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WORLD MARKETPLACE NEWS with Managing Editor Judy Gonyeau

NYT – As you may have read, New Hampshire resident Tracy MANHATTAN – The design studio
Donahue walked into a Savers thrift store years ago and purchased Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv,
what turned out to be a rare and valuable N.C. Wyeth cover designers of America’s 1976 bicenten-
illustration for Helen Hunt Jackson’s nial logo along with logos for NBC,
novel Ramona for just $4. It sold in Mobil, and New York University, have
September at Bonham’s for $191,000 unveiled their 2026 US sesmiquincen-
(including auction fees) – quite a windfall tennial (250 year) logo, and the think-
for the couple, who hoped to visit their ing, sweat, and creativity that went into
son in Germany and pay off their bills. it. Sagi Haviv was clear-eyed about the
But in this case of “Seller Beware,” the new design challenges posed by the word “semiquincentennial.” “We
owner never paid the bill and all dreams stayed away from that,” he said. “Too many letters.” Eighteen letters
were put on hold. The Donahues were told and 7 syllables could add up to a difficult addition to any logo. The
by Bonham’s that the buyer had 35 days to commission came from the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission,
pay. By mid-October, they started calling established by Congress to organize a nationwide commemoration and
Bonhams. They found the auction house celebration of the milestone. With all the possible products and
to be frustratingly unresponsive at first, celebratory items, this will be a moment in history to collect.
and disconcertingly flippant when some-
one did finally return their calls and
emails. Donahue was eventually told that WOODINVILLE, WA – “Vintage,” as applied to fine wine, can be a
the buyer declined to pay and that little could be done, in part very valuable collectible, but when a cowboy-hat wearing vandal
because the buyer lived in Australia. Bonhams sent the Donahues a broke into a Woodinville winery on the night before Thanks-
new, eight-page contract laying out the conditions for a private giving, it only took a few minutes
sale stating the Donahues would receive no less than $132,750, assuming to destroy $600,000 worth of
Bonhams could find a buyer. The Donahues found the terms unsatis- vintage white wine. Surveillance
factory and picked up the illustration. “Right now,” Donahue said, “it’s footage shows the suspect enter
worth $4 – and a cardboard box.” It may become a family heirloom. Sparkman Cellars and open
valves on two tanks, releasing
nearly 5,000 gallons of wine on
LONDON – The London home of the English National Opera is the floor just weeks before the
on the move – 200 miles north to Manchester by 2029. The Opera wine was scheduled to be bottled. The Sparkman family issued a
was facing financial woes – and pressure from Arts Council statement saying, “This is a tough blow for our small family business
England, which cut off its and was timed to deliver maximum damage right as the holidays got
vital government subsidy underway.” The suspect entered through the employee entrance and
last year and urged it to knew the code to get in.
develop “a new business
model” that might include
a move away from London. CRYPTOPOLITAN – FIFA, the
Many balked at the change, International Federation of Association
and Greater Manchester Football (aka “soccer” here in the U.S.) has
Mayor Andy Burnham said, “If they think we are all heathens here, just released a line of digital collectibles for
that nobody would go, I’m afraid it doesn’t understand us and the FIFA Club World Cup 2023. The
therefore it doesn’t deserve to come here.” Once the new location collectibles offer unique experiences,
was announced, Burnham said, “We’re immensely proud to be able to including chances to win 2026 FIFA World
bring them to a new home here …” and that English National Opera Cup Final tickets. This is its first step to
is “one of the most exciting cultural institutions in the country.” blend sports memorabilia with advanced
digital technology. As of December 15, 2023, and ahead of the World
Cup Saudi Arabia 2023, FIFA released 100 premium digital
HUDSON VALLEY – A new listing of a older New York home came collectibles. As of December 19, an additional 900 were released. The
onto the market for $1.895 million on December 6, 2023. The collectibles are hosted on the Polygon network and available on the
answer to the all-American question for this home is, “Yes, he slept OpenSea platform.
here.” Not only George Washington, but the Marquis de Lafayette
and fellow founding father
Baron von Steuben were NEW YORK – Horologists now have a new platform to help
guests at this c. 1738 stone demystify timepiece pricing. A new platform called EveryWatch.com
English manor-style home. aims to offer a centralized database of up-to-date information
Even Martha Washington on prices and dealers, designed to give its users a powerful edge in
visited for tea at the then- decision-making. Giovanni Prigigallo, a founder of EveryWatch and its
known-as Meeting House head of business development and content, said, “Our database of
while waiting for her husband. information goes back to 1989 and includes historical, current and
The home features four upcoming sale information with prices, sale listings and dealer
bedrooms and baths, 23-foot- information. It is aggregated from over 250 auction houses and
thick stone walls, 10-foot ceilings, hand-hewn beams, pine-board more than 120 marketplaces for watches,
floors, five fireplaces, 18th-century cabinetry, original door hinges, from big resellers to small dealers vetted
and a front porch stretching more than 90 feet and sits on 1.73 acres by our teams.” Mr. Prigigallo said as of
that border the Hudson River. Celebrities did and continue to late November, the database covered
visit Snedens Landing as it is now known, including John Steinbeck, one million watches with a minimum
Diane Sawyer, and Bill Murray. Could a celebrity be a future owner? value of $300 that had been sold or were
Time will tell. available for sale around the globe.

14 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles