Witherell’s
300 20th St., Sacramento, California 95811
916-446-6490
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Auction Preview3rd Thursday Discovery Auction
The 3rd Thursday Discovery Auction, presented by Witherell's, will include almost 250 pieces of jewelry, decorative arts, and collectibles. Among the highlighted lots are seven 22-karat gold bangles and a ruby necklace. The latter item has a double chain and a clasp studded with rubies, emeralds, and enamel. Several bronze sculptures will also be available, including a piece by Loet Vanderveen that shows three giraffes running in a line. Vanderveen’s sculptures often focus on capturing the motions of African animals. A pair of bronze figures created by Robert X. Holmes is also presented. His classical training in engineering later proved to be useful in his career as a sculptor. Both of these works are signed by their respective artists. For more information, visit Witherell's.
Auction Preview3rd Thursday Discovery Auction (Online)
In 1891, the U.S Department of the Interior commissioned Webb C. Ball to create an overarching set of railroad watch qualifiers. Ball partnered with the Waltham Watch Company for the manufacture of the Ball Waltham railroad pocket watch, which set the standard for railroad timekeeping. A Ball Waltham pocket watch from 1899 is highlighted in the upcoming 3rd Thursday Discovery Auction, offered by Witherell’s. With over 300 available lots, the sale will present jewelry, decorative works, and toys. Featured in the sale is a Navajo rug made by Jennie Lewis. Made with handspun wool, Navajo floor rugs are characterized by defined outer borders, rich colors, and crisp designs. Also among the key lots is a Lucas automobile lantern. Joseph Lucas began producing lamps in 1875 but it was not until the automotive boom of the early 1900s that his company experienced success. Also included is a Donald Duck drummer by Linemar toys. Linemar, a manufacturing and import company for Louis Marx & Co., was established specifically for the importation of battery-operated mechanical toys from Japan. This piece comes in its original box with a wind-up key. View the complete catalog and register to bid online on Witherell’s.
Auction PreviewLuxury Asset Auction: Featuring Property from the Estate of William B. Ruger Jr.
Witherell's will present a selection of furniture and home décor in the upcoming Luxury Asset Auction. Highlights of the sale include furniture from the Herter Brothers. Commissioned by personalities such as President Ulysses S. Grant, the firm is particularly known for its gilt cabinets. Offered in this auction is a Herter Brothers parcel-gilt cabinet created for the Thurlow Lodge in California. Also presented are paintings by artists such as Alfred Thompson Bricher and Martin Johnson Heade. Stained and leaded glass Art Nouveau lamps by Tiffany Studios are on offer as well. A featured poinsettia table lamp is hand-decorated with the company’s signature floral and geometric designs. Additionally, Marble and bronze figurines, porcelainware, rifles, silverware, and comics will be part of the auction. Explore the full listings and register to bid online on Bidsquare.
Auction PreviewHoliday Auction: Jewelry, Coins and Fine Wine
Ahead of the holiday season, Witherell’s announced their upcoming auction- Holiday Auction: Jewelry, Coins and Fine Wine (Live). The annual event will put forth a collection of jewelry, coins, watches, luxury goods, and wines. The featured lots from the auction include a 13.9 gram 14k gold ring with an old European cut diamond. Made between 1890 – 1930 in the Edwardian and Art Deco periods, it was an iconic style during that time. The auction also offers some vintage coins and currencies. Amongst them is an 1883 Carson City silver dollar. The 1883 CC silver dollar is one of the three Carson City dollars available in mint condition. Another highlight of the auction is an old European cut diamond 14k spray brooch/pendant. Set in a floral and foliate design, diamonds are a mix of single cut and full cut. All the diamonds are set in silver and part of the backing is in yellow gold. The auction also offers some vintage wines. To view the complete catalog and register to bid, go to Witherell’s.
Auction Preview3rd Thursday Discovery Auction
The 3rd Thursday Discovery Auction, offered by Witherell’s, features a large collection of concert memorabilia, including handbills from the Family Dog/Avalon Ballroom and “Bill Graham Presents in San Francisco.” Many of the handbills match with separately listed posters. Two signed album covers will also cross the auction block: Cheap Thrills signed by Janis Joplin and Electric Lady Land signed by Jimi Hendrix, Noël Redding, and Mitch Mitchell. The albums and their covers are presented with frames. From antique bottles to socialist party campaign pins, fruit crate labels to woven baskets, the diversity of this auction is notable. To explore the full catalog and register to bid, visit Witherell’s website.
Auction PreviewLuxury Asset Auction: Art, Design and Objects of Value
Get enthralled with a unique list of collectibles in the upcoming Luxury Asset Auction: Art, Design and Objects of Value by Witherell’s Auction. The bi-annual auction will put forth their finest discoveries in art, design, and objects of value. The featured collectible from the auction is a bronze (self- portrait) statue "Old Bob Prone" by popular American sculptor and ceramicist Robert Arneson. The father of Funk Art, Robert’s self-portraits are unique as they portray difficult emotions hidden behind a humorous mask. The artist’s works hold important value in prestigious museums worldwide. “Donner Summit at Tunnel 6” by California's tropical artist Norton Bush is a notable painting. A snowy, winter view of Donner Lake from Donner Summit at Tunnel 6 in the Sierra Nevada, is a mesmerizing masterpiece by the landscape painter. Multiple California paintings in celebration of the state's Admission Day are also on display. Among them, state wildflower paintings by turn-of-the-century, female artist Alice Brown Chittenden and a San Francisco streetscape artist James Phillips are prime collectibles. One of the earliest penny drops, the pyramid trade simulator by L.H. Buchanan Company is an antique collectible, earlier used in general stores, cigar stores, and hotels. The Reliance Novelty Cast Iron Trade Simulator is also a similar notable piece of history. The auction will host many more collectibles like Silver wares, furniture, sculptures, Chinaware, documents, scripts, and others. Explore the full listings and register to bid online on Witherell’s.
Press ReleaseA Third Thursday Discovery Feature: Colorful Fruit Labels from The Golden State
The first time I ever lived, worked, and bought groceries on my own I was living Louisiana. At least once a week I would walk just over a mile and a half to a small, local grocery store in New Orleans called Langenstein’s to buy food and whatever else I might need for the days ahead. Something that struck me every grocery run, whether it was standing in the aisle of the store or unpacking groceries in front of the fridge in my apartment, was that nearly all the of fruit, most certainly all of the berries, I bought in New Orleans came from the California. I like to imagine every strawberry I ate in the South making a voyage from the West Coast to Louisiana — a journey that mirrored my own movement from Sacramento to New Orleans. For the month of June our Third Thursday Auction features fruit labels, more specifically California fruit labels from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Fruit labels are the colorful prints originally affixed to the outside of the wooden crates that were used to transport fruit from California to destinations all over the United States. Witherell’s received this wonderful and unique collection from Donna Holmes, who discovered these well-preserved, stunningly vibrant fruit labels in a suitcase high on a closet shelf in her parents’ home over 20 years ago. When Ms. Holmes stumbled upon the fruit labels, she was also uncovering a bit of family history about her grandmother and her great aunt. Christine and Rebecca Suhr, born two years apart in the late 1870s, were orphaned at a young age and became the wards of Charles R. Gray, a lawyer who ended up mismanaging much of the girls’ family money. After Rebecca (Ms. Holmes’ grandmother) graduated from San Bernardino High School she was accepted at Stanford University and Christine, in order to help support her younger sister and put her through college, began working for A.G. Stearns Packers and Shippers of Highland Oranges and Lemons. She worked for the company from 1900 until 1920, first as a bookkeeper and eventually…
Press ReleaseHistoric WWII document part of upcoming Witherell’s online auction
This is a photo of the original surrender document sent by German Gen. Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz to U.S. Army Gen. Anthony McAuliffe, acting commander of the significantly outnumbered 101st Airborne Division dug in at Bastogne, Belgium, on Dec. 22, 1944. The document is up for bids in an online auction conducted by Sacramento’s Witherell’s auction house from Jan. 11-25, 2017. WITHERELL’S AUCTION HOUSE IN SACRAMENTO A famous surrender ultimatum document sent by a German commander to a U.S. Army general during the Battle of Bulge in World War II is among the items to be put up for bid by Witherell’s auction house in Sacramento. The document is part of an 82-lot auction that also includes a draft of the Potsdam Proclamation, a World War II bomber jacket and an 18th century Persian ax blade. The items will be on public display from 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday at the Witherell’s Annex, 1925 C St., in Sacramento. The “Firearms and Militaria” online auction runs from Wednesday through Jan. 25. The surrender document was sent by German Gen. Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz to U.S. Army Brigadier Gen. Anthony McAuliffe, acting commander of the significantly outnumbered 101st Airborne Division dug in at Bastogne, Belgium. In ornate language, the document delivered to McAuliffe on Dec. 22, 1944, tells the American general that his troops are surrounded and seeks surrender within two hours. McAuliffe famously replied with his own message: “NUTS!” Despite heavy bombardment by the German Luftwaffe, the American forces held Bastogne and were reinforced four days later by the U.S. 4th Armored Division ahead of U.S. Gen. George Patton’s 3rd Army. McAuliffe was immediately awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and subsequently promoted to the rank of major general. The Sacramento auction house said the surrender document is being sold by a member of the McAuliffe family. McAuliffe died in 1975.
Press ReleaseMarilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio items up for auction in Sacramento
This photo includes personal items that actress Marilyn Monroe had in her purse the day she wed Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio in 1954. These are among the items up for bids in an auction overseen by Witherell’s auction house in Sacramento Witherell’s auction house in Sacramento is auctioning personal items that once belonged to movie star Marilyn Monroe and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio. The auction began Nov. 4 and will conclude Wednesday. A preview of the items available for bid can be seen from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Witherell’s gallery, 300 20th St., in Sacramento. “Marilyn and Joe were iconic figures; their marriage was the love story of the century,” said Brian Witherell, chief operating officer of the midtown auction house. “They were, and still are, American royalty. With the auction, people have a chance to own a personal memento from one of these larger-than-life figures.” Auction items were either former possessions or part of the estate of DiMaggio’s late niece, actress June DiMaggio. June DiMaggio and Monroe were friends until Monroe’s death in 1962. June DiMaggio moved to Sacramento after retiring from Hollywood and lived in Sacramento’s Campus Commons until her death in May 2014. She was a longtime friend of Sacramento TV and radio personality Mary Jane Popp, and they co-authored the 2006 book, “Marilyn, Joe & Me.” Popp was given items once belonging to Monroe and Joe DiMaggio. In a Witherell’s media release, Popp said: “I still have many items June gave me. But there are so many fans of Marilyn and Joe out there, I wanted these family treasures to go to others who would also appreciate them.” The 50 lots include personal photos, signed books, personal items Monroe had with her the day she married DiMaggio in 1954, costume jewelry, kitchen/clothing items and a memorial pamphlet from Monroe’s Aug. 8, 1962, funeral in Los Angeles. Witherell’s cited “the uniqueness of the items,” and due to that, there are no comparable items to determine a precise value. Consequently, there are no estimates on the items.…
Fine ArtThrift Store Find, Mercedes, Three Graces Chandelier Highlight Witherell’s Catalogue Auction
A Hermann Herzog painting, which was found in a thrift store on half-price day, will be in Witherell's September 16 to 30 auction.Witherell's A 1964 Mercedes 230 SL also highlights Witherell's catalogue auction September 16 to 30.Witherell's A "Three Graces", 1870's chandelier attributed to Cornelius and Baker will be in Witherell's Sept. 16 to 30 auction.Witherell's Running online September 16 to 30, Witherell’s catalogue auction stands out with a 1964 Mercedes, an early Thiebaud landscape, a Herzog discovered in a thrift store, a “Three Graces” chandelier and a pair of gold scales, among the highlighted items. With 149,000 miles on it, the 1964 230 SL Mercedes has an estimated value of $20,000 to $30,000. “Collecting cars is a growing field,” said Brian Witherell, ‘Antiques Roadshow’ appraiser and Witherell’s chief operating officer. “There is a broad base of car collectors, so we are always pleased to auction interesting cars. “This car is in very good condition having had a single owner since 1985.” A framed watercolor by American artist Wayne Thiebaud, possibly depicting the Sacramento River Delta, is signed and dated “Thiebaud 58”. Valued at $3,000 to $5,000, the early work is 14" x 21” by sight and 23.5” x 30” overall. Known for his landscapes and prominence in the Dusseldorf school before coming to America, a Hermann Herzog 1874 landscape found in a Northern California thrift store is one of the more additions to the upcoming auction. Valued at $2,000 to $4,000, the painting was bought in a Woodland, Calif. thrift store on “Half-price day” for $2.50. Labeled “Moonlight scene Austria” and stamped verso, “Muller Paris”, is 16.25” by 12.62” oil on board, 21” by 16.75” with frame. An 1870 Three Graces chandelier attributed to Cornelius and Baker, Philadelphia, is expected to do well at $3,000 to 5,000. The bronze, five-arm chandelier is adorned with the three allegorical figures on the stem, “Art, Science, and Industry”, that represent the Victorian love of symbolism. They are surmounted by three Baroque-style, female busts and have etched shades with ruffled edges A similar chandelier was on the cover of a catalogue by the…
