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Show Notes: Rago/ Wright Merger

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Interview with Richard Wright and David Rago about their Rago/Wright merger, how it is expanding business and their perspectives on material they handle, such as buying, selling and collecting in the current market. Check out the websites:

https://www.ragoarts.com/

https://www.wright20.com/

Related Links

George Nakashima;   Nakashima Woodworkers ;   Gustav Stickley;   Paul Evans;   George Ohr Pottery;   James Bearden;   Antiques Are Green

Show Transcript

  1. Richard Wright & David Rago

Note: Transcripts are digitally transcribed, we do not deem them as accurate.

Host Martin Willis (19s):

Hello everyone and welcome to the antique auction Forum. We have two great guests. They vote then past guests on the show Richard Wright and David Reagan. And we are going to talk today about their merger that they’re doing pretty excited to speak about that. Welcome to the show guys. Thank you for having us and you we are right now you are down in Lambertville, right? And then at the Lambertville office the auction gallery there in the heart of New Jersey.

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A Simple Phrase from Abraham Lincoln’s Last Hours

A Simple Phrase from Abraham Lincoln’s Last Hours

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An auctioneer’s story, by Martin Willis

Back in early 2001, on a bright sunny day I met an auction goer and former consignor at a bank in Durham, New Hampshire. She said she had something important in her safety deposit box that she wanted me to sell at auction. The bank was a beautiful brick Georgian style building perched above the Oyster River. We went into a private room with frosted glass windows, she opened the box, took out a folded document, and handed it to me. I carefully unfolded it saw it was an official New Hampshire 1865 petition and read the following simple phrase on the side of the document: “April 14, 1865, To Edwin M. Stanton, Hon. Secretary of War, please see and hear Hon. Mr. Rollins, & oblige him if you consistently can.  A. LINCOLN” Read more →

‘MY CHILDREN DO NOT WANT IT’: REASONS WHY THE YOUNG ARE NOT INTO ANTIQUES

‘MY CHILDREN DO NOT WANT IT’: REASONS WHY THE YOUNG ARE NOT INTO ANTIQUES

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A phrase that I hear on a weekly basis, when appraising antiques, is troubling: “My children (or grandchildren),” I am told, “want nothing to do with my antiques.” When I was growing up, there were all sorts of people my age enjoying and appreciating antiques, and many of them were planning on getting into the antique business, one way or another.

Now, I want to note, that not all young people have this attitude; it’s just the majority who do. There are still some young people getting into the business, just far fewer. There is a difference between someone working in the business and someone in the business with a passion for it. When my path crosses with those people, I take a moment to talk with them, and I’m also willing to share what I know. When one of these people ask me for advice on what to specialize in, I tell them to figure out what they love, and find out everything they can about it. If they still love it, then that is a good choice.

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Dime Sells for Nearly $2 Million!

Dime Sells for Nearly $2 Million!

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Sold by Heritage Auctions, Jan. 7, 2016, at Florida United Numismatists (FUN) Convention in Tampa; famous coin makes only its fourth appearance at auction in history

DALLAS – An 1894-S Barber Dime, Branch Mint PR66 PCGS CAC, the finest known, realized $1,997,500 at auction on Jan. 7, 2016 as the centerpiece of Heritage Auctions’ Platinum Night event at the Florida United Numismatists (FUN) Convention in Tampa, FL.

It was sold to an experienced collector, who placed their bid online and wishes to remain anonymous. The winning bidder was one of 16 different collectors vying for the piece.

“This was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to own one of the most famous, mysterious and elusive coins in American numismatics,” said Greg Rohan, President of Heritage Auctions. “It’s a classic of American coinage often grouped with the 1804 dollar and the 1913 Liberty nickel as ‘The Big Three’ of U.S. coin rarities. It has been the stuff of collectors’ dreams since attention was first brought to it in 1900.” Read more →

Modernistic Silver in Lincoln Massachusetts

Modernistic Silver in Lincoln Massachusetts

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by Martin Willis

If you happen to be one of the 5,000 people to live in a beautiful country town to the west of Boston, Lincoln, Massachusetts then you had the chance recently of owning a local treasure of modernism. During a recent call from my friend Doug Stinson, I learned about a benefit auction he was donating his services at in his home town. He said there was some incredible modernistic silver he was auctioning off the next day, the work of which rivals designs by known silversmith, Georg Jensen. Read more →

Record Auction Estimate

Record Auction Estimate

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by Martin Willis

Coming up next month, Christies takes a daring leap and has the distinction of assigning the highest art at auction estimate ever. Picasso’s Les Femmes d’Alger, created in 1955 is going on the block May 11th at the Rockefella Center in New York City. The $140 Million dollar estimate is the lower end of expectations.

This painting in particular is iconic to say the least, but not considered the most valuable artwork in the world. If you could imagine the most viewed painting in the world, the Mona Lisa (6 million people per year) ever for some reason hit the auction block, not only could it somehow cause a war of some kind, but nations would probably bid for it and guessing the price would be very unlikely.

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