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Sydney collector John Gibson was very much in the auction limelight with his collection of 19th century Sudanese postal history ranging from early Egyptian post offices through to the tumultuous 1880s and 1890s military campaigns of the region.
The top selling exhibit from his collection at Melbourne-based Abacus Auctions December 10-13 sale was the 1852 letter cover to an Austrian noblewoman (lot 2568), recognised as one of the most outstanding of all...
A landscape painting (lot 1430) by Australian artist John Perceval (1923-2000) purchased by the vendor’s father – a close friend of the artist – was the top selling item at Melbourne-based Leski Auctions Australian & Historical sale on December 7 and 8.
The painting was knocked down for $66,000, slightly more than its upper catalogue estimate, while another work titled Cobaea (lot 1432) by Criss Canning also performed well at $36,000.
A third...
Fresh works to auction, particularly if they are by well-known artists, often attract much deserved attention from buyers and collectors.
So it proved with Australian iconic modern artist Jeffrey Smart (1912-2013) when his impressive work Cable Coils 2000-01 (lot 38) went under the hammer at Menzies Melbourne Important Australian & International Art sale on November 20.
The catalogue front cover painting sold for $828,409 (including buyer’s premium...
Spirited bidding bumped up the modest $400-$600 catalogue estimate of a Chinese carved ivory and engraved gourd cricket cage (lot 880) to a massive $10,000 sale price at Melbourne-based Leski Auctions November 16 and 17 decorative arts and collectables auction.
A strong result also was reached for an impressive 20th century Continental 925 sterling silver punchbowl (lot 78) which sold for $8000.
Other silver items to fare well included a 20th...
Famous Austrian biologist, filmmaker and diving technology pioneer Hans Haas (1919-2013) – and his Viennese firm Akustiche und Kinogerate – was front and centre at Melbourne-based Leski Auctions cameras and photographic equipment two-day auction October 29 and 30 when his c1954 underwater housing for Leica was sold with a c19555 red-dial Leica 1f camera (lot 863) for $5500.
The auction, which also included a framed photographic collection of the Adelaide leg of The...
A rare early 1855 watercolour panorama of the Port River & North Parade, Port Adelaide by artist, forger and fraudster Frank (Francis) George Hankey (c1832-1911) on four panels (lot 530) doubled its auction estimate to sell for $42,000 at Melbourne-based Leski Auctions October 20 sale of the Dr Jane Lennon collection.
The scene depicted was largely destroyed in the Great Port Adelaide Fire of November 1857 in a blaze covering several acres that wiped out half the...
A circa 1685 William & Mary marquetry longcase clock by London maker Richard Colston (lot 1) was the top selling item for $42,000 at Melbourne-based Leski Auctions September 22 decorative arts sale.
The clock was part of a massive collection of timepieces by one of Australia’s best-known conservationists Sydney-born Chris Pratten, who died this year aged 90.
Another in his collection – a circa 1770 George III sprint table clock (lot 3), from 18th...
The opportunity for postal history collectors to obtain a rare piece of aviation history through the purchase of surviving letters from the German airship Hindenburg – which perished in flames on May 6, 1937, killing 35 of its 97 passengers and crew, as it attempted to moor at Lakehurst in the United States town of Manchester, New Jersey – was not enough to entice buyers at Melbourne-based Leski Auctions Stamps, Coins and Postcards sale on September 17.
What was of...
Four-day auctions invariably cover a lot of territory and Melbourne-based Abacus Auctions August 27-30 sale was no exception – with more than 3000 items featuring stamps, postal history and picture postcards, militaria, coins and banknotes, jewellery and watches, sporting memorabilia and other collectables included in the lots on offer.
With a total hammer price of $1,836,923 reached, 2625 of the 3324 lots (79 per cent) sold.
Bert Wajer’s One Penny stamp...
Two arts auctions on the same evening in Melbourne brought collectors out in droves.
Plenty turned up to the Menzies Prints & Multiples sale on August 28 and the auction house couldn’t have been happier with the result when more than 75 per cent of the 81 works sold at 111.7 per cent of their value.
Two photographs featured prominently – one an auction record for the artist.
This was Greg Weight’s picture (lot 65) of a languidly smoking Brett...
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