'Jaws,' Warhol and more at Marion Antiques Auction
Artifacts from the Whaling Museum, artwork from Andy Warhol and Marc Chagall, and documents signed by the Kennedys will be up for a bid in the Marion Antique Auction upcoming auction on June 25.
“This is one of the biggest auctions we’ve had,” said Frank McNamee of Marion Antiques.
The auction has 480 lots that include pieces from estates across the South Coast.
One item for movie lovers is a sign from the movie “Jaws” that was on display outside Director Stephen Spielberg’s office during filming. A Marion couple from Point Road purchased the sign from the director’s secretary.
McNamee said several pieces of local interest come from the New Bedford Whaling Museum’s collection, though he stressed they are pieces that are not related to whaling or are books that the museum has in duplicate or triplicate. The pieces include a “bone shaker” bicycle from the turn of the 20th century and a books on South Coast history.
Pieces from several Wareham estates will also be featured.
Among them are four Antonio Jacobsen paintings from the collection of Parky Shaw, an antiquarian who recently passed away and who once split his time between Beacon Hill and Wareham. McNamee called Jacobsen “an extremely important American marine artist” and said he expects the paintings to draw $8,000 to $15,000 each.
While not an estate exactly, the auction will feature a Chippendale four-drawer check found in a little house in Swifts Beach.
“It’s one of the best ones I’ve ever handled,” said McNamee.
He said it could go for $5,000 to $10,000.
Items from the estate of Wareham collector George Decas will appear in the auction, including documents signed by the Kennedy brothers.
In addition to letters from John, Bobby and Teddy Kennedy, there will be historical documents from the Civil War and a collection of photos of African Americans taken after the war.
One, said McNamee, shows a man on a porch wearing a tattered Civil War coat, likely in North Carolina. The images may be from noted photographer Frederick Holland Day.
More modern pieces are likely to draw attention from art collectors.
McNamee said a series of four lithographs circa 1963 by Marc Chagall may go for upwards of $20,000.
A less expensive, but still noteworthy piece is a lithograph of a Campbell’s soup can on a shopping bag signed by Andy Warhol. McNamee’s estimate for the bag is $1,500 to $2,000.
For those looking to spend less, McNamee said there are lots that could sell for a few hundred dollars.
“It’s not all items in the multi-thousands,” he said. “There are things that anybody probably could afford.”
Local bidders will have to contend with interested buyers across the world. According to McNamee, the annual Thanksgiving auction saw 2,800 people bidding online versus around 200 in the VFW Hall where the event is held.
A complete list of items can be viewed at www.marionantiqueauctions.com. Viewing is Friday, June 24 from 2 to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the VFW, 465 Mill St. (Route 6). The auction begins Saturday at 10 a.m.
