Jeff Hess confesses to an umbrella obsession (and a wife of 28 years who refuses to use one) before turning to the real collectible: antique umbrella and parasol handles. Once miniature works of art topped with animals, flowers, and Art Nouveau designs, most bring $20 to $100, though a rare example can be worth thousands.
The missing sixth box turned up five days later, battered but intact, ending Hess Fine Art’s silver saga with the clients netting roughly $1.5 million and their platinum recovered. The real payoff wasn’t the metal but the lesson: value on paper isn’t cash, and a promise is worth exactly as much as the character of the person making it.
With a court-ordered 48-hour deadline to remove thousands of ounces of settlement silver, Hess Fine Art staged an armored, guarded extraction, sold the metal into a seizing market for a $1.6 million net, and repacked it into six insured shipments, only for the sixth box to vanish. Part two of three.
A Tampa Bay couple inherited over $2.5 million in silver and platinum, then let the original dealer “deposit” it for safekeeping, until a modest $100,000 withdrawal request triggered delays, excuses, and finally the words “We don’t have your coins.” Part one of a three-part story on what it takes to claw a fortune back.
The most costly mistakes collectors and estates make – from over-polishing and tossing original boxes and paperwork to improper gold testing, recutting old diamonds, and poor storage – each of which can quietly erase value.
We recently acquired some silver tureens and want to share the outcome. An Arizona jeweler sent pictures of two small silver tureens. At first glance, I knew they were something special—centuries-old Georgian silver circa 1795, complete with a coat of arms.
Today we showcase a few horse racing
collectibles. Horse racing motifs hold a special place in the collecting world. Steeplechase buggy racing and iconic Derby themes are highly sought after but also deeply woven into the fabric of our cultural heritage. The sport occupies our
hearts, minds and heritage.
People often ask me what I collect. The answer? Everything. Not really, but my collecting habit is what originally got me into this. Today, my collection consists of things that we overpaid on and things
that may have a bit of damage.
We will be featuring an unpretentious painting by Willie Earl Robinson in our worldwide auction
next month. We purchased it for $600. We’ve estimated it at a modest $700 to $1,000.
We have written a lot about the importance of provenance (proof or history of a piece) when evaluating or selling fine antiques. This month, a Beverly Hills jeweler reached out to us to sell a necklace that had been sitting in his safe for many years. It is an exquisite Edwardian-era sapphire necklace of exceptional quality;
they hope our wide audience will find a buyer for it.
