TREASURES FROM NEW YORK’S MADISON GALLERIES TO CROSS THE BLOCK IN WEST PALM BEACH

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 18, 2010

CONTACT: BRIAN KOGAN

(561) 805-7115

AUCTION GALLERY OF THE PALM BEACHES

Sale January 10,11, 2011

West Palm Beach, FL

Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches will offer the personal property of the Rubenstein’s, owners of the Madison Galleries.

(West Palm Beach, FL) Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches will conduct a single owner, two session auction on January 10th and 11th, 2011 offering the personal property of Mrs. Florence Rubinstein and the late Mr. Irving Rubinstein. The Rubinstein’s were the owners of the renowned Madison Galleries in New York City before retiring to Delray Beach. The auction will feature over 600 lots of antiques, fine art, and objects d’art that were previously in their home at 20 Sutton Place South in Manhattan.

This collection was amassed over seventy years of dealing and collecting by the Rubinstein’s. Their eye for antiques is clearly evident in the fine selection of items offered. Each object has a quality in execution and detail that is a testament to the Rubinstein’s’ discerning taste.

Some of the highlights are a group of Russian bronzes including a very large group by Lanceray, a collection of Russian enamels, over 75 lots of silver, a collection of very fine Japanese and Chinese ivories and bronzes, 19th century figural bronze and Baccarat crystal vases, a Satsuma collection, a fine collection of 17 Pietra Dura plaques, three paintings by Johann Berthelsen (1873-1972 American), a 19th century Pietra Dura inlaid cabinet on stand, a collection of fine English porcelain service plates, a fabulously large Meissen dog, 273 piecss of Tiffany sterling flatware set in the “Castilian” pattern and an amazing Tiffany glass vase 14” high, pair of Royal Sevres vases, 18th and 19th century Chinese porcelain and jade objects including an impressive 18th century covered vase, coral carvings, a collection of European bronzes, European paintings and much more.

This auction will be an excellent opportunity for collectors and dealers to bid on an array of fine quality antiques and art that are fresh to the market, after seventy years of collecting.

Madison Galleries was founded by Florence’s father Mr. Abe Ash in the 1930’s and its first location was on Madison Avenue in mid-town. As the gallery became more successful in the 1950‘s, Ash branched out and opened two locations in Atlantic City and expanded the Manhattan gallery to 45th and 5th Avenue. As Madison Galleries continued to grow with new connections in Europe, the gallery became too small and re-located to 56th Street and 2nd Avenue.

By the time Irving and Florence Rubinstein took over the running of Madison Galleries from Abe Ash, Madison Galleries had become recognized as one of the major retailers in the antique industry. Their business was expanding and their reputation as a leading supplier of antiques to the retail and antique auction trade was flourishing. Madison Galleries became a recognized destination for collectors, designers, and decorators. In the 1980’s, the gallery re-located to 840 Broadway and operated there until 1995 when the Rubinstein’s retired to South Florida. Mr. Rubinstein passed away in 2004 and Mrs. Rubinstein now in her 90’s has chosen to auction her extensive collection with Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches Inc.

For more information, condition reports, and images of this outstanding collection please see our website at www.AGOPB.com or call 561-805-7115 and ask for Mr. Leslie Baker or Mr. Brian Kogan. Preview will begin on-line on December 18th and in our gallery starting on January 6th. The Gallery is located at 1609 South Dixie Hwy, Suite 5, West Palm Beach, Florida 33401. Absentee, phone Bids, and internet bidding is available on LiveAuctioneers.com.

Captions for Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches January 10, 11, 2011 auction

 Evgeni Lanceray “The Capture” Bronze Group, F. Chopin Mark, 16 ¾” h. , 25 1/8” L

Russian Silver Gilt & Enamel Pedestal Bowl by Kuzmichev, 1899, 5 ¾” h., 9 7/8” L

English Silver Monteith Bowl, London 1891, (75 oz.), 8 ¾” h., 12 ½” dia

French 19th C. Gilt Bronze & Cut Glass Vase, 29 7/8” h

 

Massive Chinese 18th C. Famille Rose Vase & Cover, 32” h

 

 Northern Italian 19th C. Pietra Dura & Gilt Bronze Cabinet on Stand

ARTS & CRAFTS FOUNTAIN SAVED FROM THE WRECKING BALL BY WOODEN NICKEL ANTIQUES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 2, 2010


CONTACT: Michael Williams

(513) 241-2985

The Cincinnati antiques dealer and architectural salvage firm rescued the decorative tile fountain days ahead of the demolition crew.


(CINCINNATI, OH) – Preserving this piece of Cincinnati history was a job most contractors would not be interested in even bidding on due to possible damage and difficulty according to Michael Williams, owner of Wooden Nickel Antiques. But Williams has done it before.

The decorative tile fountain was installed on a wall in the Wheatley Tile showroom building when it was built in the early 1920s. It was laid tile by tile on a brick wall covered with a two inch veneer of concrete set on two levels. The top half was in the entrance hall and the bottom half was about two feet lower in the original showroom and set in concrete. Since the concrete is harder than the tiles and the tiles tend to break, the removal of the entire wall was required to remove the fountain intact. Williams secured the salvage contract with less than two weeks to go before demolition.

T. J. Wheatley began his career in Cincinnati in the early 1870s working for Dayton Street/Coulton Pottery. In 1879 the Cincinnati Pottery Company was formed as a vehicle for Wheatley and his students. By the end of 1880 Wheatley was successfully selling to Tiffany & Co and he worked for Weller in 1897. In 1903 Wheatley and Issac Kahn formed the Wheatley Pottery Company making art pottery, garden ware and architectural items. It was in the lobby of this company’s showroom that the fountain was installed.

Williams and Wooden Nickel have a history of fountain removal having successfully removed several fountains made by famous Arts & Crafts artist Ernest Batchelder. In the 1980s the firm acquired and removed a seven foot figural fountain designed by Clement Barnhorn for the Cincinnati pottery firm Rookwood. That fountain now resides in the Cincinnati Art Museum.

In seven days of non stop work beginning in early October Wooden Nickel’s experienced crew of concrete cutters, riggers and craftsmen shored up the ceiling and freed the wall from the foundation to build a protective wooden crate around it and the fountain with heavy duty stretch wrap around excelsior protective packing underneath. Then a metal frame was welded around the crate so it could be lifted out of place using three 2,000 pound chain hoists. The 4,000 pound package was then tipped on its side to make the journey out the door to the truck.

In addition to the fountain the project included the salvage of the pair of 9 foot tall mosaic tile columns with gilt Corinthian capitols that originally flanked the fountain, a pair of bronze exterior sconces that were on each side of the massive entrance door with a bronze grill and a pair of impressive 9 foot tall oak arched doors. A number of 6 by 6 inch Wheatley decorative tiles from around the showroom and many decorative floor tiles, including two cold air returns depicting parrots, were recovered.

When cleaned and prepared all of the artifacts from this historical building will be displayed in the Wooden Nickel Antiques showrooms in Cincinnati located at 1400-1414 Central Parkway. Wooden Nickel deals primarily in 19th and 20th century decorative arts and has made a name for itself in art and artifacts with a Cincinnati provenance such as Cincinnati Art Carved furniture, works by local artist T. C. Lindsay, works by 19th century Cincinnati craftsmen Mitchell and Rammelsberg, items from the Cincinnati Artistic Iron Works and many examples from Cincinnati’s turn of the century leaded glass studios.

For more information contact Wooden Nickel at (513) 241-2985, email woodennickel@fuse.net or visit the website at http://www.woodennickelantiques.net

written by:
Fred Taylor
www.furnituredetective.com
800-387-6377


PHOTO CAPTIONS FOR WOODEN NICKEL

Original Wheatley Tile showroom prior to demolition.

 



 One of a pair of mosaic columns

 










 




 Wheatley cold air return depicting parrots

 










 

 The fountain and the wall have been cut from the building. 

 



 












A steel frame has been welded around the wall section so it can be lifted by chain hoist.

 
 







 









The crated wall section has been tipped on it side for the trip to the Wooden Nickel showroom.


 










 


The Wheatley Tile Showroom prior to demolition.

 


A 6 x 6in Wheatley wall tile depicting a knight.
















 






Wooden Nickel owner Michael Williams stand beside the recovered fountain in the Wooden Nickel showroom.


 

LABOR DAY WEEKEND WAS HOT AT THE WEST PALM BEACH ANTIQUES FESTIVAL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 10, 2010

CONTACT: Kay Puchstein

(941) 697-7475

The weather was warm but attendance, sales and interest in antiques and collectibles were all sizzling at summer’s end.

(West Palm Beach, FL) West Palm Beach Antiques festival owners Kay and Bill Puchstein continue to be amazed and pleased that their creative scheduling of antique shows during the Florida summer has been so warmly received by customers and dealers. They reported that when the Labor Day edition of the Festival opened Saturday September 4 over 300 people were standing in line. They were especially pleased that some of their new and “out of the box” approaches have attracted a younger buying crowd. The Puchsteins said that dealer space for the October 2,3 show is almost sold out and dealers are signing up for the winter season beginning in November.

Every dealer who set up outside did very well for the two day holiday show as did most of the dealers inside with merchandise like A. E. Backus and Highwaymen paintings, lots of oak and country formal furniture and Hoosier cabinets. Vintage jewelry, coins, silver, oriental rugs, were good sellers as were guns, dolls, postcards, beads, glass, pottery, vintage linens and handbags.

One of the pioneering ideas found at the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival is the restoration services offered by Steve Allred and the West Palm Beach Restoration Studios. While Allred’s personal restoration specialty is high end porcelain Palm Beach Restoration Studios works with a network of competent and qualified restoration professionals who cover a broad range of specialties including furniture, oil paintings, art and almost any other category of antiques and collectibles. These artisans and artists combine traditional techniques with the latest technology of the trade.

Visitors can drop off articles in need of Allred’s services and pick them up on a subsequent visit to the Festival. In the Palm Beach Restoration booth Allred displays examples of the network’s finished products as well as accepting new projects for completion before the next event. He also supervises the on-site repair of glass and crystal in the booth.

Allred has expanded both the size and the scope of Palm Beach Restoration Studios, expanding to a 9,000 square foot facility and adding a consumer information service. The Studio sponsors classes in porcelain restoration, wood items restoration and identification of antiques including how to distinguish between genuinely old artifacts and reproductions or forgeries. The classes range from Beginner to Advanced in technicality and are open to the public. The Studio also offers appraisals for damage claims and fraud and offers instruction on how to properly pack, ship and insure antiques and art. Information on all the services and classes is available at the Studio booth in the Festival.

The last of the two day Summer Shows before returning to the three day format in November will be October 2,3. Show hours are 10:00AM – 5:00PM on Saturday and 10:00AM – 4:30PM on Sunday. Adult daily admission $7.00, seniors $6.00 with a $1 discount coupon for adult admission available on the website. Anyone under 16 is admitted free. Early Buyer’s admission on Saturday morning at 9:00AM is $10.00 and is good for both days. There is no charge for parking at the Fairgrounds.

The West Palm Beach Antiques Festival is held at the South Florida Fair located off Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach, FL, 1.5 miles west of the Florida Turnpike and 1 mile east of 441/SR7. For more information contact the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival at (941) 697-7475, email info@wpbaf.com or visit the website at www.wpbaf.com.

PHOTO CAPTION FOR WEST PALM BEACH ANTIQUES FESTIVAL

The Palm Beach Restoration Studio’s booth at the Festival shows off finished results and accepts new projects as well as providing information about their new class schedule.

2010 EDITION OF JOURNAL OF ADVANCED APPRAISAL STUDIES JUST RELEASED

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 20, 2010




CONTACT: Todd Sigety
(703) 836-1020

The Foundation for Appraisal Education has announced

the publication of the third annual edition of its appraisal guidelines.

(Chicago, IL) The 2010 edition of Journal of Advanced Appraisal Studies contains eighteen in depth original research articles, reviews and topical discussions relating to personal property appraisal. While the Journal is targeted primarily at professional property appraisers, it also contains useful insights and information for anyone associated with the business of personal property such as auction houses, estate lawyers, insurance brokerage houses, museums and cultural property conservators.

According to Michael Conner Ph. D, ISA–AM, the mission of the Foundation is to “promote the advancement of education related to personal property appraising.” The Foundation was formed in 2002 as an independent arm of the International Society of Appraisers. The Foundation raises funds to provide scholarships for continuing studies for both new and veteran appraisers by publishing the Journal

The 2010 edition continues the targeted approach with entries regarding research reports, authentication, appraisal theory, appraisal methodology, marketing and opinion pieces and interviews. One interesting article by Jane C. Brennom, ISA CAPP titled “Appraisers vs Authenticators” delves into the role of the professional appraiser as an authenticator as well as an appraiser. This article is available on the Journal website at http://www.foundationforappraisaleducation.org/journal.html. Other topics include “For Love or Money: Antiques as Investments” by Hollie Davis and Andrew Richmond of Maine Antiques Digest’s “The Young Collector”, “The Deaccessioning Debate: What Appraisers Need to Know” by art attorney Mark S. Gold, “Original Research and Innovative Appraisals” by Elin Lake, Ph.D. ASA, “The Art Market: How Lending Fuels Art Crime” by Elizabeth Sebesky,“Fantasy Furniture by Designers: Mark, Mont, Duquette, and Springer” by Soodie Beasley, ASA AM, “Establishing the Appraisers Library” by Jerry Sampson and “ Personal Property Appraising and the Element of Time” by Scott Zema.

The first annual edition of the Journal was launched in 2008 with twenty three articles by important names in the appraisal world such as Leon Castner, ISA, CAPP, the current Director of Education for the International Society of Appraisers, David J. Maloney, publisher of “Maloney’s Antiques & Collectibles Resource Directory” and Daphne Lange Rosenzweig, ISA, CAPP, an expert in oriental appraisals.

The 2009 edition includes articles such as “Market Based Art Valuations” by Jianping Mei and Michael Moses, “Issues in Identification and Authenticity of Artist’s Signatures” by Graham Ospreay and “Combining Metrics, Standards and Connoisseurship: A Weighted Factor Scoring Model” by Robert J. Corey.

The 320 page 2010 edition of the Journal, edited by Todd Sigety, is available for $55 at http://www.appraisaljournal.org/contents.html. Previous editions are available for $35 on the same site. For more information visit the Journal’s websites at http://www.appraisaljournal.org and http://www.foundationforappraisaleducation.org/journal.html to read an excerpt article and visit the home page of the Foundation at http://www.foundationforappraisaleducation.org/index.html

You can contact the Foundation for Appraisal Education at 201 W Lake St # 214

Chicago IL, 60606, telephone 312 924-1832, email info@foundationforappraisaleducation.org.

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF APPRAISERS ANNOUNCES FALL EDUCATION SCHEDULE

                                                                  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                   
August 18, 2010


CONTACT: International Society of Appraisers
Michelle Stearns, Education & Credentialing Coordinator
(312) 981-6778


Five courses are scheduled for September and October plus several Webinars each month.

(Chicago, IL) Director of Education for the International Society of Appraisers Leon Castner, ISA CAPP has announced a full and challenging Fall schedule of courses for ISA member appraisers as well as non-members. Following the successful Assets 2010 Annual Conference in Toronto, the ISA continues to focus on its primary mission of education for its members.

The Fall schedule begins with two classes scheduled for September 28-October 3 at the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Chicago. The course offerings are Appraisal of Fine Arts with instructors Richard Casagrande, ISA CAPP and Cathy Peters, ISA CAPP and Appraisal of Antiques & Residential Contents with instructors David Mapes, ISA CAPP and Karen Rabe, ISA CAPP. All are veteran ISA instructors. Both courses are new versions of the course and include several new topics. Pre course reading and a written assignment are required for both courses.

The Fine Arts course emphasizes the primary categories of fine art frequently encountered by appraisers and dealers – paintings, sculpture, works on paper, photography, animation art, Russian icons and Spanish Colonial art. Major areas of focus include art history, identifying and researching fine art works, properly describing art works and a field trip to a local Museum such as the Art Institute of Chicago.

The Antiques & Residential Contents Course provides information necessary to properly identify and value items falling into the broad category of antiques and residential contents. The focus is on construction and manufacturing, and discerning the difference between “good,” “better” and “best” quality. Course sections include furniture, ceramics, glass, silver, toys and dolls, and vintage fashions as well as general household contents and includes a trip to Chicago’s Merchandise Mart.

Enrollment for each course for ISA members is $1200. Non-members are welcome to register for $1470.

Those courses are followed in Naperville, IL (Chicago) on October 4-5 by the Requalification Course required every five years for members and is also offered as a Distant Education course if attendance onsite is not possible. Castner is the instructor for this course which is essential in maintaining knowledge of current ISA standards, particularly in appraisal methodology, industry regulations and report writing. This course is open only to those who have completed the ISA Core Course or are bridging to ISA from other organizations. Enrollment is $625 with an early enrollment discount. See the website for details of the Distant Education version of this course.

The 15 Hour National USPAP course follows on October 7-8 in Naperville. This course is intended to fulfill the National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice requirement for credentialed membership levels within a professional property appraisal organization. The course instructor will be Roger Durkin, a personal property attorney. Enrollment is $300 for members, $450 for non-members.

The final course of the year is the Core Course. The Core Course is the “nuts and bolts” approach to personal property appraising in all disciplines and is the starting point for anyone interested in becoming a personal property appraiser. The Course is an action packed seven day marathon held in Naperville, IL in conjunction with Northern Illinois University that includes hands on experience outside the classroom. The seven day course includes everything a prospective appraiser needs to begin a new career including practice appraisals and written appraisals. Class activities include inventorying property, using the computer for research on internet sites, finding comparable sales, and will include examples of good and bad appraisals. Enrollment for members is $1150 and $1500 for non-members.

Castner’s newest expansion of the education program is the presentation of several one hour webinars each month. The subject rotates between specialty topics and methodology subjects with some free informational versions included. Registration is open to anyone and ISA membership is not required. Registration details are available on the ISA website.

For information about all of the professional education opportunities offered by the ISA visit the website at http://www.isa-appraisers.org, call Michelle Stearns at (312) 981-6778, email isa@isa-appraisers.org or write to ISA, 737 North Michigan Ave., Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60611.

SUMMER IS A GOOD TIME FOR ANTIQUES AT THE WEST PALM BEACH ANTIQUES FESTIVAL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 16, 2010

CONTACT: Kay Puchstein

(941) 697-7475

Attendance and sales were strong at the August 7,8 Show.

(West Palm Beach, FL) Kay and Bill Puchstein, owners of the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival, are feeling pretty smart these days. Bucking the traditional summer schedule of no antiquing in Florida in the summer has proved to be good thing for the Festival, the dealers and the customers. Attendance was up again at the August 7, 8 Show and the Early Buyer’s program hit a new high. By changing the Early Buyer’s admission from $25 to $10 for Saturday morning entry more than tripled the participation and some dealers benefited from the switch.

One dealer from Stuart made such strong sales on Early Buyers that he said he could just pack up and take the rest of the weekend off. He didn’t of course but it got the ball rolling in the right direction and he had strong sales all weekend. A jewelry dealer from Coral Springs has had her best two shows ever in the last two summer shows and she has been a regular monthly dealer for ten years. One pair of dealers who had not done the Show in several years set up for the August Show and did so well they signed up for the September 4,5 event.

One dealer who has had strong sales at West Palm Beach Antiques Festival since the early 1990s is Eric Glickman, owner of Your Fondest Memories. And he has a good time doing it. He thinks his booth is the best looking booth at the Show since it is filled with all the things Baby Boomers remember from their 1950s and earlier childhoods. He has a nice selection of the coin operated dispensers that used to lure kids of the period with bubble gum, candy or peanuts. He also has a great inventory of the old advertising signs they grew up with ranging from soda fountains signs to ice cream advertising to gasoline and oil ads. But the real bait is the collection of lithographed toys backed up by the pre- War trains.

Glickman says his booth is fun place to just walk by and even better to walk into. He says the most frequently heard comment is “I used to have one like that” or “I remember that.” Glickman’s booth gives them the opportunity to take home the slot machine or the gasoline sign to put in the recreation room. Lots of Glickman’s trains and toys have ended up on customer’s shelves to decorate a den or study. He says it like being able to take a piece of their history home. Over 500 items in the Glickman booth certainly offer that opportunity.

Summer Show are 10:00AM – 5:00PM on Saturday and 10:00AM – 4:30PM on Sunday. Adult daily admission $7.00, seniors $6.00 with a 1$ discount coupon for adult admission available on the website. Anyone under 16 is admitted free. Early Buyer’s admission on Saturday morning at 9:00AM is $10.00 and is good for both days. There is no charge for parking at the Fairgrounds.

The West Palm Beach Antiques Festival is held at the Expo Center at the South Florida Fairgrounds located off Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach, FL, 1.5 miles west of the Florida Turnpike and 1 mile east of 441/SR7. For more information contact the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival at (941) 697-7475, email info@wpbaf.com or visit the website at www.wpbaf.com.

PHOT0 CAPTIONS FOR WEST PALM BEACH ANTIQUES FESTIVAL

Some of us can remember when a uniformed attendant pumped our gas. Can you? You can see this antique idea in Eric Glickman’s booth.

This cabinet shows some of the old time treats like Moon-Pie and Cracker Jacks

 

The real treats were found in the peanut and candy vending machines. 

 

 

 With all the treats you need to something to wash them down. Coke works as does Squirt or RC.

WEST PALM BEACH ANTIQUES FESTIVAL HAS STRONG OPENING FOR SUMMER SHOWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 14, 20 010

CONTACT: Kay Puchstein

(941) 697-7475

New July Show had best attendance since March.

(West Palm Beach, FL) The newly inaugurated Summer Shows of the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival got off to a rocking start with the July Show, on July 3-4. After not knowing what to expect Festival owners Kay and Bill Puchstein happily reported that attendance was the best since the March show and dealers were selling well. Kay rhetorically asked, “Who said a summer show in Florida wouldn't work?

The Puchsteins have announced a change to the popular Early Buyers admission program that should be received very well. For the August 7-8 Festival the Early Buyers admission will be reduced from $25 to $10 and it will be good for admission on both days of the Festival. Early Buyer admission times will change from 8:00-10:00AM on Saturday to 9:00-10:00AM. The remaining Summer Shows are scheduled for September 4-5 and October 2-3 featuring reduced booth rent. Some dealer space is still available for the Summer.

One of the dealer booths that has been a fixture at the West Palm Beach Festival for many years is that operated by Gladys and John Ezzo. The Ezzos have been in the same location for over twenty years and have seen the world come and go by their booth. Many years ago while on a trip to Florida from their home in Syracuse the Ezzos, who owned a retail furniture store, dropped into a Moderneage Furniture store and had new jobs before they left. Later they had the chance to buy an existing antiques business in Pompano Beach and have been antiques dealers since. After opening a much larger shop in Margate the Ezzos decided to close the shop and concentrate on shows.

The Ezzos specialize in higher end artifacts in the area of art glass with selections of Lalique, Galle and LeGras and from the 19th and 20th century. They also carry a variety of Tiffany bronze with a concentration of desk sets and dresser items. But the real eye opener in the booth is the sign that relates to silver plate. John offers a resilvering and silver plating service that is utilized by both dealers and retail customers who need to “freshen up” a silver item but he does not resilver mirrors. John says that stops the most customers initially since resilvering is a hard to find service. In addition to high end art glass the Ezzo booth displays a fine selection of jadeite and unusual kitchen artifacts and usefuls. Ezzo also serves as an authentication service for his many repeat customers who seek his advice about the authenticity of items they have or are interested in acquiring.

Summer Show hours will be 10:00AM – 5:00PM on Saturday and 10:00AM – 4:30PM on Sunday. Adult daily admission $7.00, seniors $6.00 with a 1$ discount coupon for adult admission available on the website. Anyone under 16 is admitted free. There is no charge for parking at the Fairgrounds.

The West Palm Beach Antiques Festival is held at the Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fair located off Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach, FL, 1.5 miles west of the Florida Turnpike and 1 mile east of 441/SR7. For more information contact the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival at (941) 697-7475, email info@wpbaf.com or visit the website at www.wpbaf.com.

PHOTO CAPTION

The Ezzo booth at the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival displays 400-500 items of art glass, art, jadeite and bronze.

UNIVERSAL LIVE TO HOST MAJOR ONLINE ART AUCTION JULY 9th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2, 2010

CONTACT: Martin Shape
(847) 412-1802


Sale to feature two original Renoirs, a Manassier and a Rizzi plus twenty signed Leroy Neimans.

(Northbrook, IL) A signed lithograph of his son by Pierre-August Renoir (French 1841-1919) is one of two Renoirs that will cross the block when Universal Live Auctioneers hosts an online high end fine art auction on Friday July 9 at 3:00PM Central Time. The sale will include 275 lots of original paintings, signed lithographs, sculptures and statues representing some of the best known names in the art world. Also to be offered is an extensive selection of antique and vintage posters.

Martin Shape, President of Universal Live, described the auction as, “Far and away one of Universal’s most prestigious in its fifteen year history of conducting thousands of auctions. Opening bids have been kept competitive and there is the potential for outstanding value in this sale.”

Included in the inventory is a second Renoir signed lithograph, an oil on canvas by Alfred Manessier (French 1911-1993), five Peter Max renderings (one original), signed Warhols, a signed nude and others by Wessleman and works by Rashenburg, Jim Dine, Chagall, Miro and Dali as well as Rockwell sculptures and Pescara statues.

Shape said he believes that less than 50 final full-color renderings of Renoir’s “L'Enfant au Biscuit” Child with Biscuit were produced in 1899. Renoir outdid himself and produced what is unquestionably the artist's finest print. The colors have a pastel tonality and a delightful mat finish. Many trials must have been made before Renoir was satisfied. Some proofs exist of the drawing alone in grey-black; others have a light pink for the face. Unfinished versions were also produced in varying degrees of color. We know of only three final color stone lithographs, and this is one of those few,” Shape said. The other Renoir is “Le petit garcon au porte-plume” Little Boy with Quill Pen. In it Renoir skillfully used background shading in order to centralize the focus and the impact of his son within the composition. This intriguing portrait study of Renoir’s young son, Claude, is shown here, deep in childish thought, as he writes (or draws) with his quill pen. His gaze is that of a child's. The overall portrait is a study in concentration, beautifully rendered with thoughtful lines and form.

Just as important is the Alfred Manessier original rare early oil on canvas Sea. The scene portrays rough waters at sea, with seagulls catching the wind above. The artist also later worked in stained glass, and a hint of that can be seen in the pattern of the waves catching the light. His last work for auction was sold for $54,000 in 2007. Manessier's art today is found in some of the most prestigious private collections and museums.

Representing a “Pop Art” rendering is one of the better known artists, James Rizzi, in It's Time to Buy a New TV. He captures the excitement of shopping for a new television in this fantastic three dimensional artwork. It consists of many individual cut out pieces that were pasted on the background at varying heights, making the vibrant scene really “pop out”. The Artist deviated from his usual small renderings and produced a 26 by 36 inch image size. According to Shape it is rare to find a large Rizzi.

The fully illustrated catalog and registration for absentee or live bidding are available through LiveAuctioneers.com at http://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/22029. 

For additional information on any lot in the sale, call Martin Shape at 847-412-1802 or email sales@universallive.com. 

written by:

Fred Taylor

www.furnituredetective.com

800-387-6377
Captions:

Renoir original stone lithograph “Child With Biscuit”

Alfred Manessier original rare early oil paining of the sea

James Rizzi framed large 3-d art print “time to buy a TV”

 
Renoir original lithograph “Little Boy with Quill Pen”

WEST PALM BEACH ANTIQUES FESTIVAL KICKS OFF NEW SUMMER SERIES OF SHOWS JULY 3 and 4

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 17, 2010

CONTACT: Kay Puchstein

(941) 697-7475

June show had largest attendance in months and sales were brisk.

(West Palm Beach, FL) The West Palm Beach Antiques Festival continued its steady growth for the June 4-6 Show with sold out dealer spaces and very active buying. Festival owners Kay and Bill Puchstein reported that interest on the part of visitors was especially high in the areas of antique guns and 1950s vintage items. Antique firearms do not require a Federal Firearms license and a permit is not required to own or carry one.

One dealer had great success with vintage television sets. He sold three sets in working condition that had the usual arrangement of small screens, around 12 inches, but housed in much larger 30 inch cases. Buyers were delighted to find working models. Original Florida Highwayman R. L. Lewis demonstrated his painting technique while his son R. L., III, explained the method and took orders. One bystander was curious about the assortment of very large brushes used by Lewis. He replied, “That’s so I can paint fast.” And paint fast he did to keep up with orders.

The new Summer Series kicks of July 3-4 with the first of the two day shows. Other Summer shows are scheduled for August 7-8, September 4-5 and October 2-3 featuring reduced booth rent. Some dealer space is still available for the Summer.

One booth that will not available is the prominent lobby booth occupied by Americana dealers Nancy and Woody Straub. The Straubs are veteran dealers in American fine art circa 1860-1945 and American furniture ranging from the Arts & Crafts period of the early 20th century to the colonial period. They have been antiques dealers for over forty years and have family ties to the business going back beyond that. Nancy and Woody have been regular exhibitors at the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival since Kay and Bill Puchstein took over the Show in late 2008.

The most popular items shown in the Straub booth are paintings by listed American artists and the younger buyers are attracted to American regional artists of various art colonies. The Straubs recognize the need for dealers to maintain a diversity of inventory and they buy and sell authentic cowboy gear, American Indian material and they display hundreds of small accessory items from many periods in their booth at West Palm Beach.

The popular “Early Buyers Admission” feature will be continued in the summer starting at 8:00AM on Saturday before the regular Show opening time of 10:00AM. The $25 Early Buyer ticket is good for the entire weekend.

Summer Show hours will be 10:00AM – 5:00PM on Saturday and 10:00AM – 4:30PM on Sunday. Adult daily admission $7.00, seniors $6.00 with a 1$ discount coupon for adult admission available on the website. Anyone under 16 is admitted free. There is no charge for parking at the Fairgrounds.

The West Palm Beach Antiques Festival is held at the Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fair located off Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach, FL, 1.5 miles west of the Florida Turnpike and 1 mile east of 441/SR7. For more information contact the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival at (941) 697-7475, email info@wpbaf.com or visit the website at www.wpbaf.com.

written by:

Fred Taylor

www.furnituredetective.com

800-387-6377

PHOTO CAPTION FOR WEST PALM BEACH ANTIQUES FESTIVAL

Veteran Americana dealer Woody Straub and his wife Nancy will be set up in the premier lobby booth at the July 3-4 West Palm Beach Antiques Festival. They are a good place to start your visit.

West Palm Antiques Festival June 4-6 will Feature Original Florida Highwayman R.L. Lewis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


May 7, 2010

CONTACT: Kay Puchstein
                    (941) 697-7475

Dealer space for the April 30-May 2 was sold out and sales were strong.

(West Palm Beach, FL) The next West Palm Beach Antiques Festival show on June 4-6, the last of the regular season three day shows before the Summer schedule of two day shows begins, is already sold out of indoor dealer spaces with a few outside booths still available. One of the original Florida Highwayman painters, R. L. Lewis, will be demonstrating his skills at the show, offering his paintings for sale Saturday and Sunday and one of his works will be given as a door prize to a lucky attendee. The Puchsteins also report the first of the newly scheduled Summer Shows, July 3-4, is almost sold out for dealer spaces.

The West Palm Beach Antiques Festival had another record breaking show over the April 30-May 2 weekend. Owners Kay and Bill Puchstein reported attendance up 20 percent over last year’s show and all inside dealer booths were sold out and fifty dealers were set up outside. The South Florida weather was graciously mild, lower to mid 80s, with no rain and light winds and the Early Buyer participation was heavy.

A number of Florida dealers had an excellent show including Nancy and Woody Straub with brisk sales of Western art, late 18th/early 19th century smalls and historic furniture. Jim Antonne of Jacksonville sold a large number of oil paintings, a heated oil operated fan and an eight foot long grizzly bear rug. Lyn Kraft, a local Florida jewelry dealer, sold a dinner ring with a 4.7 carat center diamond with an asking price of $30,000. Another Florida dealer offered a stainless steel infinity clock on a pedestal for $2,000 and had brisk sales of oriental figurines, statues and many one of kind items from a South Florida estate.

One Florida dealer who almost always has a good show is the “Doll Lady” Jane Greenwalt. She has always had a love of dolls and when she retired the first time she began to rehabilitate old dolls to give to charity. Naturally she eventually came across dolls she didn’t want to part with so she started her own collection which rapidly grew out of control and she became a doll dealer by accident. And a major dealer at that.

At the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival Greenwalt usually has several hundred dolls on display in addition to bins of authentic accessories such as shoes, socks, underwear, shirts and other needful things for dolls. She strives to be like an old fashioned 1930s doll store with everything for the collector and admirer of dolls. Her inventory ranges from early 1800s “china heads” to newer but interesting 20th century items. She also does doll restoration for customers including cleaning, restringing and redressing. She really enjoys the “fixer uppers.”

The West Palm Beach Antiques Festival is held at the Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fair located off Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach, FL, 1.5 miles west of the Florida Turnpike and 1 mile east of 441/SR7. Show hours are 12PM – 5PM Friday June 4, 9AM – 5PM Saturday June 5 and 10AM –4:30PM Sunday June 6. Early Buyers Admission from 9:00AM – 12:00PM Friday is $25 and is valid for the entire weekend. Adult daily admission $7.00, seniors $6.00 with a 1$ discount coupon for adult admission available on the website. Anyone under 16 is admitted free. There is no charge for parking at the Fairgrounds. For more information contact the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival at (941) 697-7475, email info@wpbaf.com or visit the website at http://www.wpbaf.com/.

written by:
Fred Taylor
http://www.furnituredetective.com/
800-387-6377

PHOTO CAPTION FOR WEST PALM BEACH ANTIQUES FESTIVAL

Jane Greenwalt, the “Doll Lady,” holds two of her favorite characters while getting ready for the next West Palm Beach Antiques Festival June 4-6.

Familiar Face in New Position to Bolster International Society of Appraisers Education Efforts

                                                                                                   

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 30, 2010

CONTACT: International Society of Appraisers

(312) 981-6778

The ISA has created the new position of Director of Education to consolidate and rework its appraiser courses.

(CHICAGO, IL) – Leon Castner, Ph. D., ISA, CAPP, has been appointed to the newly created post of Director of Education. But Castner is hardly a new face in the ISA. He has been a member of America’s largest appraiser association since its founding thirty years ago. He is now directing his attention to revising and expanding the Association’s professional education curriculum to accommodate the growing needs of the Association’s members.

His primary focus is on the expansion of the Core Course in Appraisal Studies. The Core Course is the “nuts and bolts” approach to personal property appraising in all disciplines and is the starting point for anyone interested in becoming a personal property appraiser. However, Castner emphasized that the Core Course “Is also a great opportunity for anyone in the personal property business such as auctioneers, estate sales management, estate lawyers and accountants to get a ground level look at how the appraisal process operates, whether or not they wish to actually become an appraiser.”

The Core Course started as a rotating three part course that sometimes required up to three years to complete in different locations around the country. The Course has now been condensed into an action packed seven day marathon held in Naperville, IL in conjunction with Northern Illinois University that includes hands on experience outside the classroom. The seven day course includes everything a prospective appraiser needs to begin a new career including practice appraisals and written appraisals. Class activities include inventorying property, using the computer for research on internet sites, finding comparable sales and will include examples of good and bad appraisals.

Becky Nix, ISA, AM, president of the Central Florida chapter of ISA and a veteran of the Core Course, said, “There is a lot of complex information to learn in a very short period. Leon Castner has that rare gift of being able to speak to you in such a way that it seems to absorb into the brain in an orderly fashion. He is a teacher’s teacher.”

The Core Course will be offered twice in 2010, May 24-30 and October 25-31 with Castner as the primary instructor. The Course is also available through the Distance Education program of the ISA administered by Lynn Livingston. Rates for ISA members for both 2010 Core Course presentations are $1,150 with early registration and discounts are available at the host hotel, the Country Inn & Suites of Naperville. Included in the registration fee is a 600 page manual of class material and reference sources.

Another class of interest is Advanced Report Writing, also taught by Castner. This class is for accredited appraisers who seek to take their report writing skills to a higher level and includes the use of technology in the writing effort. Photography, software utilization, charts, graphs and visual aids are emphasized in the presentation of reports. This class will be presented in Naperville on June 3-4 and September 30-October 1. Member rate is $650.

Castner’s newest expansion of the education program is the presentation of monthly one hour webinars. The subject rotates monthly between specialty topics and methodology subjects. Two recent editions included Clocks and Oriental Rugs presented by specialists in the areas. Registration is open to anyone and ISA membership is not required. Registration details are available on the ISA website.

For information about all of the professional education opportunities offered by the ISA visit the website at http://www.isa-appraisers.org, call (312) 981-6778, email isa@isa-appraisers.org or write to ISA, 737 North Michigan Ave., Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60611.

Leon Castner, Ph.D., ISA, CAPP

West Palm Beach Antiques Festival Expands Show Line-Up To Include Full Summer Schedule

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 26, 2010

CONTACT: Kay Puchstein

                     (941) 697-7475

Additional Shows have been scheduled for July, August, September and October.

(West Palm Beach, FL) “Everyone knows there is not a whole lot of antiquing going on during the summer in Florida. We are going to change that and make West Palm Beach a year round destination for antiques and collectibles” say Kay and Bill Puchstein, owners of the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival. Responding to increased dealer and customer interest and bucking the current trend in the industry the Puchstein’s announced an agreement with the South Florida Fairgrounds to include the scheduling of summer shows for the mid 2010 season in addition to the regular November – June Shows . Bill Puchstein said “Many dealers who used to set up at the old West Palm Beach summer shows years ago have told us that the summer shows were always their best shows of the year.”

The new format for the summer shows will be a two day affair, Saturday and Sunday instead of the normal three day event during the regular season. Summer show dates will be July 3-4, August 7-8, September 4-5 and October 2-3 with a full day of setup for dealers on Friday 8:00AM to 7:00PM. In another striking move the Puchsteins have lowered dealers’ booth rent by 15% over the normal show fee. The popular “Early Buyers Admission” feature will be continued in the summer starting at 8:00AM on Saturday before the regular Show opening time of 10:00AM. The $25 Early Buyer ticket is good for the entire weekend.

Summer Show hours will be 10:00AM – 5:00PM on Saturday and 10:00AM – 4:30PM on Sunday. Adult daily admission $7.00, seniors $6.00 with a 1$ discount coupon for adult admission available on the website. Anyone under 16 is admitted free. There is no charge for parking at the Fairgrounds.

The West Palm Beach Antiques Festival is held at the Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fair located off Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach, FL, 1.5 miles west of the Florida Turnpike and 1 mile east of 441/SR7. For more information contact the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival at (941) 697-7475, email info@wpbaf.com or visit the website at www.wpbaf.com.

PHOTO CAPTION

Kay and Bill Puchstein are breaking new ground in the Florida antiques show market with a full summer schedule for the West Palm Beach Antiques festival and lower dealer costs.

written by:

Fred Taylor

www.furnituredetective.com

800-387-6377