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Some of the signed vinyl singles to be sold in Tralee.

Signed vinyl records from Prince to the Bee Gees, Cliff Richard to Barbara Streisand, Lenny Kravitz to Pavarotti are among the collectibles at auction in Tralee on April 10.  A collection of over 70 signed and framed singles will feature at a sale at Kerry Auction Rooms, Moyderwell, Tralee.

Most were autographed at the offices of Radio Maginal at Latimer Road, London in the period from 1977 to 1992, or at venues where artists were playing.  In the early 1990’s the station was sold to MoviePlay,  the name was changed to Marginal FM 98.1, operations moved back to Lisbon and the transition was made from vinyl to digital.

There are signed records by Donna Summer, Jason Donovan, Bronski Beat, Def Leppard, Donny Osmonde, Gary Numan, Hothouse Flowers, ELO, Duran Duran, Take That, Boyzone, Foreigner, Bon Jovi, Blondie and many others.  The large collection will be offered first as one lot with an estimate of 5,500-6,500.  If this is unsold it will be immediately offered as individual lots.  UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD AS ONE LOT AND ONLY SOME OF THE INDIVIDUAL LOTS FOUND BUYERS.

The Bee Gees.

Nessun Dorma as a single signed by Pavarotti.

The Titanic sinking telegram is estimated at 20,000-30,000. (Click on image to enlarge). UPDATE: THIS FAILED TO SELL.

A telegram alerting the Belfast Evening Telegraph to the Titanic disaster will be sold at Whyte’s in Dublin on April 21. Dated April 15, 1912 it reads: “White Star Liner Titanic wh. Reuters states is sinking in mid Atlantic as result of collision wi iceberg left Southampton last Wedy. on maiden voyage to New York. Titanic is largest vessel afloat having tonnage of 46,382 or 1004 more than Olympic. She has lgth of 882 feet wi ninety two feet breadth & was luxuriously fitted up wi especial regard to requirements o wealthy Americans”.

On paper headed  ‘Post Office Telegraphs’  it was sent by the Press Association (indicated by P.A. on the top of the form).  It was received by journalist Robert (Bob) McComb, whose newspaper was one of the first to break the news of the sinking.

The Whyte’s catalogue notes point out: It is difficult to comprehend the disbelief and shock which must have greeted this telegram as it arrived at the offices of the Telegraph, the largest selling newspaper in Titanic’s home city of Belfast. The news which the telegram gives reflects the fragmented and sparse nature of the initial information which filtered back to Ireland relating to the fate of the world’s most famous ship. This telegram allowed the Telegraph to achieve the amazing feat of breaking the Titanic news on the same day as the sinking”.   Bob McComb served 34 years on staff of the Telegraph and received the historic telegram as a gift on his retirement.  The Belfast Evening Telegraph published the breaking story in its second edition that afternoon, Monday, April 15, 1912, the first media coverage in Europe of the disaster. The headlines read: “The Titanic Sinking; Collision with Iceberg; Disastrous Maiden Voyage; Women Removed to Lifeboats; Liners Hastening to the Rescue; Wireless Messages Come to Abrupt Termination; Over 2,000 Souls on Board”.  Only 710 of the 2,224 people on board survived.  Of those who died 79 were Irish emigrants who boarded the ship on April 11 at  Queenstown (now Cobh), Co Cork, on its last stop en route to New York.

UPDATE: THIS FAILED TO SELL.

Picasso’s Visage No. 202 (£2,500-3,500). (Click on image to enlarge).  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £17,500.

A chance to own your own Picasso at an affordable price arises at Christie’sin London next June.  The Madoura Collection of Picasso Ceramics will be sold in South Kensington next June 25 and 26. No less than 550 pieces made at the Madoura Pottery in Vallauris, France are being offered by Alain Ramié.  Estimates range from £100 up to £100,000.   Alain Ramié is author of the catalogue raisonné of Picasso ceramic editions and son of the pottery owners Georges and Suzanne Ramié. Between 1947 and 1971 Picasso produced 633 plates, bowls, vases and pitchers in limited editions ranging from 25 to 500.

Some highlights from the Madoura Collection. Images courtesy Christie’s Images 2011. (Click to enlarge).

Christie’s specialist India Phillips commented: “Christie’s is privileged to be working with Alain Ramié to stage the single most important collection sale dedicated to Picasso’s Ceramics ever held. Never again will works of this quality and with such impeccable provenance be offered fresh to the market – direct from the Madoura Pottery where Picasso first fell in love with the medium and spent many of the happiest and most prolific years of his life. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for 20th century ceramics collectors and connoisseurs of Picasso’s work, and we are very pleased to be able to offer our clients works from such an esteemed source.”

Highlights will be shown in Paris, Hong Kong and London.  The collection is expected to realise around £2 million.

UPDATE:  THE  two-day auction the Madoura Collection was 100% sold. It brought in £8,082,300, more than four times the pre-sale expectation.  There were buyers from 43 different countries.  The top lot was Grand vase aux femmes voilées, conceived in 1950 and executed in an edition of 25. It sold for more than ten-times the pre-sale estimate and realised £735,650.