Readers ask about selling vintage tool chests & Haitian art

Friday at Auction Finds is readers’ questions day. I try to guide readers to resources to help them determine the value of their items. I’m not able to appraise their treasures, but I can do some preliminary research to get them started. So, these are market values based on prices I find on the web, not appraisal for insurance purposes that I suggest for items that have been determined to be of great value.

Today’s questions are about resources for selling vintage tool chests and Haitian art.

Question:

I have a couple of these types of tool chests and a few large boxes of hand tools from way back in the day. They belonged to my grandfather and I believe some are from the 1930’s-1950’s, possibly older. Do you know if there are appraisers out there that can assess my collection and help me sell it at appropriate values? 

Answer:

This reader had seen a blog post I wrote last year about vintage tool chests, which I likened to jewelry boxes because some are so lovely and attractively made.

These boxes come up pretty often at often; in fact, one was featured at an auction I attended this week. At the earlier auction, they went for $80 to $230, and at that time I found them selling for more than $500 on eBay (and lower).

This 1873 tool chest that turned up on an Antiques Roadshow episode was appraised at up to $17,000, but I suspect that the ones I see at auction are not as valuable. That one was highly decorated and full of the “proper” tools.

The reader didn’t send me a photo of any of his tool chests so I’m not sure what condition they are in. The condition and the manufacturer are key to the value of them. Some of the early 20^th-century makers were H. Gerstner & Sons and Union Tool Chest Company (which also made them for Sears under the Craftsman name). Tool-maker Stanley made chests that looked like steamer trunks.

As for an appraisal, I’d suggest you first do some Google and eBay research on your own to see if you can find tool boxes that resemble the ones that you have. I’ve written a blog post with suggestions on how to get started.

You could also find a reputable auction house near you (via auctionzip.com) and ask its staffers to eyeball your boxes and try to affix a value to them. I always suggest that readers take advantage of free appraisal days at local auction houses. The days are usually noted on the auction-house websites.

There are some online auction sites that ask you to send photos, and here’s a 2010 Wall Street Journal article reviewing several of them. Most charge a fee. A reputable auction house should not. If you’re comfortable with an auction house, you may consider consigning the chests with them for sale at one of their auctions.

Question:

My husband bought 3 Martino Dorce watercolors in the late 50’s in Port-au-Prince from a street vendor that he assumes was Mr. Dorce. They are 10″ by 13.” Only one of them is signed. He also has a Gabriel Leveque unframed oil 20″ by 23.” Do you know anyone in western North Carolina that deals in Haitian art?

Answer:

Martino Dorce must have been particularly adept at selling his artwork because this is the second question I’ve gotten from readers who have more than one of his paintings. I’d never heard of him – which isn’t surprising since there are so many artists out there – when I bought one at an estate sale several years ago.

In 2013, Dorce’s watercolors sold for prices way below $100 at two auctions held by the same auction house: A set of eight watercolors sold for $35, and two singles sold for $55 and $36. Two lots of four at two separate auction houses in 2012 and 2014 did not sell.

I learned that the other artist was a better buy. Gabriel Leveque was born two decades before Dorce, in 1923. He was among the artists who painted murals at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-au-Prince that were completed in 1950 and 1951. Leveque’s mural “The Angels” is above the main altar in the church, along with religious murals by other Haitian artists. The cathedral was destroyed during the 2010 earthquake.

His works tend to sell for more at auction, with the highest having sold for $4,750 in 1997 and $200 in 2012. One of his untitled paintings was being offered for more than $3,000 on one art retail site, and others were up for sale for up to $2,500 on another site.

l knew of no galleries or auctions in western North Carolina that dealt in Haitian art, so I Googled. It’s what I suggest for anyone seeking information about their artwork or anything else they want to know more about.

Gallery C in Raleigh seems to specialize in Haitian art, and has an exhibit of first-generation and emerging Haitian artists that ends on August 1. Raleigh is in the eastern part of the state, but it might be worth a call to the gallery for advice. Several of the paintings in the exhibit have been sold.

Since you are in the western part of the state, I’d recommend contacting the Asheville Art Museum, which may be able to put you in touch with galleries that are expert in Haitian art. The Asheville area prides itself on being an arts mecca. The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts & Culture in Charlotte may be another resource.