AUCTION LIAISON

Stories

Rolex Watch Collection

A lovely antiques dealer client reached out to me and relied on my auction house contacts and experience to help her liquidate many of her late husband’s belongings.

Among a number of lots offered for sale were Rolex watches with incredible provenance. These were just part of the world record-breaking extreme sports adventurer and inventor’s unique collection of memorabilia and artifacts. In furious bidding, two of the Rolex watches reached world-record breaking sales prices for their specific references.

The auction house promoted the sale with extensive press including a page and half article in The Robb Report’s Annual Gifting Issue, Barron’s and more. Additionally, a video promotion by the auction house, cocktail parties and window displays on Fifth Avenue in New York City created a buzz prior to this sale which brought outstanding results for my client. Prior to the sale, the auction house representative created an elaborate presentation book as part of his proposal for her to consign.

My job had been to research, screen and ultimately identify two appropriate auction houses, schedule meetings with the client, negotiate auction house commissions and advise on contracts. I also followed up on the timing of auctions and managed shipping.

Both auction houses included extensive bios and background in their beautifully produced catalogues, one with several fold-out pages highlighting her husband’s achievements, which made for a beautiful keepsake as well for my client.

T’ang Haywen Collection

I’ve helped many clients sell Asian art and artifacts. This is an example of works by the same artist being sold in different locations for clients in different countries.

The small watercolors by T’ang Haywen were sold in Los Angeles for a client in California; while the black and white diptych (one of three) were sold in Hong Kong for clients in the UK and Barcelona, Spain. I sell work globally for clients around the world, securing the best houses to best market their work ranging from contemporary Middle Eastern art to works by American blue chip artists or Asian masters.

Keith Haring Prints

A client had inherited many items and she invited me to come and take a look at the pieces, which included rugs, art and furniture in her Montecito home. Most of the art pieces did not have auction records so they could not be offered at auction.

After about an hour, she casually mentioned that she had some prints by the pop artist Keith Haring (1958-1990) which was very exciting!

A major auction house in New York and a competing auction house in Los Angeles were both eager to offer the prints in their spring sales. I negotiated on my client’s behalf – and was able to save her shipping costs by convincing the winning auction house to pick up the works at no cost to her as well as match the commission rate offered by the competing house.

Additionally, I helped her sell and/or consign many of the other items that we were not able to offer at auction. A win-win all around.

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