One common request we get is to write about affordable items.
Yes, we love important jewelry, artwork and museum-quality antiques, but sometimes the most interesting pieces are attainable.
Recently a Bayshore Boulevard customer was downsizing and consigned many expensive items for our auction, mostly by Tiffany.
While reviewing the collection, a simple wood bowl caught our eye. It was beautifully turned by artist Ron Kent and was understated but graceful. Collectors of contemporary wood are familiar with Kent’s magical driftwood works that are now found in museums in Hawaii and California, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Online research said his discovery of wood turning came about when his wife gave him a $35 toy lathe in 1975. He loved it and used it on driftwood. It broke quickly, so he kept buying larger and more professional lathes.
We took the bowl in at a modest auction estimate of $500 to a $1,000 and it topped the highest estimate.
We were very happy for our client, but the winning bidder was actually the great-granddaughter of Myra and Ron Kent. She explained that they had been looking for such a piece and wanted us to thank our Bayshore Boulevard client.
As auctioneers, we rarely learn where an item ultimately ends up. Most pieces simply disappear into private collections. This one was different.
A bowl created from a piece of driftwood decades ago traveled thousands of miles from Hawaii to Florida. Then, through a chance auction, it found its way back to the artist’s own family.
Not every item we buy is necessarily expensive. Some simple things bring good money … and great joy.
