Do Damaged Antiques Get Damaged Prices?

Collectors rarely shoot holes in expensive art, but Dennis Hopper, the actor and art collector, thought his Andy Warhol screenprint of Mao Zedong looked dangerous one dark night. He shot two bullet holes in the picture. Warhol thought it amusing and signed one “warning shot” and the other “bullet hole.” The picture, estimated at $20,000 to $30,000, sold for $302,500 at a Christie’s auction on January 12, 2011. It is a one-of-a-kind because of the artist-signed bullet holes, so the “damage” didn’t lower the value. Roseville pottery collectors now classify damage to pieces…