Cottone Auctions, Geneseo, NY, held a superb sale on September 20, 2024 entitled The Important Collection of Dr. Martin May, Plantation, Florida. The second day’s sale was from a variety of consignors. The two-day sale grossed an impressive $3.7 million. Dr. May was an avid and discriminating collector of the best and rarest examples of Duffner & Kimberly, Tiffany Studios, Handel and other lamp makers. He died on November 16, 2019 in Florida at age 72. Surprisingly, I never met him nor did any business with him over my long career.
I’ve never seen an example of a Duffner & Kimberley Dragon table lamp in person. This example, lot #21, was one of only four known to exist and the only one to ever come up for auction. The bidding public was quite enthusiastic, sending the final price to $150,000, including buyer’s premium. That approximately doubled the pre-auction high estimate of $50,000-$80,000, setting a world record for any Duffner & Kimberley lamp at auction. Other rare Duffner & Kimberley lamps also sold very well, most realizing prices near or over their high estimates.
Handel lamps have been in the doldrums for the last couple of decades, but you wouldn’t have known that based on the results of this sale. Most prices were in line with prices from the peak of the market. We’ll see if this was a temporary blip or the start of an uptrend in Handel.
Lot #32, a rare Handel Peacock floor lamp sold for an astonishing $87,000, including buyer’s premium, against a pre-sale estimate of $10,000-$15,000. This model, which is acid-etched and decorated on the exterior with iridescent feathers, has always been rare and desirable, but even at the peak of the market, it never sold for $87,000. My guess is that the most it sold for was $50,00-$60,000.
The selection of Tiffany Favrile glass for sale wasn’t extensive, but it was high quality. The top lot of this section of the sale was #6, a gorgeous paperweight vase with strong blue flowers, 10″ tall. Estimated to sell for $7,000 – $10,000, it realized $48,000. Dr. May would have been proud.
There were many other stunning items with commensurate prices. Click Cottone’s results for the hammer prices, which do not include the 20% buyer’s premium. The next day’s sales included some great results, which you can view from the same link.
I contacted Matt Cottone personally for his reaction to the sale. “I would say we had a great mix of end users and collectors and active dealer participation driving the prices. It was a great pleasure to handle Dr. May’s collection.”
Contrary to popular belief, I have not retired. I’m still in business both exhibiting at a couple of select shows and buying and selling from my website. Please let me know what you’re looking for or wish to sell.
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