Will Seippel, CEO of WorthPoint, enjoys watching the items sold at auctions held by our WorthPoint Industry Partners. We thought it would be a great idea for him to select some of his favorite sold items and explain why those sales stood out to him. Gaining insights from Will is an excellent way to learn about buying and selling trends in our industry. We want to empower you to buy and sell with confidence. Take a look at his thoughts on a few of our partners’ recent sales.
On April 11, 2025, WorthPoint dropped a hefty 226,462 new items into its Price Guide—clocking in at a collective value of $16,662,000.21. That shakes out to about $73.57 per lot!
A Bloom Worth Picking
Let’s take a little detour through Texas, where bluebonnets bloom and bidding wars blossom—especially when Porfirio Salinas is involved. Recently, at Dallas Auction Galleries (which never disappoints), a lush 1957 oil painting titled Texas Bluebonnets by Salinas hammered down for $50,000. The piece, measuring 30 by 40 inches (though the stunning carved and gilt frame stretches it to an impressive 38.75 by 49.25 inches), was in pristine condition save for a little flirtation with detachment from its frame. Salinas, a beloved and prolific Texan artist who passed in 1973, was practically married to the bluebonnet as a subject—and thank goodness for that. This sale was a bargain compared to a similar painting sold by the same house in 2021 for over $70,000, making this a bloom worth picking. With 638 of his works listed on WorthPoint and prices trending up, this was a savvy buy with long-term potential.
If you’ve never driven through Texas in late March or early April, do yourself a favor and add it to your bucket list—preferably with Round Top in your GPS and a camera ready. This is peak bluebonnet season when the highways are transformed into a living mosaic of indigo thanks in large part to Lady Bird Johnson’s legendary highway beautification efforts. Back in my Houston days, I’d time my treasure-hunting trips to the Round Top Spring Shows just to catch those blue fields in bloom—trust me—it’s better than any filter. The wildflowers may grow naturally, but their roadside abundance is pure first-lady magic. While you’re in the area, pop over to Dallas for a stop at Heritage or Dallas Auction Galleries—our trusted auction partners—where the bidding can be just as wild as the blossoms. Nothing like a Texas road trip where antiques and nature are both in full bloom.
A Piece of American History
If you’re still reading these ramblings of mine—bless you—you know I tend to wander wherever my curiosity takes me. This time, it took me straight to New England and into the archives of Eldred’s Auction, a house I have a bit of a crush on. Their latest sale offered up a gem that hit all the right historical notes: a January 5, 1775 edition of The Massachusetts Spy or Thomas’s Boston Journal, complete with the iconic “Join or Die” cartoon by Benjamin Franklin. The colonial cartoon of a snake, created twenty years earlier, depicted the thirteen colonies urging them to unite and form a country; otherwise, they would perish individually. That little segmented snake—so full of Revolutionary drama—has always caught my eye, and apparently someone else’s too, as it fetched a righteous $7,560. If you’re a collector of tangible pieces of American history, this was one you had to have.
What’s more, the exact same price was paid for a rather striking oil painting by William Hare, a folk art depiction of the schooner Citizen of Baltimore. While Hare’s works don’t always sail into five-figure territory, this one hit a high note—perhaps due to its bold name-drop of Baltimore or maybe just the charm of Hare’s hand. The painting, despite a bit of restoration and a good amount of craquelure, still holds its own on the wall (and likely glows with nautical pride under gallery lights). Eldred’s pulled in over $1.2 million from the sale, with an average lot price north of $1,000—a number that speaks volumes about the caliber of items on offer. New England may be cold this time of year, but the market for Americana is clearly heating up.
New England Charm
And speaking of New England charm, another piece that warmed my antique-loving heart was a cozy 1890 interior scene titled Old Kitchen in Kennebunkport, Me. by F. H. Shapleigh that sold for $1,771.18 at Green Valley Auctions. Signed and dated in the lower left corner and lovingly inscribed on the reverse, this painting feels like a quiet moment frozen in time—complete with the kind of inviting domestic nostalgia that makes you want to sip something warm by a wood-burning stove. At nineteen by thirteen inches in its frame, it’s not a large piece, but it packs a punch with its soft light, warm tones, and that unmistakable Shapleigh touch. Sure, there’s craquelure and even a small tear in the lower right corner, but somehow that just adds to the charm—like the creaky floorboards of an old Maine cottage.
Weird and Crazy
Filing this one under the weird and crazy category, let’s talk about the “Camel Themed Bar” from Apple Tree’s latest auction—because sometimes the catalog titles alone are worth the price of admission. I had to click just to see what on earth a camel-themed bar looked like—was it a misspelling of caramel? A forgotten Joe Camel promo? Nope. It turned out to be a gloriously tacky, carved and pressed wood piece that looked like it wandered out of a 1920s Masonic lodge or maybe a Cairo souvenir shop on a layover gone wrong. Despite a broken foot and a mystery hole in the side, it still sold for $275.80, which tells me someone else saw the kitsch potential. Honestly, it would look amazing in a man cave—or proudly displayed in the front window of a vintage shop with a price tag so high it starts conversations. Tacky? Yes. Fabulous? Also yes.
And hey—tomorrow’s another day. Here’s to the thrill of the hunt, the joy of the find, and the ever-entertaining world of buying, selling, and collecting!
Will Seippel is the founder, president, and CEO of WorthPoint. Will has been an avid collector since 1974 and dealer of just about all things antique—with an emphasis on ephemera— since 1984. He is also the creator and founder of HIP, a website devoted to recording the best of the world’s history that has been saved on film.
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