Kenocaching

h AM i ll) d . w i lli A M G i ft fr O M h AM i ll f u nd f O r A M e ric A n Art A n d A A n d M. l . the w . d . O f Art purch A s e with supp O r t fr O M 89" x 39" x 19.5", p O r tl A n d Museu M

Nice robot, but hardly a signed ‘George Lucas.’

All of Maine’s a treasure hunt! And Leigh Keno is the ultimate guide to help you score pieces with personality and a past. interview by coLin w. sargent

You’ve heard the devastating pause on Antiques Roadshow, when dapper Leigh Keno floats over to a frenzied demilune-table owner and dazzles her with, “Have you given any thought to what this might be worth?” Now imagine kidnapping Keno and having him look at your stuff. That’s our situation here, as the celebrated expert has kindly agreed to chat with us exclusively about preeminent examples of Maine antiques as investments.

In today’s market, how hot is furniture carved by the father-son team of John and Thomas Seymour, who sailed to Portland from England in 1784 before relocating to Boston in 1793?

I think pieces by the Seymours have held pretty steady. It depends on the object…There are four magic considerations: quality, rarity, condition, and the icing on the cake is provenance. If you have all four, you have a winner. I recently purchased a wonderful Seymour side table with the original marble top and surface for a client, and it’s just incredible–a masterpiece with imported marble, great carving. It was above $250,000, but it was a great buy I went into at that! the auction ‘depicting the influence of the Seymour family’ What are the fastest ways to tell a Seymour? We say “a piece made by Seymour.” You should and came out an $18,400 ‘Ilsley’ call Robert Mussey, the expert. He’s looked at so attribution. But the Portland many pieces. Do you have his book [The Furniture Museum of Art loves Masterworks of John and Thomas Seymour]? There were popular motifs used over and over. I was just in me anyway. Binghamton, where I was fly fishing, and a friend invited me over. He had a Seymour piece and the secondary wood in the drawers was mahogany, with beautiful dovetails.

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Auction Consignments Wanted

One of the Nation’s Top 10 Auction Firms is Located Right Here in Maine!

If you are contemplating selling a single item of value, an important collection or an entire estate why not contact one of the Nation’s leading auctioneers located in Fairfield, Maine? There are an overwhelming number of reasons to consider Julia’s. 1. Our commission fee is one of the lowest in the industries and on very valuable things can be as low as 0%. 2. Based on gross sales we are one of the top 10 auction firms in

North America today. Total auction sales for 2008 were over $40 Million! 3. We have developed an international following of savvy buyers. 4. Our marketing and promotion is some of the most aggressive in the industry today. 5. We have four specialty catalog auction divisions. a. Rare Firearms: We are the World’s leading auctioneer of valuable firearms. b. Rare Glass & Lamp: This division is one of the top three in the world. c. Rare Toys & Dolls: This division is one of the top three in

North America. d. Fine Arts & Antiques: This division is one of the Nation’s leaders. 6. We will travel anywheres in the world for important collections. 7. We consistently attain high and frequently record prices for our clients’ goods.

Washington’s personal map for siege of Yorktown. (Feb 2010) Sold for $1.1 Million

World record for the most expensive map ever sold at auction.

Tiffany Studios Drop Head Dragonfly Table Lamp (June 2010) Sold for $109,250

Bergmann Santa & Sleigh (June 2010) Sold for $161,000

World Record for the Most Expensive Toy Ever Sold at Auction

Colt Walker A Co. 210 (Oct. 2008) Sold for $920,000

World record for the most expensive single firearm sold at auction in history