Attended an estate sale a few months ago and acquired a few fun relics.
Best find was a Mitchell Spinning reel that may turn out to be a Pre-300, as in a 1940's model before it was named and mass produced.
This, a few bamboo fly rods, an end fed Red Ryder, were the takes of the day.
I though...
I had also bought a full stack of Art frame mats (the colored squares that are cut to fill the space between the frame and the art, to protect the edges of the art.) for $3.00 total. The bunch was 30+ uncut and a few cut. Most are 30"X40" and turn out to be top branded Conservation and Museum grade linen and such worth between $10 and $70 each!
So, this was the take of the day, I though...
Two months later, I decide I need a crème colored mat and go to search the pile- and discover one of the cut mats still taped to backer with a drawing framed in it!!!
The drawing- turns out to be a signed original, never reproduced, dated 1959 and unknown to the world. It also has a note from the artist to his brother on the back. The artist was Robert Freimark. A World Renowned artist, with a host of abstract work ranging from late 1950's to 2009.
Art being art, value is subjective and not known till the check is cashed, but, of all the museums and galleries that hold his pieces around the world, the Hohmann Gallery ( https://www.hohmann.art/freimark ) has a number of works listed in the $20,000 to $30,000 range. Example "Night Writer" below.
I've had another representative tell me, as an early signed original it should bring, at a min 15-20k, at a decent auction. Then again, I've seen prints for $200 other places...
One thing I did learn was that the Provenance is very short! Artist - Brother - Me. The estate sale was of COL. Gaillard Freimark, who, by the way, was a very respected local that ran an art framing and photography shop before the digital era...
As I said, Art is subjective, so value or a $3.00 accidental purchase could be $20k, or not... So this may be the take of the day!
Either way - I think it's a really nifty piece!
Last edited by 1more4me; Feb 14, 2020 at 08:46 AM.
"And so the population was gradually led into the demoralising temptations of arcades, baths, and sumptuous banquets. The unsuspecting Britons spoke of such novelties as 'civilisation', when in fact they were only a feature of their enslavement." Tacitus, Roman Senator and Historian, written AD 98.
The Bald Eagle photo...he/she posed for me, gave me it's best American look. I felt privileged to get the shot.