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Collecting

September

Music guru Glenn A. Baker (left) with Paul Lambess, the property developer and drummer who’s bought his 50,000-strong record collection.

Developer to display Baker’s music trove after paying $314k

Amateur drummer Paul Lambess has already rejected requests to sell parts of journalist Glenn A. Baker’s 80,000 records and CDs.

  • Michael Bailey

March

Don Bradman (with foot on running board) was given a red Chevrolet with the number plate 1114 to mark Australia’s win in the 1930 Ashes Test.

Is Don Bradman’s number plate really worth $200k?

NSW is selling more historic licence plates but the Don’s isn’t the most expensive one on offer.

  • Elizabeth Fortescue

February

The Stanley tumbler may already have passed peak hype.

What is a Stanley cup and why are people going crazy for them?

Stanley mania is a story of how marketing, influencers and the power of social media converged to produce a cultural phenomenon.

  • Hiroko Tabuchi

December 2023

Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale

The most exciting cars of the year… and what’s next

From plug-in hybrids to all-electric, these models from Bentley, Ferrari and Porsche stand out from the crowd.

  • Tony Davis

November 2023

John Brack’s Wig Shop Window, 1970.

Why you need to be in the room at auctions

How would-be buyers missed their chance to purchase works at Deutscher and Hackett’s final sale of the year when they failed to hear their phones.

  • Elizabeth Fortescue
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August 2023

America’s ‘first sports car’ could be yours for about $6m

Monterey Car Week’s auctions include one of the most collectable US vehicles: a 1914 Mercer Raceabout with a top speed of almost 130km/h.

  • Tony Davis

June 2023

ADF

Treasure or tainted? Experts split on value of Roberts-Smith VC

Court findings against the decorated war veteran could take a million-dollar shine off his prestigious award.

  • Duncan Hughes

August 2022

Alair Pambegan’s ‘Bonefish Story Place’, 2022 (detail), is priced at $66,000, and will be on sale at Sydney Contemporary next week.

Wooden fish may be catch of the day at $66,000

Exhibitors at Sydney Contemporary art fair need to make significant sales to make the exercise pay but recent auction results suggest buyers are ready to splash the cash.

  • Gabriella Coslovich
Jeffrey Smart’s ‘Portrait of Germaine Greer’, 1984, has an estimated price of $1 million to $1.5 million. The work is being auctioned in Sydney on September 14 by Deutscher and Hackett.

Germaine Greer hated this portrait but it could be worth $1.5m

Art collectors Peter and Joan Clemenger had a keen eye for paintings, but they never bought artworks as investments.

  • Gabriella Coslovich
The Robert Prenzel marble-topped wash stand was particularly sought after. It sold for $50,000 (hammer).

Bedroom furniture set makes $240,500, but at a cost

The last privately held intact bedroom suite by Art Nouveau master Robert Prenzel was sold to four separate buyers.

  • Gabriella Coslovich

July 2022

‘Birmingham’ by US artist Simone Leigh sold for $US2.2 million.

$59m sale points to female artists edging towards price parity

At high-end art auctions around the globe, female artists continue to set new records.

  • Colin Gleadell
A first edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Harry Potter books could be worth more than $250k

First edition copies of the Millennial favourite are becoming seriously sought after.

  • Theo Chapman
Justin O’Brien, Madonna, c. 1959, at auction for the first time, made 417,273 with buyer’s fees.

‘Intoxicating’ painting sets new auction record

The densely patterned work glistens with gold leaf and looks both strangely modern and deeply steeped in the Italian Renaissance.

  • Gabriella Coslovich
A casting of Rodin’s ‘The Thinker’ sold for a record price last week.

Collector pays $16.2m for casting of Rodin’s iconic ‘The Thinker’

The French sculptor’s best-known work continues to attract collectors, with a casting going under the hammer at a Paris auction.

  • Reuters

June 2022

Chris Chapman’s Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT artwork, which he had listed for sale on OpenSea, the largest NFT marketplace, setting the price at about $US1 million.

Thefts, fraud and lawsuits at the world’s biggest NFT marketplace

OpenSea, one of the highest-profile crypto start-ups, is facing a backlash over stolen and plagiarised non-fungible tokens.

  • David Yaffe-Bellany
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Detail from Emily Kngwarreye’s “Alhalkere – Old Man Emu with Babies”.

New York sale sets new highs for 16 Indigenous artists

The rising popularity of Indigenous art overseas could price Australian collectors out of the top end of the market.

  • Gabriella Coslovich

May 2022

William Barak’s Parrying Shield,  1897.

Indigenous art coming home after setting auction records

A successful crowdfunding campaign and last-minute funds from governments have returned the 19th-century works to Wurunjderi hands.

  • Gabriella Coslovich
Crossing the River, 1964, by Sidney Nolan has an estimated price of $550,000 to $750,000.

Super fund puts $9m collection on the block

The 310 works in the Cbus Collection, acquired on behalf of the building industry unions, are the second corporate collection to be sold this year.

  • Gabriella Coslovich
The Phantom #1.

Would you pay $20k for this classic comic?

An Australian printed copy of an original, 1948 edition of The Phantom sold for double its estimate.

  • Theo Chapman

April 2022

John Brack, Knives and Forks, 1958,  estimated at $400,000 to $600,000.

This set of ‘Knives and Forks’ could be yours for $400,000

A still-life by Australian painter John Brack is a highlight of Deutscher and Hackett’s May 4 art auction, along with pieces by Martin Sharp and New Zealander Rita Angus.

  • Gabriella Coslovich

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/collecting-hpg