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The Pope’s Harley Davidson sold for 241,500.

The Pope’s Harley sold for 241,500 at Bonhams in Paris on February 6.  A Harley-Davidson motorcycle jacket sold for 57,500. Auctioned for charity they had been donated to Pope Francis by the motorcycle manufacturer last June. Funds raised will go towards the renovation of the Caritas Roma’s Don Luigi di Liegro hostel and soup kitchen at Rome’s Termini railway station.  The 1,585cc Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide was signed on the tank by the Pope at the Vatican last November. The jacket was also signed by Pope Francis. They were bought by separate bidders at Bonahms Les Grandes Marques du Monde sale at the Grand Palais in Paris. The motorcycle went to a private buyer in Europe, the jacket went to an overseas buyer.

IT is not every day that an auction throws up a selection that ranges from Dinosaur eggs to Winston Churchill to Al Capone.  The auction of the private collection of Stanley J. Seeger at Sotheby’s in London on March 5 and 6  offers all that and extra in more than 1,000 lots across 75 collecting categories.  This encyclopaedic collection has been grouped together by Sotheby’s until the title 1,000 ways of seeing. Starting chronologically with 250 million year old fossilised trees it charts many moments in history and art.

Whimsicality, humour and historical resonance always appealed to Stanley Seeger (1930-2011) and Christopher Cone. The works of art, objects and curiosities they collected were part of their everyday life. Guests to their homes might be invited to sit in Winston Churchill’s armchair, while being poured tea from Lord Nelson’s silver teapot or served Bloody Marys from Al Capone’s cocktail shaker – a Christmas gift from the gangster’s men, engraved “To a regular guy, from the boys 1932”. Stanley Seeger’s great enthusiasm for natural history is reflected in the collection in ten fossilised dinosaur eggs from the Jurassic Period (100 million BC), while his fascination with film, history and great historical figures is reflected in Orson Welles’ working draft script for Citizen Kane (1941).

Melanie Clore, Chairman of Sotheby’s Europe, who worked with Stanley Seeger many times over the years, said: “Only once in a generation does a collector with such diverse, interesting and far-reaching taste as Stanley Seeger appear. His engaging intelligence and wry sense of humour are reflected in the sheer ‘joie de vivre’ of this sale. Every single object has a story to tell and is enhanced by its association with one of the greatest collectors of his generation”.

Meriden International Sterling Company
‘Al Capone’s Cocktail Shaker’
Engraved “To A ‘REGULAR GUY’ From THE BOYS 1932” (£1,000-1,500).

Admiral Lord Nelson’s Bachelor Teapot
Hallmarked London, 1799 (£8,000-12,000).

WINSTON CHURCHILL’S ARMCHAIR
Mahogany and upholstered later upholstered in white silk damask, with stained rear legs ending in brass cappings and castors, with a label printed Knight, Frank & Rutley
Made circa 1880. (£3,000-5,000).

The first auction of 2014 at O’Reilly’s of Francis St., Dublin on January 29 features jewellery and silver.  In fact the January sale at O’Reilly’s always proves to be quite busy and this year there are good antique pieces in brilliant condition.  Estimes are reasonable with lots to choose from.  The catalogue is online. Here is a small selection.

AN ANTIQUE PEARL AND DIAMOND BROOCH (150-200).

A VICTORIAN AMETHYST AND SEED PEARL BROOCH, c. 1890 (250-350)

AN ANTIQUE DIAMOND AND OPAL BROOCH (1,650-1,850).

A 19th-century Royal children’s carriage
Made for Prince Adalbert (£5,000-7,000). UPDATE: THIS SOLD FOR £13,750.

A 19th century children’s carriage made from Prince Adalbert (1828-1875), youngest son of Ludwig I, King of Bavaria is among the lots at Sotheby’s Of Royal and Noble Descent sale in London on January 23.  The auction will feature aristocratic heirlooms from European dynasties. The sale of precious objects and mementoes are testament to the bygone splendour of European courts.   They have survived through inheritance and many have never been seen in public before.  Highlights include King Wilhelm I of Wurttemberg’s ormolu and cut glass surtout de table and a German cabinet made c1890 thought to be an intended gift from the German Emperor Wilhelm II to the Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid II.