Saturday, February 19, 2011

Duff Tweed Carvings Auctioned on Ebay - 2-13-11 - Wall Street Hobo's and High Roller







Happy Presidents Day Weekend 2011!

We're back with three auctions that all ended on Ebay on February 13, 2011.  

A fellow Southern California collector and friend purchased the first two carvings and we at Duff Tweed Carvings were fortunate enough to have purchased the third which was a brand new addition to the collection.

First, let's share what my friend at the Rust Trap Ranch added to his collection.  The first piece to sell was Duff Tweed's Wall Street Hobo with Glasses dated April 6, 1972.  We own the same hobo without the glasses.  Really think the glasses are a nice touch.  Great expression too!!!


We also really appreciate the background he chose for this carving.  Very similar to that of Duff Tweed's Limited Edition of "The Cheater" (Cheating golfer limited to a set of 100)


Duff did sign and include "Pasadena" on this one (as he did most of the time), but what makes this particular carving more special is...
... he signed and dedicated the piece on the back to the buyer which reads:

April 6, 72
Dear Dick:
I am happy you are able to give this character a home!  
Thank you for your appreciation.
Sincerely,
Duff Tweed
Please keep in touch.
257 East Belhouse Drive (hard to read)
Pasa.
669-8581

INFO ON THE EBAY AUCTION: 4 BIDDERS - 10 BIDS - SOLD FOR $128.50 + $16.99 s&h.

Here are a couple of more pictures from different angles:


---D---U---F---F---   ---T---W---E---E---D---   ---C---A---R---V---I---N---G---S---

The second carving added to the Rust Trap Ranch was Duff Tweed's Wall Street Hobo-Investor.  We also have this piece in our collection, but up until now, we haven't differentiated the names between each different carving.  The Ebay seller Southtexaspicker, came up with "investor" and we think it suits the carving and expression well. . .
He doesn't look too happy with his investments.  Something we could all relate to a year ago! Now we're at a 
historic high with the Dow at 12,391 and climbing.

We did note there is some damage to this piece as the nose looks as if it has been scraped and it appears there is a crack through the right side of the carvings face.  The piece still looks great though. 


Once again we have the good 'ol "Duff Tweed - Pasadena" signed in the lower left along with the same great background normally seen in the Limited Edition series.

Finally, we have yet another dedication from Duff to the buyer of this wonderful hobo carving:
The dedication reads as follows:
March 17, 1981 
(Hey, that's St. Patrick's Day and we know Duff liked to sip his gin!)
Dear Paul,
Glad you can give this character a home!
Sincerely,
Duff Tweed
P.S. Thanks for your appreciation!

INFO ON THE EBAY AUCTION: 4 BIDDERS - 10 BIDS - SOLD FOR $137 + $16.99 s&h.

Congratulations are due to the Rust Trap Ranch.  He committed, bid and hung in there until the end.  We have noticed the prices starting to inch up on these carvings.  Let's hope it's a trend of new collectors discovering Duff's talent!
  THE MORE, THE MERRIER!
---D---U---F---F---   ---T---W---E---E---D---   ---C---A---R---V---I---N---G---S---

Now for the third and final carving auctioned that day on Ebay. . .

We were fortunate enough to add this carving to the Duff Tweed Collection.  The seller on Ebay listed it as The Low Bidder and the frame on which it sits is titled the same.  However, this carving is not the Low Bidder.  It is called the High Roller.  Not sure if it was placed onto a different frame and background by a previous owner or if Duff simply named it as such for this particular carving.  In any event, we are thrilled to have this new addition to the collection.
Looks like he literally bet everything including the shirt off his back.  He doesn't look to happy, but we're happy to have him.  He's in excellent shape too!

As you can see below he is clearly named "THE LOW BIDDER!" and is signed by Duff Tweed with his patented "Pasadena" added for good measure.

While it was very exciting to add a new carving to the collection, this is also the very first carving which has a Disney character (Donald Duck) drawn on the back of the piece along with Duff's dedication to the seller.  These pieces with such Disney character drawings typically sell for higher prices as the artwork increases the value of the piece.
The back of the piece reads:

March 17, 1981
Dear Mike:
Thank you,
Duff Tweed
449-8581

INFO ON THE EBAY AUCTION: 4 BIDDERS - 14 BIDS - SOLD FOR $139.50 + $16.99 s&h.

It appears Mr. Tweed was quite busy on St. Patrick's Day 1981!  Wish I had the opportunity to have bought him a few drinks!!!

Cheers to Duff and may you all be keeping warm and dry this nasty winter season.  Yes, even us in Southern California have heavy rain and cold temperatures this week.
All the best!
-Joe