Laurence and Sally's 3 Most Prized Auction Items
Laurence and Sally Martin recount their best auction buys.
1. Presidential Proclamation Regarding George Washington's Death
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Apparently this exact document was last seen in 1964, and was in someone’s closet for the past 50 years. The other 6 known to exist are in private collections as well as the Smithsonian Institution. Other than us, there was a telephone bidder who was extremely anxious to own this item. We had a very aggressive bidding competition. We won the item for $2,000 and are now a part of US history as the current owners of this rare document.
A rare document and bookseller gave us an estimated value of $3,000 to $5,000. Frankly, we think that this is a low estimate. We would estimate that the right person, with the right budget, would pay from $10,000 to $100,000 for it. For now, we will happily hold onto it.
2. Bronze Sculpture of Krishna and Radha
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We had lots of competition for the lot. The room was filled with people with “deep pockets.” I know that because our competition was spending, literally, $26,000 for a single lot. We don’t even have close to that to spend at auction. After all was said and done, we had to pay $1,200 for all 5 crates, so this particular crate represented 20% of the lot, or $240.
When we opened the crate it was a magical feeling! Laurence had to pry the sides off very carefully. When the front side and wrapping were removed it was amazing! A golden statue was revealed. Although it is bronze, it really did look like gold. Wouldn’t that have been amazing! The large statue featured 2 figures, Krishna and Radha. Krishna was the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, and Radha his favorite consort. The pair stands under a tree with peacocks. It is a stunningly detailed example. Our appraiser told us that the scrap value of the item was at least $900 to $1,200. A very similar statue had sold recently for $3,600.
3. 18-Karat Gold & Diamond "Gypsy" Ring
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The room was full, but our biggest competitor at the auction was Billy. He dropped out of the bidding after it reached a high of nearly $800 (what we paid for the ring). We took it for an appraisal, where we were told that it was a “bobby dazzler,” a person or thing considered remarkable or excellent. The diamonds were brilliantly set in a very high grade of gold. The ring dates to the 1920s and has been valued (here in the States) at $5,000.
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