Our much anticipated 46th auction in fall 2010 ended another successful year for the paperweight market. Paperweights from most of the important antique factories and many modern artists made a strong showing, with many lots selling well above the estimated value. A highlight of the sale was the rare antique Baccarat four-flower bouquet selling for $22,800. The second highest price of the sale was for the rare antique Clichy blue flower on swirling latticinio which brought $16,000. A rare antique Baccarat pink snake on upset muslin paperweight reached $7,200 and an excellent antique Saint Louis pink dahlia paperweight reached far above its estimate at $7,800.
An antique New England Glass Company faceted millefiori paperweight sold for more than twice its high estimate, and yet another American weight, this time from the Sandwich Glass Company, sold for nearly twice the high estimate.  One of the outstanding modern weights, the "Two Peaches Bouquet" paperweight by esteemed paperweight artist Rick Ayotte, sold for $2,040, again at nearly twice its estimated value.
In an art market which has otherwise suffered a loss of roughly 30% in today's cautious economy, judging by reports from the world's major auction houses, interest in paperweights has remained consistent.  Our auction participation continues to flow in not just from the United States but from across the globe, most notably from the Northern European countries including Great Britain, as well as from Scandinavia, Japan, South America and Mexico.  France and Germany in particular are becoming ever more significant presences in the bidding process. As technology evolves, so do the means through which our auctions take place: just as telephone bidding made its appearance on the auction scene in the last century, in this century we have moved forward with online communications.  The continuing developments in communications are the next step in connecting us with our bidders across the world in their search for our alluringly beautiful paperweights.