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More than 400 lots of 18th, 19th and 20th century Irish and English silver from a private collection will come under the hammer at James Adam in Dublin on March 25.  The collection is dominated by the work of the London silversmith William Comyns (1836-1916).  The catalogue is online. Here is a small selection:

A matched graduated set of four rectangular dishes, London 1895 and 1896, William Comyns, (400-600).  UPDATE: THESE SOLD FOR 420

A pair of late Victorian moulded perfume bottles London 1892, mark William Comyns (150-250).  UPDATE: THESE MADE 380 AT HAMMER.

A pair of late Victorian storm vases, mark of William Comyns and two matching examples (150-250).  UPDATE: THESE MADE 300 AT HAMMER

An Irish George III coffee pot, Dublin c1770 mark of Charles Mullen (4,000-6,000 UPDATE: THIS WAS UNSOLD

An Irish silver claret jug, Dublin 1852, mark of Robert W. Smith (2,500-3,500). UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 4,000 AT HAMMER

An oval fruit basket, London 1907, mark of William Comyns (1,000-1,500). UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 1,500

The 1804 Silver Dollar
Estimate $8–10 Million

America’s most famous coin, the 1804 silver dollar, is the star lot in the most valuable coin collection in private hands due to be auctioned.  The spectacular D. Brent Pogue collection is expected to make more than $200 million when it is sold by Sotheby’s and Stack’s Bowers Galleries across a series of seven auctions beginning on May 19 in New York.

This once in a lifetime series of sales contains no less than 20 coins estimated to achieve $1 million or more. The collection comprises 650 coins.

Over a 35 year period D. Brent Pogue, assisted by his father Mack Pogue, a noted real estate developer,  pursued the rarest examples available on the market.  The 1804 silver dollar is estimated at up to $10 million.

UPDATE: At the opening auction on May 19 just 125 US coins brought in $25.3 million.  A small gold coin from 1808, called a Quarter Eagle and worth just $2.50 when it was minted, realized $2.35 million – a new world record for any coin of the quarter eagle denomination. It also became the most valuable 19th-century U.S. gold coin ever sold at auction.  Six more offerings of coins from the D. Brent Pogue Collection will be brought to auction by Stacks Bowers Galleries and Sotheby’s in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

LOT 172 – THE EDGE’S STUDENT GUITAR. UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR 21,000

U2 fans will have a rare opportunity to acquire something of importance from the worlds favorite rock band at Whyte’s sale of Rock, Pop and Movie memorabilia sale in Dublin on March 28.  Highights include the Edge’s student guitar.   The learner’s classical guitar was bought in the 1970’s by The Edge’s mother.  A teacher, she sold it to a colleague at Scoil Iosa, Malahide, Dublin after her son had progressed to Gibson and Fender guitars. Years later the new owner met The Edge, who signed the guitar. It is estimated at 3,000-5,000.

The auction features a terrific collection of Thin Lizzy signed albums.  Other memorabilia includes early Sun Records singles by Elvis Presley, a Beatles signed disc, a Bob Marley signed photograph, cinema posters and a collection of 39 gold and platinum records awarded  to Irish supergroup Westlife.  Music manager Louis Walsh donated his collection of Westlife gold to Our Lady’s Hospice. They are estimated at 4,500-6,500.

Cinema posters in the sale include Elvis in Jailhouse Rock (300-500), The Beatles, Help! (1,500-2,000) and the Rolling Stones in Gimme Shelter (800-1,200).  There are epics including Lawrence of Arabia (1,200-1,500) which launched in career of the late Peter O’Toole in 1962, and Omar Sharif, who went on to make Doctor Zhivago in 1965. A Doctor Zhivago poster is estimated at 200-300.

UPDATE: IT SOLD FOR 21,000 TO A BUYER IN HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA.

Fine and increasingly rare examples of 19th century travel in Ireland come up at Mealy’s three day sale in Castlecomer on March 24, 25 and 26. The sale will include the entire contents of Stranocum Hall, Co. Antrim on the instructions of Mr. William W. O’Neill MBE and Mrs. Eliazabeth G. O’Neill, which comprise over 300 lots and wide variety of items from fine period furniture and paintings to silver, glass, rare books, militaria, taxidermy, and other decorative arts.

Decorative travel will feature in the form of a rare old Irish jaunting car, a 19th century brougham and a late 19th century or early 20th century pony trap.  The iron bound elm jaunting car carriage, by O’Connor Builder,  Strabane, is estimated at 800-1,500; the brougham, complete with button padded interior, is by Briscoe of Summerhill, Dublin and is estimated at 2,000-3,000.  The pony trap, with rear entry door and long cushion on either side, is estimated at 500-700.

A RARE OLD IRISH JAUNTING CAB  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 700

19TH CENTURY BROGHAM.  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 2,000

LATE 19TH CENTURY OR EARLY 20TH CENTURY PONY TRAP.  UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR 640

An outstanding Southern Song ‘Guan’ Vase from a Japanese Collection (Expected to fetch in excess of HK$60 million / US$7.7 million)

An outstanding southern Song ‘Guan’ Vase from a Japanese collection – unseen on the market for four decades – will lead Sotheby’s Chinese works of art spring sales in Hong Kong on April 7.  A total of six sales will offer more than 250 lots with a total estimate of around US$76 million. They will include two theme sales respectively dedicated to the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors of the Qing dynasty, two of the greatest art patrons and collectors in Chinese history. 

Nicolas Chow, Sotheby’s Asia Deputy Chairman and International Head of Chinese Works of Art, said, “We are privileged to offer this season some of the most outstanding Chinese works of art to come to the market in recent history.  The Southern Song Guan vase, a masterpiece of ceramic art, and the jade seal that the Yongzheng Emperor used to impress on his own calligraphy are worthy of the finest public or private collections.”