Ivory, rhino-horn trove discovered on A&E's Storage Wars to be auctioned Mar. 5-6 by Don Presley Along with a 22lb. emerald, fine art, antique clocks and a Bentley GT Coupe, Don Presley's Mar. 5-6 auction features Chinese ivory and rhino horn antiques discovered on the hit TV show Storage Wars.
paintings by noted fashion artist Huldah Cherry Jeffe (American, 1901-2001), watercolors, and Louis Icart lithographs.
Presley’s gallery has been filled with the sounds of ticking timekeepers from a consignment that includes a boulle mantel clock, a 7ft. 3in. French bronze ormolu tall-case clock with cherubs and paw feet (est. $20,000-$35,000); Sevres porcelain and candelabra garniture sets, a cloisonné clock topped by a horse figure, and a Sevres-style clock with champleve face and matching candelabra.
“There is a historically important French gilt bronze mantel clock in the sale that appears to have been given as a gift to a European military hero,” said Presley. “It’s dated 1856, hallmarked, and has porcelain Roman numerals and three winged cherubs, as well as an inscribed dedication on the front to General Leopold Heinrich von Wedell of Luxembourg. We expect it to sell in the vicinity of $15,000 to $25,000.”
Several examples of ever-desirable antique Louis Vuitton luggage will be offered, including a flat trunk, circa first decade of the 20th century, which may have been used to transport rifles. It retains its original lock and key, and has a Louis Vuitton Exposition Universalles Paris 1900 label inside. Its exterior is marked “Second King’s Royal Rifles, Sgt. W.H. Heath.” The trunk is estimated at $8,000-$12,000. Also to be auctioned is a serial-numbered Louis Vuitton hatbox with the LV Paris and London label.
The highest estimate in the sale – $200,000-$300,000 – has been applied to a GIA-certified emerald specimen carved to replicate a muscular, rugged-looking man climbing a large rock. The chunky emerald clustered in black mica schist weighs over 22 lbs. and measures 28.30 by 24 by 18.70 cm. (11.14 x 9.45 x 7.36 inches). Quite likely, it is of Brazilian origin. The carving was probably executed more than a century ago, Presley said, and the piece has been in the same Colombian family’s possession for 50 years.
Some lucky bidder will be cruising home in a luxurious 2005 Bentley Continental GT Coupe. When not being driven, the meticulously maintained one-owner car has been housed in a climate-controlled Newport Beach garage. The car has a 12-cylinder, 550-h.p. engine and has clocked up only 80,000 original miles.
Other auction highlights include a Baldwin medium grand piano with bench, heavily adorned with gilt bronze ormolu, estimated at $25,000-$40,000; more than 30 lots of sterling silver, and a beautiful selection of Tiffany Studios vases, boudoir lamps and other glass creations. Additional highlights include a pair of 19th-century Sevres gilt bronze mounted, covered urns, hand painted and artist signed, $18,000-$25,000; and an extremely desirable, circa-1880s Regina table-model disc player with cabinet and five 27-inch discs. “Usually you’ll only see that size disc with Regina upright models,” said Presley. The early musical rarity is expected to make $15,000-$20,000 on auction day.
All forms of bidding will be available for Don Presley’s March 5-6 auction, including live via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com. For additional information, call 714-633-2437 or email info@donpresleyauction.com. Visit Don Presley Auctions online at www.donpresleyauction.com.
