Jones & Horan Webcast Auction Garners More Than $1.5 Million

GOFFSTOWN, N.H. — On May 4, Jones & Horan conducted a webcast live-close auction of 425 lots with no reserves, no buyers’ premium and no sales tax. Featured were jewelry, wristwatches, pocket watches, coins and more. The sale, a horological event enjoyed by bidders from nearly 30 countries, totaled more than $1.5 million. Online bidding opened on April 8 with the actual auction event taking place on May 4 with the live close by an auctioneer beginning at 11 am Eastern. Diana Dickinson, auctioneer and chief operating officer at Jones & Horan, reported that the sale’s exact total was $1,537,335. “We have no reserves,” she said, “all 425 lots sold, and nothing remained unsold.” There were 635 registered online bidders and 21 phone bidders for a total of 656 registered bidders. They hailed from 27 countries, including the United States. There were numerous Rolex sport models offered in the sale, and leading them, as well as the sale overall, was a Reference 6239 Floating Daytona, which captured $42,000. Made circa 1966, the watch featured an original stainless steel screw back Oyster case with polished steel tachymeter bezel and black painted highlights. Its riveted Oyster bracelet was signed “Rolex USA,” and it had an original black panda dial with f loating Daytona below the 12.

Wristwatches were also highlighted by an ultra-rare Breguet Type XX Flyback Chronograph with extract. It sold for $33,000 within its high estimate. The watch featured the original stainless steel screw back case with bidirectional hour bezel and faceted lugs and brown leather strap. Its original tropical black matte dial had aged to a deep chocolate brown. The accompanying company extract from the archives contained details of the sale of the watch on August 27, 1963, for the sum of 433 francs. The archive paperwork was signed by Breguet’s conservator Emanuel Breguet, whose sixth great-grandfather was the firm’s founder Abraham Louis Breguet (1747-1823).

Jewelry highlights included a large selection of jewelry from the estate of jewelry collector and television and film comedian Richard “Red” Skelton (1913-1997). Among the items from the collection was a star sapphire ring estimated at 62 carats set in 18K white gold. It went out at $27,000, three times its high estimate. “The star sapphire brought even more than we expected, although we knew our estimates were low,” said Dickinson. Catalog notes stated that very few huge star sapphires still exist in this size, and yet another similar ring from the Skelton collection, this one estimated at 68 carats and set in 18K yellow gold, realized $18,000.

Fetching $27,000 and also from the Skelton collection was a Ruser of Beverly Hills 18K wristwatch custom made for the comedian. The midcentury designed watch featured a manual wind, original 18K yellow gold snap back case made specially by Ruser with a deep bark texture. Gemstones in the piece included 24 French cut sapphires set into the bezel and 24 baguette cut diamonds set in platinum opposite the sapphire bezel. The case back was engraved “My Beloved Big Red, Christmas 68, all my love Little Red.”

The highly sought-after marque of Patek Philippe was represented by a Calatrava Calendar, Genève, ref 6000G, circa 2010. With original heavy 18K white gold screw back exhibition case, black alligator strap and 18K white gold deployant buckle signed “Patek Philippe,” it featured the original anthracite dial with white painted Arabic numerals and offset sub seconds. Bidding took it to a within-estimate $19,000.

A similar star sapphire ring from the Skelton collection, this one estimated at 68 carats and set in 18K yellow gold, realized $18,000.

European pocket watches were highlighted by a Klaftenberger minute repeating perpetual calendar with moonphase, which found a new owner at $15,000, a Vacheron & Constantin rose gold skeletonized watch with 18K gold and enamel case leaving the gallery at $18,000 and a Cartier with an Art Deco-styled lapis lazuli 18K gold and enamel case earning $16,500, far exceeding expectations of $5/9,000.

Custom made for comedian Red Skelton by Ruser of Beverly Hills, this midcentury designed watch featured a manual wind, original 18K yellow gold snap back case made specially by Ruser with a deep bark texture. Gemstones in the piece included 24 French cut sapphires set into the bezel and 24 baguette cut diamonds set in platinum opposite the sapphire bezel. The case back was engraved “My Beloved Big Red, Christmas 68, all my love Little Red.” It sold for $27,000.

A Cartier with an Art Deco-styled lapis lazuli, 18K gold and enamel case earned $16,500, far exceeding expectations of $5/9,000.

Among American examples, a Charles Fasoldt, Albany, N.Y., co-axial double wheel escapement lever chronometer attained $17,500. The sale’s cataloger deemed this watch as “an excellent example from this eminent independent American watchmaker, in total it is believed that Charles Fasoldt's lifetime output was a bit under 450 watches.” Historical provenance was attached to a pocket watch produced by Waltham, Appleton, Tracy & Co. Model 1860, with a very heavy 18K gold original Baldwin & Co. reversible case with exquisite black enamel detail, including deer to two lids. Its gold cuvette was engraved “Presented to His Honor, Mayor L.A. Harris by the Police of the City of Cincinnati, December 25, 1864.” With provenance to Cincinnati mayor Leonard A. Harris, who also served as a colonel for the Union Army in the Civil War, the watch brought $14,000. A surprise, noted Dickinson, “We expected $5/8,000.”

More wristwatch highlights included a rare Audemars Piguet Quantieme perpetual calendar, one of only 244 examples ever produced, going out at $15,500 and one of the more odd custom Rolexes from the 1980s — a Rolex Oyster Perpetual “Chevy” Datejust, reference number 16018, circa 1986, garnering $17,500. With an 18K yellow gold Jubilee bracelet with hidden clasp and original champagne dial with factory diamond indices and intricate Chevrolet logo dial, the lot included the original inner box with Chevrolet Diamond Jubilee award branding, Non-timepiece notables included an Alfred Dunhill half giant aquarium table lighter, circa 1950s, with hand-carved and painted Perspex panels showing a large fish underwater and two smaller red fish. An example of an exquisite table lighter, it was bid to $3,000. Interestingly, the catalog notes that these lighters were all designed and made by Ben Shillingford of Dunhill; every panel was hand carved and painted by him alone, and when he retired Dunhill could not find anyone to match his skill so they discontinued production.

In the realm of currency collectibles, a US $1,000 bill, 1934 Federal Reserve Note Cleveland, with nice eye appeal posted some price inf lation, going out at $2,900. Prices given are hammer prices as Jones & Horan does not charge a buyer’s premium. The firm’s next online auction runs May 23-30. Its next webcast live-close auction is October 5. For information, 800-622-8120 or www.jones-horan.com.