January 2011

A majolica dish, 10 1/8 in. in diameter, made and marked with the date 1535 and a painted scene by a famous artist from Urbino, Italy, sold at auction in Philadelphia for $157,000. See Jan. 26, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Catherine Goddard Chippendale block-and-shell-carved mahogany bureau table sold at a Christie’s New York auction for $5,682,500. The piece, attributed to John Goddard, c.1765, last sold in 2005 for $940,000. See Jan. 26, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


February 2011

A retired worker from the British Cadbury Chocolate Factory visited Duke’s auction house in Dorchester, England, with a Ming vase in a cardboard box. The appraised value of the 600-year-old vase was about $1.6 million. But it sold for only $185,305 in May. See Feb. 16, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 2011

A cardboard box with six pieces of antique Chinese jade inside was stored in a Florida home’s closet for over 30 years. The owners were offered $2,000 but instead had it auctioned. The censer, used to burn incense, auctioned for $18,000, a jade teapot for $12,420, a ram for $6,210, and a white jade ship for $57,500. Chinese buyers paid almost $100,000 for the family treasures. See March 9, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spider-Man’s first appearance in Amazing Fantasy comic book No. 15 in 1962 led to the private sale in 2011 of a near-mint copy of the comic book for a record $1.1 million. It was sold by a private seller to a private buyer. See March 16, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A 10-inch-tall decorated stoneware jug with two handles sold for $138,000 at auction. The decoration was a memorial for Benjamin Herington, a potter who drowned in 1823. The jug was recently found in a closet in California. See March 23, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 2011

A carved Chinese celadon jade plaque, an oval just 6 inches high, sold for a surprising price in March 2011. Estimated at $1,500, it sold for $94,800 to a collector from Taiwan. See April 6, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 2011

A Wayne Gretzky rookie card in mint condition auctioned for $94,163, making it the highest price ever paid for a modern hockey card. See May 11, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The original drawing of the 1986 “Dark Knight Returns” used on page 10 of Issue 3 of the comic book, “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns,” became the most valuable piece of comic art ever to sell when it brought $448,125 at auction. See May 11, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A bronze Chinese cannon covered with designs and words and stored for over 80 years at the back of a storeroom sold for $149,500 at auction. See May 11, 2011, Kovels Komments.
An original drawing of the Yellow Kid by George Luks that sold for $16,800 at a 2005 auction sold at a 2011 auction for $1,673. See May 11, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 2011

A bronze statue topped a fountain in the backyard of a European castle for at least 300 years was expected to sell for $8 to $11 million at a July 7 Christie’s auction in London. It was withdrawn from the sale because of issues with an export license. See June 8, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tintype photograph of outlaw and killer Billy the Kid sold for $2.3 million to a millionaire who plans to enjoy owning it and lending it to a few museums for display. The picture is the only one known to be an authentic photo of Billy the Kid. See June 29, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 2011

An Oklahoma man who started collecting in the 1970s bought rhinoceros horn libation cups because he liked them. The Antiques Roadshow estimated five of the man’s carved horn cups at $1 to $1.5 million, a record for the TV show. See Aug. 3, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

August 2011

The transparent car made for the 1939/1940 New York World’s Fair was sold for $308,000. The 1939 Pontiac Deluxe Six “ghost car” was made to show the mechanical parts of the car. See Aug. 10, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 2011

$373,750 bought a lot of Chinese porcelains estimated at $300 to $500 at auction. The lot included two bowls and four saucers, but it was the yellow bowl the bidders were after. See Sept. 21, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 2011

The world’s oldest car that is still running, an 1884 French steam-powered De Dion-Bouton et Trepardoux, sold for $4.6 million at an auction in Hershey, Pennsylvania. See Oct. 19, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 2011

A 1786 folk art painting of Abigail Rose sold at auction for a record $1,271,000. It broke the previous record for an American folk art painting of $1,248,000. See Nov. 22, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first issue of Action Comics, that introduced Superman, sold for the record price of $2.16 million. Seventy-three years ago, the comic book cost 10 cents. See Dec. 7, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A rare Lalique Fox hood ornament auctioned for $204,750, a world record price for a Lalique hood ornament. See Dec. 21, 2011, Kovels Komments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Story of the Year 2011

Liz Taylor’s 33.19-carat diamond ring that was a gift from Richard Burton sold for $8.8 million and her necklace with the 55.95-carat pearl brought $11.8 million at the sale of her jewelry. The total for all her jewelry sold during the four-day auction: $115.9 million. See Dec. 21, 2011, Kovels Komments.