Want to fill your home with kitchenware and décor items hand picked by Martha Stewart? You’ll have the chance May 5 & 6, 2018, when Kaminski Auctions in Beverly sells off truckloads of props from the lifestyle guru’s television shows.
More than 4,000 individual pieces, grouped into hundreds of lots, will be available to purchase, from assorted cake servers and vintage mini ladles and many, many cake pedestals to lots and lots of cookbooks and glassware. There’s even a prop door that was used on The Today Show.
Not only did Martha handpick most of the items that are up for sale, she was present when the seven trucks were loaded up from her Manhattan prop lot, even signing a few pieces for posterity. Pick up a cutting board signed by the domestic maven or an antique toboggan.
The items are not expensive either, notes Diane Riva, director of marketing for Kaminski – many lots start at $25 with estimates in the $20 – $50 range. “It’s a great opportunity to own a piece of the Martha Stewart Show history,” Riva says.
As one of the most influential and successful business women and authors in the world, Martha has shaped the tastes and decor of households around the globe. Her career spans the worlds of publishing and broadcasting, and she has authored more than 90 books on cooking, decorating, and entertaining.
Throughout her career, Martha’s trained eye found milk glass, creamware, fiesta ware, glass jadeite, depression glass, vintage Christmas ornaments, and so much more. They became infinitely more desirable with Martha’s stamp of approval, and her legions of fans collected what Martha collected, driving the prices and demand for these items. Now the rest of us can benefit from her good eye.
BONS winner Kaminski, well-known for its knowledge and appraisal skills, scored the commission to handle this auction in part because the company served as auctioneer for Oprah Winfrey when she redecorated her entire southern California home. “Martha was very impressed by that,” says Riva.
Interest is quite high in this event, with reports appearing on local TV as well as on Page Six of the New York Post, Riva says, noting that they are unsure how many people to expect. That said, her best advice is to visit one of the preview days, from Sunday to Friday, April 29 to May 4, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., then perhaps consider registering to bid on line during the auction. They tend to sell about 60 lots per hour, which should give you a good idea of when to log on to score that Boos Butcher Block table (lot 68) or a group of Weck jars (lot 373).
A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Martha Stewart Center for Living (MSCL) at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, which serves to promote and facilitate access to health care resources for older adults and to enhance the public perception of aging.
Previews will be held next week, Sunday-Friday, April 29-May 4, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the auction house and day-of sale beginning at 8 a.m., with live bidding on May 5 and 6 at 10 a.m. For details, visit kaminskiauctions.com.