10 items on LiveAuctioneers ending this week that I think are undervalued, or affordable—auctions ending soonest first. (Instructions on bidding at end). But first, housekeeping.
Housekeeping:
I took last week off and am in Paris.
New story on GQ.com, an interview with Howard Luks, an orthopaedic surgeon who wrote a clear and thoughtful book on longevity and aging well. Book contains simple instructions for how to age outside of hospital confines. The interview is here.
New story on Inverse.com that’s about rep ranges and building strength, specifically the transformative use of severe overload on the back squat. I interviewed Randall Strossen, who wrote the book on the subject (Super Squats) and who is a trained psychologist, the preeminent living weightlifting journalist and has a massive hand grippers business/built that sport. Story is here.
Does anyone know the exact location of where this Kickback show was? I think it’s 15 Rue Marie Stuart, but I’m not positive.
Auctions:
Russell Wright Pottery, Victoria BC: Beautiful full complement of ceramic pottery, an ideal entry level set for someone who skews more traditional than Vignelli/Heller. Looks East German and doesn’t go for much. Rest of the auction is dogshit and very Canadian (Dionne quintuplets, etc.), though a few Hudson Bay blankets. $50
Venturi Knoll Grandma sofas, FL, In-House Shipping: Very plain post-design sofas, by Robert Venturi. Venturi is usually much louder and more direct. He hated modernism, designed the guild house, Queen Anne chair; one of the greats. These couches speak to that, but look like a La-Z-Boy or Broyhill at first. What is going on here? Thing is, in other colors they’re transcendent. This one’s so harsh. Last few went for $1400, not many sell; the Snake Lock of the Week. House also has some Eames executive chairs for cheap and a very nice Arthur Umanoff desk. $400
Begge for Casalino kids chairs, NC, IHS: Alexander Begge best/only known for these chairs, named the Casalino, produced by Casala (not Italian, auction’s all wrong). They look like an S from the side. There are also Casalinos with armrests that resemble idealized Monoblocs, and footstools. (The footstools are the best.) Begge famously did not draw down his idea before producing it. House also has a nice William and Mary great chair (Shakery), some Prairie School furniture, a few good rugs, lots of jugs. These are small and for children, $50
Calka Boomerang-style desk, NJ: Not exactly a Maurice Calka desk (which have closed drawers and are rounder, and list in the five figures), but it’s close enough. An ideal piece: era-specific, sans designer, well-made, cheap, perfect. House is rough going and doesn’t use Coke cans but tape measures in their photos for size reference, which is demonic. $400
Pair Cassina LC2 armchairs, 80s, NJ: From the same house, which also has a sofa (three seats)—I’ve written before about my appreciation for 80s Cassina-era LC2 chairs: they’re well-made, worn-in, cheap, pre-modern, harsh, and just misused enough in most contexts that done right they’re wild. Best ones have black tubes, though, and aren’t cut up. In better shape they’d go for double, $750
Charles Hollis Jones clothing rack, LA: Perhaps the best clothing rack I have ever seen… the best Jones piece I have run across. Jones works in mostly lucite and acrylic, he made the Edison Lamp (square) which won some awards—glass desks, chrome, etc. His lucite bed is unbelievable. This is as good or better than that, it’s beautiful and practical. Auction is heavy with regency furniture; this exact rack went for $175 earlier this year, same house. $2,000
Fontana Arte valet, LA: Same house, simpler valet… Hard to tell where Fontana Arte starts and begins, but they have hits now and then, with decent American distribution. No designer attribution, almost deco or industrial, except for the colors; house has been trying to sell this for a while. $800
Donald Deskey style chair, NY: Chrome regency/deco/Goodfellas-style chair selling local to New York, in manner of Donald Deskey, an important designer whose real items go cheaper than this thing. (Many good ones sold for cheap this year, including this Colombo-y Widdicombe side table.) House has a couple Eames stackers, art books, some teak and a plane propeller, which I want one bad, but in chrome. $70
Euro Wildcard of the Week:
Cini Boeri chair, pink, Torino: I’m in Europe, where people drink Orangina. This is a Bobo chair, designed in 1967 for Arflex, they never show up on LA and when they do they don’t sell. Not my favorite Boeri, and not my favorite color; rare week when there’s more good stuff stateside than in Europe. €900
Odds and ends:
Bellini-style bar chairs, 4 for $50, CT
Office chair with the holes in the back, $25, CT
Four Saporiti dining chairs, $1k NJ
Aircraft propeller (Sensenich), $175, NY
Thanks for reading.
Snake
Other work: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-JLRt0Ec6gZBm50hATYCYmLctnF9GhVijoEbam50JSw/edit?overridemobile=true
How to bid: Sign up for Liveauctioneers with a credit card ahead of the auction, register for that auction on the item page — button/prompt’s on every auction pg — pre-bid. Registrations take a day or so.
Bidding is live in a pop-up window, most prices jump during auctions. Both app and website have good UX. Sometimes items go for a lot, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes lots of watchers means something; sometimes not. Not much different from eBay. Because of buyers’ premiums (~25%), and freight, expect to pay over these prices. When you win you have ~a week to get the item. Houses may recommend third party shippers; some ship themselves. If so, In-House Shipping is noted on the page. Picking it up yourself is cheapest.
As with anything, insane steals are rare, nice deals are occasional, and fair prices are frequent. Respond if more questions.