The admonition for us to not gather near others during the Covid pandemic hasn’t helped yard sales. It may have also put a crimp in uncovering some treasures.
Case in point, in early 2020 at such a sale in New Haven, CT, a man spotted a small bowl with a blue enamel design of flowers. It had a price tag of $35. It may have seemed a tad steep but he had a hunch. Plus, it was in very nice condition so he paid the asking price.
His curiosity paid off after he consulted the auction firm Sotheby’s about the bowl. Experts there identified it as a Chinese Ming Dynasty creation from between 1403 and 1424. It’s one of only six such bowls known to exist. The unassuming bowl will soon go up for sale at the auction house. It’s estimated to bring $300,000 and $500,000.
Over 99 times out of 100, “junk” for sale at flea market-type sales is exactly that, but every so often a gem pops up. Some years ago, another gentleman purchased a dusty old painting at such a sale. It even had a tear in the canvas. Through that tear the man noticed some paper. Behind the painting he found a yellowed document. It proved to be one of the original printings of the Declaration of Independence made in 1776. Only 500 were ever made and only a handful are still known. It sold at auction for just under $2.5 million....
Sometimes treasures are hiding in plain sight. Such was the case in Compiegne, France in the kitchen of a woman planning to sell her home. Hanging above her hot plate was a timeworn painting – the kind that didn’t seem out-of-place in an old French kitchen. Replete with cracked and chipped paint it depicted an image of Christ surrounded by a hoard of people.
The painting proved to be a lost 13th century work of Florentine artist Cimabue. Entitled "Christ Mocked" it was said to be part of a series. Estimated to bring close to six million dollars the painting went to auction. In the end, whatever the woman’s house sold for was incidental. That painting from her kitchen was hammered down for $26.8 million.
One of my favorites involves a man named Andy Fields. He was at a garage sale in Las Vegas where he saw five stylized sketches priced at five dollars. The seller related a tall tale about his aunt babysitting for Andy Warhol years earlier. They claimed the sketches had been done by the famous ‘60s icon. Yeah…right. Fields bought them anyway.
When he went to reframe one sketch, Fields discovered Warhol’s signature on the back. The drawings proved to be genuine. They now have a value of around two million dollars.
All this is evidence that treasure waits to be found pretty much everywhere. The key is curiosity and knowing what to look for.
Those attributes paid off for Ken Beiner who went to a Colorado post office to buy stamps. The clerk related how a disgruntled previous customer had returned a booklet of Christmas stamps featuring images of the classic Coca-Cola style Santa. That frustrated customer was upset because she couldn’t separate the stamps in the booklet. The die cutting between the stamps was missing. Instead of just one stamp peeling off, all 12 stamps stayed attached together.
Beiner had a gut feeling and bought the booklet. He showed it to experts with the Scott Postage Stamp Catalog. They considered the error unique and will be listing it in next years’ catalog. What will the value be? That waits to be seen. It’s not yet gone up for sale so a price hasn’t been established. Safe to say, as with other errors, collectors will be eager to pay a hefty premium.
In the case of lucky Ken Beiner, Santa has brought a very early holiday gift. I’d also wager Santa would concede there are more such postal errors waiting to be found.
For more collecting advice, visit www.peterexford.blogspot.com