Featured Have you ever missed an opportunity to buy a great painting?

Thanks SBSVC! I've actually been thinking a lot about that question. One thing I know for sure, is since the art gallery which is taking it to auction receives a percentage commission based on the total sale, they are incentivized to get a higher price. I plan to speak with them on the phone after the shipment arrives to better understand the auction process. I know that some auctioneers will start out with a reasonable auction price to get the bidding started (i.e. rather than starting at zero, perhaps they open the bidding at $500). I'm going to see what the art gallery recommends between reserve or no reserve.

Personally, I think that no reserve might be the best way to inspire competition at an auction. This assumes there are a fair number of people who would compete for the artwork. As it sits right now, I have a total of $70 invested ($11 for the painting and the rest for shipping it to Texas) so I'm not all too concerned about how big the sale is. That was long winded, but essentially I think I will yield to the advice of the art gallery. They have managed to sell 11 similar works (one item they sold was WAY higher) and of the 11 they have sold in the past, the lowest they received was $900 and highest was $4750 so whatever they recommend I will agree with.

 

MrNate, as long as you're comfortable with it, go for it!

Having so little "in it" going in, you're at an advantage, so if it feels right, you probably can't lose.

 

Super nice find, Mr. Nate!

I hope all of you have seen the doco about the "new" Leonardo da Vinci portrait that was unearthed a few years ago. Apparently it briefly hung in a New York gallery priced at $20-something thousand because the owner didn't know what it was. I've since heard $80-100 million bandied about. The ultimate "one that got away."

On a personal level, I had an opportunity to buy a $10,000 table attributed to either Herter Bros. or Pottier and Stymus. This is not the table, but it was similar: It went for $850. I did not want to buy it because the gold highlights on the legs had been painted over ("improved") with new gilt, and I didn't have the money at the time anyway. I will probably never stop kicking myself.

On the positive side, I am the happy co-owner of a ca. 1650 English Adam & Eve tapestry in its original frame with a value of something like $5-10K, and I got it for free, heh heh. I'll post pictures one of these days.

 

MrNate - congratulations on your most ARTmazing find! It is truly these hits and hopes like these, that keep us going. The thrill of the hunt. Trying to decipher the mark or signature. What a fanatisic, deserved score!

 

The thrill of the hunt. And here I was happy to get about $25 in scrap gold today for free.(LOL)

I have friends in Goffstown. Small world.

 

Just a quick update, I know it's been awhile. The auction finally happened today, and the painting sold for $1000!!! I'm beside myself on this one, here's hoping we all find a few more buried treasures.

 

Since we're telling 'one that got away stories'. Was once eying a bracelet on eBay, watched it through more than one listing cycle. From photos it looked like gold set with color change sapphires in panels in the shape of dogwood flowers. Seller said it had marks he could not read. It also looked as though the purple stones were set with the pavilion instead of the table outward, but couldn't tell for sure. Kept asking questions about the stones & the marks; would get replies that were not really answers. My concern was that it was gold filled & amateur seller just not familiar with how that is marked. Just when I decided I would buy it for, think it was, $200, & take the chance, seller took it down. Wrote to ask me if I was serious, should they relist? Said I was very interested, (here's where the kicking begins) depending on the marks.

Instead of putting it back up, they trotted off to a jeweller. Triumphantly reported to me later that jeweller said it was Tiffany & gave him $1,700 on the spot. I cruelly answered that in that case, no doubt it was worth twice as much.

Have had some 'scores' with my cameos, but probably nothing on that scale.

 

Congratulations Mr Nate, great ending for you I love stories like this!

 

I am glad it was still there. I am afraid this is all part of the game. The joy of the search and hoping you have the wisdom to make the buy. Some times you win and some times you...learn.

Congrats on your auction sale!

 

Holy cow, Mr. Nate! $1000 for an $11 investment? Now, THAT's the kind of sale we all need! Congratulations!

 

I bought one at auction in San Diego for $250 because I smelled a winner even if small and if not...I liked it anyway.
Took it to an auction house in L.A. which estimated it at $1,500.
The place was destroyed in the Northridge quake and they paid me $1,500.

 

You know...my answer is not what the OP was after and so I’m sorry I answered this way.

 

Yes, I missed a Daphne Odjig Jerusalem original...but at a $ 5000 mark.

 

Anything made by Cape Cod inmates go high prices!
That is something I learned recently.
I was following a auction held on Cape Cod and a "Nantucket basket" showed up, ...estimated at 40-60.000 us$, ....don't know if I ever came across such, because I never payed attention to baskets during my searches...that changed just recently....

 

be very very careful with these.....Kris....
there are lots of good ones......and many many BAD ones..!!

 

this in interesting too.....
http://www.nantucketbaskets.com/repairs/nantucket_basket_repairs_have_al.htm