Berlin – Donald A. Wagner, age 75, passed away on August 16, 2019 at Mercy Medical Center of Oshkosh surrounded by his family.
He was born in Berlin on January 27, 1944, the son of Anthony and Lucille (Winters) Wagner.
He graduated from Berlin High School in 1962 and attended college at UW-Platteville where he graduated with a degree in Agriculture Education in 1966.
In July of 1967, he was united in marriage to Sharon Rolph at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Omro, WI. They moved to Greenwood, WI where Don taught high school agriculture for six years. The family then moved back to the Berlin area and he taught agriculture at Moraine Park Technical College for eight years.
Col. Don Wagner called his first auction in 1973. He eventually started his own auctioneering and real estate business, Don Wagner’s Auction Service and Action Agency Real Estate, in Ripon, WI.
On April 12, 2007 he was united in marriage to Darlene Copeland.
As a devoted catholic, Don, was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Omro, WI and later All Saints Catholic Parish of Berlin, WI. Don was also a member of the Wisconsin Auctioneers’ Association, Wisconsin Realtor’s Association, the Berlin School Board and the Nepeuskun Town Board.
Don loved farming, selling real estate and auctioneering, where one would hear him introduce himself as “Don Wagner, Auctioneer, Real Estate Agent and All Around Good Guy”. He enjoyed hunting with his family, adored spending time with his grandchildren and “catching up” on the phone.
Don volunteered his time auctioneering at the Winnebago County Fair, Green Lake County Fair, Ducks Unlimited & Wings Over Wisconsin Fundraisers and any organization that would ask him. He would never turn down an opportunity to volunteer his time or donate to any charity or youth organization.
Don is survived by his wife, Darlene and four children; Steve (Amy) Wagner of Neshkoro, Scott (Jan) Wagner of Ripon, Lisa (Chris) Kurczek of Ripon, Shaun Wagner of Berlin; stepchildren, Jodie Ferguson and Darrin Ferguson; ten grandchildren, Justin, Jennifer, and Jacob (Mariah) Wagner, Brady and Mariah Wagner, Mackenzie, Christopher, Chase, Anna, and Callie Kurczek. He is further survived by siblings, Lila (Ray) Ellis, Ron (Diane) Wagner, Cindy (John) Mullowney; and many nieces and nephews.
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
History of Auctioneering
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
The world’s most expensive Barbie was sold in an auction at Christie’s in New York, USA, on 20 October 2010, for a price of $302,500 (then approx. £192,000). The custom-designed doll stands 11.5 inches tall and wears a strapless black evening dress and a one-carat pink diamond necklace surrounded by three carats of white diamonds. All proceeds from the auction were donated to breast cancer research.
The doll, first unveiled on 4 May 2010, during Australian Fashion week, was designed by world-famous Australian jeweller Stefano Canturi, who has also made jewellery for the likes of Nicole Kidman, Oprah Winfrey and Kylie Minogue. The designer was enlisted by Barbie manufacturer Mattel to help promote the launch of the Barbie Basics range in Australia, which features dolls wearing commonly available clothing.
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
At Christie’s auction house in New York, USA, on 11 May 2015, Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti’s 1947 work L’homme au doigt (Pointing Man) was sold for $141 m (£98.9 m), the most ever paid for a bronze statue at auction. The 180-cm sculpture shows a man – tall and spindly (Giacometti’s trademark style) – with one arm extended in a pointing gesture. It is believed that the left arm was originally curled around a second figure, which Giacometti subsequently removed.
Created at short notice for an exhibition in New York in 1947, Giacometti reportedly made L’homme au doigt in a single night between midnight and 9 am. He produced a total of six casts of the piece, most of which are in museums around the world.
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
The 25.59-carat “Sunrise Ruby”, set with diamonds in a ring made by Cartier, sold for 28,250,000 Swiss francs ($30,274,100; £19,552,200; €27,122,000), including commission, to an anonymous buyer at Sotheby’s auction house in Geneva, Switzerland, on 12 May 2015. This puts its per-carat price at an incredible 1,103,946 Swiss francs ($1,183,044; £764,009; €1,059,770).
The Sunrise Ruby originates from Myanmar. It is described as a “pigeon’s-blood ruby” – the rarest and most precious class of rubies, distinguished by its intense colour.
Its original auction estimate was between $12 million and $18 million. Its total sale price is also a record for a single ruby.
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
The most expensive painting by the Dutch Old Master Rembrandt Van Rijn to be sold at auction is Portrait of a Man, Half-length, With his Arms Akimbo, sold at Christie’s in London, UK, on 8 December 2009, for £20 m ($28.5 m). The painting is oil on canvas and was produced in 1658. The winning bid was placed over the telephone by an anonymous customer, believed by industry insiders to be Las Vegas casino owner Stephen A Wynn.
The auction was part of a sale of Old Masters and 19th-century art that raised in excess of £68 m ($97 m).
The most expensive painting sold was Head of a Muse by Italian artist Raphael, which raised £29.2 m ($41.6 m).
Another painting, Saint John the Evangelist by Italian Baroque artist Domenichino, sold for £9.2 m ($13.1 m).
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
A lithograph depicting Houdini’s famous Water Torture Cell escape, printed by Strobridge (USA) in 1914, was sold to David Copperfield (USA) for US$55,000 (£29,930), excluding buyers premium of 15%, by CRG Auctions in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA during the sale of the Sidney H. Radner Collection on 30 October 2004. The poster measures 1 x 2.79 m (3 ft 4.5 in x 9 ft 2 in). During an auction sale at Christies, London, UK, on on 25 May 2000, a lithograph printed by Dangerfield (UK) c.1912 of Houdini’s Water Torture Cellwas purchased by Norm Nielsen (USA) for £30,000 (US$44,669), excluding buyers premium of 17.5%. The poster measures 2.22 x 1m (7 ft 3.5 in x 3 ft 3.48 in) and is now housed in the Nielsen collection in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
A rare, complete copy of John James Audubon’s Birds of America was sold for £7,321,250 ($11,365,000), including buyer’s premium, at Sotheby’s in London, UK, on 7 December 2010. The book contains 1,000 life-size illustrations of 435 birds drawn and printed by the Haitian-born American artist Audubon (1785–1851) between 1827 and 1838. The illustrations were originally sold a page at a time to collectors, and only 119 complete editions are known to exist. Prior to the auction, the book formed part of the collection of Frederick Fermor-Hesketh, 2nd Baron Hesketh (1916–1955).
At the time, this was the most expensive book sold at auction overall, extending its own record following another copy of Birds of America that was auctioned for $8,802,500 (£5,567,573) by Christie’s in New York City, USA, on 10 March 2000.
The book was purchased by Michael Tollemache, a London art dealer who was present in the room for the auction. Only 120 complete copies of this book are known to exist, of which a mere 13 are in private hands.
Currently, the most expensive book is the Bay Psalm Book (1640), the first book ever printed in British North America. A copy sold at Sotheby’s in New York City, USA, on 26 November 2013 fetched $14,165,000, purchased by American businessman David Rubenstein. Just 1,700 copies were produced by the residents of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and there are thought to be only 11 surviving copies.
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
The most expensive trainers (sneakers) sold at auction are a pair of Nike Air Jordan XIIIs, game-worn by Michael Jordan in 1998, which were sold for $2,200,000 (£1,700,000; €2,022,013) by Sotheby’s, on 11 April 2023.
The shoes were worn by Jordan in the second half of the Chicago Bulls game against Utah Jazz, in which Bulls went to win 93-88.
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
Les femmes d’Alger (Version O) by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), oil on canvas, dated 14 February 1955, sold for $179.3 m (£115 m), including commission of just over 12%, at an auction held by Christie’s in New York, on 11 May 2015. The buyer, who bid by telephone, chose to remain anonymous. The painting is the last in a series of 15 paintings and drawings inspired by Eugène Delacroix’s 1834 Femmes d’Alger dans leur appartement.
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source:
The highest auction price paid for a suit of armour was £;1,925,000 ($3,038,998) at Sotheby’s, London, UK on 5 May 1983. B. H. Trupin (USA) bought the armour, which was made in Milan, Italy by Giovanni Negroli (Italy) in 1545 for Henri II of France.
Country:
Year:
Date:
Source: