Eclectic Treasures Shine at Benefit Shop Foundation Auction
Vintage cards and quirky sculptures topped the Odds & Ends auction.
A group of vintage baseball trading cards
from the 1970s and 1980s, $650.
At The Benefit Shop Foundation’s “Odds N Ends” auction on February 19, collectors had 750 lots of antiques and decorative art pieces, estate jewelry, luxury fashion, and many other eclectic items to choose from at all price points.
The top lot was a group lot of vintage baseball trading cards from the 1970s and 1980s that hammered for $650 against a high estimate of $60. Various teams were represented, including the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and the New York Rangers, displayed in a binder with protective sleeves.
A Gerard Bouvier cutlery grasshopper sculpture
dated 1999, 7 in. by 2 in. by 4 in., $500.
Small decorative pieces caught buyers’ eyes, including a variety of sculptures and figurines. Top sellers included two cutlery sculptures by French artist Gerard Bouvier, who started designing abstract and figurative pieces made of cutlery parts in the 1970s: a grasshopper from 1999 made of silver-tone cutlery that sold for $500, and a silver-tone frog made in 2000 that hopped to $275. Other top figurines included a retired Lladro figurine, Blessed Family, with its original box, that realized $150, and a carved Asian jadeite figurine depicting a dragon circling a couple that went for $90.
A retired Blessed Family porcelain figurine by
Lladro, 10 in. h by 4 3/4 in. w, $150.
Jewelry, a perennial favorite with collectors, was offered in abundance. The top-selling piece was a vintage gold-tone necklace by Coro with white Lucite flowers and clear crystals that went for $275 against a high estimate of $80. Coro was one of the largest producers of American costume jewelry and created a variety of designs that are abundantly available for collectors today.
Coro gold-toned necklace with white flowers and clear crystals,
7 in. l, $275.
Other jewelry highlights were a lot of five miniature charms that sold for $200 and included costume, sterling silver, and 14-karat gold examples in the forms of a moving cannon, a poodle, a captain at a ship’s wheel, an accordion, and a horse-drawn carriage, and an Italian three-strand choker of 14-karat rose, white, and yellow gold that sold for $125.
Collectors tend to fill their homes with art, books, furniture, and various decorative objects that can result in a mix of different looks and styles. Collectors also know that just the right antique rug can tie a room together and add character and charm.
A handful of rugs were offered, including wool and hooked examples. The top seller was a handmade Persian wool rug with an intricate multi-toned floral, leaf, and geometric pattern with fringed edges that realized $225.
A handmade vintage Persian wool rug with a floral, leaf,
and geometric design, 59 in. l by 29 in. w, $225.
With palettes of rich, warm colors, distinctive large-scale geometric designs, and nature-inspired motifs, Persian rugs are timeless investments. Another handmade Persian rug with multicolored geometric details was sold for $125. Other highlights included a handmade Afghan rug with a geometric design that sold for $70, an American area hooked rug with a multi-colored mosaic pattern that brought $60, and a handmade wool rug with a tribal-style pattern that went for $40.
A floral wall tapestry by Finnish designer
Maija Isola, 71 in. by 55 in., $90.
Other miscellaneous lots that received many bids were a second volume of the Atlas of Topographical and Applied Human Anatomy, published in 1980, which sold for $475; two vintage Star Trek: The Original Series pamphlets, which sold for $200; and an Edward Gorey-signed copy of The Nursery Frieze, published in 1979, which brought $175.
A vintage handpainted Asian porcelain cup and
saucer with gilt accents, $125.
Photos courtesy of the Benefit Shop Foundation.
You may also like: