By Martin Zimmerman
LOS ANGELES TIMES
June 30, 2008

“MURRIETA – In the world of warbird collecting, Glacier Girl was a rare prize.

The World War II-era P-38 fighter made an emergency landing on a Greenland ice cap in July 1942 while on a flight from Maine to England. The aircraft eventually was buried under a layer of ice and snow more than 200 feet thick.

In 1992, Glacier Girl was excavated and later restored to flying condition – one of a handful of airworthy P-38s known to exist.

After eight months of negotiating, Brown bought Glacier Girl for an undisclosed sum and then sold the P-38 to a Texas oilman for close to $7 million.

…Collecting World War II aircraft has boomed in recent years as wealthy, nostalgic baby boomers seek to own a piece of their parents’ wartime experience.”

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Hunt continues for Nazi treasure

Yahoo! News
Tue Feb 26, 2008

“DEUTSCHKATHARINENBERG, Germany – German treasure hunters were to begin digging Tuesday for what they claim to be plunder buried by the Nazis in a man-made cavern near the Czech border.

The area’s mayor, Hans-Peter Haustein, and a man who found the coordinates for the buried booty in a notebook among his deceased father’s belongings, maintain that a scan of the spot has revealed that a large quantity of metal is about 20 yards below the surface. They believe it to be either gold or silver, based on the scan with a sophisticated metal detector.

…Haustein said last week that he was convinced they had found the storied Amber Room treasure, but later acknowledged that while there could be “cultural treasures” in the cavern, such as paintings or amber paneling, they are not things that show up with a metal detector.

The Amber Room — named for magnificent wall panels of golden-brown amber – was stolen by the Nazis from a palace outside St. Petersburg during World War II and has never been recovered in its entirety.”

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UPDATE:
Nazi gold hunt ends, treasure hunter claims

CNN.com
Frederik Pleitgen
February 28, 2008

“(CNN) — Treasure hunter Christian Hanisch told CNN Thursday (Feb 28, 2008) that the hunt for Nazi Gold and possibly the legendary Amber Room will end Friday after the two men leading the expedition had a disagreement.

Heinz-Peter Haustein, the other treasure hunter, told Germany’s Bild newspaper that geophysicists will now re-evaluate the situation and that digging may resume in two weeks. CNN has so far not been able to reach Haustein for confirmation.

“Haustein told me to get out of here immediately,” an angry Hanisch told CNN in a telephone interview.”

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New York Times
By DAVID KOEPPEL
Published: November 18, 2007

“It’s such a popular hobby that prices have skyrocketed through the years,” says Mr. Crews, who lives in Marshall, Ill., and is director for publicity at the college of arts and humanities of Eastern Illinois University. “To me, it’s more than just war memorabilia; it’s collecting a piece of history.”

For collectors of World War II memorabilia like Mr. Crews – who specializes in collectibles from British, American or German soldiers who served during the Battle of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge – the war has never really ended. The collectors scour the Internet, auctions, flea markets and estate sales to find posters, documents, photographs, badges, uniforms and steel helmets that range in price from a few dollars to the thousands. A Luftwaffe general’s dagger, for $9,995, can be found at therupturedduck.com, a World War II memorabilia site that sells mostly German and Japanese collectibles.

…many original World War II radios can sell for $5,000 to $6,000. Exotic radios — he cites a James Bond-type device for spying that is camouflaged to look like a suitcase — can sell for $10,000 to $20,000.”

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Dwight Stevens described the October 20 auction as “a man’s sale” because so many of the items in the single-owner collection relate to cars, motorcycles, petroliana, knives and weaponry. The collector, a resident of Canton, Miss., has consigned more than 500 lots. His rifle, shotgun and handgun collection alone would be a show-stopper at most other sales. About 300 guns will be sold.

“About 30 of the firearms are antiques,” Mr. Stevens pointed out, “but most are field-ready, for hunting purposes. All are in immaculate condition, well-oiled and beautifully maintained.” Featured will be examples from world-renowned makers like Winchester, Remington and Colt. There is also a Winchester Model 9432 rifle (ca. 1890), as well as high-powered rifles, small boot guns and derringers.

Over 150 collector knives will be offered, most by major manufacturers and some from collector editions of Southern favorites such as John Deere, John Wayne and Elvis Presley. Military swords will also be sold. And the selection of petroliana advertising signs is breathtaking, with some forgotten names like Delco and Red Crown, as well as some old familiar faces like Shell and Pennzoil.

Previews will be held the day before each sale, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Both sales will be held at Stevens’ showroom, at 609 No. Meridian Street in Aberdeen, Miss.

For more information, visit the Stevens Auction website at www.stevensauction.com.

(Atlanta, Ga.) – A letter handwritten by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant to Gen. Robert E. Lee on April 10, 1865, discussing terms of surrender of the Confederate Army and originally penned at the Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia, will be sold the weekend of August 4-5 by Gallery 63. The letter was consigned by a Texas woman and was authenticated by the late Civil War historian Shelby Foote.

“This may very well be the most important document to come on the market in the last fifty years,” said Paul Brown of Gallery 63. “It truly belongs in the National Archives. It was, in effect, the document that saved our great land. It is not in Washington, it is not in New York. Amazingly, it is at Gallery 63 and will be sold to the highest bidder.” Brown estimated the letter could bring $500,000.

It is believed the letter is a handwritten copy of the original document, presented by Grant to Lee the day after Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Va., on April 9, 1865. Grant wrote the copy, it is assumed, for posterity’s sake. Mr. Foote, writing in 1991, remarked, “It is almost certainly Grant’s. I incline to the belief he wrote it either on the train back to City Point or up the coast to Washington.”

Fittingly, the letter will be sold in Atlanta, a city closely linked to the Civil War, mainly because of Sherman’s march through Georgia and the movie “Gone With the Wind.” Remarkably, it is not the only major Civil War item that will cross the block that weekend. Gallery 63 is also offering an original period steel engraving of Robert E. Lee, exceedingly rare and bearing General Lee’s signature.

Another historical consignment has also been secured: a trove of over 20 original audio and video tapes of speeches, sermons, hearings and interviews originally aired in the 1960s and pertaining mostly to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (some of the tapes also concern John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy). They came from the estate of Jerry Tucker, a former newsman at WNOO in Chattanooga.

On one tape, Dr. King sits for an interview with Tucker, an event that was broadcast once, in 1960, and never aired again. It is the only reel of the interview that exists. Also, a letter, written on Southern Christian Leadership Conference letterhead, thanking an organizer of a banquet honoring Dr. King for receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, will be sold as a separate lot, along with an original invitation to that dinner.

Other noteworthy consignments include:

Fine art, a staple at Gallery 63 sales, will be served up in abundance. Leading the way will be an original watercolor by Montague Dawson (British, 1895-1973), titled “Sailing Ship in Rough Seas” and signed lower right; and a watercolor rendering of a Swiss landscape with figures and a cabin by the renowned landscape painter Joseph Mallard William Turner (British, 1775-1851), also signed.

Other noteworthy lots in the fine art group include a pastel by Edward Dufner (American, 1872-1957), signed and titled “Children Playing by the Edge of a Stream” (13″ x 17″); a watercolor by Ogden Pleissner (American, 1905-1983), signed and titled “Landscape With a Stream” (14″ x 18″); and a watercolor by Arthur Dove (American, 1890-1946), signed and titled, simply, “Sunrise” (12″ x 15″).

A Tiffany Studios Peony floor lamp with notarized provenance would be rare at any sale, but such an item has been consigned to Gallery 63 and will be sold. The stained glass and bronze floor lamp features a domical, waisted shade with a profusion of variegated reds, pinks, greens and aquas. The lamp has been in the same family for multiple generations. It is 70″ tall, with a diameter of 22″.

Fine period furniture pieces will include a rosewood bed in the Rococo Revival style, likely executed by John Henry Belter and once housed in the famous Kingsford Mansion in New York (100″ h x 63″ w x 82″ l); a Biedermeier fall front walnut secretary, with bone estuceans (76″ h x 39″ w); and a museum-quality American Baroque quarter sawn oak buffet by R. J. Horner of New York.
Rare and one-of-a-kind items will include a monumental Murano chandelier, originally from a prominent Venetian pallazzo; an antique player piano and organ with multiple automata, pipes, bells and drums, signed Hobart M. Cable Chicago and in storage since the late ’70s; an Otto Altenburg 5′ baby grand piano in immaculate black lacquer; and a blue 1974 Triumph TR-6 convertible, restored.

Architectural pieces will include four monumental walnut lion panels (American, late 19th century), each with a regal, mid-relief lion mask flanked by trailing floral swags (118″ h x 51″ w each); and a set of four doors, originally installed in the music room of a magnificent chateau in the Loire Valley of France and later incorporated into a prominent home in Malibu, Calif. (116″ h x 108″ w).

From the militaria and weapons category, highlights are expected to include a full-size replica of a Gatling gun in bronze, with carriage, drum magazine and moving crank action; carved Indian and carved military mess kits; swords; a rare Alabama Kentucky rifle made by D. Evans; and a matched pair of consecutively numbered Colt Derringer pistols, in the original Colt leather-bound case.

This is just the fourth sale that Gallery 63 will have held in its new location. The firm was previously located at 6363 Roswell Road (hence the name), about three miles away, but rapid growth necessitated a move. An inaugural sale at the new, larger facility (a former church and fellowship hall) was held in early spring. Gallery 63 is the consignment arm of Atlanta auction powerhouse Red Baron.

To learn more about Gallery 63, or for directions and more information about the upcoming August 4-5 sale, you may visit the firm online at www.Gallery63.net. Gallery 63 is always accepting quality consignments for future sales. To consign an item, estate or collection, you may call the firm directly, at (404) 252-2555. You can also reach them through e-mail, at Rbaron2@bellsouth.net.

The auction contains so much Civil War Memorabilia that Heritage has done three catalogs for the event.

Some of the highlights:

General George Armstrong Custer’s Personal Battle Flag. It was made for Custer by his wife Elizabeth and delivered to him on the battlefield during the last days of the Civil War.

A sword carried by Ulysses S. Grant. “This sword, which hails from The Tharpe Collection of American Military History, was presented to the future 18th president of the United States by the citizens of Kentucky, who gave this token of their esteem to General Grant upon his promotion to ‘General-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States’ in 1864, a major turning point in the Civil War as Grant was being elevated to the same level of command as only George Washington had ever achieved,” said Gary Hendershott, Director of Civil War Auctions for Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries in a press release. “Kentucky patriots raised money to purchase this unique and extremely valuable sword crafted by St. Louis silversmith and jeweler Henry Folsom.”

For more details on this auction, visit americana.ha.com.

Stars and Stripes
By Zeke Minaya,
Mideast edition, Friday, May 25, 2007

“BAGHDAD – While searching for weapons caches, American soldiers near Abu Ghraib often play the part of accidental archaeologists.

…Rifles etched with the Nazi eagle and swastika, Tommy guns seemingly straight out of black and white gangster movies, and a British Sterling submachine gun familiar to any World War II enthusiast have been found among the weapons troves of insurgents.”

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The first session will be held Saturday, June 9th, beginning at 10 am. It will be dedicated in large part to Civil War items and militaria. An anticipated top lot is a Confederate Naval flag believed to have been flown from the CSS Alabama. Also featured will be hundreds of identified ‘cartes de visites’ (CDV’s — many of them Confederates); photographs from the era; papers; ephemera; and more.

Just added for Saturday was a huge archive of material pertaining to John F. Kennedy, including signed letters and photographs. Also to be sold in the first session will be a large Coney Island side-show banner, as well as hundreds of photos of Hollywood celebrities, by such renowned portrait photographers as George Hurrell, Yousuf Karsh and Clarence Bull. Many have been signed.

The second session will begin around 5 pm on Saturday. Many of the 400+ lots to be offered are from an important estate in Lido, Long Island. All of it is high-end merchandise, fresh to the market. Items will include original and authentic pieces from the studios of Louis C. Tiffany; a fabulous Pairpoint Puffy lamp; high-end Lalique; Sevres; bronzes; and porcelains.

Extremely important paintings will also be offered, by noted listed artists such as:
- Charles Sheridan Knowles (British, 1863-1931). Mr. Knowles was a Victorian genre artist who combined his formal academic training with the new style and color of the Impressionists to create his finished works. He specialized in sentimental genre scenes and costume pieces, set in the Middle Ages or 18th century. His paintings often captured his subjects in a relaxed or playful moment. Mr. Knowles exhibited in all the major galleries and exhibition halls throughout Europe.
- Walter Baumhofer (American, 1904-1986). From the 1940s through the 1950s, Mr. Baumhofer painted an estimated 750 covers and illustrations for general interest magazines such as “Adventure”, “Danger Trail”, “Ace-High”, “Dime Detective,” and “Doc Savage”. He was a prolific artist who had an enormous impact on the pulp fiction genre. He brought to these magazines the resources of fine art, creating covers of unified design, done with a richness of color and light.
- Aaron Bohrod (American, 1907-1992). Mr. Bohrod was a nationally known artist who received numerous prizes and awards (including two Guggenheims). He was famous for a range of work in watercolor and gouache that included realistic figures in cityscapes, landscapes, surrealism and trompe l’oeil painting. Bohrod was proficient as a painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and illustrator. His early style was one of gritty urban realism; he later developed one of magic realism.

Session three – to be held Sunday, June 10th, beginning at 10 am – will feature more signed palm prints from the estate of Alice Denton Jennings, a palmist who routinely took palm impressions of her clients, who later signed them. Her collection was so extensive it is being sold over the course of several sales. At Philip Weiss’ January 27-28 sale, her Babe Ruth signed palm print brought $26,555.

In June, the offerings will be no less impressive. Included will be yet another signed palm print from Babe Ruth; a pair of prints from his Yankee teammate, Lou Gehrig, left and right (both signed); three by legendary baseball manager Connie Mack; one by Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis; and signed palm prints from Franklin D. Roosevelt, aviator Amelia Earhart and golfer Bobby Jones.

Sunday will also be dedicated, in part, to comic art, a category for which Philip Weiss has earned a certain level of renown. At his March 24-25 multi-estate sale, the top lot was a Charles Schulz “Peanuts” Sunday page that commanded $37,000. In fact, seven original comic strips by Schulz sold for a combined $152,500. These included three “Li’l Folks” pages and four “Peanuts” dailies.

Bidders will be treated to more Charles Schulz original artwork on June 10th. The group will feature a “Great Pumpkin” daily and a Sunday “Peanuts” page. Both have been signed by the artist. In addition, Philip Weiss Auctions recently secured another blockbuster comic art consignment: the original cover illustration for “Spider-Man” #92, signed by artist John Romita, a giant in the genre.

Also just secured: an Anna Pottery railroad pig, circa 1890 (Philip Weiss sold one earlier this year for the portly sum of $8,800); quite possibly the earliest tintype of Honus Wagner in uniform; a Christy Walsh presentation of a New York Yankees’ signed team ball from around 1937; and a first-edition copy of Woodie Guthrie’s book “Bound For Glory,” with dust jacket and lengthy inscription.

Philip Weiss Auctions isn’t taking the month of May off. A two-day sale is slated for May 19-20. The Saturday session (May 19) will feature Part 2 of the Ken Schultz estate. Mr. Schultz was a dedicated collector in three areas – World’s Fair items; oceanliner art and memorabilia; and Hollywood memorabilia. His collection was too massive and important to be limited to just one auction.

Saturday will also see the sale of the Hugo Zeitler Circus Collection, which includes turn-of-the-century photos; film; costumes; and more. Hundreds of boxes have yet to be unpacked. Then, on Sunday, May 20th, toys and trains will take center stage, as several estate collections will be offered. In the fall, a single-owner collection of 1940s-1960s Western TV and comic characters will be auctioned.

Philip Weiss Auctions is one of the premier full-service auction houses in the Northeast. To learn more about their upcoming sales, or for more information about the company, visit them online at philipweissauctions.com. To consign an item, estate or collection, you may call them directly at (516) 594-0731. The e-mail address is phil@philipweissauctions.com.

“This sale was a huge success by any measure,” said Dwight Stevens of Stevens Auction Company. “The Friday session featured two lifetime collections of Civil War memorabilia.”

The Civil War consignors included a Tupelo man whose collection was so enormous he housed it in a private museum. The other collector, from Savannah, Tenn., had “an encyclopedic mind when it came to knowledge of the Civil War,” Mr. Stevens pointed out. Items sold included long-barrel firearms and black powder guns; battle swords; caps and cadet uniforms; photographs; and pottery.

Highlights from the Civil War session on Friday night included:

Weapons from the era piqued the interest of the crowd. The top lot of the night was a Colt .44 caliber Dragoon pistol (2nd model, 1850); it rang out for $19,000. Also, an over-and-under .40 caliber shotgun, side hammer with patch box, signed in two places (Griswalt, Casedega, N.Y., circa 1840), hit $2,400; and an 1892 Winchester 38-41 caliber rifle with 30 in. barrel sold for $2,200.

A Civil War-era slave’s leg iron, with ball and chain (circa 1850), commanded $1,400; a reunion badge for the Forest Cavalry Corps. (circa 1900), saw a top bid of $750; and an actual slave tag (Charleston, #475, 1862), went for $700. Sports cards and memorabilia also came under the gavel on Friday evening, with the high achiever being a Babe Ruth signed baseball; it was a hit at $900.

There were so many lots to sell over the course of the two days, not all of them came up for bid, so the spillover will be incorporated into Stevens Auction’s next sale, on April 21st, 2007. Other quality consignments have also been secured, to include a magnificent bedroom suite from an estate in New Orleans, with a Prudence Millard bed; and the estate of a former cotton planter in Greenwood, Miss.

The sale will also feature the entire contents of Troy Plantation, the onetime home of James Knox Polk, the 11th president of the United States. Mr. Polk lived in Troy Plantation from 1835-1849. The facility has been reduced in size over the years, but is still a working plantation, comprising about 950 acres of property.

For more information, visit Stevens Auction Company online at www.stevensauction.com.

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
By Chriss Swaney
Sunday, January 21, 2007

“Together, the veterans and those historic battlefields form a precious national treasure, a collective conscience, of sorts, that has ignited a boom in World War II collectibles.

“Renewed interest for World War II memorabilia stems from the fact that 14-year-olds today see World War II the way my generation viewed the Civil War when we were kids. We used to collect everything from the Civil War, and now this new generation is determined to own as much World War II stuff as they can find,” says Huckestein, whose collection includes several German bayonets and a letter Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower penned to the D-Day forces.

…The collection stampede has seen a 45 percent increase in people interested in military insignia from World War II, according to the American Society of Military Insignia Collectors.”

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