Will Seippel, CEO of WorthPoint, enjoys watching the items sold at auctions held by our WorthPoint Industry Partners. We thought it would be a great idea for him to select some of his favorite sold items and explain why those sales stood out to him. Gaining insights from Will is an excellent way to learn about buying and selling trends in our industry. We want to empower you to buy and sell with confidence. Take a look at his thoughts on a few of our partners’ recent sales.
On April 3, 2025, WorthPoint added 225,332 new items to its Price Guide, bringing the total value to $15,284,731.58—that’s about $67.82 per item!
A Stand Out
It seemed like a regular day at the auctions, but as we all know, nothing is ever truly “regular” in this world. Rago’s/Wright had a small Picasso sale—just 39 lots, mostly pottery. However, a standout piece grabbed everyone’s attention: a stunning lithograph titled Tête de Jeune Fille or Head of a Young Woman from 1947. This black-and-white work was signed, numbered 35/50, and measured 25 3/4″ x 19 1/2″. It sold for $44,450, which felt right for this iconic piece. It’s a bit of a dip compared to when another print from the same set, 26/50, sold for $68,750 back in 2015 at Swann’s. Perhaps the fact that this was the only lithograph in a sale focused mostly on pottery explains the lower price. The average pottery lot went for $8,827, so this lithograph stood out, both in medium and price.
Native American Sculptures
Minnesota Estate Sales recently held a sale with 236 lots, averaging $61.41 per lot, but the three Marie Barber painted bronze figures really stood out. These sculptures, all inspired by Native American themes, were the highlight of the auction. The highest-priced piece was a 14″ bronze of a seated woman tossing her hair, numbered 1/50, which sold for $1,554. A 26″ bronze of a standing Native American woman went for just $920, which was likely due to her rather harsh appearance that didn’t quite connect with buyers. The third piece, a seated brave smoking a pipe, brought in $1,092. These pieces captured the attention at the auction, especially considering we’ve cataloged Barber’s work as high as $4,400 back in 2022.
Jackpot Find
If you’ve ever daydreamed about stumbling upon a Stradivarius violin in someone’s garage, Alaska Premier gave you a taste of that fantasy. They had an Amati violin up for grabs, complete with its old case, which sold for $2,520. While it wasn’t the jackpot find of a true Stradivarius, this violin was likely a German copy from the 1900s, with a label that, as usual, was pretty much impossible to read—kind of like a signature that’s too blurry to make out. We’ve cataloged early Amatis before; interestingly, some of them fetch more than a Stradivarius in our records. However, as with all these valuable instruments, it takes an expert to unlock their potential. This piece, though not from the famed master himself, still carried a certain allure that could only be appreciated by a true connoisseur.
Quite the Steal
To wrap things up, a fun lot of country singer autographs from the 1970s and ’80s went for $566.40—quite the steal, especially for names like the Kentucky Headhunters and Boxcar Willie. It’s always great to see these nostalgic pieces go under the hammer, and this one was a nice little gem. Sold by Archive, the lot included thirty-nine signed photographs from various country music artists. Can’t wait to see what’s coming up tomorrow—hopefully more treasures like this!
Will Seippel is the founder, president, and CEO of WorthPoint. Will has been an avid collector since 1974 and dealer of just about all things antique—with an emphasis on ephemera— since 1984. He is also the creator and founder of HIP, a website devoted to recording the best of the world’s history that has been saved on film.
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