Why buy at auction? 7 Reasons.

While buying art at auction isn’t the only way to purchase art, antiques and other unusual items, it is a fun and exciting way to begin your collection or to add to what you already have. While there can be a bit of learning curve, once you feel the adrenaline rush of competitive bidding you may become hooked. Here are 7 reasons why you should buy at auction

1. Constant Learning: Every auction brings together a diverse grouping of articles, often from random sources. This happenstance gives the auction goer an opportunity to see, inspect and buy items they may have been unfamiliar with, expanding your knowledge. Auction catalog descriptions are a great source of information.

2. First hand inspection : When you visit a museum you are not able to touch, inspect and handle works of art, but at an auction preview, you are! This up close, first hand inspection increases your understanding of the way an artist or artisan made something. Each time you inspect something by holding it your hands you add to your store of knowledge.

3. Unexpected Finds: Perhaps you wouldn’t have known that you were cuckoo for Paris Street scenes or Majolica Oyster Plates if you didn’t run across them at an auction preview. This can send you on a whole new collecting journey.

4. Support of Auction House Specialists: You are not alone. The specialists at the auction house are knowledgeable about the items being offered and are happy to answer questions about condition, authenticity, value, provenance and anything else you might wonder about. They are happy to advise.

5. Variety of Price Ranges: While you may hear about world record auction prices for a Basquiat or Matisse, auctions are a great source of affordable prices and bargains too. Why buy mass manufactured furnishings online when you can have a handmade piece with unique style for much less?!

6. Reuse/Recycle: Not much explanation needed here, when you buy at auction you help save the planet.

7. The Hunt, the Chase and the Possible Win: Sometimes the search is half the fun, but once you’ve found that wished for object or piece, you get to participate in competitive bidding, which always gets the heart pounding. The best way to win your lot is to bid live online as the lot sells. That way if you need to go beyond your limit a bid or two to achieve success you can assure yourself of a win.

Say YES! to the Auction!

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Everyone wants Recognition.

Everyone wants recognition in some form or another; a kind word, flowers, a gift and often times a trophy if the circumstance affords it. Trophies are a reminder of an event for a special achievement. I love big old trophies from long ago for sporting events that nowadays, not many people still participate, such as Badminton and Croquet although we always played a hearty game of “wickets” when Uncle John and Aunt Wanda would visit.

To my delight, my business partner and friend Ron brought into the gallery a wonderful variety of vintage trophies for auction. Now, many are plated silver and some sterling silver, but that doesnʼt matter to me or to any collector of these handled chalices. For me itʼs the when, where and sometimes the why. I prefer antiques trophies or vintage ones from somewhere fancy like a well known private club that Iʼll never have membership, or even better, from Cleveland. It doesnʼt matter that much what the event was that the winner dominated, but the more obscure the better.

For the upcoming Spring auction, we have paired up a few of these lovelies to bid on and the winner definitely gets a trophy, or two. Many of these are more than 100 years old and are from the Cleveland Athletic Club, one from a competition at Luna Park and another from The Plain Dealer. Many are for relays and track, another for skating. I really love the three handled loving cup awarded by the Irish Society. Each one is beautifully engraved and dated.

Besides putting a little bit of history on display from places now long gone in your own cabinet, you can use a trophy as a vase for flowers or as an ice bucket. Iʼm trying to bring back the age-old etiquette of hostess gifting; a little something to give your host and hostess for the lovely evening youʼll undoubtedly have. I know many of my Cleveland friends would be grateful to receive one of these beauties with flowers.

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Neue Gallery Presents: Visions of Paradise in Sacred Geometry

The first Neue Gallery Presents focused on the art and science behind Indian miniature paintings was a hit. Special thanks to our generous expert, William R. Anderson from Carnegie Capital Management.

Guest Judi Engel summed it up best: “It was a wonderful mini-immersion experience. It was so nice to be surrounded by works about one specific topic, and be able to ask questions of an expert in a casual atmosphere, rather than trying to absorb and remember information on several subjects at once. It was such a treat to be up-close-and-personal with the works in such a welcoming space.”

Thank you Judi (and daughter Greta) and everyone who joined us for our first event.

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