The Gentleman’s Collection Leads Amelia Jeffers’ Warehouse Sale

Published on Antiques and the Arts Weekly – May 7, 2024

Review by Carly Timpson

COLUMBUS, OHIO — Amelia Jeffers’ two-day spring warehouse auction, coined Spring Fabulous Finds, was conducted on April 26 and 27. The sale’s first day included fine and decorative furnishings, art, silver and jewelry, while the second day was nicknamed the “Gentleman’s Session” and included posters, books, sports memorabilia, automotive collectibles and pinball machines. With nearly 1,000 lots offered, the sale realized $386,692 and had a sell-through rate of 93 percent. Jeffers shared that these results were “not bad for a predominantly online auction,” noting she has many loyal customers who prefer bidding in-house and said, “on both days we had about 15 to 20 people in the audience despite it technically being an online-only auction.”

Earning the sale’s highest price, $22,500, was this Rolex GMT-Master wristwatch, Swiss, late Twentieth Century, 40mm, 18K yellow gold with black dial marked “Tiffany & Co” ($18/25,000).

“People have become familiar with our Gentleman’s Auction and are consigning more of these items. This was the first one I conducted independently, not with Garth’s, and it went so well that we’re having a second one in the fall and are actively accepting consignments for that sale,” noted Jeffers.

Offered on the sale’s second day as part of the Gentleman’s Session, a Rolex GMT-Master wristwatch earned the highest price across both days of the auction — $22,500. The late Twentieth Century self-winding Swiss watch was on an 18K yellow gold Jubilee bracelet and its black dial was marked “Tiffany & Co.” The now-discontinued watch was paired with its original Rolex wood-lined leather box and pamphlet and sold to an international online bidder who was a new client for the auction house.

This circa 2019 stainless steel Oyster Perpetual Milgauss with blue dial, 40mm, was sold with all original paperwork and boxes for $12,000 ($10/15,000).

Several other Rolex watches crossed the block and achieved high prices. A circa 2019 stainless steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual Milgauss with a blue dial and Chromalight hands, including the model’s signature vibrant orange lightning bolt seconds hand, finished second, earning $12,000. The Rolex brochure notes that this model was “created in 1956 for engineers and technicians who are exposed in their work to magnetic fields which disrupt the performance of mechanical watches.” The watch was sold with all original boxes and paperwork, including the original sale receipt, to a local in-house buyer.

An online bidder, new to the auction house, won a two-tone Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date in Oystersteel and yellow gold with a blue ceramic Cerachrom bezel and royal blue dial for $8,750. The gold and stainless-steel bracelet appeared to be missing a link and had some wear, but it sold with its original Rolex box and surpassed its $5,000 high estimate. An online bidder in the New York area claimed another Submariner, this one stainless steel with a black dial and bezel, rated for depths up to just 600 feet compared to the previous watch’s 1,000 feet, for $5,000.

A first edition copy of A Christmas Carol “Stave I: Marley’s Ghost” by Charles Dickens, London: Chapman and Hall, 1843, red Morocco with gilt edges, earned $6,875 ($950-$1,250).

An 1843 first-edition copy of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (London: Chapman and Hall) was another notable lot from the Gentleman’s Session. Consisting of “Stave I: Marley’s Ghost,” the red Morocco-bound book had gilt edges and four full-color plates among its 166 pages. While the book was in mostly good, clean condition, a few pages showed slight foxing. Still, bidding was competitive, taking it well beyond its $1,250 high estimate, until a New York-area bidder was victorious at $6,875.

One local in-house bidder pulled out all the stops for silver flatware, claiming all three sets that finished in the top eight lots. The most expensive of the three, finishing at $5,700, was a wooden case that included approximately 220 pieces of Bruckmann .800 silver from the second half of the Twentieth Century.

This set of sterling flatware marked “AL” and wooden storage case, second half of Twentieth Century, 127 pieces, realized $4,800 ($3/5,000).

Another set from the same German maker had around 230 pieces and was won at $5,640. Also with just under 230 pieces, was a set of sterling silver flatware marked “AL,” from the second half of the Twentieth Century. In a dark wooden storage case, this set achieved $4,800.

On a closing note, Jeffers shared, “I’m pinching myself every day, phones are ringing off the hook, great clients I’ve worked with in the past are returning — it’s a special time to be in the business and I could not have imagined it being so great.”

Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. Amelia Jeffers is now accepting consignments for the Summer Fabulous Finds Auction which will be July 26-27. For information, www.ameliajeffers.com or 740-362-4771.

A set of Bruckmann .800 silver flatware, German, second half of Twentieth Century, 231 pieces, found a buyer at $5,640 ($3/6,000).

This set of Bruckmann .800 silver flatware in wooden storage case, German, second half of Twentieth Century, 222 pieces, achieved $5,700 ($4/7,000).

A Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner watch, second half of Twentieth Century, stainless steel with black dial, 40mm, made $5,000 ($4/8,000).

A late Twentieth Century Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date watch, gold and stainless steel, 40mm, made $8,750 ($3/5,000).