Collectibles

George Romney, British 1734-1802 Sketch of a lady, traditionally identified as Henrietta, Countess of Warwick, seated with her arm outstretched: Pen and black ink on laid paper.Rosebery's London At first sight, the drawing that an antiques enthusiast in Hudson, New York, rescued from a dumpster seemed too “interesting and old” to leave in the garbage. A little...

Bob Clampett’s life (1913–1984)—along with his vast collection of drawings, photographs, books, and ephemera—mirrors the history of American animation. Following a public exhibition that runs through March 20, Van Eaton Galleries will present The Bob Clampett Auction, a two-day event on March 22 and 23. This is an original photostat model sheet for the Merrie Melodies cartoon...

Villeroy & Boch small Jasperware vase.Sean Larson Your small vase appears to be a Villeroy & Boch Jasperware piece from the mid-to-late 19th century. The style is known for combining relief decorations and applied figures with a classical or mythical theme.This vase has a cream-colored stoneware base and a classical Greek-style figure in a contrasting cream tone....

The three-inch-long Flamin' Hot Cheeto, shaped like the Pokémon Charizard, is affixed to a customized Pokémon card and encapsulated in a clear card storage box. It sold for $87,840 (with buyer's premium) at Goldin in early March 2025.Goldin Would you believe a single Cheeto sold at auction for more than $80,000? What if it’s shaped like a...

Johann Berthelsen (American, 1883-1972). Oil on canvas. Signed lower right. A snow covered scene of the iconic St. Patrick's Church, with figures in the foreground. Signed lower right.Caza Sikes When Marisa Macy of Cincinnati, Ohio, picked up a $2.99 painting at her local Goodwill, she was just interested in the frame. Before long, she realized it was...

If you're curious about the health of the antiques and collectibles hobby, look no further than Heritage Auctions and their stunningly successful 2024 for the answer. Billing itself as "America's Auction House," the Dallas-based Heritage reached nearly $1.9 billion in total sales last year, the highest ever for the 49-year-old company in the wake of three successive record-setting...

March 2024 Kovels Antique Trader Harvey Lieberman dreamed his large, inherited vase from his deceased parents was a rare Renaissance relic, something that might have graced the home of an Italian nobleman during Da Vinci’s lifetime. What he discovered was something completely different. Would the truth about his vase change everything? Lieberman shares a thoughtful story of...

The rare and uncommon Babe Ruth autographed baseball card. Babe Ruth autographs are extremely rare, and a new pack of baseball cards might be the last place you would expect to find one. But that’s what happened to a young collector in Evansville, Ind., after a trip to his local card shop.With school closed for President’s Day,...

Collectors who single-handedly define an entire market are exceedingly rare, and Dwight Cleveland is one of them. On March 27-28, Heritage offers the cream of the Chicago-based Cleveland’s collection in a single-owner auction and proves that his acumen, enthusiasm and strategy of collecting cinema’s greatest movie posters — from Golden-Age Hollywood classics — such as Casablanca and...

President’s Day, falling on Feb. 17 this year, was first observed as George Washington’s birthday. The Raab Collection had the perfect way to celebrate: offering a rare letter from the Revolutionary War, signed by then-General Washington himself, for sale. The letter was expected to sell for $150,000, and, according to an e-mail from The Raab Collection, it...