Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Native American Jewelry & Decorative Arts, Mexican Retablos, and More on Saturday, October 4, 2025. Offering over 150 lots, almost all from two Northern California estates, this diverse sale features a wide selection of Native American and Southwest jewelry, mostly Old Pawn or vintage pieces. Offerings include squash blossom, heishi and fetish necklaces; cuff and other bracelets; rings; earrings; watch and hat bands; brooches and pins; hair pins and combs; conchos; belts and concho belts; buckles; coin buttons; bolo ties; beadwork; and jewelry groupings. Most items are silver with turquoise, coral, hard stone, or other embellishments. 

In addition to jewelry, there is an array of Native American decorative arts from various indigenous peoples, including the Navajo, Jemez, Northwest Coast, Pacific Northwest, Papago, Casas Grandes, Taos, San Ildefonso, and Acoma. Among these lots are jars, baskets, trays, a pot, a bowl; prints; pictorial mats, a rug, a blanket; beaded items; a carved plaque; and beaded items. From Central America, such as Costa Rica and Nicaragua, are a mola and ceramic vases. There is also a selection of retablos, mostly from Mexico. Completing the sale are santos from the Southwest, and vintage rosaries and crucifixes.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present the Saiger Collection of Model Trains on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at 11:00 am PDT. Offering over 100 lots from the estate of a Northern Californian who collected trains for over three decades, this timed auction features high-end model trains – almost all O gauge and many of them 3-rail. Most offerings are post-war and modern-era trains, and many are in their original boxes. Auction lots include diesel, steam, and dummy locomotives; tenders; numerous sets, multi-packs and groupings, passenger cars, Electroliners, and a water tender, and Lionel books. There are also a wide selection of plexiglass display cases. The wide variety of manufacturers include Lionel, K-Line, MTH, Atlas, Williams, 3rd Rail/Sunset, Iron Horse/Precision, and Berlyn Loco Works.

Turner Auctions + Appraisals is very pleased to present the Edwin W. Sims Collection of Political Ephemera, plus offerings of books, maps, historic collectibles, and much more on Saturday, September 13, 2025, at 10:30 am PDT. The sale showcases the collected archives of late Chicago lawyer and politician Edwin W. Sims (1870-1948), plus his family. Among the Sims family offerings are letters signed by Theodore Roosevelt and the Gemini IV astronauts, campaign and other buttons and pins from the 1910s-1970s, and Republican Convention ephemera from the early 1900s. In addition, this eclectic and diverse auction features John Lennon drawings; maps and medals of Europe; maps, real estate tracts, and related ephemera of the San Francisco Bay Area; vintage books and games; naval memorabilia; coins and stamps; tintypes and ambrotypes; Matson Line menus/art; and signed letters or cards of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Charles Dickens, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and Martin Van Buren.

About Edwin Walter Sims (1870-1948)

Edwin W. Sims was a small-town boy who became a big-time attorney in Chicago, Illinois. E.W., as he was called, was born in Ontario, Canada, but brought up in Bay City, Michigan, after his parents moved there when he was five years old. His father was a newspaperman, then a teacher, and young E.W. became a reporter, editor, and special correspondent on several Michigan newspapers. While he enjoyed these media positions and was very good at them, he recognized early on there was not much money to be made. In 1892, he began studying law and graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan. He was admitted to the bar in both Michigan and Illinois in 1894, then moved to Chicago, which was booming and where familial nepotism toward lawyers was not an issue, unlike New York, his other alternative. In 1898, he married Charlotte Smith, the daughter of a prominent Chicago lawyer, and they had six children – four girls and two boys. E.W. quickly became part of the Chicago elite, rubbing elbows with regional mayors and governors, and moving his family from a nice area of town to an even nicer area.

In 1903, he became Attorney of Cook County, Illinois; he was appointed as Special Attorney for the Bureau of Corporations in Washington, D.C., under Commissioner James R. Garfield (son of President James A. Garfield) from 1903-1905. There he found a like soul in Theodore Roosevelt, whom he had met in 1902 and who appointed him to many positions, including Solicitor of the Department of Commerce and Labor and later U.S. District Attorney, Chicago (Northern Illinois) from 1906-1911.

It was in this position that Sims, at the behest of President Roosevelt, became one of the best known trust busters in the country, taking on the wealthiest man in America, J.D. Rockefeller, and Standard Oil, the largest monopoly in the country. From 1906-1911, Sims prosecuted and won this complex case – made up of over 1400 separate violations! – resulting in a fine of over $29 million dollars, then the largest in U.S. history. While the fine was overturned on appeal, the ruling against Standard Oil was kept in force, resulting in a new era of railroad practices.

Sims’ high profile continued, as he claimed to have proof of a nationwide white slavery ring, trafficking young women into prostitution. Although no evidence was produced, Sims’ attention to this matter helped his friend James Mann, chairman of the powerful House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, bring the Mann Act to Congress; this was passed in 1909 and signed into law by President William Taft. Other noteworthy appointments followed, including as the first President of the Chicago Crime Commission from 1913-1922. As Sims’ power and success continued through the years, he went on to own a large legal practice in Chicago, with branch offices in Washington, DC; New York; and San Francisco.

While his power in the legal and political arenas was well documented, Sims, a staunch Victorian patriarch, expressed his power and control in other areas as well. His family compound, the Sims Ranch, was located along several miles of Lake Huron coastline in Au Gres, Michigan. The property included homes for his six children and their families, where they all lived. All were expected -- no, required! -- to come together every day to eat their meals, with food that Sims decided, at the main “Ranch House” of Sims and his wife. Furthermore, to ensure the future well-being of his four daughters, Sims personally chose their husbands for them, although some initial matches proved not to be ideal. Through his political connections, he also was able to arrange that U.S. Highway 23 was rerouted through Au Gres on its way from Jacksonville, Florida, to Mackinaw City, Michigan. This effort also enabled Sims to take full advantage of the money the government paid to build a highway through private property, making him even wealthier.

From the standpoint of his collections, he was a thorough archivist of his storied career and was well aware of what he had achieved, amassing personal memorabilia until he died. This is according to his great-granddaughter B. Gail Demko, whose website, Sims Family Cemetery, provides comprehensive information on Edwin Sims and his family. “He ran the show and wanted things just so,” she said. “E.W. was the only personality allowed in the family, and he had an ego the size of the City of Chicago.” Although a number of valuable items were sold off decades ago by his younger son – including, sadly, a six-foot tall carved ivory tusk gifted by Roosevelt – a number of scrapbooks and other materials remained, recovered from a dirt-floor shed near the Great Lakes Naval Base, north of Chicago. Originally there were nine scrapbooks: six were given to the University of Michigan or the Canadian Historical Society, and three disappeared. Nonetheless, the lots in this auction include noteworthy elements of Sims’ extensive legal and political career during a dynamic era in Chicago and American history.

Some highlights of the Sims collection include correspondence with Theodore Roosevelt, with whom he shared a love of the outdoors, fishing, and hunting. In 1912, Sims served as the treasurer of the national primary when Roosevelt and William Howard Taft were vying to be the Republican candidate for president. After Taft won the primary, Roosevelt formed the Bull Moose Party to run against Taft and Democrat Woodrow Wilson. However, this split the right-leaning ticket, allowing Wilson to become president – who soon after sent a sarcastic telegram thanking Sims for Wilson’s electoral-vote win in Illinois! There is also the contract that Sims prepared for the 1927 “The Long Count Fight” between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney for the undisputed heavyweight championship (Tunney won) -- plus related ephemera. Another item of interest is the scrapbook with little drawings of Sims by his friend, Sidney Smith, who created “The Gumps” comic strip, which ran in newspapers for 42 years. And collectors of political ephemera will be interested in the many pins and buttons supporting political candidates and other causes in decades past.

Why is the Sims collection going to auction now? Gail Demko, who is also in charge of the acre-large family cemetery near Au Gres, Michigan, says the proceeds will go to support the cemetery, enabling more family members to rest there when the time comes. In the meantime, collectors of history and ephemera will find the sale’s offerings to be most interesting, just like Edwin W. Sims’ own fascinating life and story.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present The Donald Saiger Collection of Model Trains on Saturday, August 16, 2025, at 10:30 am PDT. Offering over 225 lots from the estate of a Northern Californian who collected trains for over three decades, the auction features high-end model trains – almost all O gauge and most of them 3-rail. Most offerings are post-war and modern-era trains, and many are in their original boxes. Auction lots include diesel, steam, and dummy locomotives; tenders; cabooses including smokers; numerous sets, multi-packs and groupings; a diverse array of train cars, including passenger, coaches, observation, baggage, diner, box, crane, water tender – plus a track cleaning car, fire and logging trains, a rotary snowplow, a Jordan spreader, an electric trolley and an Electroliner, a car ferry, and more. There are also railroad lanterns, train books, accessories, transformers, track components, maintenance equipment, track interface units, and remote controls. Of particular interest to collectors may be the wide selection of plexiglass display cases. The wide variety of manufacturers include Lionel, Overland Models, GR International, Schneider, K-Line, MTH, Atlas, Williams, 3rd Rail/Sunset, Weaver, Precision Scale, Key Imports, KTM, LGB, and Marklin.

About Donald Saiger & His Collection

Born and raised in Chicago, Donald Saiger graduated from Carthage College in Wisconsin in 1958. While he planned to go to dental school, a friend talked him into joining the FBI, which he always said was the better of two choices. As an adult, Mr. Saiger lived in Northern California’s Marin County. He spent most of his professional life doing aerial reconnaissance for the FBI, commuting to his job each day by flying his own plane from his local airport, across the San Francisco Bay, to the FBI’s field office in Oakland, where he picked up his airplane for work. Among his many assignments over a long career were work on the Patty Hearst kidnapping case and providing security in the U.S. for Imelda Marcos, who was First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986 and is mother of the Philippines’ current president. After San Francisco’s devastating Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 – its 6.9 magnitude killed 63 people, injured over 3,750 persons, and displaced over 12,000 from their homes – Mr. Saiger, with his eagle eye, was responsible for evaluating the runway at the San Francisco Airport to ensure it was safe for subsequent airplane landings. He retired from the FBI in 1989.

But airplanes were not the only modes of transportation that thrilled Mr. Saiger. A lifelong bachelor, he became interested in model trains as a boy, perhaps after growing up in place close enough to hear the trains’ whistles as they passed through town. Some years later, he began collecting model trains -- then did so with a passion for over 30 years, according to his long-time friend Kate MacPherson, with whom he walked his Malamute or other dogs for four miles a day for many years. “Enraptured by trains since he was a kid, Don was crazy about model trains and went bananas,” she said.

In the home he had personally built over 30 years before, Mr. Saiger proudly displayed his model trains all over the house – including the kitchen and closets. His expansive train layout, built in the attic space over his three car garage, even featured a simulated lake with a boat! Reflecting his perfectionist qualities, many of his trains were showcased in large plexiglass and wooden display cases, where they could be admired and enjoyed by him and others.

Now, with Mr. Saiger’s passing in 2024 at age 88, train collectors who also appreciate the workmanship of high-end trains may peruse and acquire the engaging objects of Mr. Saiger’s desire and fine collecting eye. Other collecting passions of Mr. Saiger -- vintage guns, Civil War memorabilia, and men’s watches -- will be offered in future sales at Turner Auctions + Appraisals.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is very pleased to present The Gladyne K. Mitchell Estate on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 10:30 am PDT. Presenting items mostly from the 17th-20th centuries, the auction features a wide array of art, decorative arts, silver, furniture, ancient Greek and Roman coins, vintage toys, and more from the personal collection and residence of the well-known San Francisco philanthropist and socialite. A few lots from other estates round out the auction.

Gladyne K. Mitchell’s collection of artworks in various media such as oil, watercolor, and gouache includes works by Margaret Keane, Mark Stork, Adrienne Sherman, Rembrandt Van Rijn, Abel Dominique Boye, and other noted artists. The extensive selection of decorative arts is diverse, with religious and devotional items, painted miniatures, Native American and tribal works, boxes of various types, vintage textiles, Asian arts, Murano figures and vases, Royal Doulton jugs, Majolica pieces, and candlesticks and prickets. Among the many silver items, most of them sterling, are tableware, serving ware, and silverware. Furniture lots include small tables, a mirror, slipper chairs, and a child’s rocking chair. Groupings of vintage lots offer cameras, games, toys, dolls, books, and cookie jars. Some vintage watches, buckles, and jewelry complete the sale.

About Gladyne K. Mitchell

Born and bred in San Francisco, Gladyne Kenderdine Mitchell (1940-2024) was the daughter of Mitchel and Emma Mitchell, a hardworking, industrious, and successful family whose efforts have contributed meaningfully to the betterment of San Francisco and beyond. Educated in the United States, Switzerland, and Italy, Gladyne graduated with degrees in art history and music. Returning to the U.S., she taught kindergarten for several years. Subsequently, following in her family’s real estate footsteps, she worked for her father in property management, then managed her properties after her parents’ deaths.

Gladyne enjoyed traveling and learning other languages, fine dining and wine, and helping others. Well-known in San Francisco society, she was a patron of the arts and a generous benefactor of many charities and organizations, saying “I give to things that I love.” Among those in San Francisco who were recipients of her largesse were the symphony, opera, museums, hospitals, historical preservation, educating underprivileged children, and feeding the hungry in San Francisco.

According to her devoted family and friends, Gladyne was a “class act” who loved art, jewelry, antiques, and beautiful things; these included sumptuous fine jewelry, refined clothing, and chic accessories, many by celebrated designers. The upcoming July 17 sale now opens the doors to her gracious San Francisco home, and invites others to view, acquire, and enjoy her tasteful possessions.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present the sale of Model Trains & Books on Saturday, June 21, 2025. Offering over 185 lots from several avid collectors from Northern California, this timed auction – primarily of O and HO gauge model trains – features prewar, post-war, and modern trains. Among them are new old stock, many unused and in their original boxes. There are diesel and steam locomotives, many with tenders, cabooses, and switchers. The diverse selection of groupings, sets, kits, and train cars includes passenger, freight, refrigerator, reefer, flat, auto carrier, sleeper, diner, and more – plus extensive offerings related to the circus. The vast array of manufacturers includes Lionel, Weaver, MTH, K-Line, Bachman, Proto, Athearn, Walthers, Spectrum, Stewart, Atlas, AHM, Rivarossi, Roundhouse, Pecos River, and Marx. In addition, there is a wide assortment of books, catalogs, and magazines on collecting and operating model trains, featuring Lionel, American Flyer, model railroading, British trains, Marx, Ives, diesel locomotives, prototype railroads, and more.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Estate Jewelry & Timepieces on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at 10:30 am PDT. Featuring over 165 lots from several estates, jewelry offerings include necklaces, rings, bracelets, pendants, brooches, earrings. Many are gold or silver, including sterling or blackened; most are set with gemstones such as diamond, emerald, ruby, amethyst, pearl, opal, coral, garnet, jade, aquamarine, turquoise, moonstone, lapis lazuli, rock crystal – plus micro mosaics or pietras duras. Some pieces are antique or vintage. There are also several lots of Victorian hairwork jewelry.

Among the wide array of men’s watchmakers are LeCoultre, Hamilton, Lord Elgin, Gruen, Timex, Movado, Girard-Perregaux, Wittenauer, and many others – including a selection of Russian watches. Also on offer are a number of pocket watches, including a C.H. Meylan timepiece for Shreve, and gents’ accessories. The auction also includes pens from Cartier, Montblanc, Dupont, and Tiffany; jewelry boxes; and antique, vintage and/or costume groupings of jewelry and buckles.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is very pleased to present The San Francisco Socialite’s Closet on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at 10:30 am PDT. The sale features the luxe clothing and accessories from the estate of Gladyne K. Mitchell, the well-known San Francisco philanthropist and socialite. With over 305 lots, this auction presents an enticing array of designer scarves, clothing, furs, purses, shoes, and more – almost all the personal property of Ms. Mitchell (see below).

The auction features over 50 scarves and shawls, mostly by Hermès and Gucci. With some dresses that are custom or couture, clothing designers include Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, Christian Dior, Valentino, Max Mara, Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent, Arnold Scaasi, Mary McFadden, Monique Lhuillier, Carolina Herrara, Bill Blass, Jil Sander, DKNY, Jeanne Marc, and Josie Natori – as well as several Chinese embroidered robes. Among the purse designers are Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, Bottega Veneta, Dior, Salvatore Ferragamo, Akris, and Judith Leiber. There are shoes offerings by Manolo Blahnik, Prada, Bottega Veneta, and Ferragamo. The furs in the sale include full-length coats, stoles, and hats. In addition to a selection of vintage perfumes and compacts, the auction presents numerous jewelry items: watches and pocket watches, brooches and cameos, bracelets, and a wide arrange of antique, vintage, and costume jewelry groupings with gemstones, coral, pearls, silver, rock crystals, micro-mosaics and more.

About Gladyne K. Mitchell

Born and bred in San Francisco, Gladyne Kenderdine Mitchell (1940-2024) was the daughter of Mitchel and Emma Mitchell, a hardworking, industrious, and successful family whose efforts have contributed meaningfully to the betterment of San Francisco and beyond. Educated in the United States, Switzerland, and Italy, Gladyne graduated with degrees in art history and music. Returning to the U.S., she taught kindergarten for several years. Subsequently, following in her family’s real estate footsteps, she worked for her father in property management, then managed her properties after her parents’ deaths.

Gladyne enjoyed traveling and learning other languages, fine dining and wine, and helping others. Well-known in San Francisco society, she was a patron of the arts and a generous benefactor of many charities and organizations, saying “I give to things that I love.” Among those in San Francisco who were recipients of her largesse were the symphony, opera, museums, hospitals, historical preservation, educating underprivileged children, and feeding the hungry in San Francisco.

According to her devoted family and friends, Gladyne was a “class act” who loved art, jewelry, antiques, and beautiful things; these included refined clothing and chic accessories, many by celebrated designers. In fact, the recent auction of Gladyne’s stunning collection of fine jewelry was extremely popular and achieved 100% sell-through with prices well over estimate, a rare feat in the auction world. The upcoming May 17 sale now opens the door of her expansive closet to the elegant and luxurious items within for others to peruse, acquire, and enjoy.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Fine & Decorative Arts on Saturday, April 26, 10:30 PST. Sourced from Northern California and Oregon, the sale features 245 lots from one collector, Alton F. Irby III, and two estates. On offer are diverse artworks, silver, and a wide array of decorative arts, including a large collection of paperweights, Asian items, religious pieces, and lots from noted manufacturers such as Tiffany, Lalique, Baccarat, Lladro, Staffordshire, and Limoges.

From the two estates are artworks that include paintings by Pegge Hopper, a highlight, Laddie John Dill, Leon Detroy, and Francois Brunery. Among the many silver items, mostly sterling, are tableware, flatware, serving pieces, and decorative items. There are several religious offerings: crucifixes, icons, and santos. Among the selection of decorative items are a Tiffany desk set; Staffordshire cottages, castles, and figures; Lalique butterflies and perfumes; figurines from Baccarat and Daum. From Asia come a wide array of offerings: from China, Blanc de Chine cups; cloisonne trays, boxes, vases and dishes; embroidered silk panels; figures of turquoise, malachite, lapis lazuli, or agate; carvings of coral or jade; cinnabar items; and more. There are also some lots from Japan, India, Tibet, and Thailand. The estate collection of paperweights from Oregon includes over 40 lots, including those by Rick Ayotte, Debbie Tarsitano, Max Erlacher, Victor Trabucco, Ray Banford, Chris Buzzini, and Saint Louis.

From the collection of Alton F. Irby III are an extensive array of artworks and decorative arts. One highlight is a bronze sculpture of a water buffalo by Elisabeth Frink. Paintings include those by Marcel Dyf, Emile Godchaux, Dan Chen, Henry Louis Dupray, and Gaston Sebire. Among the works on paper are 18th-/19th-century lithographs by McKenney & Hall, etchings by Demane-Demartrais with views of Russia, and engravings of the Palace of White Hall. Decorative arts include a late 19th-century Meissen porcelain large parrot figure; pairs of Chinese export porcelain geese and phoenix figures; Chinese Kangxi blue and white plates; pairs of Chinese export porcelain immortals and Guanyins; a set of four Delft vases and plates; and much more. Completing this collection are a cased pair of custom-made Armas Garbi engraved double-barrel shotguns.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is very pleased to present the Gladyne K. Mitchell Collection of Important Estate Jewelry on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at 10:30 am PST. Featuring pieces from the personal collection of the San Francisco philanthropist, the auction features sumptuous jewelry for women, including beautiful ear clips, rings, brooches and clip brooches, bracelets, necklaces, and pendants. Most are 18k or 14k gold, richly adorned with jewels such as diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, blue topaz, and/or pearls. Famed creators or sellers include Van Cleef & Arpels, Fred Leighton, Lalaounis, Judith Ripka, Seaman Schepps, Oscar Heyman, Nicolas Varney, Jewel House of Minyon, Shreve, and H. Stern. Several timepieces are also on offer: watches for both women and men made by Breguet and Omega, a pocket watch, and a late 17th-early 18th-century gilt oignon verge fusee keywind watch from Mousset a Paris.

Born and bred in San Francisco, Gladyne Kenderdine Mitchell (1940-2024) was the daughter of Mitchel and Emma Mitchell, a hardworking, industrious, and successful family whose efforts contributed meaningfully to the betterment of San Francisco and beyond. Educated in the United States, Switzerland, and Italy, Gladyne graduated with degrees in art history and music. Returning to the U.S., she taught kindergarten for several years. Subsequently, following in her family’s real estate footsteps, she worked for her father in property management, then managed her properties after her parents’ deaths.

Gladyne enjoyed traveling and learning other languages, fine dining and wine, and helping others. Well-known in San Francisco society, she was a patron of the arts and a generous benefactor of many charities and organizations, saying “I give to things that I love.” Among those in San Francisco who were recipients of her largesse were the symphony, opera, museums, hospitals, historical preservation, educating underprivileged children, and feeding the hungry in San Francisco.

According to her devoted family and friends, Gladyne was a “class act” who loved art, jewelry, antiques, and beautiful things. Her enthusiasm for fine jewelry developed later in her life, acquiring exceptional pieces from visits to the Italy she loved; Las Vegas, where she enjoyed numerous shows; and favorite jewelry shops in San Francisco.

Those who share Gladyne’s refined taste for stunning jewelry are sure to enjoy perusing and acquiring these outstanding items at auction.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Vintage Jewelry and Watches on Sunday, March 9, 2024, at 10:30 am PDT. This is a timed auction, featuring over 95 lots from several collectors. The vintage jewelry offerings include brooches, necklaces, rings, bracelets, pendants, earrings, dress clips, and groupings of items. Most are 14k or 18k gold; silver, including sterling or blackened; most are set with gemstones such as diamond, emerald, sapphire, turquoise, coral, or tanzanite.

There are also a wide arrange of wrist watches, mostly for men. Over 25 makers are featured in the sale, including Universal Genève, Omega, Gruen, Lord Elgin, Xeric, Lyceum, Chronometre, Dreyfuss, Invicta, Ingersoll (including Mickey Mouse), Veto, Waltham, LP, Raketa, Sewor, Prague, Forsining, Diesel – plus various groupings. There is also a selection of other timepieces, offering alarm, purse, travel, and car clocks. Completing the sale are several other lots – trinket boxes, groupings of shoe buckles, wooden rosaries, and items of decorative arts.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present the sale of Model Trains on Sunday, February 23, 2025. Offering over 220 lots from two avid and prolific collectors from Northen California, this timed auction of HO and S gauge model trains features new old stock, most unused and in their original boxes. There is a wide selection of diesel and steam locomotives, many with tenders; and a diverse array of groupings, sets, and train cars, including passenger, freight, box, reefers, flat, and log – plus accessories, track, and transformers. The vast array of manufacturers includes American Flyer, Bachman, Proto, Genesis, Athearn, Walthers, MTH, Spectrum, Bowser, Stewart, Atlas, Kato, Rapid, Accurail, Intermountain, AHM, S-Helper Service, Silver Flash, Crown, and K Line.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present A Fine Mélange on Saturday, February 8, 2025, at 10:30 am PST. There are over 215 lots featuring several broad themes: artworks, wearables, decorative arts, Southwestern goods, and offerings from Asia. The sale offers a diverse array of items from various collectors and estates, mostly from the 18th-21st centuries. Among the artworks are a wide selection of miniatures, oil and watercolor paintings, and book plates. Wearables for women include jewelry, a Chanel scarf, and designer purses by Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Versace, and others; plus Edwardian clothing for children. There’s a wide selection of decorative arts: glass items by Tiffany, Daum, Lalique, Steuben, and others; duck decoys; inkwells; Santos and other religious figures; sterling silver pieces; Latin American vases; and much more. Among the Southwestern lots are Old Pawn jewelry, with necklaces, pins, bolo ties, and bracelets; kachina dolls; baskets; pots; seed jars; trays; and beaded items. There are a diverse range of items from Asia, including China, Japan, Korea, India, Burma, and Thailand: vases, bowls, figures, cloisonne, kimonos, chops, dolls, snuff bottles, Buddhas – plus a scroll, coronation costume, and censer.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present the Collectibles auction, a timed sale on Saturday, February 1, 2025, at 10:30 am PST. Featuring over 175 lots, the sale offers a wide and eclectic variety of collectibles, including decorative arts such as French porcelain vases and figurines, African and other ethnic masks and figurines, stoneware crocks, cuckoo and other clocks, lamps, ethnic baskets, and bronze figures. Among the auction’s other types of offerings are devotional items, American Flyer model trains, toys and stuffed animals, vintage designer clothing and hat boxes, serving ware, small furniture, music boxes, tea caddies, glass and vintage canes, and much more.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present The Roy Yost Collection of Model Trains, Part 1, on Sunday, December 8, 2023, at 10:30 am PST. This is a timed sale offering 155 lots from the estate of an avid model train collector from Northern California. This sale, the first of several auctions from the Roy Yost Collection, features all new old stock, most unused and in their original boxes. There is a wide selection of steam, diesel, and electric locomotives, many with tenders; and a diverse array of sets, groupings and train cars, including passenger, pullman, freight, box, reefers, sleeper/diner, water tender, log, baby food, milk tank cars, and more.

Many lots are MTH model trains; other manufacturers in the sale are Atlas, Lionel, Bachman, Rail King, Williams, K-Line, Frank’s Roundhouse, and KMT. Almost all trains are O gauge. Completing the sale are several Greenberg’s Lionel Catalogues.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Estate Jewelry on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 10:30 am PST. Featuring over 155 lots from several estates, these jewelry items are ideal for holiday gift-giving to others (or to treat oneself!). Jewelry offerings include necklaces, rings, bracelets, pendants, brooches, earrings, and stickpins. Most are 14k, 18k or white gold; silver, including sterling or blackened; or platinum; most are set with gemstones such as diamond, emerald, ruby, sapphire, amethyst, peridot, pearl, tourmaline, garnet, turquoise, moonstone, aquamarine, lapis lazuli, and/or rock crystal. Some pieces are antique or vintage. Noted makers include Buccellati, Tiffany, Schiaparelli, Jomaz, and Alfred Philippe. An array of Mexican silver jewelry is also included in the sale.

Among the other items in the auction are several jewelry sets; an Egyptian faience bead necklace; accessories and watch fob chains for men; silver cocktail picks and chatelaines; a silver link belt; an extensive selection of antique or vintage shoe buckles; and numerous groupings of gem-set, antique, vintage or costume jewelry, including charm bracelets.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present the Fine Art & Estate Sale on Saturday, November 30, 2024. Featuring 225 lots, this wide-ranging auction offers a distinctive array of fine art, decorative arts, timepieces, Native American and Asian items, lots of gold and silver, and much more. Artworks span the 16th-21st centuries in diverse media: oil, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, engravings, serigraphs, lithographs, drawings, mixed media – plus several sculptures. Acclaimed artists include Andy Warhol, Helen Frankenthaler, Ira Yeager, Sir John Lavery, Jean Cocteau, Louis Icart, William Russell Flint, Nathan Oliveira, Gustave Baumann, Francois Burney, and others. From the 16th and 17th centuries are works attributed to Joachim Von Sandrart, Augustin Hirschvogel, Guido Reni, Samuel Van Hoogstraaten, and Lorenzo Lotto. There is also a selection of vintage French and American posters related to World War I and World War II.

Timepieces include both men’s watches and clocks. Notable manufacturers of watches are Breguet, Ebel, Baume & Mercier, Bulova, and Gubelin -- highlighted by two 18K yellow-gold day-date Rolexes. Among the mantel and table clocks are ones by Jaeger-LeCoultre/Atmos and Tiffany & Co./ Samuel Monti. Lots of precious metals are two Mexican 50 pesos gold pieces; and sterling silver vanity and travel sets, a cigarette case, candlesticks, and spoons.

Edwardian clothing includes bodices and skirts, a corset, coats, and a mourning gown. There are also two contemporary handbags by Prada and Roberta di Camerino. Signed lots are a letter from Diana, Princess of Wales, a Christmas card from Charles Schulz, and a Catherine the Great signature from 1790.

Several nations and cultures are also in the auction. From the U.S. are Native American baskets and/or jars from Papago, Haida, Attu, Washo-Paiute, Pima, Salish, Quinault, Inuit, Navajo, Hopi and Jemez – plus several Blackware dishes, including by San Ildefonso artist Maria Martinez. Asia is represented as well: from Japan are inro and netsuke, a bronze Samurai figure, a man’s silk kimono, and an incense box; from China are a gilt lacquer box, scroll paintings, a landscape drawing, and more; from Thailand is an illuminated manuscript leaf; and a small Asian bronze Buddha.

There are also a wide selection of decorative arts: a 19th-century neoclassical pier mirror, Tiffany pine needle items, a 16th-century map of Russia, several pairs of plaques, Nigerian masks, figurines by Bjorn Wiinblad and Talfourd Toys, a Salviati for Tiffany vase, blown glass whimseys, Victorian Nailsea glass bells, polychrome wood religious figures, santos, and an extensive array of Lalique items. Several military items are 19th-century engraved plates, several shields, armor, and a sword. There is also a selection of 19th-century English tea caddies.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present European & American Fine Art on Saturday, October 26, 2024. This is a timed sale offering 180 lots of artworks from various collectors and estates that date from the 17th-20th centuries. Among the various media are oil, watercolor, acrylics, pencil drawings, etchings, lithographs, woodblock prints, and serigraphs. The works’ subject matter is very diverse -- landscapes, still life, portraits, nudes, scenes of Europe and California, seascapes, and more. Artists include Colin Campbell Cooper, Gary Ray, Luigi Kasimir, C. Sanderson, Nadara Goodwin, Wm. Stone, Keith Morrow, Paul E. Maxwell, and Jewett Campbell.

Turner Auctions + Appraisals begins this timed online auction on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at 10:30 am PDT; sale items are available for preview and bidding now.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Books, Art & Ephemera on Saturday, October 12, 2024. The sale from multiple consignors features a diverse selection of 260 lots. Offerings include books from the 17th-20th centuries; printed illuminated leaves; engravings from the 1700s; currency from the 18th-20th centuries; letters, certificates, shares, and other legal documents from Early America to the 20th century, including from Saybrook, Connecticut; two gold-knob canes; glass slides and negatives from the 1900s; several photo and postcard albums; photographs of Abraham Lincoln and Harry Truman; international stamps and commemorative medals from the early 1900s; a signed Snoopy sketch by Charles Schulz; a wide selection of advertising, fantasy, and comic art, plus other artworks; portraits of Ruby Helder by Francis Bruguière; a stereoscope viewer with 54 cards; and much more.

The diverse selection of books includes the writings of Mark Twain, signed; 15 volumes of Nathaniel Hawthorne; Observations... Voyage Round the World by John Forster, 1778; Codex Seraphinianus by Luigi Serafini; The Pilgrim’s Progress, 1860; Advance and Retreat by J. B. Hood; Dante’s Inferno by Ecco Press signed by 20 poets; History of the Donner Party, 1879; Rituale Romanum from 1786; a complete collection of Oz books; 19th-century bibles; books by John Muir, Louisa May Alcott, Lucy Montgomery, other women writers; and more. Subjects include history of California, Chicago, and New Orleans; California birds; dogs; books for children including Disney Little Books; British periodicals; Hawaii and the South Seas; fishing; Japanese tsubas; and much more.

There is also colonial/Confederate currency from the 1770s-1780s; fractional currency from the 1800s; Confederate currency from the mid-1800s; $2 bills; and a Mexican bank note from 1914.

Visual art includes a Mary Cassatt etching; Book of Hours printed leaves, Persian illuminated leaves, and leaves from the Nuremburg Chronicle; a new map of the world, circa 1705; a drawing of the Edinburgh riot sentencing; architectural engravings by D. Pronti; an assembled history/print volume from the end of Edo Period; and signatures/drawings by Xavier Martinez.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present The Armond Conti Collection of Model Trains, Part 5, on Saturday, September 28, 2024, at 10:30 am PDT. Offering over 200 lots from the estate of a Northern Californian who collected trains for over 75 years, the timed auction features mostly post-war and modern-era train offerings – some new old stock, some unused, and many in their original boxes. These include locomotives, tenders, cabooses, numerous sets and groupings; a diverse array of train cars, including freight, box, passenger, club, dining, log, refrigerator, spine, train maintenance, reefers, hoppers, and more. The wide range of manufacturers in the sale include Lionel, LGB, K-Line, MTH, Williams, Weaver, Atlas, Rail King, 3rd Rail, and Crown – almost all in O gauge. There are also accessories, switches, power supplies, and Matchbox and Triang Minic vehicles on offer. Auction highlights include the Lionel O Gauge 773 New York Central Hudson & 2426W Tender, the Lionel O Gauge Modern Chessie Steam Special Loco & Six Cars and the Lionel O Gauge Postwar 746 N&W 4-8-4 Loco & 746W Tender.

Turner Auctions + Appraisals begins its timed online auction on Saturday, September 28, 2024, at 10:30 am PDT; sale items are available for preview now and bidding the day of the auction. The timed auction will be featured live on two platforms: LiveAuctioneers and Turner Auctions + Appraisals’ free mobile app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Apps ("Turner Auctions"). Both are easily accessed through ‘Upcoming Auctions’ at the company’s website: www.turnerauctionsonline.com/upcoming-auctions/.

About Armond Conti & His Collection

Born and raised in San Francisco, Armond Conti attended St. Ignatius High School and graduated from San Jose State in Industrial Technology. He met his wife Chris in the late 1950s, when they were both audience members of the popular radio show of Don Sherwood, who billed himself as the “world’s greatest disc jockey.” In 1964 the Contis and their then-three children moved to Livermore, California, then San Jose, where Mr. Conti worked as a nuclear engineer at General Electric for over 35 years, until he retired.

Armond Conti collected model trains for over 75 years, introduced to a lifelong passion around age 4, with a Christmas present from his parents. He continued to build and enhance his collection through the years, adding top-quality model trains from train shows and online sources. Perhaps no surprise as an engineer with an interest and skills in mechanics and technology, he also began to repair model trains for others, working after his day job at Bill’s Train Station in San Jose for over 15 years. He also set up an 18’ x 18’ shop in his backyard to pursue this aspect of his train hobby. His train layouts burgeoned as well, increasing as his homes got bigger: first at the top of his San Jose garage, where the layout platform hung down two feet from the ceiling and Mr. Conti would stand on a ladder to work on it. Later, when Mr. Conti moved to a nearby town, his train layout expanded to one-third of the basement of the family’s large and spacious new home.

Through the years, Mr. Conti enjoyed ‘train chasing’ with fellow train buffs, and visiting the Tehachapi Loop near Los Angeles, an engineering feat completed in 1876, where he would go watch trains with his son Mike and others. As Mike said, his dad liked trains because they were “big, noisy, and kind of cool.” These traits were shared with Mr. Conti’s other lifelong hobbies – muscle cars and World War II airplanes.

After Mr. Conti’s passing, the family decided to part with the vast collection for several reasons: no one has the same love of trains that Mr. Conti did, the family has other interests, and the model train hobby takes up a lot of space. Fellow enthusiasts who share Mr. Conti’s passion for model trains are sure to benefit from and enjoy the astute rewards of collecting for over seven decades.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Vintage Watches & Clocks on Saturday, September 21, 2024. This is a timed sale offering over 150 lots of men’s watches and clocks, plus a few ladies’ watches. Acquired by a Northern California collector, most timepieces are vintage and include well over 30 manufacturers, both domestic and international. Among the makers are Tiffany & Co., Bulova, Corum, LeCoultre, Gruen, Lyceum, Dreyfuss, Xeric, Prague, Locman, Veto, Edox, Omega, Hamilton, Longines, Invicta, Jean d'Eve Sectora, Jacques Lemans, LP, Dent, Minorva, and many others. The wide range of clocks includes travel, purse, mantel, car, carriage, and desk clocks.

Turner Auctions + Appraisals begins this timed online auction on Saturday, September 21, 2024, at 10:30 am PDT; sale items are available for preview now and bidding on the day of the auction. The timed online auction will be featured live on two bidding platforms: LiveAuctioneers, and Turner Auctions + Appraisals’ free mobile app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Apps ("Turner Auctions"). Both are easily accessed through ‘Upcoming Auctions’ at the company’s website: www.turnerauctionsonline.com/upcoming-auctions.

NOTE: All watches and clocks are sold as is regardless of functionality. Please examine the provided photos to thoroughly evaluate each piece. All watches and clocks in the sale have been in storage since 2015; we suggest an overhaul at buyer's expense.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Diamonds Are Forever, a sparkling sale of Fine Jewelry, Diamonds & More on Saturday, August 24, 2024. Among the 110+ total lots, the auction features 35 lots of single and pairs of unmounted diamonds. Fine jewelry offerings for women include bracelets, rings, pendants, brooches and more, plus various costume jewelry groupings. For men, there are designer watches, some vintage. There is also an extensive selection of other items: gold and silver coins, antique portrait miniatures, and sterling silver serving ware and decorative items.

This auction features pairs of round, brilliant-cut diamonds that range in weight from .91 to 1.52 carats. Single diamonds – round brilliant cut, marquise and pear-shaped stones – range from .44 to .79 carats (details on color and clarity of each diamond, as well as the gemologist’s report are included online with each lot description). Among the many jewelry offerings for women are items from Tiffany and Hermès. Lots for women with diamonds and/or gold include earrings, pendants, bracelets, rings, brooches, and more. Men’s items include a gold watch chain and watches from acclaimed makers such as Cartier, Breitling, LeCoultre, and Longines. Completing the jewelry offerings are a number of groupings of costume jewelry and accessories – many featuring gold, silver, garnet, jade, pearls, or other precious stones.

In addition to fine jewelry, there is a selection of gold coins, mostly from the mid- to late-1800s, including a 1842-D Liberty Half Eagle $5 gold coin and a 1904 Liberty Head $20 dollar gold coin. Among the silver coins are Peace and Morgan silver dollars. Portrait miniatures are also on offer, mostly from the 19th century. Rounding out the sale are sterling silver items, including bowls, flatware, drinking cups, sugar and creamers, vases and more. A final highlight of the sale is an antique ruby and 14k gold mesh purse.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Sports Memorabilia on Saturday, August 17, 2024. The sale offers 100 sports-related lots from a Northern California collector, featuring football, basketball, baseball, tennis, hockey, and figure skating. Most items are signed, including football helmets and balls, basketballs, baseball bats, ice skates, tennis balls, a hockey stick, several photographs of notable events, and more.

Highlights include signed basketballs from the 2017 and 2018 Golden State Warriors. Among the featured football teams, stars, and events are the San Francisco 49ers, numerous Super Bowls (III – XLIX, from Joe Namath to Tom Brady), NFL Quarterback Legends, Heisman Trophy Winners, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley (Cal), and more. There are also San Francisco Giants baseball bats, a Montreal Canadiens Legends Hockey Stick, tennis balls from Serena and Venus Williams and others, and ice skates from famous female skaters – all signed. Other sports-related items complete the sale.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Bohemian Club Books & Ephemera on August 10, 2024. The sale features books, booklets, posters, flyers, programs, playbills, invitations, wine lists and menus, and reports from the private men’s club based in San Francisco and Northern California. These offerings from a California collector range from 1909 to the 2000s. Several related lots from other collections round out the sale.

The offerings in this auction reflect a vast range of events held at the Bohemian Club in San Francisco or the Bohemian Grove in Monte Rio, California, where the Midsummer Encampment, an annual 18-day members’ retreat, is held each July. The sale features Bohemian Grove posters from 1956-2005 and Cremation of Care posters from the 1970s. Besides plays from 1913 and 1919, there are playbills for the Grove plays; and programs for diverse events – art exhibitions, ladies’ nights, “low jinks” evenings, tribute dinners, aviary and more. The extensive selection of events flyers or invitations includes those for film, music, comedy, opera, theater, jazz, anthropology, holidays and Oktoberfest, authors, sons & grandsons, golf, baseball, skeet, Vienna, Italia, veterans, and much more. Most of these ephemera date from the 1950s-early 1980s. Some menus and wine lists are also available. Prominent artists of these lots include Ray Sullivan, Phil Frank, George Lichty, Wayne Pope, Amado Gonzales, Antonio Sotomayor, Vincent Perez, and Lonnie Bee.

Besides printed material promoting the club’s numerous events, there are also official documents from various years, most from 1908-1940, including the President’s and Treasurer’s Reports, and the club’s constitution, by-laws, rules, and annals.

For over 30 years, the California owner has assembled an extensive collection of Bohemian Club and Bohemian Grove items, keeping them in a well-preserved condition. Commenting on his collection, he says he enjoys and appreciates these “highly unique and rare items from the most exclusive men’s club in the world.”

Founded in 1872, the Bohemian Club was created “for the association of gentlemen connected professionally with Literature, Art, Music, Drama and also those who, by reason of their love or appreciation of these objects and their interest in participating in Club activities, may be deemed eligible…The Club is social in nature and purpose with its focus on the fine and performing arts and literature.” Early on, science was added to the “four pillars” of literature, art, music, and drama. Proud to be a refuge for artistic and intellectual activities, conducting business is prohibited. In fact, the club’s motto is “Weaving spiders, come not here.”

While members’ names are not made public, many notable men are known to be or have been Bohemian Club members – politicians such as Herbert Hoover, Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush and son, George P. Schultz, and Newt Gingrich; artists or writers such as Maynard Dixon, Granville Redmond, Xavier Martinez, and Herman Wouk; business tycoons such as William Randolph Hearst and David Packard; and other famous men including Eddie Rickenbacker and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Today the club has about 2,600 members at a time, with some waiting up to 15 years to become regular, full members. In addition, there are honorary or professional members, usually in the arts, who assist with the club’s various activities. Since its inception, there have only been four women in the club – honorary members chosen in the club’s first two decades – although women and other guests are included at many of the club’s events.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present a Carmel Estate Auction on Saturday, July 13, 2024. The sale features a diverse and eclectic array of artworks, decorative arts, militaria, sterling and silver items, pens, furniture, Native American pottery, Asian items, and more, primarily from the 19th-21st centuries. Most are from a single estate in Carmel, California; other collections and estates from California are also represented in the auction.

 Among the artworks are oil and watercolor paintings, etchings, woodblocks, lithographs, prints, architectural plates, Eastern European icons, and sculptures. Noted artists include Ira Yeager, Leroy Neiman, Michael Stidham, Yoshiko Yamamoto, Patrick (Hinds) Swazo, Dino Paravano, Kent Ullberg, and Keith Christie. Decorative arts come from several traditions and cultures: from the U.S. are Charles Lotton and Van Briggle vases, plus an extensive selection of Native American pottery and sand paintings from the Navajo, Hopi, Santa Clara, Zuni, and Jemez. From China are dishes, bowls, vases, carved coral figures, snuff bottles, scroll paintings, and a Miao headdress. From Japan are Imari platters, a kimono, enamel vases, dolls and figures, boxes, screens, prayer beads, a 1920s coronation costume, calligraphy, blue and white porcelain, and more. There are also several groupings of Asian ceramics.

 Ballpoint and fountain pens come from Parker, Waterman, Tiffany, Cartier, and Cross. Sterling and silver items include a tea set, figures, flatware, tableware, and serving ware from France, Germany, England, and Russia. There is a diverse selection of militaria: U.S. Navy commissions, collections of commendation medals and navy cap ship ribbons, dress swords, a World War II bicorn hat and naval dress set, several books, and antique armor. Among the furniture lots are small tables, chairs, wooden chests, clocks, and boxes. Rounding out the sale are candlesticks and candelabra, duck decoys, large fish replicas, painted masks, and an antique carousel horse.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Japanese Prints on Saturday, June 22, 2024. The sale features over 120 lots of traditional and contemporary Japanese woodblock prints, etchings, and drawings, mostly from the 19th and 20th centuries from two California collections. Traditional artists include Kuniyoshi, Hokusai, Hiroshige, Kunichika, Yoshitoshi, Yoshida, Hasui, Yoshiiku, and Keith. Among the contemporary offerings are works from Hamanishi and Yoshimatsu, plus an extensive selection of etchings by Tanaka.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Vintage Watches, Part 2: One Man’s Collection on Saturday, June 8, 2024. The sale features over 140 timepieces from a private collection in Northern California – mostly men’s wristwatches and French carriage clocks from the late-19th/early-20th centuries. Almost all wristwatches date from the mid-20th century, from the 1940s to the 1970s. The sale features noted American and European brands. The 25+ manufacturers include Rolex, Bulova, Hamilton, Longines, Lord Elgin, Omega, LeCoultre, Dreyfuss & Co., Zodiac, Frederique Constant, Pulsar, and many more. Highlights include several Bulova Accutron Spaceview selections, a 1950s Longines 13zn Flyback Chronograph watch, a 1950s LeCoultre Powermatic Indicator watch, and a 1968 Rolex Perpetual watch.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Icons: One Man’s Collection on Saturday, May 11, 2024. The sale features over 200 lots of icons and other religious or devotional items from a private collection in Northern California. Most items are from 19th/20th century Eastern Europe or Russia. The majority of Eastern European icons are ornately decorated with beads, embroidery, or other embellishments. In addition, most Eastern European icons are enclosed in kiots or shadowbox frames. Many Russian offerings feature silver oklads, a metal covering to protect the icon.

The icons’ subject matter includes Christ, the Virgin, the Theotokos (Mary as the mother of Jesus), the resurrection, the Dormition (the “falling asleep” or death of Mary without suffering), and an array of saints. Other religious items in the auction include reliquaries, crosses and crucifixes, illuminated miniatures, a retablo, and devotional objects or pictures. Completing the sale are several works from the Estate of Grace Garcia, a well-known Northern California collector and purveyor of religious items.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to open for bidding A Secret Vault on Sunday, April 21, 2024. The sale features intriguing items recently discovered, or rediscovered, by the owners, a couple from Northern California. The 95 lots include autographed letters from famous people, postage stamps from Great Britain, and an assortment of gold coins from the 19th-20th centuries. Auction highlights include signed correspondence by the late Princess Diana from 1994; by abolitionist leader John Brown; and by biologist Charles Darwin, known as the father of evolution. Also of note is the Great Britain 30 pence Comedians Error Stamp from 1998 that featured English entertainer Joyce Grenfell.

The owners are unsure of the exact provenance of the items in the vault, but many come from overseas and/or were passed down from late family members. In fact, most of the stamps and autographed items were acquired some years ago from Stanley Gibbons in London, England, the world’s oldest rare stamp seller and one of the foremost purveyors of such collectibles. (However, despite its prominence and 167-year history, the company has had a recent change of fortune. After its ill-fated purchase in December 2023 of the world’s most expensive stamp, the British Guiana 1c Magenta, Stanley Gibbons has now become part of the Strand Collectibles Group.)

Eventually, the owners’ items were shipped from Europe and were sent to a storage vault in Wyoming. There other items accumulated over time, and they rested for some years -- only to be rediscovered recently when the owners moved to California. And what a marvelous surprise it must have been to revisit the vault! Now the couple has moved the rediscovered items to auction, in hopes that others will enjoy and appreciate in the light of day what has been hidden away for years.

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Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Fine Art: One Man’s Collection on Saturday, April 6, 2024. The sale features over 70 works of art from a private collection in Northern California, including oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, and lithographs. The vast majority of the auction focuses on two Northern California artists, Colin Campbell Cooper and Gary Ray. Other noted artists in the sale include Peter Nielsen and Ransome Gillet Holdridge.

Colin Campbell Cooper, Jr. (1856-1937) was a distinguished American impressionist painter best known for architecture, European and Asian landmarks, landscapes, and portraits. Gary Ray (1952- ) is a contemporary painter, primarily of plein air images of coastal regions and inland areas of Southern and Central California.

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