Furniture appraiser extraordinaire made a couple of amazing finds when conducting some recent fine art appraisals. Although he was best known for his furniture expertise, he now mostly appraises fine art and silver.”I appraised a $125,000 S. C. Yuan and a Modigliani that sold for $400,000 at Sotheby’s,” he said. McConnell had appraised the Modigliani in the high 300s, so he was right in the ballpark. S.C. Yuang was born in Hangchow, China in the province of Chekiang. Although taught in the Western manner, later Yuan would remark that he was also influenced by the Chinese paintings surrounding him and that their delicacy and emphasis upon line were in his blood. He came to America in 1950 and, after a visit to the Monterey Peninsula, decided that this was where he wished to make his home. Although there were major exhibitions of Yuan’s work during the war years, the 1960s was a period of numerous shows, awards and his beginning of his inspirational travels to Mexico and Europe. His last one-man show was held in Carmel in 1974. It was at that time when he took his own life, and died on September 6, 1974.
Category Archives: Appraising
appraisal group evaluates $30,000 rug found in the trash
In the world of collecting, there are many urban myths. One of the most popular is that it is possible to find an item worth tens of thousands of dollars in the trash. This almost never happens. However, there was one glorious exception recounted by the “Valley of the Sun Antique Dealers Association (VSADA)” which will be offering $5 verbal appraisers at the upcoming Phoenix Antique Show. VSADA president George Notorole remembers a moment fit for the Antiques Roadshow, when two young women brought in a rug they salvaged from a dumpster. It ended up being a Tribal Indian Chief’s Rug. ”Tribal Chief’s rugs were very special and high ranking and each rug was woven specifically for that tribe,” he said. It was appraised at $30,000. Notorole and his highly-regarded group of appraisers hope to find another antique worthy of urban legend status at the Phoenix Antique Market, November 21st-22nd at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. Members will appraise any general antique for $5, excluding fine jewelry or precious metals. Unlike most groups who claim to “vet” their members, meaning they don’t get their membership card until the check clears, the VSADA has a rigorous process administered by the president. The non-profit organization has been around for 25 years. Hours of the Phoenix Antique Market are from 9-5 on Saturday and 10-4 on Sunday. Admission is free and parking is $7 if parking on the fairgrounds. For more information, call Wanda Jones at (602) 717-7337.
Frank! encourages AnA to join his social network
As the guest speaker at the Appraisers National Association’s annual meeting, Frank! encouraged the organization to join his social network, which would strengthen their connection to the antique community through the evergrowing tool of “informal communication.” Thanks to tweeting, texting and other online forums, 97% of communication these days is informal. In 30 years of being in business, this was the first time Frank! ever attended an ANA meeting and it was the perfect forum for him to begin phase two of his social media campaign. He apprised the attendees of his successful Digital Delight workshops where Facebook and computer basics were the theme. He encouraged not only the organization to join, but for them to recruit all 102 of their members, and to make further use of the network’s opportunities by initiating an ANA News Bureau using blogging as the platform. Frank! ensured that ANA will become a stronger and more effective organization by being on Facebook, which will ultimately lead to enlarging their membership, because being a member will mean so much more when the group is better connected; they will be able to instantly share research information and make client referrals. At the meeting, there were a half a dozen active Facebook users including Peggy Caffey and jewelry book author Diana Cinamon. Frank! was able to quickly demonstrate the network’s usefulness when he expressed condolences to Caffey for the death of her aunt. She never called to informed him of her death, but through the network, Frank! learned of the passing of Caffey’s aunt. Just before the ANA meeting, Frank! encountered a Pomona Antique Center dealer who said that the she used to be a member of ANA, but was forced to discontinue her membership because of requirements to take extra courses. Had this dealer been on Facebook and ANA been a presence on the social networking site, she could have quickly found out that she was mistaken. ANA Members would have quickly clarified that she can remain a member on a certain level without taking any extra courses. Another highlight of the meeting was the raffle where the prize was a signed copy of Diana Cinamon’s new book, “Estate Jewelry: 1760-1960.” The book, published in late June, has been receiving rave reviews and from none other than price guide queen herself, Judith Miller. The 224-page book, published by Schiffer, features more than 680 color photographs with detailed descriptions, and for those looking for quick values, there is also a reference section with more than 500 items organized to locate pieces without going through the entire book. According to Miller, “I have a ton of them, and most of the new books are just reiterations of books that I already have. And a lot of the new books are just eye candy, but not much information. All the information is right there in this book. The historical periods, gem identification, styles information, materials information, Findings, marks, and much more. The book is packed with great photos. P.S. I did find a photo of a Balle Norway set on page 203 in this book that I have for sale on Ebay at this very moment! And I looked all over the place in my books to get an idea of what to charge for my set. Turns out my price is about $200 less than the one in this book.” Shera Brem was the first winner, but she declined because she already had the book. She was the first of several who forfeited. Cinamon’s book was so popular that it seemed everyone at the meeting already had it with the exception of Barbara Foster, who ended up walking away with the hard cover prize. Foster is not known for collecting such mainstream things, like jewelry. She had an award named after her at the classic Collector’s Conference based on her bizarre collections. She once had a large collection of plastic honey bear bottles that she tried to sell on e-Bay. She admitted she could not even get the one penny starting bid.
Burbank event sponsored by Genealogical Society
Verbal appraisals will be conducted for $5 per item (three item limit) at the Antiques Appraisal Faire in Burbank on Saturday, October 24th. .The Faire will run from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and all appraisals will be done by certified appraisers, announced Paula Hinkel on the Collector Network. It will be held at the Southern California Genealogical Society and Family Research Library. Call (818) 843-7247 for more information
Brownlee, Ahern appraise one item for free
Certified appraisers David Brownlee and Tom Ahern will appraise one item for free at King Richard’s appraisal day on Saturday, June 6th from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. There will be a charge for additional items. Although both appraisers are well-versed in many genres of antiques, Brownlee is an expert on coins and artifacts, while Ahern is a super dealer in glass. King Richard’s Antique Center is located at 12301 Whittier Blvd. in Whittier. Call (562) 698-5974 for more information.
Larger campus, new classes, summer conference
Executive director Walt Miller announced at the Long Beach Antique Market that the College For Appraisers is in for some big changes. He is moving part of his Huntington Beach campus to a larger 50,000 square foot location in Los Angeles.The move to the facility, which is almost of the size of a small Target Department Store, will accommodate more classes, and the first to be added are courses on antique restoration, slated for summer. Subjects will include pottery, glass, painting and fine art, and furniture. He is working with Beogo Restoration. a company who a few months ago finished restoring a $15 million Rembrandt. Although the details are still fluid, Miller also announced that the Collector’s Conference is on for 2009. It is likely to be held at a new location, an undisclosed romantic seaside hotel, in the heat of summer. The August event will likely be compacted to one day with about two dozen classes.
Desperate for an Appraiser
On Christmas Eve, famous Rose Bowl and Long Beach dealer Terese Yarnell’s house burned down. She is looking for an appraiser to determine the value of a collection of entertainment memorabilia gathered by her father. It was partially destroyed in the inferno in her Upland home that was started in a candle incident. The collection holds a soft spot in her heart, having been collected by her famous father, Bruce Yarnell, who played the part of Deputy Shelle Breeson in “Outlaws” on NBC channel 10 back in the 1960s. However, it wasn’t Bruce’s fame that got him behind-the-scenes in the Whitehouse where the young Terese was able to meet President Lyndon Johnson. According to Yarnell, much like Chuck Barris, who claimed he created and produced game shows (like the Gong Show) as well as worked for the CIA, Terese’s father was both an actor and a CIA agent. Terese’s father died aboard his airplane when he was 15. In addition to her father’s collection of movie memorabilia, she is also looking for an appraiser for her rugs, furniture and additional antiques and collectibles. Interested appraisers can contact Yarnell at yarnellent@yahoo.com.
Jewelry
Valerie Arteman of Madison, WI, has been named the winner of the 2008 National Association of Jewelry Appraisers’ Scholarship. As the winner, she will be attending the 31st Annual ACE It Winter Educational Conference scheduled for February 2-3, 2009 in Tuscon, AZ. Arteman is currently a home study student at the Gemological Institute of America. Her jewelry journey started as a Fine Jewelry Coordinator for Sears Roebuck. She continued her career with various sales associates positions at fine jewelry retail stores. Her goal is to become an independent jewelry appraiser. The NAJA Scholarship gives a gemology student a first hand experience of networking with appraisal professionals by attending the NAJA conference during a time when Tucson devotes itself to gems, jewelry, and minerals. For further information on NAJA, or for more information on attending its educational conference in Tuscon, contact Gail Levine at (718) 896-1536.
Appraisers tighten the screws
After reading two accounts about Katie Saccio in Collector magazine, the Appraisers National Association let the cat out of the bag
Appraiser Wedding
Suki Hilger, the chairperson of the Appraisers National Association(ANA) married the treasurer of the ANA, Daniel Wilson in an Art Deco-style wedding. They wed on August 17th on board the Queen Mary in Long Beach. She wore a 1930s-style gown, but the couple was not stringent about period dress. ”It was not a period gown,” she said. “We definitely didn’t go historically accurate.” There were 80 guests at the event. Many of them were in the appraising world, including David Brownelee, Christie Romero, Diana Sanders, and Peggy Caffey. The non-denominational ceremony lasted 30 minutes. The couple toured the historic Route 66 for their honeymoon. They spent three weeks driving from Los Angeles to Chicago and then back again.
