this blog.)

The lives and lies of a con man. Who's currently in the slammer, but trying to bluff his way out...again. (Apparently he's very, very good at it.)

Was the man sucked out of a plane in Somalia really a suicide bomber whose scheme backfired?   Investigators are saying so.

The woman who got her dog back after TEN YEARS. The ex had told her it was dead. (From Life with Dogs)

A very interesting discussion of John Giduck's claimed military service and experience. Is he what he says he is...or is this a case of Stolen Valor? You decide.

A Botswanan prince and a young British clerk...and the marriage which endured, in spite of all odds. (Their story is coming out as a movie soon.)

Sneaky ways to save pennies. Keep reading this forum, and those pennies will add up to dollars.
    (This was the second thread on the subject -- here's the first thread, if you're enjoying it. What's even more important: learning from it.)

Updates on ten viral stories. The male kangaroo cradling his dying mate? He may well have been the one to kill her. Also included -- more on the guy who found the ambergris, mentioned in this post. Only it wasn't... (from Listverse)

Repatriating human remains -- museums aren't doing this as quickly as they would have us believe. In keeping with that, did you know that people used to throw:

Mummy unwrapping parties -- the lowdown.

A secret motor found inside the frame of a bicycle -- and its rider was competing in the World Championships in Belgium. It's all a horrible mistake, the 19-year-old says. The bike was a friend's, given her by mistake. Her bike looks just like the doctored one. (Uh huh. Look at the comments about that in this post.)

Update a thrift shop painting by adding something to it -- an intriguing diy from Country Living. (Just make sure it's not worth a bazillion dollars first.) Speaking of:

A whole blog dedicated to weird thriftshop finds. Page after page, year after year. I only wish she was still contributing to it. And if you enjoyed that...

A BUNCH of thrift shop makeovers that are really clever. Like a teacup bird feeder. (From DIY Inspired)

Eleven ways to make money -- without doing anything.

The ISIS bombmaker who's happy to rig up 'suicide vests' for others, but would never put one on himself.
    “I never thought of killing myself, I am not convinced to kill myself,” he said. “Actually I would leave or escape if they gave me this order. I wouldn’t explode myself. That is another level of faith."

And, in honor of the Superbowl:

25 examples of Peyton Manning's super-competitive nature. Not that we didn't know this already...

Have a great week. We are, here in Colorado. GO BRONCOS!

They Did It!

The Denver Broncos -- 

        Super Bowl Champions.  

All right, guys!  You got it...because you worked for it. 

Congratulations.

Superbowl's Tomorrow...

Go, Broncos!! We're rooting for ya!

Even if you're not a fan, you might want to take advantage of one of these fast food deals, to celebrate the Superbowl. (Although most of these, with the exception of Papa John's, don't seem to be that 'special.')

(Castle Rock, CO star photo from KOAA5, via Facebook)

Pantry Challenge: The Final Week (And Final Thoughts)

The Pantry Challenge has been a favorite of bloggers everywhere...me included. I hope you've been trying it, too.

The aim: to live just on what's in your refrigerator, freezer and pantry for a month -- implemented on a little extra, if any. In my case, I aimed to stay within $5-10 weekly, to cover milk and dairy stuff. 

Except for one week (and I blame Safeway for that), it's been a success. 

My final receipt:   $7.88. 

      That paid for two gallons of whole milk ($1.99 each) plus a pound of butter. (Just started the second gallon on the final day, so technically, I guess I could argue it doesn't count.) The milk got stretched with the addition of 4 cups of water in each gallon, turning it into 2%, instead.
     The difference between that and the ten-spot meant I covered the Brick's purchases.

Meals done --

Breakfasts
     oatmeal
     boiled or scrambled eggs with toast (butter and peach jam), bacon, ham or bratwurst
     monkey balls  (roll dough pinched into balls, rolled in butter, then a mixture of sugar & cinnamon, and baked. The name's origin? It's from 'monkey bread'...but the Brick jumped to a different conclusion.)

 
Lunch/snacks/dessert
     the rest of the brownies, flan (from a box), a spice cake (from a Depression Era cookbook -- coming soon to the food blog), ice cream, oranges, cookies (spice thins, from a package in the Brick's Christmas stocking),  frozen burritos, popcorn, leftovers

Supper
    Chopped/sliced potatoes, carrots, celery and cheese sausage, simmered in chicken broth and topped with a big spoonful of sour cream (delicious, by the way)
    Hamburger Helper 'cheesy enchilada,' made with venison
                    (not so good -- but the chickens loved it)
    Split pea soup (goodby, hambone) and homemade rolls
    Wet burritos -- made with the remainder of the pork/green chili/tomatoes dish from last week, topped with enchilada sauce and cheese, then baked    (the Brick's contribution - wonderful)
     Leftovers
 
Tonight's meal:  spaghetti with sliced celery, onions and canned clam sauce. Plus crackers and a can of shrimp/salmon pate...which looks surprisingly like cat food. (Charley the dog thinks so, too...but he'd eat anything.)

Our shelves are looking a little empty. Our freezer is definitely looking less crowded. We had a healthy leftover balance in the checking account, once bills were paid, as well. 

     So what did I learn?

*It's easy to trot off to the grocery store when I need 'a little something.' Which often turns out to be more. Operating under the "tomorrow" philosophy helps. ('I'll get that tomorrow, if I really need it.')

*I am more of a packrat, grocery-wise, than I would like to admit to. Some of the box mixes, especially, were a year or more old. Which also points out:

*I seem to be growing away from using ready-made sauces and mixes. They grow old on the shelf while I'm fooling around with sour cream, cheese, spices and the veggies I have on hand. (The exceptions: nasi goreng, an Indonesian spice mix that does incredible things with hamburger, and Trader Joe's green curry sauce. My family would kill for that sauce.)

*Canned soup, on the other hand, is a godsend. Whack it open, heat it up -- and with a sandwich or cheese & crackers, you've got a satisfying meal.

*The venison's tastier if it simmers for a while. In a strongly-flavored sauce, or with hours of cooking, it's great. If I try to fry it up at the last minute...not so good.

Who...me?

*The potatoes are finally receding. Our dumpster-diving neighbors regularly bring by five pounds or more of these tasty tubers...and they start to add up. Eating a lot of potatoes this month has helped. So has microwaving and taking them out to the chickies. (They loved them.)

*We eat a LOT of eggs. But when they're coming from your own backyard...why not?


I'll probably keep on watching my grocery purchases for a while -- there's still more to use up. But I feel much better about wasting even less of our available Stuff. As cousin Joy says:

It's all good.