Bloomfield, NJ, USA, October 2, 2020 -- Nye & Company Auctioneers’ online-only Estate Treasures auction on Wednesday, October 14th, at 10 am Eastern time, will offer a variety of fine and decorative arts. Real time Internet bidding and absentee bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and the Nye & Company website: www.nyeandcompany.com. Telephone bidding will also be available on a limited basis.

“In accordance with the New Jersey State mandate, we cannot open our doors to the public,” said Andrew Holter of Nye & Company Auctioneers. “However, we plan to deliver clients a seamless online experience and will strive to deliver accurate condition reports and images for all items on offer. We’ll be closely monitoring our email account and all the bidding platforms.”

The auction is headlined by several contemporary collections, including a well-curated group of Southern face jugs primarily from Georgia and North Carolina potters, including pieces by the well-known Meaders and Hewell families. Wonderfully whimsical, expressive and sometimes grotesque, this collection of Southern contemporary face jugs is an homage to an earlier time, when it was believed that slaves near Edgecombe, South Carolina started making them as early as the 1840s as a form of spiritual expression. Their popularity expanded as they were being produced by a much broader market, and they’re still popular today among folk art collectors.

Continuing along the lines of contemporary pottery, there are several pieces from a number of private collections, which contribute to a broad and diverse selection of Southwestern and Native American pottery. Santa Clara red and black pottery and Acoma pots are well represented. Also, Southwestern themed art by artists such as RC Gorman and Howard Carr will delight bidders. A number of contemporary Kachina dolls are also being offered.

There are two spectacular bronzes by Dave McGary included in the sale. The first, titled The Bounty of Grey Hawk, is a stunning representation of a Native American covered in a decorated buffalo hide. McGary is so accomplished that the textures of the hide, the ruffles of the feathers and the emotion of the sitter can all be felt. The second bronze, titled Thunder Dreamer, is also a stunning representation of a Native American deep in contemplation.

Rounding out the fine selection of contemporary collections is a beautiful group of home furnishings being sold from a private East Coast collection – perfect for those looking to freshen up their interiors during the pandemic. Highlighting the group is a large set of twelve Francis Elkins brown lacquered dining armchairs, as well as numerous Chinese inspired off white painted low tables and French inspired cabinets. These would be ideal for any clean, modern interior design project.

A nice complement to the contemporary home furnishings is a selection of Outsider/Self-Taught Art by Fayette, Alabama artist Jimmy Lee Sudduth. Known for painting with house paint, mud and found pigments such as motor oil and juices, Sudduth often painted with his fingers because “they never wore out” like a brush would. His paintings are a window into the soul of the artist and often portrayed things that spoke to him or that he saw. The sale features three prominent works, including one of a large brown Toto dog, a courthouse and an exceptionally large factory. His work can be found in the Smithsonian, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Those seeking more traditional works will be treated to a fine selection of American and European furniture and decorative arts. Colonial Pennsylvania is represented with two dressing tables. The first has a superb stance with tightly sprung cabriole legs ending in brush feet. The second is more austere in nature and has a Quaker-like aesthetic with pad feet and a meandering apron. From “across the pond” there is a curvaceous serpentine-front marquetry inlaid marble-top Louis XV commode, stamped with a fleur-de-lis and “CRESCEN”. This piece doesn’t have a straight line on it and is truly a symphony of curves.

Finally, there is a nice selection of Majolica and art pottery for ceramic and pottery enthusiasts. Of note is a small George Ohr pot that is indicative of the work from the “Mad Potter of Biloxi”. Saturday Evening Girls, Rookwood, Newcomb, Stellmacher, Hampshire and Zsolnay are all also represented.

People can bid in absentia and online. An online preview is being held now thru October 14th at www.nyeandcompany.com, www.liveauctioneers.com and www.invaluable.com. Anyone looking for additional images, condition reports or info about an object is encouraged to reach out via the Nye & Company website or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For more information about Nye & Company Auctioneers and the Estate Treasures online only auction on Wednesday, October 14th, visit www.nyeandcompany.com. The full color catalog can be viewed now, at www.nyeandcompany.com, LiveAuctioneers.com and Invaluable.com.

About Nye & Company Auctioneers:
John Nye had a long and fruitful career at Sotheby’s before he and his wife, Kathleen, acquired Dawson’s in 2003 and started Dawson & Nye. With the move to Bloomfield seven years later, they renamed the business to Nye & Company (Auctioneers, Appraisers, Antiques). The firm is nationwide, but the vast bulk of the business comes from trusts and estates in the tri-state area. For more information, visit www.nyeandcompany.com.

Media Contact:
John Nye
Nye & Company Auctioneers
20 Beach Street
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
(973) 984-6900
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://www.nyeandcompany.com

Cranston, RI, USA, September 30, 2020 -- Rare vintage comic books, Pokémon collectibles, toys and dolls will all share center stage in Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers’ next major auction, planned for Saturday, October 17th, at 10 am Eastern, online and live in the Cranston gallery. Limited in-house seating is by appointment only for active bidders. They can reserve a seat by calling 401-533-9980.

“This auction is definitely filled with all forms of Pop Culture goodness,” said Travis Landry, a Bruneau & Co. auctioneer and the firm’s Director of Pop Culture. “The comic selection offers affordable copies of important key issues, including Amazing Spider-Man #1 and Journey Into Mystery #83. The Pokémon too is going to be a surprise. The complete set of all four Aquapolis packs in Gem 10 condition are going to drive people crazy. It’s going to be a real fun auction.”

Bruneau & Co. president Kevin Bruneau added, “The toy auction always brings fun to the gallery. This is the first time we include contemporary and designer dolls into the catalog and I’m sure they’ll attract interest. It’s not every day a collection that large pops up on the market for auction.” All categories combined – comics, Pokémon, toys and dolls – total over 575 lots.

Comic book collectors will be dazzled by the selection on offer. The copy of Marvel Comics Amazing Spider-Man #1 (March 1963) is graded CGC 1.0, with cream and off-white pages, and has an estimate of $1,500-$2,500. The book features the second appearance of Spider-Man, the first appearance of J. Jonah Jameson and Chameleon, and the first Fantastic Four crossover.

The copy of Marvel Comics Journey Into Mystery #83 (Aug. 1962), featuring the origin and first appearance of Thor, graded CGC 1.8, with off-white pages, carries an estimate of $2,000-$3,000.

A copy of Timely Comics Human Torch #32 (Sept. 1948), featuring a Sub-Mariner back-up story and appearances from Sun Girl and Namora, graded CGC 4.5, should hit $1,000-$1,500.

A copy of Marvel Comics Amazing Spider-Man #300 (May 1988), featuring the origin and first full appearance of Venom, and the last time Spider-Man was depicted in a black costume, graded 9.8, with white pages, is expected to realize $1,800-$2,400. All comics are contained in cases.

The Pokémon collectibles represent a category that’s so young and unpredictable, none of the lots have set estimates. They show in the catalog, for appearance sake, as being $20-$10,000.

Pokémon lots expected to do well include a year 2000 Korean Pokémon 1st edition Charizard holographic trading card, graded PSA Mint 9; a group of three1999 Pokémon Base Unlimited holographic trading cards – Blastoise, Charizard and Venusaur – all graded well at BGS 9 Mint.

Other noteworthy Pokémon lots include a 1999 Wizards of the Coast Pokémon base set Charizard trading card foil pack, graded PSA 10 Gem Mint; and a 2003 Wizards of the Coast Pokémon Aquapolis Entei trading card foil pack, also with a tip-top grade of PSA 10 Gem Mint.

Pokémon has been such a huge phenomenon in the collecting universe, it’s hard to believe it’s only been around since 1995. The franchise was created by Satoshi Tajiri in Japan (where, it’s interesting to note, Pokémon is also known as Pocket Monsters) and is managed by the Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak and Creatures (names familiar to all gamers).

Pokémon is centered on fictional creatures called “Pokémon”, which humans (known as Pokémon Trainers) catch and train to battle each other for sport. Works within the franchise are set in the Pokémon universe. The English slogan for the franchise is “Gotta Catch ‘Em All”. The Pokémon Red and Blue video games for the Nintendo Game Boy system came out in 1996.

Pokémon very quickly grew into a media mix franchise, adapted into various different media, and is now the highest-grossing media franchise of all time, with $90 billion in total revenue. It spawned a hit anime TV series with a hugely successful video game adaptation and, as any collector will tell you, is also into toys, trading cards, books, manga comics and other items.

Previews will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, October 14th and 15th, from 9 am-4 pm Eastern time, by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, call 401-533-9980. Masks will be required at all times, per strict adherence to CDC and Rhode Island state guidelines. Please, only reserve appointment seats for serious, active bidders, as there is limited seating available.

The Bruneau & Co. gallery is located at 63 Fourth Avenue in Cranston, R.I. (zip code: 02910).

Internet bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, Bidsquare.com and bidLIVE.Bruneauandco.com, plus the mobile app “Bruneau & Co.” on iTunes or GooglePlay.

Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions, with commissions as low as zero percent. Now would be a perfect time to clean out your attic. To contact Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers about consigning a single piece or an entire collection, you may send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Or, you can phone them at 401-533-9980.

To learn more about Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and the Comic, Pokémon, Toys & Dolls auction on Saturday, October 17th, visit www.bruneauandco.com. Updates are posted often.

About Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers:
Established in 2015 by owner Kevin Bruneau, Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers is an energetic and young auction house built on the backbone of over fifty years of combined experience in the antiques and auction world. Bruneau & Co. believes in bridging the gap between antique and contemporary utilizing modern day methods to market history in a fast-paced, ever-changing world. We take pride in orchestrating specialty and single owner catalogs giving proper and factual representation of any and all “cool” items of value. As a multifaceted company our expertise goes beyond the traditional antique; we follow market trends and bring to light what the public calls for. From its beginning, Bruneau & Co. has been partnered with Altered Reality Entertainment, parent company of Rhode Island Comic Con in organizing toy, comic, and collectible auctions bringing Pop Culture to a live auction environment. Our focus on emerging markets extends to contemporary and urban art, modern design, and Asian arts. To learn more, visit www.bruneauandco.com.

Media Contact:
Travis Landry
Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers
63 Fourth Avenue
Cranston, RI 02910
401-533-9980
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://www.bruneauandco.com

Wizard Entertainment, Inc. (OTCBB:WIZD) brings more “Wizard World Virtual Experiences” featuring stars of iconic franchises across its digital video platforms in the coming weeks. On Saturday at 4 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT, visit Gotham City with “From Batman to Joker” featuring franchise standouts Brett Cullen, Robert Wuhl and Michael Uslan. Then on Sunday, “Ary and the Secret of Seasons” voice actors Chris Zambelis, Kira Buckland and Casey Mongillo, join lead writer Genese Davis for a discussion on the new video game at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT. On Thursday, Oct. 8, stars of scary films Diane Salinger, Ann Robinson, James Murtaugh and Jimmy Workman meet up for “Oh The Horror!” at 7 p.m ET / 4 p.m. PT, followed that evening at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT by the live trivia contest for nerd-culture know-it-alls, “Last Fan Standing,” hosted by the inimitable Bruce Campbell. "Shadowhunters" headliners Maxim Roy, Anna Hopkins and Jon Cor reunite on Friday, Oct. 9 at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT. 

Then on Monday, Nov. 9, fans can join Pin-Ups For Vets founder Gina Elise and her military veteran ambassadors, "Stranger Things" actress Jennifer Marshall (Navy), "Transformers: War for Cybertron” voice actress Linsay Rousseau (Army), Megan Martine (Marines), and Shannon Corbeil (Air Force) for a live Q&A celebrating Veterans Day beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT, benefiting the veterans charity.

This is in addition to the previously announced sessions on Thursday featuring "October Faction" stars Tamara Taylor, JC MacKenzie, Aurora Burghart, Gabriel Darku and Maxim Roy at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT, and Sunday, October 18 with Darin Brooks, Alan Ritchson, Chris Romano, Ed Marinaro, Sam Jones III and Page Kennedy of "Blue Mountain State" at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT.

During each celebrity session, the celebrities will participate in a FREE live moderated video Q&A, followed by one-on-one video chats, recorded videos and autographs. Sessions are accessible to virtual attendees on their computer and mobile devices via http://www.wizardworldvirtual.com.

As part of the events, fans across the globe can:

• Submit questions via chat during the free 45-minute panels (open to everyone, no entry fee to watch or submit). Panels available for viewing live or on demand via Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/wizardworldvirtual; YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/wizardworld; and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wizardworld/
• Participate in a personal, exclusive two-minute live video chat with each celebrity (paid) (vary by celebrity)
• Purchase a recorded video from each star specifying the message if desired
• Purchase an autograph on an 8”x10” photo

Pricing varies by item for the individual chat, video and autographs, available on the Website.

Upcoming Wizard World Virtual Experiences

• Thursday, October 1, "October Faction," Tamara Taylor, JC MacKenzie, Aurora Burghart, Gabriel Darku, Maxim Roy · 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT
• Thursday, October 1, WizQuiz, Geeky Trivia with Wizard World's own MikeGDoesThings, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
• Saturday, October 3, "From Batman to Joker," Brett Cullen, Robert Wuhl, Michael Uslan · 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT
• Sunday, October 4, "Ary and the Secret of Seasons," voice actors Chris Zambelis, Kira Buckland, Casey Mongillo, lead writer Genese Davis · 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT
• Thursday, October 8, "Oh, The Horror!," Stars from Scary Movies: Diane Salinger, Ann Robinson, James Murtaugh, Jimmy Workman · 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
• Thursday, October 8, "Last Fan Standing," Game Show hosted by Bruce Campbell · 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
• Friday, October 9, "Shadowhunters," Maxim Roy, Anna Hopkins, Jon Cor · 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT
• Sunday, October 18, "Blue Mountain State," Darin Brooks, Alan Ritchson, Chris Romano, Ed Marinaro, Sam Jones III, Page Kennedy · 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
• Monday, October 9, "Veterans Day Celebration," featuring Pin-Ups for Vets charity founder Gina Elisa and military veteran ambassadors Jennifer Marshall (Navy), Linsay Rousseau (Army), Megan Martine (Marines) and Shannon Corbeil (Air Force) · 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT

About Wizard Entertainment, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD)

Wizard Entertainment, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com) produces comic, gaming and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, television, gaming, live entertainment, tech, comics, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming and entertainment takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A's, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World Virtual Experiences powers a content-rich channel that provides fans with the opportunity to enjoy programming and to directly connect with celebrities via a variety of video platforms. Additional initiatives may soon include an augmented touring schedule of Wizard World shows, fixed-site installations, curated e-commerce, and the production and distribution of content both in the U.S. and internationally. Fans can interact with Wizard Entertainment at www.wizardworld.com and on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services. Additionally, Wizard Entertainment owns a minority interest in Cinedigm’s ( NASDAQ:CIDM) ConTv.

The 2020-21 Wizard World convention schedule is available at: http://www.wizardworld.com/comiccon.

New York City, NY, USA, September 29, 2020 -- A letter handwritten in English in 1943 by Albert Einstein – in which he strongly condemns racism and segregation in the United States – is for sale through The Manhattan Rare Book Company at a fixed price of $85,000. The letter is especially relevant now, in today’s racially and politically charged climate, even though it was written nearly 80 years ago.

Dated September 22nd, 1943 and handwritten on his embossed Mercer Street, Princeton (N.J.) stationery, the letter is addressed to Walter F. White, the influential African American Civil Rights leader who led the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (the NAACP) from 1929-1955. Einstein praises White for his work battling racism and prejudice.

Writing in a neat cursive hand, Einstein begins, “Dear Mr. White, I have been quite impressed by the address you delivered some years ago at a meeting of the Princeton Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. I know how hard it is to awaken the conscience even of good-hearted and well-meaning people when deep rooted prejudices are in the way.”

He concludes: “It is a great work indeed which you are doing relentlessly for the betterment of the living conditions of our Colored fellow-citizens, for justice and for the accomplishment of national unity of the American people.” The letter ends, “With sincere respect and kind wishes, Yours, Albert Einstein.” The letter is handsomely matted and framed, with a photo of Einstein.

“Einstein, writing in 1943, notes that he heard White speak ‘some years ago’. Something clearly must have deeply impressed him about White’s speech for him to write this thoughtful letter to White over three years after the event,” said Michael DiRuggiero of The Manhattan Rare Book Company. “It’s also one of the few letters Einstein hand-wrote in English. German was his preferred tongue.”

According to the Princeton Herald, on April 28, 1940 Walter White was the keynote speaker at “an inter-racial meeting sponsored by the Princeton branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People,” where his topic was “What Happens to Democracy When it Encounters the Color Line”. This is the speech that inspired the letter, albeit three years later.

At the time, Princeton University did not admit African Americans, and the community was debating the question as to whether to end segregation at the school. Princeton finally did admit its first African American student, but not until the fall of 1947 – seven years after White’s speech and four years after Einstein’s letter.

In his book Albert Einstein, author Walter Isaacson observed, “To protect the rights of the individual...was Einstein’s most fundamental political tenet. Individualism and freedom were necessary for creative art and science to flourish. Personally, politically, and professionally, he was repulsed by any restraints. That is why he remained outspoken about racial discrimination in America…. As a Jew who had grown up in Germany, Einstein was acutely sensitive to such discrimination. ‘The more I feel an American, the more this situation pains me,’ he wrote in an essay called The Negro Question for the January 1946 issue of Pageant magazine. ‘I can escape the feeling of complicity in it only by speaking out.’”

Even more directly, in his 1946 commencement speech to Lincoln University, the first degree-granting Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the United States, Einstein strongly denounced segregation as “an American tradition which is uncritically handed down from one generation to the next,” noting that, “There is separation of colored people from white people in the United States... That separation is not a disease of colored people. It is a disease of white people. I do not intend to be quiet about it.”

The remarkable letter from 1943, apparently unpublished, is one of the earliest examples of Einstein’s interest in condemning racism in the United States. His words are strong and prescient, and resonate just as strongly today as when they were first written. The letter would make a fine and important addition to anyone’s collection. Or, it could also be proudly displayed in a museum.

To learn more, please visit www.manhattanrarebooks.com.

About The Manhattan Rare Book Company:
The Manhattan Rare Book Company is located at 1050 Second Avenue (Gallery 90) in New York City. The firm is always in the hunt for rare and important books, especially ones having to do with literature, history, science, art and photobooks, and illuminated manuscripts. To inquire about buying or selling a rare book, you may call them at 212-326-8907; or, you can email them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To learn more, please visit www.manhattanrarebooks.com.

Media Contact:
Michael DiRuggiero
The Manhattan Rare Book Company
1050 Second Avenue / Gallery 90
New York, NY 10022 (USA)
(212) 326-8907
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
http://www.manhattanrarebooks.com