Historic 1869 Carson City Mint Scale Sold
For $60,250,
Will Remain In Nevada
And Gold
A large, 155-year-old balance scale that weighed hundreds of millions of dollars in gold and silver in the 19th century at the Carson City, Nev., Mint, including bullion from the legendary Comstock Lode, was sold for $60,250 in an auction in Reno conducted by Holabird Western Americana Collections on Nov. 24. The winning bid was placed by the Nevada State Museum with the backing of donors who pledged funds for the museum to acquire it. Bidding opened at $12,500.
“This is an important and exciting acquisition for the Nevada State Museum in Carson City. Staff, particularly Dr. Christine Johnson and Dr. Josh Bonde, worked tirelessly to ensure this scale was returned to the mint. This item will allow a more complete experience for our visitors. We are so delighted,” stated Dan Thiele, Nevada Division of Museums and History.
“Not only is this historic scale staying in Nevada, it is returning to its former home because the Nevada State Museum is housed in the same building that was used for the Carson City Mint,” said Fred Holabird, president of Holabird Western Americana Collections.
subsequently discarded, according to Holabird.
“It is believed the 5-foottall scale that was built into a waist-high table for ease in use at the mint was acquired by a local resident and later became an attraction at the Nugget Casino that opened in Sparks in 1955. The casino’s general manager, John Ascuaga, purchased the casino from his boss in 1959 and continued to display the scale there. The Ascuaga family sold the Nugget Casino in 2013 but privately kept the historic scale intact, in perfect condition, and in full working order,” furthered Holabird.
“This is the most important numismatic artifact to surface in many decades and is truly a treasure found,” he finished.
By Karl Pass
Salvation Army, Goodwill, and similar organizations often operate their own online auctions. Savvy observers, the same who monitor sites such as Facebook Marketplace, take notice. One recent online sale conducted by a Goodwill store in Fredericksburg, Va., had a Cowden & Wilcox stoneware jug with the uncommon manin-the-moon cobalt decoration. Starting at $25, it ended up realizing $3,660.
This 155-year-old, five-foot-tall balance scale that weighed tons of gold and silver in the 1800s at the Carson City, Nev., Mint sold for $60,250 in a Nov. 24 auction conducted by Holabird Western Americana Collections. The winning bidder was the Nevada State Museum in Carson City, which today is in the building that housed the Mint. Photo courtesy Holabird Western Americana Collections.
“This is the original Carson City Mint bullion scale built for the United States Treasury Department in 1869 by the scale and balance manufacturer Henry Troemner and Company of Philadelphia. It was in operation the day the Mint opened in 1870,” explained Holabird. “In addition to its important function at the Mint, the historic scale was later a featured attraction for decades at a casino in Sparks, Nev.”
making coins in 1893 and the mint’s building that is now home to the Nevada State Museum was used as an assay office between 1900 and 1933.
The Carson City Mint stopped
When the assay office closed, most of the contents of the old mint were considered useless junk by the Treasury Department and
Pre-auction stories about the big, antique scale attracted future auction items related to the Carson City Mint. “A family contacted me and consigned a number of items that were handed down as heirlooms through generations: two letters of appointments signed by President Ulysses S. Grant for a melter and a refiner at the Carson City Mint, and two rare, nearly pristine silver dollars struck at the Carson City Mint. The discovery of more treasures awaits,” stated Holabird.
For additional information, visit www.HolabirdAmericana.com.
18th Century Yuletide Tours To Return At Historic Rock Ford
Historic Rock Ford is excited to present its popular 18th Century Yuletide tours. The General Edward Hand Mansion will be decorated with festive greenery in the style of the 1790s. In the mansion, there will be period dance and open-hearth cooking demonstrations and live harpsichord and violin music. Visitors will also be able to hear the voice of an actor portraying Edward Hand in his
study recounting his memories of Christmas night in 1776 when he and his men crossed the Delaware River and launched a surprise attack against the Hessian Garrison at Trenton, N.J.
During the era that Hand and his family lived at Rock Ford, the traditional English Christmas was celebrated as “Yuletide,” a period of gatherings, games, ghost stories, dancing and dining
with family and friends. Yuletide extended over the 12-day period starting Dec. 25 (which was mostly a day for religious observance) and culminating in the “Twelfth Night” on Jan. 6, which was sometime celebrated with a ball or an elaborate feast highlighted with a special cake. When gifts were exchanged at all, they tended to be small items or tokens of affection and were usually given on
New Year’s Day rather than as part of the Christmas celebration. The museum invites the public to visit Historic Rock Ford for this celebration of Yuletide, a time when Christmas Day was only the beginning of the festive season. Tours will be held on Friday, Dec. 27, with timed entries at 4, 5, and 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 28 and 29, with timed
Continued on page 6
As reported by collector and author Justin Thomas, the decoration referred to as “man-in-themoon” was possibly done by Shem Thomas, employed at the Cowden & Wilcox firm, ca. 1865. The Harrisburg, Pa., stoneware manufacturer was a prolific one in the last half of the 19th century, and unusually decorated examples enjoy a healthy market today with specialized pottery collectors. Other pottery firms also created versions of this decoration, but it is considered to be rare.
Image courtesy of Goodwill.
Milestone Hits The Mark With Above-Estimate Prices
At $1.4 Million Premier Firearms Auction
Continued Strength Seen In Sporting Rifles And WWII Weapons
Milestone’s Oct. 26 and 27 Premier Fall Firearms event held at their spacious suburban-Cleveland gallery attracted strong bidding and scores of aboveestimate prices across many arms genres. The 1,271-lot
This is a sought-after Case (New York) Hunter Model 61215 switchblade knife and sold for $2,275.
sale closed the books at $1,418,000, inclusive of buyer’s premium.
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The line-up of long arms was well-stocked with sporting shotguns and rifles by Winchester AH Fox, Remington, Parker Brothers, Ithaca, Marlin and other manufacturers. A top entry was a Griffin & Howe classic Mauser 98 custom sporting rifle issued in 1945. Built with a 25-inch barrel and chambered in .270 WCF cartridge, this substantial gun was expertly engraved by Joseph Fugger, an Austrian-born artist who was Griffin & Howe’s engraver in New York from 1927-60. The decorative program chosen for this rifle included foliate scrollwork with oak-leaf vines and detailed vignettes of whitetail deer, bighorn ram, and a bull moose on the floor plate. The maker’s records showed that the gun was special-ordered by Harold Erdrich in 1944 before returning home from WWII combat, hence the gold-inlaid monogram “HE.” Its Serial No. 1771 corroborated the timeline and the fact that it was the third rifle G&H shipped in 1945. It sold within its estimate range for $10,530.
A 1903 British M1888 Lee Metford MK1 .30-caliber rifle with British proofs throughout was doubly-dated, with “05” on the left side of the socket and ‘1906’ on the cartouche to the right side of the stock. As further provenance, matching serial numbers were visible on the receiver, barrel and rear sight. According to Milestone’s catalog, a gun of this type is hard to find in untouched condition, a fact that was not lost on bidders, who pushed it to a winning price of $6,150 against an estimate of $1,200-$1,800.
Another fine WWII-era firearm was a rare IBM Corp., line-out M1 Carbine Type 1, in 30 carbine caliber and with a Parkerized finish. It was manufactured in 1944 and assembled by AUTO ORDNANCE. The letter “N” was visible on its flip-style rear sight and flat side bolt, while “AO” was stamped below the serial number and “P” on the middle of the barrel. Further, it was
The 1903 British M1888 Lee Metford MK1 .30-caliber rifle, British proofs throughout, left side of socket dated ’05, cartouche on right side of stock dated 1906, with matching serial numbers on receiver, barrel and rear sight, sold for $6,150. It is hard to find in untouched condition, and with the case.
A rare IBM Corp. line-out M1 Carbine, 18-inch barrel, caliber a 30 carbine, and manufactured in 1944, sold for $4,797.
This WWII captured Japanese Type 99 bolt-action rifle, Series 1 made at Nagoya Arsenal, included papers stating the gun was captured by a Private Young in 1946, no import marks found, matching serials on receiver, bolt, dust cover and front band; it sold for $3,321.
The Griffin & Howe classic Mauser 98 custom sporting rifle, manufactured 1945, exquisitely engraved by Joseph Fugger with foliate scrollwork with oak-leaf vines and detailed vignettes of whitetail deer, bighorn ram, and bull moose on floor plate, sold for $10,530. It was specialordered by Harold Erdrich in 1944 before returning home from WWII combat and bearing a gold-inlaid monogram “HE.”
“Underwood 2-44” dated over a flaming bomb. It sold for $4,797 against an estimate of $2,000-$2,500.
Manufactured in 1934, a very rare Colt Banker’s Special .22LR six-shot revolver featured Colt’s two-line company address and patent
Here, a lot of four Case (New York) XX 5111 ½ L folding knives in colorful Case-logo factory box, realized $2,398.
A rare Walther Model PPK .32-caliber pistol, manufactured 1939, Serial No. 216873K, marketed for private purchase and made available at a discounted price to Nazi Party leaders and officials, it is emblematic of its carrier’s party devotion, and sold for above-estimate at $16,200.
dates on its right side and caliber/model markings on the left side. The distinctive Colt Rampant Pony was shown behind the cylinder release with “VP” marked on top of the trigger guard. Desirable matching serials appeared on both the frame and crane. The gun sold well above estimate for $3,936. There was plenty of bark left in a ca. 1890s “British Bulldog” revolver, likely made by Forehand & Wadsworth, in .38 S&W caliber with a 2.5inch barrel. Small but mighty, it was accompanied by capture papers stating it had been taken from the German town of Bad Lausick in 1945. Markings included “BRITISH / BULLDOG” on the top strap and matching serial numbers (3227) on the butt and cylinder. Presented in a velvet-lined book-style display case, it was chased to $1,353 against a $300-$500 estimate. Many excellent knives had collectors on the “edge” of their seats, especially those made by the New York company Case. The present market for Case productions is very strong, with as many as 18,000 members currently active in the Case Collectors Club. Among the auction lots that found favor with bidders was a set of four Case XX 5111 ½ L folding knives with attractive stag handles, offered in a colorful Case-logo’d factory box. The selling price was $2,398 against an estimate of $800$1,200. Also, a sought-after Case Hunter Model 61215 switchblade knife with mint handles and sized 4 7/8 inches when opened with a full blade could not be faulted. Its action was deemed “superb” and its blade seats described as “very deep and centered.”
Collector Chats With Peter S. Seibert
This Week: The Trade In Collector’s Editions Or When The Market Gets Silly
By Peter Seibert
My daughter, who works for an auction house, shared a story with me recently that I had to retell, the names being changed to protect the innocent. Someone was seeking
an appraisal for a “Collector’s Edition” VHS of a popular science fiction movie. They, of course, had purchased the set believing it would grow in value. A quick look at a single seller on eBay confirmed in their mind that their video cassette was worth “a lot of money” and so they were seeking an appraisal, probably for insurance purposes.
I am sympathetic with the VHS owner; they fell prey to one of the most insidious scams out there, the “collector edition.” Was this some secret copy of the movie that existed nowhere else in the world? No, it was the same movie that we all watched perhaps with an added piece at the end with an out-take added to it. The cassette was
housed in a box and perhaps a free poster was tucked inside. The implication was that this was an antique of the future.
In reality, it was a $5-$10 video cassette and nothing more. But the hype had created a belief that it was somehow priceless. Sadly, the world of collector editions, despite ebbs and flows, has never gone away. Like the panic-buying that occurs every few years with silver coins, the “collector edition” world is fueled by media hype. Buy it now because (a) it won’t be available again, (b) it is so desirable that people will clamor for it whenever they see it, (c) it may be made in a small number (of only a million or so).
The latter point is a bit snarky, but the reality is that these collector edition items lack any proven track record showing they will increase in value. Years ago, I recall talking with a very sophisticated appraiser here in Philadelphia. He had noted that one of the firms who was hawking collector edition items was making claims, in print, of how their products increased in value. He contacted them to get a copy of what they were quoting from in terms of pricing as he legitimately would use it with appraisals. They never responded. The silence spoke volumes that the hype of increasing values was fiction and not fact.
Despite my rants and
those of many others, collector editions will continue to be cranked out in quantity. Ironically, because they have such a following, often prices on some items will track upwards. But don’t let that fool you! What goes up definitely can and will go right back down. The proof can be found on the internet. The folks who wanted to get their collector edition boxed VHS set appraised could have looked a bit further online and discovered that the value of their set was not thousands or even hundreds of dollars. It was about $20. Perhaps one seller really had a huge price on their copy, but the market will not support that and the true value will, and did, come out.
“Born to collect” should be the motto of Peter Seibert’s family. Raised in Central Pennsylvania, Seibert has been collecting and writing about antiques for more than three decades. By day, he is a museum director and has worked in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Virginia and New Mexico. In addition, he advises and consults with auction houses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, particularly about American furniture and decorative arts. Seibert’s writings include books on photography, American fraternal societies and paintings. He and his family are restoring a 1905 arts and crafts house filled with years’ worth of antique treasures found in shops, co-ops and at auctions.
Cobain’s Guitar Rocked And “Star Wars” Figures Defied
Gravity At Hake’s Pop Culture Auction
“Star Wars: Droids’ Vlix” Action Figure Soared To $44,262
A stage-used Memphis Stratocaster-replica guitar that a relatively unknown Kurt Cobain smashed onstage at a 1991 gig led prices realized at Hake’s $2.5 million online pop culture auction held Nov. 19 and 20. The guitar had been played, then destroyed, by Cobain at a small Nirvana benefit concert in Olympia, Wash., four months before the band recorded their game-changing LP “Nevermind”. In the melee following the guitar’s destruction, it was recovered by a local musician who later gifted it to the owner of a record store in Portland, Ore. The destroyed instrument was displayed at the shop and even won an MTV-sponsored Nirvana contest. As its value rose, it was secured in a private location where it remained until its consignment to Hake’s. Entered in the auction with an open estimate, it attracted 21 bids and rose to $157,773.
Other significant items from Nirvana’s early days dominated the music memorabilia section of the sale. The original-art mechanical master for the poster publicizing the band’s
A 1917 Collins-McCarthy Candy Co. E135 #82 Shoeless Joe Jackson baseball card from 200-card series, designated “Authentic-Altered” by PSA due to slightest margin trim, one of only 11 known cards of its type in any condition, sold for $26,780 against an estimate of $10,000-$20,000.
April 17, 1991, concert at the OK Hotel in Seattle where Nirvana live-debuted the grunge anthem “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was signed and
inscribed in pencil on verso by the late Seattle artist Mark Bendix with the notation “Original Paste Up Master MB.” Accompanied by
a bill of sale dated and signed by both Bendix and the auction consignor who acquired it directly from the artist, it sold for $25,700 against an estimate of $10,000-$20,000.
Bidders stepped up to the plate for another heavy hitter that landed in the top 10: a 1917 Collins-McCarthy Candy Co. E135 #82 Shoeless Joe Jackson baseball card from the confectioner’s 200-card series. Designated “Authentic-Altered” by PSA due to the slightest of margin trims, the card is one of only 11 of its type known to exist in any condition. Against an estimate of $10,000-$20,000, it rounded the bases to slide home confidently at $26,780.
Rare classic comic books are always a big part of Hake’s
sales. An important Silver Age comic offered in their November event was “The Amazing Spider-Man #1” (Marvel, March 1963), CGC-graded 7.5
A “Transformers” (1985) Series 1 Autobot Commander Optimus Prime in window box, Hasbro/Plasticos IGA Mexican release, AFA-graded 85 NM+, much scarcer version than Hasbro’s American release, provenance from the Mark Warner (UK) collection, sold for $20,060 against a $5,000$10,000 estimate.
The William Henry Harrison cobalt blue stoneware log cabin bank attributed to Thomas Haig Jr., Philadelphia, represents one of three versions (stoneware, redware, Rockingham ware) produced between 1840-50. Inscribed “1846” under base in cobalt, provenance from the Rex Stark collection, it sold for $11,682 against an estimate of $2,000-$5,000.
Early Printed Manuscript Americana Achieves Strong Results
Swann’s Nov. 21 auction of Printed and Manuscript Americana brought $608,036, landing squarely in the pre-sale estimates, with 234 of the 320 lots offered finding buyers. “This auction found collectors going back to basics, with particularly strong results for the early Colonial period, the Constitution and early republic, and especially the Civil War, perhaps part of an increasing interest in the foundations of the American experiment,” noted specialist Rick Stattler following the auction.
The sale was led by a rare 1643 first edition of “New
England’s First Fruits,” selling at $60,000, which examined the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s first years and Harvard College’s establishment.
Additional top lots included the 1815 “Catalogue of the Library of the United States,” which described Thomas Jefferson’s personal library, the initial core of the Library of Congress ($30,000), as well as three important Mormon lots relating to founder Joseph Smith: a diary of an 1833 mission to western New York with Joseph Smith ($50,000); a family register of Brigham Young
written by Rhoda Richards, one of Smith’s plural wives ($20,000); and a pair of deeds signed by Smith’s grandfather and uncle ($27,500).
Book highlights included a 1784 to 1793 volume of Connecticut acts and laws featuring an early printing of
the Constitution made after the Revolution ($15,000) and AgustÍn de Mora’s rare illustrated 1701 Mexican book “El sol eclypsado antes de llegar al zenid” ($8,125), making its first appearance at auction since Swann sold another copy in 1946.
“New Englands First Fruits...First of the Conversion of Some of the Indian, 2. of the Progresse of Learning, in the Colledge at Cambridge in Massacusets Bay” first edition, 1643, sold for $60,000.
Ephemera included the cover lot, a tintype sheet of 1860 presidential candidate campaign photographs ($11,875), and a set of three ca. 1790 engravings of the “Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico,” which showcase early views of one of the most visited Catholic pilgrimage sites ($7,000). Large archives included papers of Consul James Maury and his family (Maury’s father had been Thomas Jefferson’s teacher), ($5,750); family papers of noted physician Cornelius R. Agnew ($13,750); and records of the Sterling Iron & Railway Company in Orange County, N.Y. ($4,250). No Swann Americana auction is complete without a great diary. Notable manuscript diaries included Catherine Colver Williams, a mother searching the South for her lost soldier son in the
Civil War ($5,750); W. Everette Clark, a Civil War hospital worker describing Lincoln, contraband, and more ($7,000); and the journal of the whaling ship Hunter out of New Bedford, Mass. ($12,500). The sale established several new auction records. A panorama view of the Gold Rush boomtown of Dawson City, Yukon Territory, brought $1,875, a record for photographer Floyd W. Sheelor; the Civil War pamphlet “The United States Conscription Law of 1863,” which established the military draft, brought a record $4,250; Kate Cumming’s “Journal of Hospital Life in the Confederate Army,” 1866, brought $2,210. Daniel P. Smith’s “Three Years in the Confederate Service,” 1885, realized $2,375. To learn more, visit www. swanngalleries.com.
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19711
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East 410-287-8318
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Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers From “The Wizard Of Oz”
Sell For $32.5 Million
They Have Become World’s Most Valuable Movie Memorabilia Item
Dorothy’s famous ruby slippers sold at Heritage Auctions on Dec. 7 for a price somewhere over the rainbow, way up high, for $32.5 million to be exact. One of four surviving pairs worn by Judy Garland in 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz,” they are now the most famous and the most valuable movie memorabilia ever sold at auction.
The Hollywood/
Entertainment Signature Auction set the record for an entertainment auction, grossing $38,615,188. That shatters the $22.8 million realized during the 2011 Debbie Reynolds Auction held by Heritage Auctions, according to executive vice president Joe Maddalena.
“There is simply no comparison between Judy Garland’s ruby slippers and
any other piece of Hollywood memorabilia,” mentioned Maddalena. “The breathtaking result reflects just how important movies and movie memorabilia are to our culture and to collectors. It’s been a privilege for all of us to be a part of the slippers’ epic journey over the rainbow and off to a new home,” continued Maddalena.
long, storied exhibition history. The pair has since been renamed “The Stolen Pair” given the backstory that involved an elderly thief in ill health, 77-year-old Terry Jon Martin, who confessed in court documents last year to stealing the ruby slippers because he wanted to pull off “one last score.”
CALENDARS
INDIANA
12/19-12/21/2024, Shipshewana - Thu 12 PM, Fri & Sat 9 AM, 3 Day Antique Auction. Chupp Auctions
MARYLAND
12/21/2024, Historic Frederick - Sat 9:00 AM, Coca-cola ephemera, country store candy jars, cast iron figurines, dentist & dental related figurines, furniture, tools, Hummels, kitchenware, dolls & doll house, jewelry & more! Howard B. Parzow Auctioneer
OHIO
12/27-12/28/2024, Dundee - Fri & Sat 9 AM, Friday: antiques, primitives, farmhouse, country store & stoneware. Saturday: advertising, gas pumps, toys, oil cans & more! Atlee Raber Auctions
PENNSYLVANIA
08/21-12/31/2024, Lehighton - Wed through Sun 10 AM - 6 PM. Antiques & Collectibles. 30 Dealers. Anthracite Vintage 12/15-12/28/2024, Gettysburg - Sat 9 AM, Milk bottles & collectibles from the Stout collection. Larry Swartz Auctioneer
12/19/2024, Kinzers - Thu 10 AM, Books and works from the famous author Robert Jordan. Embassy Auctions International
GEORGIA
01/09-01/12/2025, Atlanta, Thurs 10 AM - 6 PM, Fri & Sat
9 AM - 6 PM & Sun 10 AM - 4 PM, SCOTT ANTIQUE MARKETS - ANTIQUE MARKET, Atlanta Expo Center, 3650 Jonesboro Road SE
02/06-02/09/2025, Atlanta, Thurs 10 AM - 6 PM, Fri & Sat
9 AM - 6 PM & Sun 10 AM - 4 PM, SCOTT ANTIQUE MARKETSANTIQUE MARKET, Atlanta Expo Center, 3650 Jonesboro Rd. SE OHIO
12/21-12/22/2024, Columbus, Sat. & Sun., SCOTT ANTIQUE MARKETS - ANTIQUE & DESIGNER ITEMS, Ohio Expo Centers, 717 E 17th Avenue
01/25-01/26/2025, Columbus, Sat 9 AM - 9 PM & Sun 10 AM
- 4 PM, SCOTT ANTIQUE MARKETS - ANTIQUES, INTERIORS & MORE! Ohio Expo Center, 717 East 17th Avenue
12/20/2024, KinzersFri 10 AM, Paper & book auction. Embassy Auctions International
12/20-12/21/2024, Cogan Station - Fri & Sat 10 AM, Annual Pre-Christmas Auction. Paintings & local art, silver flatware, jewelry, disc music box, 5 cent slot machine, furniture & accessories & more! Roan, Inc.
12/21/2024, Muncy - Sat 9 AM, Valuable real estate, antiques, primitives, 10 Tiffany lamps, furniture, carnival glass, lawn tractor & more! Fraley Auction Company
12/28/2024, GettysburgSat 2 PM, Fantastic coin auction. 240 lots. Morgans, Silver Eagles, Eagle proof set, American Eagle Gold & Palladium proof & more! Larry Swartz Auctioneer
12/28/2024, Dover - Sat 9 AM, 15+ firearms & ammo, Ernst Zimmerman & other paintings, chimney hole pipe covers, steeple clock, many porcelain coffee & teapots, plates & cups, Bradley & Hubbard slag glass lamp, mantle clock, 1700s clipper ship cabinet & more! Good Old Boy Country Auction
01/27/2025, York - Mon 5 PM, Duck decoy auction. Gilbert & Gilbert Auctioneers
02/22-02/23/2025, Columbus, Sat 9 AM - 9 PM & Sun 10 AM - 4 PM, SCOTT ANTIQUE MARKETS - ANTIQUES, INTERIORS & MORE! Ohio Expo Center, 717 East 17th Avenue
PENNSYLVANIA
01/07-12/29/2024, Berwyn, Every Sat. & Sun. 9-5, Indoor/ Outdoor Vintage Flea Market – Now Open Year Round! 270 W. Swedesford Rd.
02/03-12/21/2024, Lewisburg, Every Sun. 8-4 (except Easter), Rt. 15 Flea & Farmers Market, 150 Silvermoon Ln.
02/04-12/22/2024, Kutztown, Saturday 8-4 (7:30am-flea) Antique & Farmer’s Market, 740 Noble St.
02/04-12/22/2024, Denver, Sundays 7:30-4, RENNINGERS
ADAMSTOWN Antique Market, 2500 N. Reading Rd.
There were numerous star attractions spanning cinema’s rich history throughout this event, but none stood taller or shined brighter than the Technicolor treasures from “The Wizard of Oz,” which sparked a bidding war that lasted nearly as long as a walk down the Yellow Brick Road.
Live bidding opened at $1.55 million. Several thrilling minutes later, as bidding hit million-dollar increments, the slippers hit their final price, and the auction room erupted with applause. The pre-auction estimate for the slippers was $3 million and up. No other pair had ever come close to that final number.
pers sold at auction in 2000 for $666,000. A dozen years later, Steven Spielberg and Leonardo DiCaprio spent $2 million on the pair donated to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Ange les. DiCaprio led the group of donors that allowed for the 2012 sale, which was bro kered by Profiles in History, the auction house founded by Maddalena.
Heritage on Dec. 7 was famously stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in
Like the ruby slippers, the Wicked Witch’s hat in this auction was part of Shaw’s “Hollywood on Tour” during the 1980s and ‘90s. Shaw obtained the slippers and hat from collector Kent Warner, who discovered them at the historic David Weisz Co. MGM Auction in 1970. Says Maddalena, who has handled more “Wizard of Oz” memorabilia and props than any other auctioneer, including Dorothy’s blue dress and the Witch’s hourglass: “This is the finest example of the Wicked Witch’s hat known to exist.”
That explains why the hat realized
Garland’s ruby slippers from the 1939 “Wizard of Oz” sold for $32.5 million. Read the story for the history of this
Grand Rapids, Minn., in the summer of 2005, recovered 13 years later by the FBI, and returned to owner Michael Shaw earlier this year.
Upon their recovery in 2018, the FBI took the slippers to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, where, the museum noted, “smudges on the heavy glass vitrine must be routinely cleaned” because of the millions who “stand transfixed before them” each year. There, conservators compared them to the museum’s pair donated in 1979. The FBI later said, “Examination of the recovered shoes showed that their construction, materials, and wear are consistent with the pair in the museum’s collection.”
Dorothy’s slippers were designed by Gilbert Adrian, MGM’s chief costume designer, and made by Western Costume Company using white silk pumps from the Innes Shoe Company in Los Angeles.
Shaw’s slippers were once known as “The Traveling Shoes” because of their
brim, “M. Hamilton 4461-164,” referring to, of course, Margaret Hamilton, the former kindergarten teacher who loved children yet became the source of so many nightmares. Like the slippers, the legendary Adrian designed this iconic piece of Hollywood history during his tenure at MGM; the hat is also featured in the book “The Wizardry of Oz.” Before the auction, the Wicked Witch’s hat had changed hands only once in more than half a century.
The slippers and hat were joined by numerous other treasures from Oz, including producer Mervyn LeRoy’s copy of the script from the MGM art department, which sold for $50,000; the screen door from Dorothy’s Kansas home, which sold for $37,500; Judy Garland’s “Dorothy Gale” wig from the first week of shooting, which realized $30,000; and the MGM contract signed by “Over the Rainbow” songwriters Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, which dared to dream a final price of $23,125.
son’s Research. The hoverboard sold for $237,500.
A number of bidders got into the Christmas spirit as they tussled over the knit
cap, scarf, coat and mittens Macaulay Culkin wore as Kevin McCallister in 1990’s “Home Alone.” Live bidding on the ensemble opened at $32,000, but in the end, one determined collector made sure that while you can mess with a lot of things, you can’t mess with kids on Christmas, as the costume sold for $162,500.
Tom Hanks’ iconic “co-star” from Robert Zemeckis’ 2000 film “Cast Away,” a screen-matched “Wilson,” found its way to a new home for $162,500. And several bidders driven by pure imagination fought over one of the rare surviving golden tickets from 1971’s “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.” A gold-foil, screenused ticket gaining its lucky recipient admittance to Wonka’s candy factory realized $118,750.
For additional information, visit www.HA.com. Images courtesy Heritage Auctions.
Judy
Parkin -
The Wicked Witch of the West hat from “The Wizard of Oz” (MGM, 1939), Margaret Hamilton’s screen matched example, sold for $2,930,000.
Innovative New Exhibit Explores The Influence Of Franz Kafka
The Morgan Library & Museum presents “Franz Kafka” on view through April 13, 2025, marking the 100th anniversary of the author’s death. The exhibition celebrates Kafka’s achievements, creativity, and continued influence on new literary, theatrical, and artistic creations around the world. Franz Kafka is presented in collaboration with the Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford, whose extraordinary Kafka holdings will appear in the United States for the first time. The items on view include literary manuscripts,
correspondence, diaries, and photographs, including the original manuscript of his novella “The Metamorphosis.”
When Franz Kafka died of tuberculosis at the age of 40, in 1924, few could have predicted the influence his relatively small body of work would have on every realm of thought and creative endeavor over the course of the 20th century and into the 21st century. Kafka’s novels and short stories have had an immense influence on literature, art, and culture in the United States in particular, and visitors to the Morgan will be able to experience important items from
Milestone
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This knife folded for the day at an above-estimate $2,275.
All prices quoted in this press release are inclusive of
the Bodleian’s Kafka archive in the place where his work has made an outsize impact. The exhibition not only sets Kafka in the context of his times but also shows how his own experiences nourished his imagination, taking visitors on a journey through his life and influences, from his relationship with his family and the people closest to him to the places where he lived and worked, through to his last years of illness and his death.
The Morgan Library & Museum is at 225 Madison Ave., New York City.
For further information, visit www.themorgan.org.
buyer’s premium, as detailed on Milestone’s website.
For more information, call 440-527-8060 or email info@ milestoneauctions.com.
All images courtesy of Milestone Auctions.
Rock Ford
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entries at 2, 3, and 4 p.m.
Due to limited guest capacity, advance ticket purchasing is recommended through www.rockford.yapsody.com.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors (65+), $12 for youth (6-17) and free of charge for
children 5 and under. Historic Rock Ford is located at 881 Rock Ford Road, Lancaster, Pa., and comprises the General Edward Hand Mansion and the John J. Snyder Jr. Gallery. It is owned and operated by the Rock Ford Foundation, a private, not-for-profit corporation.
Likely made by Forehand & Wadsworth, it sold for $1,353.
Members of the Historic Rock Ford dance group admire the dining room table in the Hand Mansion during Yuletide Tours. Photo courtesy Nancy Bradley.
A ca. 1890s “British Bulldog” revolver, .38 S&W caliber was sold accompanied by capture papers stating the gun was taken from the German town of Bad Lausick on Oct. 12, 1945.
This is Franz Kafka, Altstadter Ring, Praque, courtesy Archiv Klaus Wagenbach.
Hake’s
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title is desired by every superhero comic fan, as it features the first appearances of both J Jonah Jameson and The Chameleon, and retells the origin story of Spider-Man. It is also notable for being the first comic with a Fantastic Four crossover. Combining a Stan Lee story, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko’s cover art, and Ditko interior art, this powerhouse comic closed at $29,984.
With excitement building for Hake’s Jan. 22, 2025, mega-auction of the extraordinary Jeff Jacob action-figure collection, bidders were in the mood to get a headstart and snap up some great rarities from the November sale’s selection. One of the most sought-after entries was a “Glasslite Star Wars: Droids” (1988) 4.25-inch Vlix action figure on a partially-punched Brazilian blister card. This figure was released exclusively in Brazil because of the 1985-86 “Star Wars: Droids” animated TV series’ cancellation in the United States.
AFA-graded 80 NM, it was one of only 12 graded by AFA and the single highest-graded figure of its type. This premier entry sold at the upper end of its estimate range, for $44,262. Could it have been the
This “Glasslite Star Wars: Droids” (1988) Vlix action figure on partially-punched Brazilian blister card, exclusively released in Brazil due to cancellation of the “Star Wars: Droids” animated series in the U.S., AFA-graded 80 NM, one of only 12 graded by AFA and the single highestgraded figure of its type, sold at upper end of estimate range for $44,262.
This “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” (1981) Yoda 32 Back-B action figure (with orange snake) on unpunched blister card, AFA-graded 90 NM+/Mint, realized $18,569 against an estimate of $2,000-$5,000.
orange snake wrapped around the “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” (1981) Yoda 32 Back-B two-inch action figure that persuaded bidders to bypass the pre-sale estimate? Presented on a sealed, unpunched blister card, the figure depicting the long-lived and powerful possessor of the Force achieved $18,569 against an estimate of $2,000-$5,000. Much scarcer than its American counterpart produced by Hasbro, a “Transformers” (1985) Series 1 Autobot Commander Optimus Prime in its original window box was
The Santa Claus mannequin costume display for liveaction adaptation of “Dr Seuss’ ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’” (Universal Pictures, 2000) starring Jim Carrey, with printed name of “Mr. Jim Carrey” and handwritten “C O’Hara -Hero,” a reference to Carrey’s ski-scene stunt double, Chris O’Hara, sold for $25,960 against an estimate of $5,000-$10,000.
manufactured in Mexico by Plasticos IGA. An extremely nice exampled AFA-graded 85 NM+, against a $5,000-$10,000 estimate, it proved the enduring appeal of “Transformers” by selling for $20,060.
Just in time for the holiday season, a Santa Claus mannequin costume display for the live-action adaptation of “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (Universal Pictures, 2000) instantly recalled Jim Carrey’s performance as the grumpy recluse of Mount Crumpit who eventually learned the true meaning of Christmas. The auction lot consisted of a Santa
coat, matching hat and boots, spandex pants, and a leather belt with metal buckle. The coat was identified by a custom-made label from the film’s costumer, John David Ridge, bearing the printed name of “Mr. Jim Carrey” and the handwritten phrase “C O’Hara -Hero,” a reference to Carrey’s ski-scene stunt double, Chris O’Hara. The display was bid to $25,960 against an estimate of $5,000-$10,000. For more information, call +1 866-404-9800 (toll-free) or +1 717-434-1600 or visit www. hakes.com.
All images courtesy of Hake’s Auctions.
The stage-used Memphis Stratocaster-replica guitar Kurt Cobain played then smashed onstage at Nirvana’s Jan. 18, 1991, gig at The Evergreen State College Library in Olympia, Wash., had a starting bid of $20,000 and attracted 21 bids, reaching a final price of $157,773.
A rare 1952 “Youth For Kennedy” U.S. Senate campaign button, one of the rarest Kennedy buttons, provenance from the John Hillhouse collection, sold above high estimate for $12,331.
“The Amazing Spider-Man #1” comic book, Marvel, March 1963, CGC-graded 7.5 VF, first Fantastic Four crossover, with origin of Spider-Man retold, a Key Silver Age Marvel comic with Stan Lee story, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko cover art, Ditko interior art, realized $29,984.
PUBLIC SALE
Larry Swartz, PA AU5624 717-360-4656
