October 4, 2007

Dorothy Draper Auction

Don't get too excited... I couldn't go.
The night before the auction, we had about 15 minutes of fireworks (or shooting the players) at the Orioles/Yankees game, about three blocks from my house. The Connor dog went nuts and was tearing around the house, and when I went to grab him and wrestle him to the ground (he's a yellow lab, not a little dog), I threw out my back.

It was still killing me the next morning and I didn't want to make the hour plus drive down to Alexandria. Since I had a bidding number, I bid on-line and then sat back to wait on my winning bid, (and watch the Wales-Fiji Rugby World Cup match streaming from France - I lived in Wales and a bunch of these players lived near us).

Well, I never heard from the auction house if my bid was accepted, whether I won (guess not) or what the bids were like. My bid wasn't even acknowledged via e-mail. I tried to re-bid, but they had closed the bids. The chair I bid on went for $125, which I would have paid had I been there in person.

I e-mailed the company, and haven't heard back from them. I am a little annoyed about the way it worked. I should have been suspicious that things wouldn't work too well when the first set of bidding numbers and IDs went into my junk mail box.
I checked the Potomack Company site and they are showing all of the items, along with the estimates and the hammer prices. For example, they have the mirror below listed with a winning price of either $4000 or $4700. (Their site says both.) The estimate was $300-$500. The table above had an estimate of $200-$400 and went for $2300, with multiples of that item.The prices were all over the board. Six Hepplewhite-style mahogany chairs, with an estimate of $200-$400, sold for $700, and an eight panel Chinese cormondel screen with an estimate of $300-$500, sold for $475. A modern coffee table, with an estimate of $200-$400 went for $2200, and there were four or five of these, all selling in this range. This cabinet was estimated at $1000-$1500 and sold for $4000.
So, I am disappointed that I didn't get to go, but the prices were out of my price range.

8 comments:

  1. I am sorry about your back:( It would have been a fun auction I bet!

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  2. Poor you! I have just done the same.
    I hate these kinds of auctions where painted junk (admittedly junk we all want) goes for silly money. Clear case of style over substance.

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  3. Par for the course at "celebrity" auctions, I'm afraid. They put very low estimates on, to draw in the punters, but things go for much higher prices.

    Sorry to hear about your back.

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  4. Thanks for the scoop! Take care :)

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  5. Oh no, how tragic! Hope your better. I hope you win :)

    ~Kate

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  6. interesting info on this auction...hope you're better!

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  7. Well, at least you tried--and you probably saved yourself a trip in the long run. Feel better soon.

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  8. Hi - the screen was so cheap!!! wow, that's amazing, I wonder why some things were high and others not, quality?

    veddy interesting.


    Joni

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