HIGHWAYMEN ART APPRAISAL UPDATE

THIS IS A TYPICAL REQUEST AND MY TYPICAL RESPONSE.

 

Hello,

I found your information on the internet. My husband and I have two Harold Newton paintings that my husband inherited from his grandmother. We have had them for several years and now are looking to sell them. I am writing you for advice on what they might be worth and how to go about finding a buyer.

I've uploaded some photos. The sizes are approximately 23x35 and 23x31.

Sincerely,

*anonymous*
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Hi, *anonymous*.

I can take care of evaluating them and also finding a buyer for you.

I've been searching for and finding buyers for these things since 1995, so I can guarantee success.

First thing you need to know is how much they are worth in today's market.It takes special knowledge as H Newtons are currently valued between $500.00 and $10,000.00.

I can issue certificates of authenticity and appraisal for my standard fee of $100.00. An example can be found on the buy-sell-trade website below.

The value I place on the certs is a high one, a "replacement cost" for insurance purposes. Since I buy as well as appraise, in addition I will give you a rundown of the following values.
Insurance value.
Fair retail asking price.
Fair retail acceptable price for offers. (All buyers ask for "the best price")
Fair wholesale, or what you could expect at public auction such as eBay.
My "return to you" price if I sell them FOR you on consignment.
My outright "write a check and be done" buy price.


My goal is always to be accurate enough to insure a quick sale. Many galleries and auction houses appraise them ridiculously high, and they don't sell quickly.

Again, the fee  for a certificate is $100.00 by check or $105.00 via Paypal for each.

I do most of my certificates (I've done hundreds) via images such as you've sent.

 

If we need to meet in person, I live near Tampa, but I will be in West Palm Beach the first weekend of every month, 12 months a year.

 

H Newton and A E Backus Sept 2013

http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=12777c2225e4e45087c5479&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

Highwaymen show at Jetson's.

Here's the story from T C Palm.

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2013/jun/25/attend-jetson-treasure-coast-collectibles-road-sho/

I don't know who's going to be appraising what, so, at the very least, be careful out there.

Newton and Hair forgeries

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_forgery
"Art forgery is the creating and selling of works of art which are falsely credited to other, usually more famous, artists. Art forgery can be extremely lucrative, but modern dating and analysis techniques have made the identification of forged artwork much simpler."


Well, here we go with some serious forgeries of four Harold Newtons, and an Alfred Hair, offered on Liveauctioneers.com. I'd be very careful with a couple of the Backuses, as well, but I won't bury them. I'll let the market be the judge of those. I'm sure one or two are legit. That's the thing about this auction. There are some genuine Newtons, Hairs offered and mixed in with the phonies.

Now, this is a so-called seemingly reputable auction house in our state capital, doing business as Manor Auctions. They enjoy an enormous google presence and purport themselves to be expert in highwaymen art. Here is undeniable proof that they are not experts. ANYONE can claim expertise. ANYONE.

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE, PEOPLE. BE AWARE THAT THIS IS NOT REALLY UNUSUAL.

The run of fakes begin on page 7 of their catalog with this listing:
 Lot # 44123: Harold Newton Florida Highwaymen Seascape

Harold Newton Florida Highwaymen Seascape...

Manor Auctions

10:00 AM PT

Jun 2

0 Bids

Here is a link to their catalog. It is my hope that these fakes are removed before the sale date in the beginning of June.

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/40853_art-jewelry-timepiece-and-collectible-auction/page1

I'm posting four Harold Newton forgeries and one Hair. Do not bid on these. There is flat out no doubt that these are misrepresented.

 

***********************************************************************

OK, I wrote this on Friday, but didn't post it.

Now it's Saturday and they have all disappeared from the listing, including ALL the Backuses. Apparently Manor Auction is reputable and has integrity.

Their claim of expertise, however, is questionable at best.

Here are the images. The first four are forged H Newton. The last one is forged A Hair.

 

If you find these paintings in your travels, BEWARE.

And so the March show came.....

Just a quick follow up to the last post, the 30 something guy never came back.

A high end maritime art dealer and auctioneer came by, checked out the Selby, whipped out his cell phone, called a customer, got a positive response, and bought the piece for a small discount from the 1500 asking price.

I'd have to say that that is a happy ending.

West Palm Beach Antique Festival

So this guy, 30 something, comes in my booth at the December show and wants a price on a Nautical painting that I have in inventory. Nice size, 14x24, and in perfect condition, dated 1954.

 

It's not by a highwayman, but by another African-American artist from Miami, locally famous, by the name of Joe Selby (1893-1960), a listed artist whose subjects were the ships and yachts that docked at the Miami city pier between 1921 and 1959.
I give the guy full disclosure, as I will often do, tell him I paid a grand for it and I'm asking $1500.00.
Selby has auction records for similar things from $950 to $3500. I have printed them out to show potential customers as proof if they don't know me. So, I think it's reasonable for me to price it at that level, all the while expecting some sort of counter-offer.

Well, it's way too much for this guy, so he passed on any further meaningful conversation. He studied it for 10 minutes, though, and left only to come back to the booth to gaze longingly at it another 3 or 4 times during that show.

Then he comes back for the January show. He's decided, at this point, to get his tongue wagging, and decided to teach me all about the Selby market.

He really likes it, wants it, but he "informs" me that Selby's work from the 50's are worth no more than, say 4 or 500. He thinks I'd be smart to "cut my losses" and let him buy it.

Naturally, knowing better, I tune that out and tell him I'm still asking 1500, but that price is not carved in stone. But I'm not going to take a loss on a recent purchase, especially when I'm comfortable with the pricing structure.

So, his next idea is to offer a trade.

Now, I LOVE trades, and consider them, from my point of view, the opportunity to make a profit twice. Once on the outgoing inventory (in theory, anyway) and again on whatever I get in trade when I sell the new piece.

So I answer, "Sure. What do you have in mind?"

He's got a 24x36 Sam Newton painting on upson. Naturally, it's wonderful, etc, and his wife will kill him if he lets it go, all that sort of posturing nonsense to make it sound very desirable.

I tell him, "I think we can make some kind of deal, I just have to inspect it". He agrees with that, and off he goes.

Now it's the February show, he shows up and says he's got it in his car, so I tell him to bring it in, which he does. It's in a nice big box and I'm hoping it's one of the gorgeous ones. I have probably bought and sold 400 to 500 of Sam's paintings since 1995, so I'm ready for anything. It could be worth 300 or 3000. I can't wait for him to get it out of the box.

Out it comes, and it looks just like this, only stretched out to 36 inches:

A scene repeated many times by all three Newton brothers (and all the rest of the highwaymen) in every imaginable size. It's pretty, yes, but most collectors already have one, a blue river moonlight with a couple of cabbage palms and some rudimentary dock remnants, there are so many of them, and its value is close to entry level for a decent Sam in perfect condition. If I owned it, it would be for sale at about 750, or half of my Selby asking price. This determination at first glance.

Then I pick it up, angle it in the light, and I see evidence of scrapes, paint loss, and clumsy attempts at cleaning dirt off.  Now, I'm thinking, "condition issues, sell at 500 max" if I had it.

Then I check the signature. It's a genuine scratch-in, done in the 60's or 70's in wet paint, and it clearly reads, "L, Newton".

Wait.....what? "You told me you were bringing a SAM Newton. This is clearly signed by Lemuel."

He ignores that completely and tells me it's actually by HAROLD Newton, and that he signed some of his paintings with an L instead of an H.

I told him that that was preposterous and proceeded to shamelessly state my qualifications for knowledge in the highwaymen market, and specifically my expertise regarding the Newton brothers and their work.

Now this is a guy, who I suspect has seen, besides the 8 Sams, 4 Harolds, and the one lonely Lemuel I have available in my booth at the time, maybe a couple of dozen highwaymen paintings.

He elaborates that "a couple of respected knowledgeable highwaymen dealers have told him that H signed some paintings L".

Of course, I know that can't be true unless these guys are "THOSE KINDS OF DEALERS" who are smart enough to know that Harold's work is the most valuable of the three brothers (and the rest of the group as well) and just happen to have a Lemuel or two for sale while they're spinning their yarn.

So, I think he just made that story up to cover his first lie, or maybe his mistake, that he was bringing a Sam to try and trade.

Rather than call him a liar, which would be counter productive to any possible business, I simply told him that  "those" dealers either were misinformed, certainly not knowledgeable or flat out lying to him.

However, since I felt disrespected that he didn't believe me, but insisted that they were experts, and he believed them, I decided to risk being disrespectful back at him by saying, "Well, those guys are FULL OF SHIT".

Now, Jim Fitch told me almost a decade ago, when I sent him a draft of my first article to be published in Antiques and Art Around Florida, and asked him his thoughts, "Profanity is never acceptable".

In this case, I respectfully disagree.

The next West Palm Beach Antique show is in a couple of weeks. I can't wait to see if this clown shows up, once again to lovingly gaze at the painting he so badly wants.

Mary Ann Carroll appraisal

Typical request:

Hi,

Just recently I have found three paintings by Mary Ann Carroll. According to my mom, they have been in our family for 50 years. I live and have always lived here in Tennessee. They were apparently bought near Orlando, fl in the 60's. I know very little about art, however: I was told that her early work can be worth some money? Any help would be great. One is a 36 by 24 and the other two are both 12 by 24. All three are signed. The larger one has a plain back and the two smaller ones say "canvas board". I can and will send you pictures. My questions would be: how rare are they and how much are they worth?

Thank you again for your help.

 

Typical response:

 

Hi, -----.

This is called a triptych (trip-tick), a matching set of 3 pictures. Most of the highwaymen artists did them.

I can see that they are genuine, and from the 60's, but you already knew that.

The market for these is variable, and yes, they have value as collectible art.

They are worth considerably more now than they were in the 60's when she probably sold them for about $20.00, 5.00 and 5.00

They are also worth less than what they were trading for 5 or 6 years ago before the economy went into the toilet.

This is a cyclical supply and demand market and current prices reflect lack of demand for vintage pieces.

Since she is alive and aggressively marketing her new work it has affected the supply side as well, if only psychologically.

You have not indicated whether or not you want to sell them or keep them.

In either case, you obviously need to know what they are worth.

As well as buying and selling these paintings, I also established a specialized appraisal service about 12 years ago..

Since my knowlege has value, I provide this service for a fee of $ 100.00 per painting.

As a triptych, I would include all three in one certificate for a single fee of $150.00, payable by check or $155.00 payable through Paypal.

The appraisal is based on so-called "replacement price" which we consider "insurance value".

The liquid value, my immediate "turn them into cash" buy price, is about half of that somewhat inflated number.

If you wish to sell them to me, I would need to physically inspect them, here in Florida, before issuing a check.

I can issue the certificate of appraisal by using the images you sent and asking a couple of relevant questions.

An example is on my first website linked below.

If you agree that seems fair, we can continue.

If not, please let me know with a simple email so I can delete these files which tend to accumulate.

regards,

BOB

cell 727 809 1691

www.highwaymen-buy-sell-trade.com

Florida Highwaymen recent appraisals

Getting right to it, here are a few of the highwaymen certificates of authenticity and evaluation that we've done for customers in the last few months..

Highwaymen paint loss

Here we go again. Ebay, of course, as always.

I hope the images are  clear when I transfer it onto the blog.

In any case, if you're new to this market and beginning to learn about the vintage works on upson board, here's fair warning regarding what at one time was a very pretty Sam Newton ocean scene.

At first glance, this looks like a reliable seller in Jensen Beach with 3999 positive feedbacks (100%). It popped up last night and my jaw dropped when I saw the description which I will copy and paste for you. It's short and to the point.

 THIS A EARLY SAM NEWTON OCEAN SCENE . THE PAINTING IS ABOUT 34" X 22". IT IS PAINTED ON UPSON BOARD.THEIR SPOT OF PAINT MISSING. THIS IS NORMAL FOR THE OLDER PAINTING.

This is currently listing #350672856857,. The description is comprised of five sentences:

1. TRUE
2  ASSUME IT'S TRUE
3. TRUE
4. TRUE. YOU GET THE IDEA, RIGHT? THERE IS MISSING PAINT.
5. PURE UNADULTERATED BULLSHIT!

This would be normal if someone got some heavy duty sandpaper and worked on the surface for a little while. I don't need to go into what I think it's worth, do I?

Be careful out there.

And stay safe through the holidays.

Highwaymen Harold Newton Forgery

Here we go again, eBay skulduggery at it's finest.

We don't know if the seller forged this signature, or if someone else did and the seller is (sort of) innocent of fraud.

Here's the seller and the disclaimer after a nice smokescreen copy/paste of factual information.

Interesting that the seller added a standard disclaimer.

Seller information

utmstudent (172)

100% Positive feedback

Item number 271112718669 listed 12.29, 2012

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HAROLD-NEWTON-1934-1994-FLORIDA-HIGHWAYMEN-OIL-PAINTING-/271112718669?pt=Art_Paintings&hash=item3f1f93c94d

Terms of Sale: Sold as described.

The paintings are sold as "attributed" or as in the "style of" the artist unless otherwise specified.

A Hair, unsigned pieces.

I stumbled on an old file that I had thought was lost the other day, and I saw things I hadn't seen in almost a decade.

I haven't seen much in the way of eBay skulduggery for a few weeks, but I want to share with you three pieces from this file by Alfred Hair which I sold back in 2004-2006 which he had left unsigned.

All three were standard size 24x36's on upson.
All three sold to other highwaymen dealers at a market discount because of it.
All three reappeared shortly thereafter on eBay as signed paintings.

This is not meant to be accusatory to any specific dealers, it simply states facts.
These three separate eBay sales were generated from Ft. Pierce, Vero and Arcadia.

Apparently Alfred would occasionally return from his grave and sign his unsigned paintings for these people. That's the only possible explanation.

Right?

Not to confuse things, but the two seascapes are similar but different, easily distinguished by comparing the clouds. I honestly don't remember which one was unsigned, but I think it was the darker one. 

The images I'm posting today are in their original unsigned state when they were in inventory, except for one of the seascapes which was in fact signed.  

Highwaymen Art on Facebook

If you found your way here looking for appraisal information, just scroll down through the archives on the right until you get there.

Yikes, July is almost over and I've ignored this blog all month..
Apologies. Been busy.
Deal with it.
Had a deadline for an article for the little magazine, AARF 2012-2013.
It features Harold, Chico, Ty & Jean, Sandy & Jim, Jeffrey and of course, yours truly, the star of the story.

True life adventures of an art dealer in South Florida.

I've created FOUR countem FOUR Facebook pages featuring:
A E Backus
Newton and Hair
The other 24 highwaymen
Highwaymen Art Appraisal.

Here they be:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/A-E-Backus-paintings/

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/H-Newton-and-A-Hair-Paintings/309497962412013

https://www.facebook.com/#!/TheOther24HighwaymenArtists

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/highwaymenartappraisalblogspotcom/176480022424353

APPRAISE HAROLD NEWTON PAINTINGS

As I continue to make semi-regular entries in this blog, all the "How can you help me" posts tend to get buried below all the new exciting things that I write for you, gentle readers.

I've created more certificates of appraisal just in the last week than you can shake a stick at. A seller in Wisconsin posted a Hair appraisal with his listing on eBay, and I'm waiting for a check from a seller in Northern California for another Hair certificate. The demand for an impartial evaluation, dripping with the truth in a difficult market to interpret, has become very strong lately.

So, once again, I will show you an email from this morning and my response.

Here you go:

Hello,

I found your information on the internet. My husband and I have two Harold Newton paintings that my husband inherited from his grandmother. We have had them for several years and now are looking to sell them. I am writing you for advice on what they might be worth and how to go about finding a buyer.

I've uploaded some photos. The sizes are approximately 23x35 and 23x31.

Sincerely,

*anonymous*
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Hi, *anonymous*.

I can take care of evaluating them and also finding a buyer for you.

I've been searching for and finding buyers for these things since 1995, so I can guarantee success.

First thing you need to know is how much they are worth in today's market.It takes special knowledge as H Newtons are currently valued between $500.00 and $10,000.00.

I can issue certificates of authenticity and appraisal for my standard fee of $100.00. An example can be found on the buy-sell-trade website below.

The value I place on the certs is a high one, a "replacement cost" for insurance purposes. Since I buy as well as appraise, in addition I will give you a rundown of the following values.
Insurance value.
Fair retail asking price.
Fair retail acceptable price for offers. (All buyers ask for "the best price")
Fair wholesale, or what you could expect at public auction such as eBay.
My "return to you" price if I sell them FOR you on consignment.
My outright "write a check and be done" buy price.

If I handle them for you, or simply buy them, I refund the appraisal fees upon a succesful purchase or sale.

My goal is always to be accurate enough to insure a quick sale. Many galleries and auction houses appraise them ridiculously high, and they don't sell quickly.

Again, the fee is $100.00 by check or $105.00 via Paypal for each.

I do most of my certificates (I've done hundreds) via images such as you've sent.If we need to meet in person, I live near Tampa, but I will be in West Palm Beach next Fri, Sat, Sun, July 6,7 & 8.

You can find a wealth of examples and information on my websites listed below.
Thanks for sending the images, and please let me know your thoughts.

regards, BOB cell 727 809 1691
http://www.highwaymen-buy-sell-trade.com/ http://www.highwaymenartappraisal.blogspot.com/ http://www.highwaymenart.blogspot.com/ https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/A-E-Backus-paintings/226383987441293 https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/H-Newton-and-A-Hair-Paintings/309497962412013 https://www.facebook.com/#!/TheOther24HighwaymenArtists https://twitter.com/#!/BobLeBlanc

Harold Newton appraisals

With Harold Newton's work still holding it's own at the top of all the value charts, and with a current price range of $ 500.00 to probably a top of $15,000.00, it's clear that the general public needs to know what his work can bring on an individual basis before agreeing to a sale, or setting a minimum at a public auction.

Damn, that's a long sentence, eh?

It's extremely gratifying for me to note that the appraisals of his work that I've doing lately have increased phenomenally. It seems that when someone has one of his paintings, the odds are that they have another one, or even several.

When you consider that a scholar of his work, such as Tim Jacobs, thinks there might be 50,000 of his paintings still in existence, there seem to be enough to go around.

I'm at the point where I've done at least a couple of hundred certificates in the last decade, and let there be no doubt that I'm looking forward to more.

I thank you, friends and strangers alike, for your trust.

Harold Newton, highwaymen

I see that Harold's sister, Rosetta, is selling her book on eBay again.
When she first published it, she was asking like $34.95.

I bought 100 copies from her back then, years ago, @ $6.00 and sold them @ $10.00.

They didn't last very long.

I'll put it this way....it's interesting.

Harold Newton and Florida State University

Some folks think I'm out here only for self promotion.

They would be incorrect.
This would be an example of my willingness to assist in educating the public.

Interesting (to me, anyway) is that I allowed Florida State to choose any image they wanted from my main website, you know the one, highwaymen-buy-sell-trade.com, and this is their pick.

I salute their choice.

This beauty ended up in a Tallahasse collection, sold by us back around 2004 or 5 when we had shows at the National Guard Armory.

Those were the days. I wish the show had persevered, but  like many things, it just blew away in a puff of smoke one sad day.

 http://museum2012.omeka.net/items/show/35

Rights

Materials in the Florida State University Spring 2012 Museum Objects class project site are provided for educational use under fair use as outlined by current U.S. Copyright law and accompanying guidelines. Written permission from The Florida State University Libraries Special Collections Department or the rights holder must be obtained before using an item for publishing or commercial purposes.

Money still talkin'

Gotta keep you up with the latest, gentle readers, as you agonize over sprnding that extra $ 500.00 on a highwaymen painting that's available for half of what it was worth 5 years ago. From the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/arts/design/rothko-painting-sells-for-record-nearly-87-million-at-christies.html?_r=2&ref=design

Money Talks (actually screams)

from CBS news:
Sotheby's auction house in New York will auction off a 1895 pastel version of "The Scream" by Edvard Munch, one of the four versions of the artwork, on Wednesday. Experts say it could sell for up to $200 million, a world record price for a piece of art. But why would anyone pay that much?

 The artist was a game changer in the art world according to New York Magazine senior art critic Jerry Saltz. Saltz said Wednesday on "CBS This Morning," "(The artwork) seems to be coming directly out of (Munch's) nervous system like some sort of raw nerve, on a bridge, passing from his world to yours, from one world to another world, to one kind of a sunlight to another. And a new psychology is being born. Something that's really familiar, right on the cusp of the most violent century in the history of the world."

However, Saltz called it "disgusting" that people are attaching "this kind of value to (the artwork)." He said, "We're not talking about the work. We're just talking about the money. The money doesn't really mean much because I think this painting had been more or less lost to history.

... Now it's coming up for one night, where everyone will see it, and it will be gone again by tonight, 8:00 tonight. It will become a number, and in a private collection most likely." The possibility does exist, Saltz said, for the artwork to be put on display in a museum for a time by a private collector. "You could see it for a little bit of time on a museum wall, but my guess is it won't happen," Saltz said. "The person who's selling it is a person from Oslo who says they want to take the $100 million and start their own museum. I would say, just find a way to sell it to a Norwegian museum, put it up there for more Norwegians, it's part of their natural treasure and take the tax breaks, take the $50 million, take care of your parents and be happy."

Saltz said the likely buyer will be someone in a private room from Dubai, Russia or Beijing. He added, "Or Fifth Avenue. Or Mitt Romney - he may be the only American to afford to buy (this expensive artwork.)"

The record price for a work of art is $250 million for an 1895 painting called "The Card Players" by Paul Cezanne. The sale almost doubled the previous record-setter, Jackson Pollack's No. 5, 1948, which fetched $140 million in 2006.

from The Huffington Post:

Edvard Munch's iconic painting, "The Scream," broke a world record tonight, becoming the most expensive painting sold in an auction. Estimates for the sale varied from $80 million to $200 million. The painting ended up selling for $119,922,500, surpassing the previous record-holder, Picasso's "Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust," which sold for $106.5 million in 2010. Cezanne's "The Card Players" has the honor of going for the highest price, period (meaning not at auction) -- it was sold in a private sale to Qatar (yes, the country) for $250 million last year.



BOB (wishes he knew some people in Qatar)

cell 727 809 1691

www.highwaymen-buy-sell-trade.com

www.highwaymenartappraisal.blogspot.com

www.highwaymenart.blogspot.com

http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=61882155&trk=tab_pro

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/H-Newton-and-A-Hair-Paintings/309497962412013

https://twitter.com/#!/BobLeBlanc

Alfred Hair's work

Look at the pictures carefully if you're planning to bid.

It's obvious to me that there is a lot of in painting to hide or distract from severe damage and paint loss.

Someone got a little carried away with the color red.

Be careful out there.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FLORIDA-HIGHWAYMEN-ALFRED-HAIR-PAINTING-OIL-UPSON-COUCH-SIZE-/130682100425?pt=Art_Paintings&hash=item1e6d429ac9

Forgeries of new highwaymen?

Not sure I understand this. The two paintings on the left, the first listed as R A McLendon, the second listed as R L Lewis, are being auctioned by Rennick this weekend March 18 in his Highwaymen auction along with a bunch of new Willie Daniels pieces.
They just can't be right and how can he not realize that?
So it's not just eBay you have to be careful with, boys and girls.


Never mind that there are Tracy Newton paintings in the sale, that's pretty irelevant in comparison.

This is the sale.

http://www.rennickauctions.com/UPCOMING-AUCTIONS.html

Next thing you know, he'll have paintings by Smitty.