Antiques Expert James Lipton Appraises Local Treasures in Westport on Saturday (2)
If you’ve always wondered about the value of that old ladder-back chair from Great-Aunt Agatha, here’s your chance to find out. Easton resident and professional antique appraiser James Lipton will hold court at the Westport Historical Society's version of “Antiques Road Show” on Saturday, April 28 from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. Dust off your treasures and make an appointment by calling the Westport Historical Society at 203.222.1424.
Lipton, the owner of Appraisers Associates, Inc., who was profiled in the Daily Easton two years ago, says that over a 40-year career he has “consulted on millions of dollars’ worth of art and antiques on behalf of my clients and their families." He has worked with museums, corporate collections, and private individuals, and handled items of value across almost all categories and periods of art, antiques, and collectibles, from Egyptian antiquities to mid-century modernism.
One of Lipton’s favorite projects involved “a pair of small Aesthetic Movement chairs” found in the kitchen of a Connecticut client. The owner wanted $100 for the chairs, which were piled with newspapers and used as a sleeping place for her cats. But Lipton thought they might be the work of New York brothers Gustave and Christian Herter and worth considerably more. The Herters had produced pieces in the late 19th century for Guilded Age clients like the Vanderbilts and J.P Morgan, and they were big-ticket items.
Lipton got lucky going through a book filled with pictures of New York City mansions, where he found pictures of identical chairs in the living room of beer baron Jacob Ruppert. The photos identified the chairs as the work of the Herter brothers. With the photos in hand, Lipton persuaded Christie’s auction house to include the chairs in its winter auction. Happily, the chairs, once used as a cat bed, were auctioned to an anonymous bidder for $204,000.
On Saturday in Westport, Lipton will appraise up to five items per customer for a charge of $30 for the first two items and $10 for each additional item. Appointments are required (203.222.1424). Westport Historical Society is located at 25 Avery Place, Westport.