COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Rare 1960s Figures Stand Out At Cordier’s G.I. Joe Auction
FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017 • VOL. 48, NO. 23
Rare 1856 Campaign Flag Sells For $275,000, Shattering World Record
With her head turned to the right, as though surveying the medical equipment displayed alongside her in the window box, the nurse in crisp medical whites does not look like the typical combat-ready soldiers normally conjured by the name “G.I. Joe.” Nonetheless, she was the focus of a battle as bidders competed to win her at Cordier’s April 23 G.I. Joe Auction. The auction featured hundreds of G.I. Joe action figures, many of them, like the nurse, in the original boxes. All came from the same single-owner collection. The 1967 nurse was the highlight of the auction,
James Buchanan Flag Was Centerpiece Of $1.9 Million Auction At Heritage A stunning 1856 campaign flag for president James Buchanan set a world record at Heritage Auctions on May 13 when it sold for $275,000, shattering the previous record for a campaign flag sold at auction, set by Heritage in 2009. The flag was the centerpiece of a $1.9 million Americana and Political Sale that An important 1856 campaign flag for president James focused on memorabil- Buchanan set a new world record at Heritage Auctions when it ia from the nation’s sold for $275,000 to dealer Jeff Bridgman. founding fathers and other historic figures. “The previous record of $95,600 was set in November of 2009 for an 1860 John Breckinridge portrait flag,” said Jeff Bridgman, the winning bidder and owner of Jeff R. Bridgman American Antiques. Colorful campaign banners in the style of American flags were produced for every winning presidential candi- The rare monumental silk banner from the October 1789 date from William parade welcoming the recently-installed president to Boston Henry Harrison in 1840 sold for $62,500. up through, at least, Woodrow Wilson. Highly collectible, at Heritage. “It is the only Buchanan none is rarer than the 21.5-by-15- portrait flag ever to appear at aucinch flag banner for James tion and represented a perhaps Buchanan. “As thrilling as it was to not-to-be-repeated opportunity for see it sell, I was not surprised to see the advanced collector.” Not only did Bridgman purchase this flag set a world record,” said Tom Slater, director of Americana the Buchanan flag, he also was the winning bidder on a monumental silk banner from the October 1789 parade welcoming the recentlyinstalled president to Boston. It sold for $62,500. “I have never owned an 18th-century flag; almost nothing exists of that period, inside or outside of institutions, and this actually had Washington’s name on it,” said Bridgman. “Amazing!” The auction’s first session was devoted to material relating to Washington and the founding fathers. A rare and important Lexington and Concord broadside reporting on the events that ignited the American Revolution sold for $162,500. A leopard-skin saddle pad A rare letter in which president Thomas owned by both George Washington Jefferson writes to Georgia governor John and British Gen. Edward Braddock Milledge regarding the removal of the went for $150,000. Since 1927, the Cherokees from Georgia as a consequence leopard skin pad has been preserved of the Louisiana Purchase sold for $93,750. Continued on page 2
AAN Current News
American Indian Art From Fenimore Art Museum Goes On View At The Met on page 2
This 1967 G.I. Nurse in original box sold for $4,200.
A 1966 G.I. Joe Action Soldier Green Beret, mint in box, sold for $1,200.
selling to a bidder online for $4,200. A second nurse without the original box sold for $1,300. In total, over 400 lots were sold, including a 1969 G.I. Joe Aquanaut in the original box, which brought $1,400, and a 1966 G.I. Joe Action Soldier Green Beret, which sold for $1,200. Overall, the highest performing items were all from G.I. Joe’s early days. Hasbro introduced the G.I. Joe line in 1964. In response to the then commonly held belief that boys
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Swann Galleries Auction Features Strong Showing For Edward S. Curtis Photographs On April 20, Swann Galleries held the auction titled “Images and Objects: Photographs and Photobooks,” setting several records for both early and modern works. Swann Galleries consistently offers a varied selection of rare and iconic works by Edward S. Curtis, with nearly all of the offered lots selling above or within the estimate in this sale. Highlights included a striking portrait of “Red Cloud, Oglala,” 1905, which sold for $32,500, a record for the work, above a high estimate of $9,000. The “Scout, Apache,” 1906, a dramatic orotone in the original frame depicting a Native American silhouetted on a horse, more than doubled its high estimate of $12,000 to sell for $27,500, a record for an orotone of the image. Another orotone in its original frame, “An Oasis in the Badlands,” 1905, was purchased by a collector for $21,250, above a high estimate of $15,000. Bastions of the art of photography performed well, with the highest price in the sale going to a group of 60 plates from Eadweard Muybridge’s seminal “Animal Locomotion,” 1887, selling to the trade for $45,000. Ansel Adams’s iconic “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico,” 1941, printed circa 1976, went to the trade for $42,500. Five of the six works offered by New York-based vernacular photographer Weegee (née Arthur Fellig) found buyers, led by “Coney
Telephone Collectors International (TCI) To Hold Antique Telephone Show
New Exhibit At Roosevelt House Explores Enduring Impact Of The New Deal On New York City on page 9
Craftsmanship On Display At Briggs on page 10
Edward S. Curtis’ “Red Cloud, Oglala,” platinum print, from 1905, sold for $32,500, a new auction record for the work. The presale estimate was $6,000 to $9,000. It sold to a dealer. Island,” 1940, at $13,750. The cover lot for the sale was an unusual version of Toni Frissell’s breathtaking “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” 1957. The image was printed in reverse, with the notation, “This is backwards,” on the verso ($12,500). Works from the last 50 years performed well, with high prices going to Robert Frank’s “Sick of Goodby’s, Mabou,” 1978, and “Zuma #9,” 1978, by John Divola ($32,500 and $10,000, respectively). Both offered works by Peter Hujar far Continued on page 4
Ceramic Arts Studio Collectors Convention Set For Aug. 26 on page 13
In This Issue SHOPS, SHOWS & MARKETS . . . . . . . . . . starting on page 3 SHOPS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . on page 5 EVENT & AUCTION CALENDAR . on page 7 AUCTION SALE BILLS . . . starting on page 7
FEATURED AUCTION: Morphy Auctions - June 9 and 10 in Denver, Pennsylvania - Page 14
AUCTIONEER DIRECTORY . . . . . on page 8 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . on page 15