Converse Auctions


1 Spring St, Paoli, Pennsylvania 19355
610-722-9004

About Auction House

Solely owned and operated by M. Todd Converse. Todd brings fifteen years of experience, an appreciation of beautiful things, and tech savvy marketing to Converse Auctions. His family's ancestral crest is proudly displayed in the logo, representing Todd’s respect for history and commitment to fair trade and customer satisfaction. Converse has friendly, personalized service that goes beyond the status quo, we offer expertise and a great sales record.  With the launch of the first Converse website in 1995 and our first online auction in 2009, Converse Auctions continues to combine tradition...Read More
al business acumen with the latest marketing technology.Read Less

Auction Previews & News

3 Results
  • Auction Industry, Press Release
    Converse Auctions’ Online-only Armchair Adventurer Auction On April 24th Features Wild & Wonderful Items From Around The World

    There’s something for just about everybody in the 470-lot auction, starting at 12 noon EDT. PAOLI, Pa. – Converse Auctions is inviting everyone to chill out, pull up a seat and bid on something wild and wonderful in its upcoming Armchair Adventurer Auction scheduled for Saturday, April 24th, beginning promptly at 12 noon Eastern time. Bidders can travel the world from the comfort of their armchair to Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas in this 470-lot sale. Oneida Heirloom sterling silver flatware set in the Lasting Spring pattern, from 1955, with numerous serving pieces including a community silverplate baby spoon (est. 4,000-$6,000). The catalog is packed with antique and silverplate items (including Tiffany & P. Garrett); Chinese and Japanese porcelain, paintings and more; African art masks, figures and textiles; Native American Hopi figures and jewelry; antique clocks from America, Europe and China; art glass, Fenton and Baccarat crystal; American homespun quilts and other textiles; and old maps. While the event is Internet-only, with no in-person gallery bidding, online bidding is available at LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and ConverseAuctions.com. Live previews will be held by appointment only in Converse Auctions’ gallery at 1 Spring Street in Paoli, Pa., just outside Philadelphia. To set up an appointment, call 610-722-9004 or email [email protected]. One of the auction’s expected headliners is a large and important Santa Clara Pueblo ceramic pottery vase signed by the renowned Native American artisan Margarita “Margaret” Tafoya (1904-2001). The vase is just under 17 inches tall, weighs 15.6 pounds and shows Tafoya’s incised signature. It’s an exceptional example of her work and should sell for $3,000-$5,000. An Oneida Heirloom sterling silver flatware set in the Lasting Spring pattern, from 1955, with numerous serving pieces including a community silverplate baby spoon and ten of the pattern still in the original plastic bag, should reach $4,000-$6,000; while a Tiffany Art Deco sterling silver serving tray, with garland designs around the border and a central monogram, 15 inches in diameter, the back marked “Tiffany & Co., weighing 2.8 lbs. has an estimate of $1,000-$1,500. A 19th century Chinese bracket clock on a stand, having time…

  • Auction Industry, Press Release
    550-plus Lots Of Chinese, Japanese & African Artifacts, Plus Paintings & Prints, Are In Converse Auctions’ East West Antique Auction, Feb. 27

    The auction will be online-only with previews by appointment only at the gallery in Paoli, Pa. All lots have a $10 starting bid; it’s a tactic designed to encourage people to bid early and bid often. Beautiful hand-painted Chinese bottle vase in a handsome presentation box, 12 inches tall, with a painted garden on one side, calligraphy and an artist’s mark on the reverse (est. $5,000-$8,000). PAOLI, Pa. – A beautiful hand-painted Chinese bottle vase, a painting of roses by the French ‘fleuriste’ Raoul M. De Longpré (1843-1911), and an impressive African Dan Guere mask with cowrie shells and bronze bells are a few expected top lots in Converse Auctions’ online-only East West Antique Auction slated for Saturday, February 27th, starting at 12 o’clock pm Eastern.  While the event is Internet-only, with no in-person gallery bidding, online bidding is available at LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and ConverseAuctions.com. Live previews will be held by appointment only in Converse Auctions’ gallery at 1 Spring Street in Paoli, Pa., just outside Philadelphia. To set up an appointment, call 610-722-9004 or email [email protected]. The auction is packed with over 550 lots of fine American, European, African, Chinese and other Asian items – a tantalizing blend of objects from the East alongside items from the Western culture (hence the title ‘East West’). All lots have a starting bid of $10, a tactic designed to encourage newcomers to the collecting world, and old pros as well, to bid early and bid often.  Items from the East will feature Chinese and Japanese artifacts, to include fine furniture, jade, porcelain, cloisonné, paintings and seals, plus items from the collection of Dr. Morris V. Shelanski, a prolific antiques collector from the 1950s-1970s. African artifacts will include rarities from a New York City collector who amassed many visually arresting masks up for bid.  Fine art paintings and prints will come from both the East and West. The watercolor and gouache roses painting by Raoul M. De Longpré is an expected highlight. Measuring 36 inches by 29 inches, the work is artist signed and carries an estimate of $800-$1,200. De Longpré was born…

  • Auction Industry
    Converse Auctions will hold an online-only Important Chinese New Year Antique Auction, 315 lots, Saturday, December 26th

    The auction will feature exquisite jade carvings, porcelain, paintings, jewelry, bronze Buddhas, scholars’ items, fine furniture, snuff bottles and seals. Rare 19th century French rolling ball waterwheel clock, almost identical to one in Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing, housed in a gilded bronze case (est. $3,000-$5,000). PAOLI, PA, UNITED STATES, December 15, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Converse Auctions invites collectors to ring in the New Year a few days early by participating in an online-only Important Chinese New Year Antique Auction on Saturday, the day after Christmas, December 26th, at 12 noon Eastern time. “We have been saving our finest items to feature in this important sale,” said Todd Converse. “There are over 300 lots to bid on.” The many fine Chinese antiques on offer include exquisite jade carvings, porcelain (including palace vases and chargers), paintings, jewelry, bronze Buddhas, scholars’ items, fine furniture (including throne, carved chairs with stone insets and tables), snuff bottles and seals, jewelry and items from the collection of Dr. Morris V. Shelanski, a prolific antiques collector (1950s-1970s). One item certain to attract great attention is lot 305, a rare 19th century French rolling ball waterwheel clock, almost identical to one in Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing (est. $3,000-$5,000). This extraordinary French industrial clock is powered by large steel ball bearings (not spring driven). The ornate case is made of gilded bronze, topped by a regal lion. Large and impressive jade table screen (or panel) with numerous scholars’ items pictured in relief, 29 ½ inches by 42 ½ inches, with carved stone appliqued items (est. $3,000-$5,000). A large and impressive jade table screen (or panel) with numerous scholars’ items pictured in relief, 29 ½ inches by 42 ½ inches, also has a pre-sale estimate of $3,000-$5,000. The stone appliqued items are carved in jade, lapis lazuli, cinnabar, carnelian, malachite and other stones. Calligraphy and an artist’s mark are painted in gold. The wood frame is carved in cloud shapes. A dramatic and monumental pair of yellow dragon palace vases, each one 28 inches tall, is also expected to bring $3,000-$5,000. The vases boast multicolored dragons…