Unforgettable Desks? We Have Them

A recent “Design” auction at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) featured several desks created by prominent midcentury modern designers including Gio Ponti, Paul Evans and George Nelson. The collection was owned by the late Peter Loughrey, a collector, curator and founder of LAMA who frequently appeared on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow. Giovanni “Gio” Ponti (1891–1979) was […]

Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles February 2023 Newsletter Now Available

Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles newsletter is available as a print subscription, or as a digital version that is included in the Kovels Knowledge and Kovels All Access memberships. Start your Kovels Knowledge Free Trial now or login. Kovels’ February 2023 newsletter features modern desks and planters, artist jewelry, bride’s baskets, tin advertising trays and […]

Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles May 2021 Newsletter Now Available

Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles newsletter is available as a print subscription, or as a digital version that is included in the Kovels Knowledge and Kovels All Access memberships. Start your Kovels Knowledge Free Trial now or login. Kovels’ May 2021 newsletter features Tiffany lamps and décor, the modernist jewelry of Mildred Ball, the midcentury furnishings of […]

Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles Vol. 47 No. 9 – May 2021

Southern Folk Art Pottery … Tiffany Décor … George Nelson’s Modern Furniture …  Mildred Ball’s Modernist Jewelry … Vintage License Plates … Pokemon Cards … American Studio Jewelry Marks … Collector’s Gallery … Prices    

Interest Still Strong in George Nelson Modern Furniture  

Modern American mid-century furniture continues to get high prices and attract collectors. A recent Wright auction in Chicago included the designs of George Nelson (1908–1986). A 1955 Comprehensive Storage System by Nelson brought the third highest price at $8,450. Nelson’s goal was to make storage efficient and aesthetically pleasing at the same time. That was […]

George Nelson

Furniture from the 1950s continues to be hot among both new and longtime collectors. And no designer says “fifties” like George Nelson (1908-1986), the design director at Herman Miller Furniture Co. from 1945 to 1972. His contract allowed him to work outside the Herman Miller Furniture Company, and in 1947 he opened his own design […]

Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles December 2020 Newsletter Available

Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles newsletter is available as a print subscription, or as a digital version that is included in the Kovels Knowledge and Kovels All Access memberships. Start your Kovels Knowledge Free Trial now or login. A vintage Eisenberg Ice holiday tree pin decorates the cover of the December 2020 issue of Kovels On Antiques […]

George Nelson Midcentury Modern Clocks 

George Nelson (1908–1986) was a leader in the midcentury modern furniture movement and best known as the designer of the Coconut Chair, Marshmallow Sofa and Ball Clock. Nelson clocks were featured in a recent sale at Wright in Chicago, including a 1961 Wheel wall clock designed by Irving Harper of George Nelson & Associates that […]

George Nelson “Fan” Clock

Some of the most popular clocks made after 1944 in the mid-century modern style were designed by an architect and journalist. George Nelson (1908-1986) graduated with a degree in architecture in 1931. He went Europe and wrote magazine articles praising the famous designers and introducing their ideas and his to the U.S. He suggested the […]

George Nelson Furniture

Today original designs by George Nelson and Associates attract prices into the hundreds of thousands. A dozen pieces sold in a September 2015 sale at Wright Auctions in Chicago, where prices ranged from $1,875 for a walnut and chrome desk, to $17,500 for a green Marshmallow sofa. George Nelson (1908-1986) was the Director of Design […]