Randolph A. “R.A.” Thiel, age 93, of Chilton, died on Saturday, January 23, 2016 at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, surrounded by his family. He was born January 6, 1923 in Fond du Lac, son of the late Andrew “Col. A.J.” & Florence (Bargenquast) Thiel. He married Armella M. Gerhartz on May 15, 1943 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Stockbridge.
Shortly after marriage, R.A. served in the United States Merchant Marines from 1944-1945. After completing his service, R.A. settled outside Hilbert and began raising his family and establishing himself in the family business. He was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church in Hilbert, VFW Post 3153 and American Legion Post 125 in Chilton, the Knights of Columbus, the National & Wisconsin Auctioneers Associations, and the Wisconsin Real Estate Association.
R.A. lived a long and storied life in which his living presence was larger than life itself. The ambition he showed and the knowledge he possessed garnered people’s admiration and respect in all he did. He held a very strong work ethic and loved every moment he spent working when he owned and operated Thiel Real Estate and Thiel & Thiel Auctions.
In his time away from work, R.A. loved to go hunting; he had an eagle eye, spotting game before everyone else and made shots no other hunter could comprehend. He also enjoyed many of the finer things in life; things like good food, good wine and good times. The best three things in his life were being married to Armella, traveling to 109 locations throughout the world with her, and working in the Auction & Real Estate Business for 58 years.
Survivors include his children: Jerry Thiel, Jack (Vicki) Thiel, Tom Thiel & his fiancée Maggie; 5 grandchildren: Dori (Tim) Duchow, Brad (Dawn) Thiel, Kendall (Cindy) Thiel, Tamara (Nick) Geiser, Miranda Thiel; 12 great grandchildren: Kale, Keaton, Ashley, Brittney, Andrew, Alisa, McKenzie, Brady, Carliann, Lukas, Bennett & Ella; 4 great-great grandchildren: Lyden, Oliver, Magnolia & Jayden; and his sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law: Lula Schoen, Ruth Gerhartz, Bernita Perry, Marvin (Phyllis) Gerhartz, Lyle (Betty) Gerhartz, Donna Commerford and Mary Jane Gerhartz. He is further survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
R.A. was preceded in death by his parents; his wife: Armella; a daughter: Jane Thiel; and a sister: Elaine (Ralph) Daul.
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History of Auctioneering
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In 1964, Sotheby’s expanded itself by buying Parke-Bernet, the USA’s largest fine art auction house at the time. Today, it’s noted as the oldest and largest international firm of fine art auctioneers in the world. It has 80 locations across the globe and sees an annual turnover of about $4 billion.
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In 1786, Christie’s sold the library of the famous Dr. Samuel Johnson, creator of the Dictionary of the English Language (1755). This collection included insightful books on a variety of topics, including but not limited to medicine, law, math, and theology.
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In 1824, The National Gallery was founded in London. It opened its doors with many purchases from Christie’s. New York’s MET museum also made its first connection to the London market through Christie’s, sending them their first lot for sale in 1958. Today, Christie’s boasts a worldwide influence with locations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
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In June 2019, French-Israeli telecom businessman Patrick Drahi made an offer to buy Sotheby’s for $3.7 billion. This meant that following the acquisition, Sotheby’s could be more flexible in its deals now that it didn’t have to justify expensive guarantees or other benefits to shareholders. This new structure also gave comfort to their higher-profile buyers who would rather not be scrutinized by the public eye. Following the adoption of this new private curtain, the comparison between Sotheby’s and Christie’s was more strongly apples to apples than ever before.
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The auction by candle also played a pivotal role in defining legal history. It was used as a standard procedure in the Court of Chancery, where trust property was sold off. The Sales of Land by Auction Act 1867 officially made it lawful to pay commission to an auctioneer, marking a significant milestone in the auctioneering profession.
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The most valuable picture postcard in the world was sent by Theodore Hook Esq. to himself in 1840 and was bought at the London Stamp Exchange auction, UK on 8 March 2002 by collector Eugene Gomberg (Latvia) for £31,758.75 ($45,370.60). It is also considered to be the oldest postcard in the world.
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The oldest bottle of wine to have been sold at auction was a bottle of 1646 Imperial Tokay, which was bought by John A. Chunko of Princeton, New Jersey, USA and Jay Walker of Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA for SFr 1250 (£;405) including buyers premium at Sothebys, Geneva, Switzerland on 16 Nov 1984.
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The most expensive wine sold at auction is a Romanée Conti 1945 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti bottle, sold at $558,000 (£422,801; €481,976) including premium, auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York, USA, on 13 October 2018.
The 73 year old French Burgundy bottle, part of a 600 batch produced by Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, sold more than 17 times the original asking price of $32,000 (£24,246; €27,640). The mark up in the bottles value is suspected to be a result of Chinese market’s interest in French Burgundy. In addition, the bottle was sold by Robert Drouhin, patriarch of Maison Joseph Drouhin.
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A Batpod motorcycle used in the filming of The Dark Knight Rises (USA, 2012) sold at the 2016 Prop Store Live Auction by Prop Store (UK) on 27 September 2016 for £312,000 ($404,393).
The Batpod was the “hero” vehicle used for filming close-ups, meaning that it had more detail than others used for filming at long distance but is largely non-functioning. The motorcycle was designed by Christopher Nolan and production designer Nathan Crowley, and brought to life by special-effects artist Chris Corbould, who made six of the vehicles. Its pre-auction estimate was between $80,000 and $110,000, so it secured about four times the expected price.
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