Antique Trader

hey jude lyrics sell for nearly $1m

Paul McCartney’s handwritten lyrics for The Beatles’ classic “Hey Jude” sold recently for $910,000 at auction. The lyric sheet, which McCartney used during a July 1968 recording session at London’s Trident Studios and then gifted to a studio engineer, had a pre-auction estimate of $160,000. The sale of the “Hey Jude” lyrics highlighted Julien’s Auctions’ Beatles-themed lot that coincided with the 50th anniversary of the band’s breakup. McCartney originally wrote “Hey Jude” for Lennon’s then-5-year-old son, Julian, during Lennon’s separation from his first wife, Cynthia Lennon. The lyrics sheet was among 250 items of Beatles memorabilia — including an annotated shooting script of the band’s 1967 “Hello, Goodbye” music video and a standing ashtray used by Ringo Starr at the Abbey Road recording studios in London — sold at the Los Angeles-based Julien’s Auctions. McCartney…

the race for meaning of slot cars and oreos

IT WAS INTOXICATING in its simplicity. The slot cars zipped around the basement track, winding this way and that way, ducking into curves and accelerating into a long straightaway before diving into a left-hand curve and renewing the test of nerves and derring-do of kid drivers. We raced and raced and raced for hours, or until the Oreos that Aunt Harriet brought us were gone. Oreos were a big part of the Aurora HO Slot Car Racing Scene at Kennedy Speedway. My older cousin Billy, president of the Speedway and all around good guy, ran the show. The track, set up on two 4 x 8 sheets of plywood placed on sawhorses in my Aunt Harriet and Uncle Cecil’s basement, was a magnificent example of kid ingenuity. It helped that we had way…

virtual convention advertising group ‘zooms’ into new reality

In an innovative twist, the Antique Advertising Association of America is taking pandemic lemons and turning them into virtual lemonade. Because of the coronavirus, the AAAA Board of Directors has cancelled its annual convention in Columbus, Ohio, in July, replacing it with a free virtual convention July 11-12 using the popular Zoom platform. While the decision to cancel the convention was incredibly difficult and painful to make, convention coordinator Paul Lef kovitz said, “Reaction to the change has been incredible. One hundred percent of the response has been positive.” Concern for the well-being and safety of club members during a pandemic was the overarching reason for making the move, Lef kovitz said. The Ohio convention was originally scheduled for July 8-12. In late March, when the pandemic hit, AAAA considered postponing the event…

ruby lane declines paycheck protection loan

SAN FRANCISCO — Rubylane.com, the world’s largest curated online marketplace for vintage and antiques, has declined a six-figure Paycheck Protection Program forgivable loan. “Frankly, we just felt it was better to let other businesses that are under severe economic hardship have access to our allotted amount,” said President and CEO Tom Johnson. Like many small businesses, when the pandemic shuttered most of the world, Ruby Lane feared it would have to pare down its staff to remain viable in the marketplace. “As it turns out, we have been very fortunate through this global crisis to remain fully operational and doing robust sales on the platform,” Johnson said. “The distribution channels our sellers use have remained largely unaffected, which was one of our major concerns a few months ago. As for our staff, we…

liveauctioneers, ebay extend charitable campaigns

NEW YORK and CALIFORNIA — To continue to help COVID-19 relief efforts, LiveAuctioneers and eBay have extended their charitable campaigns through May 31. LiveAuctioneers CEO Phil Michaelson said his company’s campaign, which started in April, has been an overwhelming success and confirmed that an estimated $50,000 donation is expected to be made as a result. Michaelson said that the campaign is being extended as LiveAuctioneers continues to experience a surge in new bidders. In celebration of its campaign, #GivingTuesdayNow, a new global day of giving and unity, eBay will continue to match dollar for dollar, up to $1 million, through May 31 for any US donations made to Feeding America, Direct Relief and The Opportunity Fund, and is encouraging sellers and shoppers to continue to support causes on the frontlines of the…

christie’s auction raises funds for warhol foundation

NEW YORK – Christie’s “Andy Warhol: Better Days” online auction, which was held in collaboration with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and concluded on May 6, raised $272,125 to support the foundation’s efforts to provide emergency relief to artists throughout the United States. The top lots were Andy Warhol’s “Self-Portrait,” which sold for $37,500; “Flowers,” which realized $16,250, against a low estimate of $3,000; and “Andy Warhol and Henry Geldzahler,” which realized $15,000. Other notable results included “Montauk Beach,” which achieved $10,000, against a low estimate of $2,500; and “Archie,” which sold for $9,375, against a low estimate of $2,500. “Christie’s was honored to partner with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to raise funds for such a vital cause and to give back to artists during this…