Catherine Ronan Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Occasionally you can find a great deal on eBay. This one blew me away because when I accidentally found it there weren't any bids and only one day left in the auction. Surely it had been up there for at least a week. The starting price was very low. Sadly for the seller, she had misspelled Don Buttfield's name in the title. So perhaps anyone who searches for his work would not have been notified. I really can't figure out any other reasonable explanation for the lack of bidders. Plus, you never see his work for sale on eBay. Actually, this is the first time I have seen anything of his for sale at all. I first saw his work in a book by Virginia Merrill and Thelma R. Newman called The Complete Book of Making Miniatures for Room Settings and Doll houses, Crown, 1975. That book was what caused me to fall in love with miniatures. It was my first exposure to truly fine collectable pieces. I was excited but somewhat wary about the auction so I called William Robertson to ask him what he thought of the piece and ask him what he thought it was worth. He and I watched the count down as I won the bid I made the day before and for much less than half of what it is worth. I was so shocked someone wasn't out there waiting in the wings to snag it from me in the last few minutes/seconds. The table is made of cherry and the pieces are ebony and ivory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeekendMiniaturist Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Congratulations Catherine on finding your rare chess set. I know that you will enjoy your new treasure and it looks exquisite on your Aunt Olga rug. I have enjoyed finding the occasional eBay treasure for things I never thought I would have the opportunity to purchase. The treasure hunt brings a lot of joy for collectors and relief when it is finally delivered to your doorstep. Tamra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElgaKoster Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 A really lovely find Catherine, I have that book too, one of the first I bought, I have actually forgotten about it, back then I knew nothing about IGMA and the names of people like Don Buttfield and Paul Runyon meant nothing to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miraclechicken Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Wonderful find, looks totally awesome in your setting/on your beautiful rug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeezerMama Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Wow! What a treasure. Great catch to see that on eBay. And ditto what Tamra says - it does look exquisite on your Aunt Olga rug (or maybe it looks exquisite because of your Aunt Olga rug ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesouth Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 What a great find! It does look wonderful in your beautiful setting!Martha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissyBoling Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 What a treasure! It's wonderful to see those lovely pieces together and fully appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.K.A Posted January 10, 2016 Share Posted January 10, 2016 Congratulations Catherine! That is a fantastic find, you display it beautifully as well among some other treasures. Who made the large table in the back? i'm often on ebay trying to find a miniature which interests me, I always use the search words miniature artisan and Igma miniature. What do you guys use? i try to filter out the manufactured and mass produced stuff. Ahmed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Ronan Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 Ahmed, I found the chess table by accident. I was looking at something else and the photo of the chess table was another suggestion below it. the drop leaf table behind it was made by Roger Gutheil. It was a very early piece of his from the 1970's I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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