Amelia Earhart Collection, Old Masters and More at Clars in September Each September, Clars hosts their landmark sale of the year and this September may likely be the richest in the firm’s history. Internationally important historic memorabilia collections, fine art fro
News-Antique.com - Aug 20,2011 - Oakland, CA — Each September, Clars hosts their landmark sale of the year and this September may likely be the richest in the firm’s history. Internationally important historic memorabilia collections, fine art from Old Masters and contemporary icons, museum quality Asian offerings plus investment quality jewelry, decoratives and antiques will draw bidders from around the world.
Turning first to the important historic collections to be offered is a most captivating collection of Amelia Earhart memorabilia with provenance directly to the famed aviator. This collection comes to the block from three different consignors and all items have been privately held until now. This collection includes over twenty unpublished gelatin silver photographs and a pair of her Luxor No. 6 flying goggles.
The goggles that will be offered come with impressive provenance. Earhart was reportedly wearing these goggles when she experienced her first crash in July 1921 in her Airster while learning to fly with instructor Neta Snook. Sporting evidence of the mishap, the goggles are complete with a crack from the crash and will be offered with their original aluminum storage case. The July 1921 crash is written about by Snook in her book I Taught Amelia to Fly. A signed copy of her book will be offered with the goggles. The goggles and case were given by Snook to a relative who has consigned them to Clars. The pre-sale estimate on this lot is $20,000 to $40,000. However, if the unexpected price achieved on a pair of Earhart goggles at the Profiles in History auction in 2009 is any indicator, these goggles could likely go for much more.
Turning to the collection of unpublished photographs, the eighteen gelatin silver prints were a gift from Earhart to the consignor’s mother. Amelia Earhart taught the consignor’s mother to fly in the early 1930s in Northern California. Included in these rich historic images are photos of the famed Lockheed Electra 10E, the plane that was used for the fateful attempted circumnavigation with navigator Fred Noonan. There are also personal images of Earhart packing for this flight and getting her hair cut at a barber’s shop. Furthering these images as personal photos taken, the press photographers can be seen in the photos themselves.
In addition to this collection of eighteen prints, there are two very impressive photos of Earhart piloting the first bi-plane to be catapulted off an aircraft carrier and four photographs of Earhart racing cars on a racetrack. In addition to these, there is one more press photograph signed by Earhart, which reads “To my friends of the radio audience.” Clars has assigned a pre-sale estimate on each of the photos in this historic collection at $600 to $800.
To link to the video of this collection as seen on GoodDay Sacramanto, click here
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2011/08/18/tracy-woman-finds-rare-amelia-earhart-photos-in-storage-unit/
Among the other historic collections are photographs from the first graduating class at the University of California Berkeley, 1873, one graduate who went on to be Governor of the state; a photo of Theodore Roosevelt opening the
