The Sporting Sale 2014
Copley Fine Art Auctions successfully auctioned over 580 items of American art, antique decoys, and sporting collectibles in Plymouth, Massachusetts. With a sell-through rate of 88% and a sale total of over $2.3 million, the 8th annual Sporting Sale continued Copley’s established history of strong sales results. Copley realized the top decoy lot of the summer with Maine carver Augustus Aaron “Gus” Wilson’s red-breasted merganser drake (see image to right) selling for $330,000, shattering the previous record for the maker by over $130,000. An eider hen by the same maker brought $24,000, doubling its high estimate ($8/12,000).
Ogden M. Pleissner
The Visitors
oil on board, 16 by 20 in.
Sold for $198,000
Swimming Brant
Nathan Cobb Jr. (1825-1905)
Cobb Island, VA, c. 1880
Sold for $168,000
Frank W. Benson
(1862-1951)
Redheads in Flight, 1916
oil on canvas, 36 1/4 by 45 in.
Sold for $360,000