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The golfing community will always have fond memories of five times British Open champion Australian Peter Thomson who also made his mark in designing golf courses throughout the world.
Thomson died in June this year and his golf clubs and bag dating from 1957 were sold at Abacus Auctions Melbourne November sporting memorabilia sale for $1050 – a mere $50 over the catalogue estimate.
In an accompanying note the Australian champion said the Dunlop Maxifli clubs...
Lower priced works by name Australian artists appear to be attracting strong buyer interest at auction – if Menzies November sale results are any guide to market trends.
Of the 125 works offered for auction, 94 (or 75 per cent) sold – most of them (67) at or below a $20,000 hammer price.
The big ticket items – iconic works by artists such as John Bracks, Fred Williams, Jeffrey Smart, Charles Blackman, Garry Shead and Tim Maguire – still attract sizeable dollars...
It could only end with a massive boost to the auction coffers of Leski Auctions October sale of Decorative Arts, Watches & Collectables.
A bidder standing in the pouring rain outside a New York restaurant competing on the phone against two like-minded souls in London and a determined buyer in Leski Auctions Melbourne rooms.
The catalogue estimate for the 1880s Edward William Godwin art cabinet was $40,000-$60,000.
However, rapid competition soon took...
Two 20th century famille-rose figural plaques absolutely rocked auction goers when they achieved more than 24 times their catalogue estimate at Sotheby’s Australia’s Melbourne October sale of Treasures: Important Asian, Australian & European Arts & Design.
With Sotheby’s estimating the plaques at a modest $5000-$7000, bidders went berserk with the successful purchaser eventually paying $122,000 for the two Chinese plaques.
One...
A 19th century French gilt gesso rope pattern ottoman was the top lot (hammer price $3800, $4719.60 with buyer’s premium) in Gibson’s Auctions Melbourne Spring Auction on September 16.
With plenty of buyers looking for items to decorate the home, many of the lots on offer quickly changed hands – often well above catalogue estimate.
Typical was the 19th century Spanish School’s Portrait of a Winged Figure in a Classical Landscape,...
Philips Auctions sold all but one of its 160 pocket watches at a special auction on August 14 – held the day after its usual decorative arts and jewellery sales.
The collection, which belonged to a late Melbourne surgeon whose wife wanted to remain anonymous, was lovingly assembled and an important part of his recreational activities when alive.
Top sellers from the collection included a solid gold Rolex wristwatch ($6830 including buyer’s premium), a James McCabe full hunter...
The boom times of the late 19790s were revisited on September 1 as stamp dealers and collectors fought for possession at Abacus Auctions latest Melbourne sale.
Top price was $34,220 - all figures include the 18% buyer’s premium - paid for a block of eight £2 Navigators on a cover that wasn’t even addressed.
Three overseas bidders on different continents jousted with local enthusiasts, with six combatants still live at $20,...
Ben Barnett’s autograph book featuring the work of Arthur Mailey was the leading money earner at Leski Auctions Melbourne sale on September 2.
The book, entitled “Australian Cricket Tour – England 1934”, included illustrations of team members and touring party officials signed by both Arthur Mailey and the cricketers involved and went under the hammer for $42,000 against a high estimate of $7500.
Australian cricketing legend Sir Donald Bradman’s correspondence to Nigel Ward who...
If Menzies latest auction results ( Sydney August 9) for its Australian & International Fine Art & Sculpture sale are any guide, the Australian art market continues to gather strength as well-known Australian and international artists are snapped up by buyers eager to cash in on their ongoing popularity.
Perhaps the greatest example of this was Andy Warhol’s Head after Picasso 1985 which was knocked down for $900,000 ($1.125 million with buyer’s premium).
The...
Buyers showed plenty of enthusiasm for Gibson’s Auctions inaugural sale on Sunday August 12 in Melbourne when 87 percent of the items sold at 126 per cent of estimated total value.
The top seller was a large and unusual hand painted circa 1879 Belleek ceramic platter which was knocked down for $7930 (including buyer's premium) against a catalogue estimate of $600-$800.
A pair of Chinese carved rosewood glazed display cabinets was another big attraction, changing hands for $5368...
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