PERFECT PRESENTS FOR EVERY TYPE OF DAD, ALL READY FOR BIDDING OR BUYING NOW
Father’s Day doesn’t have to strike fear in the hearts of gift givers this year. With this helpful guide, you’ll find a token of appreciation for collecting dads of all kinds. Whether Pops is a book lover, art enthusiast or a fan of everything from fine minerals to vintage video games, these hard-to-find (and sometimes one-of-a-kind) gift ideas are sure to be a hit come June 18.
‘Casino Royale’ by Ian Fleming. London: Jonathan Cape, [1953]. First edition, first impression, in a second-issue dust jacket. Offered in Heritage’s Gary Munson Collection of Horror & Fantasy Showcase Auction on June 8.
For the Bookworm
A favorite among book collectors, Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel Casino Royale introduced the world to everyone’s favorite superspy: Bond. James Bond. Fleming went on to write 11 additional books and two short story collections starring the martini-sipping Agent 007, but this book, which the author described as “the spy novel to end all spy novels,” began the Bond legacy – and launched one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.
‘Jimi Hendrix in the Mylar Chamber,’ 1969, by Ira Cohen. Photothermographic transfer print on Fuji Pictro paper. 11-1/4 x 7-3/4 inches (28.6 x 19.7 cm) (image). 11-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches (sheet). Offered in Heritage’s Depth of Field: Photographs Showcase Auction on June 14. Estimate: $2,000-$3,000.
For the Rock ’n’ Roller
Photography fans and music lovers alike will appreciate this dreamlike portrait of Jimi Hendrix captured in Ira Cohen’s legendary “Mylar Chamber.” In the late 1960s, Cohen draped a room of his New York City loft in highly reflective polyester film and began photographing friends such as Hendrix, William S. Burroughs and John McLaughlin with psychedelic results. Hendrix, whom Cohen photographed in 1969, just a year before the musician’s death, said looking at Cohen’s pictures was “like looking through butterfly wings.”
‘The Herd Quitters,’ 1969, by G. Harvey. Oil on canvas. 24 x 30 inches (61.0 x 76.2 cm). Offered in Heritage’s Texas Art Signature® Auction on June 17. Estimate: $30,000-$50,000.
For the Dad Who Should’ve Been a Cowboy
Gerald Harvey Jones, better known as G. Harvey, grew up in the Texas Hill Country listening to his father and grandfather tell stories about ranch life and frontier days in Texas. His grandfather was a cowboy during the trail-driving era, and family stories of wild cattle and tough men became the genesis of G. Harvey’s art. In his evocative 1969 painting The Herd Quitters, the artist depicts a cattle-roping cowboy traversing the dusty, sunbaked terrain of his native Texas.
A 33-piece Piero Benzoni green onyx and marble silver-plated and partial-gilt bronze chess set, 20th century. Offered in Heritage’s Furniture & Decorative Arts Signature® Auction on June 9. Estimate: $1,200-$1,800.
For the Chess Master
You’ll be the king (or queen) of gift-giving if you score this luxe chess set for Dad. Crafted by Italian sculptor Piero Benzoni, the ornate set includes a marble and green onyx board featuring bronze with silver plating and elegant partial-gilt accents. The highly detailed bronze figures, each marked with the artist’s signature, were sculpted using the lost wax technique, a method of metal casting in which a metal object is cast from a wax model.
David ‘Davy’ Crockett’s Bowie knife deposited to Charles Peale’s Philadelphia Museum. Offered in Heritage’s Arms & Armor, Civil War & Militaria Signature® Auction on June 19.
For the History Buff
The auction featuring this historic treasure – a Bowie knife once owned by King of the Wild Frontier Davy Crockett – takes place the day after Father’s Day, but when a gift is this good, Dad won’t mind it being a bit belated. The knife, which features a fluted ivory grip and is accompanied by a leather scabbard, was once part of Charles Peale’s Philadelphia Museum, and it’s one of the few Crockett artifacts to survive in collectors’ hands.
(1781)-dated Libertas Americana Medal in bronze, MS60 NGC. Gold CAC. Betts-615. Offered in Heritage’s CAC Gold-Stickered Coinage From the Stephenville Collection US Coins Showcase Auction on June 12.
For the Numismatist
The Libertas Americana medal, commissioned by Benjamin Franklin circa 1781, is perhaps the most famous medal associated with the American War for Independence and the United States’ early allied relations with the French. The obverse of the medal features a beautiful high-relief bust of the allegorical goddess of Liberty, a staff and a Liberty cap. The reverse portrays the infant Hercules (a personification of the young United States) strangling a serpent in each hand. The chief subject of the design is a depiction of Minerva (France) repelling a ferocious lion (Britain), protecting the infant. This example is one of about 100 to 125 bronze specimens known to survive.
‘Die Hard,’ VGA 85+ NM+ Sealed, PC Activision 1989 USA. Offered in Heritage’s PC Video Games Showcase Auction on June 15.
For the Gamer
Die Hard may or may not be a Christmas movie. But no matter where you fall in that legendary debate, this 1989 PC version of the Die Hard video game would make an excellent Father’s Day gift for the game-collecting dad. Featuring actual footage from the movie and pitting you against film villain Hans Gruber, the game not only follows the storyline of the movie but also features box art adorned with Nakatomi Plaza engulfed in flames, making it an eye-catching display piece.
Tourmaline. Aricanga mine, São José da Safira, Minas Gerais, Brazil. 2.2 x 2 x 1.9 inches (5.5 x 5 x 4.8 cm). Available to buy now at The Boutique by Heritage. $15,000.
For the Rockhound
This striking tourmaline specimen featuring an alternating crisscross pattern of five Elbaite crystals hails from Brazil’s famous Aricanga mine. Such a symmetrical and dynamic composition is rarely seen in minerals and presents beautifully. Also appealing are the specimen’s colors, with three of the crystals displaying a cherry red-pink hue near the bottom and all of them having an intense emerald-green hue in the sharply formed terminations. When viewing the origin point of the longest crystal, one will see the classic “watermelon” zoning, with pink in the center and green in the surrounding edges.
‘Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back’ Millennium Falcon, AFA 75 EX+/NM Star Wars Photo (Kenner, 1980). Offered in Heritage’s Action Figures and Toys Showcase Auction on June 8.
For the Kid at Heart
The year is 1977, and the release of a single science fiction movie is about to shape pop culture, fandom and the toy aisles for decades to come. Star Wars took the world by storm, and with the success of the movie came a partnership with Kenner to create a toy line that would expand with every sequel. This 1980-released Millennium Falcon, the iconic spaceship that took audiences on amazing adventures, is a must-have centerpiece of any Star Wars fan’s collection.
‘Deauville: le retour des régattes,’ 1934, by Raoul Dufy. Oil on canvas. 11 x 27-1/2 inches (27.9 x 69.9 cm). Offered in Heritage’s Fine European Art Signature® Auction on June 9. Estimate: $200,000-$300,000.
For the Sailing Enthusiast
Throughout his long career as one of the finest colorists of his generation, painter Raoul Dufy, who was born in Le Havre on France’s Channel coast, depicted scenes of boating, beachgoing and other maritime leisure activities with joyous abandon that underscored his affection for having grown up near the water. In his 1934 painting Deauville: le retour des régattes, sailboats in various shapes, sizes and colors dance on choppy waters. Dufy rendered the scene with his distinctive stylized notation of quick strokes: a scattering of short, curved dabs for the waves, tiny blocks of color for the quayside buildings, and rough, abbreviated marks for the sailors aboard ship.