IRISH ANTIQUE AND FINE ART AUCTION GALLERY

The specialists in conducting on the premises

Irish Country House Auctions

Over the years we have conducted important Country House Auctions throughout Ireland, we have successfully sold the contents of numerous large country homes, period hotels and private collections. By conducting an on the premises auction the vendors collection is viewed in it's original context and surroundings and hence is seen to best advantage by prospective purchasers.

If you are considering selling your entire collection of art or antiques or individual pieces from your collection contact us for a free consultation.

Tynte Park

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New York Times May 2009 'Antiques score big'

For some people, the notion that any chair, let alone one upholstered in puffy brown leather with dragon-shaped arms and offered for sale during an economic crisis, might be worth $28.3 million would be far-fetched. Robert and Cheska Vallois, however, recently paid that sum, more than seven times the preauction estimate at Christie’s, for a 90-year-old chair created by a pioneering designer, Eileen Gray.

The sale appears consistent with a trend that auctioneers and antiques dealers around the country have noted: despite the recession, demand remains strongest for the best and most costly items. That may seem counterintuitive, but people who have a lot of money still must do something with it — and some of those people are a little down on the stock market these days.

“There’s still plenty of money,” said John Keith Russell, a dealer in Westchester County, N.Y., who specializes in Shaker goods and is president of the 100-member, invitation-only Antique Dealers’ Association of America. “We obviously have seen a slowing in the market, but we have not noticed any weakness in the highest end of the market. The commitment by collectors is still as aggressive as it was two years ago.”

Wealthy buyers are still attending prestigious events like the Winter Antiques Show in Manhattan and making major purchases, said Mr. Russell. He cited a recent buyer from Philadelphia who said she had felt uneasy about investing in real estate or stocks but purchased two significant pieces of furniture. High-end antiques, auctioneers and dealers like to assert, tend to hold their value and can sometimes appreciate enormously over time.

“Our clients feel more comfortable investing in art glass and furniture right now than in the stock market,” said Waltford Gonzalez, store manager for Valerio Antiques, a 29-year-old business in Coral Gables, Fla. Many of his buyers are over 35 and from countries like Brazil, Venezuela and Argentina, whose currencies and economies have been volatile in recent years. By contrast, he said, “buying antiques is a safe bet for them.”

Recent auction prices confirm that the high end is holding up well, said S. Clayton Pennington, editor of the monthly national trade publication Maine Antique Digest. “I think the middle market has been down for a while, at least a year,” he said.

“The business has changed,” agreed Ronald Kinney, owner of R & S Antiques in Houston, a 30-year-old firm. “The lower-end buyers are getting squeezed out, generally speaking. Those who used to spend that kind of money either don’t have it anymore or aren’t willing to spend it.”

But they may have some goods they’re looking to sell. Marvin Lowensteiner, co-owner of the Chester Antique Mall in Chester, N.J., said he had been getting six calls a week from people looking to sell their jewelry; he used to average one such call a week. “They’re selling gold and silver to raise $400 or $500,” he said. “They need it to pay their bills.”

The economic crisis, dealers say, has made this a terrific time to find newly affordable merchandise. “We’re buying like fiends,” said Camilla Dietz Bergeron, a Madison Avenue purveyor of estate jewelry who has been in business for 20 years and whose items range from $475 to $200,000. “Our doors are open and our checkbooks are out. We’re buying some pretty fabulous stuff.”

Mr. Pennington agreed. “The time to buy is now,” he said. “You can get really good things in the $1,000 to $5,000 price range right now.”

Robert Aibel, a Philadelphia dealer who specializes in the handmade mid-20th-century wooden furniture of George Nakashima, says his business declined in December 2007. As a result, he gradually cut back his purchases, spending only $600 to acquire merchandise from October 2008 to last February. Recently, however, he has been buying again, looking to restock his 20,000-square-foot store.

Joe Ley, who has been selling antiques for 43 years in Louisville, Ky., said, “It’s a wonderful time to buy.” Wealthier buyers, he said, still pay for top-quality pieces.

Perspective helps, the antiques veterans agree. “We’ve weathered a lot of storms,” said Mr. Ley. When gas was $4 a gallon, we saw a big drop-off in traffic.”

But his business recovered and now, with eight full-time employees depending on his success, he remains cautiously optimistic.

“Kids today are buying things made of pressed cardboard imported from Thailand instead of aged wood,” he said. “A lot of young people don’t want anything older than a pizza box. But you can’t sell that cheap chain-store junk at a yard sale in two or three years, while good furniture holds its value. Good is always good.”

IMPORTANT ANTIQUES & FINE ART

To view important pieces which we currently have for sale by

private treaty, please follow the link to our 'Online Gallery' above

Superb Quality Regency Gillows Sideboard c1810

We currently have private clients with unlimited funds seeking to add important Antiques and important Irish Art to their collections.

Contact us in confidence

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WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING SUITABLE COLLECTIONS AND ITEMS FOR INCLUSION IN FORTHCOMING AUCTIONS

FORTHCOMING COUNTRY HOUSE AUCTIONS

FORTHCOMING SALEROOM AUCTIONS

If you wish to include Antiques or Art in any of our forthcoming

auctions contact us for a free verbal valuation.

If you are interested in adding items to your collection and wish to be advised as to when auctions are available to view online simply email us your details and we will keep you informed regarding forthcoming auctions.

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OTHER SERVICES

We provide professional advice to clients who wish to form collections of Antiques and Art for both investment and pleasure.

We provide professional advice on the renovation of period buildings, with particular emphasis on the interior design finishes and correct furnishing of period and period style homes.

We conduct valuations for insurance, probate, division and sale. All valuations conducted in confidence by principals only.

Please feel free to contact us with your requirements.

Or by phone: 00353 (0) 56 7771811

Mobile: 00353 (0) 86 3406358

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