Will Seippel, CEO of WorthPoint, enjoys watching the objects bought at auctions held by our WorthPoint Business Companions. We thought it will be a fantastic concept for him to pick out a few of his favourite bought objects and clarify why these gross sales stood out to him. Gaining insights from Will is a wonderful approach to find out about shopping for and promoting traits in our trade. We need to empower you to purchase and promote with confidence. Check out his ideas on just a few of our companions’ latest gross sales.
On February 5, 2025, WorthPoint added 232,437 new objects to its Value Information, with a complete worth of $14,389,343.85. The typical sale value for these things is $61.90. I’ve highlighted a number of the most attention-grabbing finds from this replace that caught my consideration.
Life is a Circus
For right this moment’s weird discover, main the cost was a Cress Circus Calliope Wagon, which not too long ago bought at Beloit Auctions for a stunning $3,830. I’m nonetheless scratching my head over the shortage of description—it didn’t make clear if “Cress” refers back to the circus or the wagon’s producer, however both approach, it obtained quite a lot of consideration. This wood, horse-drawn wagon had a calliope powered by what gave the impression to be a automobile battery, which isn’t your on a regular basis public sale merchandise. It’s a disgrace we don’t see these iconic circus devices a lot anymore. Again within the ‘60s, our city would usher in a restored pipe calliope for the autumn fete, and it was a blast to listen to these tunes echoing down the road. I’m guessing this one would have had the identical magic if solely I might’ve heard it play!
Gaming Gems
Somebody’s childhood simply obtained a bit of richer after scoring a stack of gaming magazines on CTBids, which bought for a powerful $3,717. I couldn’t consider my eyes after I did some analysis with WorthPoint—a problem #1, graded not less than a “9,” can go for a number of thousand {dollars}. This lot had a type of coveted points that includes none aside from Mario on the duvet. The remainder of the 18-magazine lot included gems with sport evaluations and data on classics like Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! and R.C. Professional-Am. The bidder knew what they have been after—this lot wasn’t nearly nostalgia. It was about critical worth! Wow!
Ties to Rookwood
As a Rookwood collector, I couldn’t assist however admire a latest Fred Rothenbusch piece that went for a good value at EJ’s Auctions—$2,360. The winter panorama, framed at 9.75” x 13.75”, is a beautiful instance of his work. Rothenbusch holds a particular place on the earth of Rookwood, the oldest ongoing ceramic producer within the U.S., relationship again to the mid-1800s in Cincinnati. This piece, signed within the decrease proper nook with a secondary signature on the reverse, encompasses a tender vellum pastel panorama over ceramic. Whereas the body has some scuffs and scratches, the paintings is a good looking and respectable discover.
Take a Seat
Freeman’s Hindman not too long ago had a few standout gross sales in American furnishings, with a set of six Queen Anne walnut chairs fetching $64,000. These beauties, with a documented provenance tracing again to Israel Sack and the Eddy household of Warren, Rhode Island, have been all marked with their respective numbers, although it seems like two chairs, numbers “2” and “8,” are lacking from the set. It may very well be an exciting discover for the correct collector in the event that they’re on the market. Whereas this lot stole the present, I couldn’t assist however admire a smaller piece: a painted pipe field that bought for $21,760. Though its provenance didn’t hint again to its origins in Pennsylvania, it nonetheless had a stable historical past and introduced a pleasant value for a bit of its dimension.
Live performance Catastrophe
The final standout merchandise from a weird day at Omega’s Auctions was an unique 1968 “Pink Floyd / The Transfer and Extra” pageant poster, which went for $5,089. This piece is a uncommon discover, particularly because it’s been reproduced numerous occasions, making an unique fairly precious. The poster, designed by Hapshash and the Colored Coat, encompasses a memorable, futuristic design and measures 73 x 52 cm—dimension issues with regards to authenticity. It’s essential to go to respected public sale homes like Omega when in search of these hard-to-find gems.
The live performance itself, nevertheless, was something however successful. Meant to be Europe’s reply to the Monterey Pop Pageant, it attracted some large names, together with Pink Floyd, Donovan, and The Transfer. However issues shortly went south. The Transfer set the stage on hearth with their pyrotechnics, resulting in arrests, and Jimi Hendrix couldn’t even make it. The occasion was a monetary catastrophe and ended a lot sooner than deliberate. It’s an odd piece of historical past, but it surely leads us again to the primary merchandise of the day—a reminder that typically life actually does really feel like a circus.
Will Seippel is the founder, president, and CEO of WorthPoint. Will has been an avid collector since 1974 and seller of nearly all issues vintage—with an emphasis on ephemera— since 1984. He’s additionally the creator and founding father of HIP, an internet site dedicated to recording one of the best of the world’s historical past that has been saved on movie.
WorthPoint—Uncover. Worth. Protect.
