To listen to Lark Mason's radio interview, please click here

Recent iGavel Press Releases:

Orientations Magazine

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Spring Auctions in the US
September 2011

NEW YORK CITY —The ‘Asian, Ancient and Ethnographic Works of Art’ sale that closed on 13 May at the leader in online art auctions, iGavel, presented by Lark Mason and iGavel Associates, made a total of more than US$3.4 Million for the 319 lots sold.

Antiques Roadshow
Insider

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Looking in on Asian Arts
July 2011

NEW YORK CITY —It was a trend in action: an Asian Arts sale conducted by iGavel Auctions on May 16. It turned out to be a stellar day, too, when 319 lots sold for $3.4 million.

Antiques and the Arts Weekly

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Asian Sale Totals 3.4 Million On iGavelAuctions.com
June 24, 2011

NEW YORK CITY — The iGavel Auctions sale of Asian, ancient and ethnographic works of art, presented by Lark Mason and iGavel Associates, closed on May 13, with 319 lots sold, resulting in a total of more than $3,400,000.

Antiques Trader

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Rare Buffalo Brewery advertising sign sells for $22,200
June 24, 2010

NEW YORK CITY — iGavel Auctions associate seller from Sacremento, Calif., Witherell’s Art and Antiques, auction ended on May 18, 2010, achieving excellent results with 100 percent of its lots sold.

Antiques and the Arts Weekly

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Record Prices Achieved At iGavel Auctions Asian Sale
June 11, 2010

NEW YORK CITY — The iGavel Auctions sale of Asian, ancient and ethnographic works of art that closed on May 5 had 329 sold lots, resulting in a total of more than $1.1 million.

Antiques Trader

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Rare Buffalo Brewery advertising sign sells for $22,200
June 24, 2010

NEW YORK CITY — iGavel Auctions associate seller from Sacremento, Calif., Witherell’s Art and Antiques, auction ended on May 18, 2010, achieving excellent results with 100 percent of its lots sold.

Antiques and the Arts Weekly

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Record Prices Achieved At iGavel Auctions Asian Sale
June 11, 2010

NEW YORK CITY — The iGavel Auctions sale of Asian, ancient and ethnographic works of art that closed on May 5 had 329 sold lots, resulting in a total of more than $1.1 million.

Antique Trader

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iGavel's Tracey Baran Memorial Auction now live until Sept. 30, 2009
September 18, 2009

NEW YORK – iGavel is pleased to present the Tracey Baran Memorial Auction. The auction is ongoing through Sept. 30, 2009, at www.igavelauctions.com.

Antiques Roadshow Insider

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A Ming Dynasty Lamp
August 2009

NEW YORK CITY - Asian art expert Lark Mason took a look at a photograph of an
unusual brush pot sent to him by Bob Ruggiero, an antiques seller
who frequently lists items on Mason’s iGavel.com website, and he
knew it might be something special...

Antiques and the Arts Weekly

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Winter Auctions Now Online at iGavel
January 23, 2009

NEW YORK CITY - The online auction firm iGavel is currently presenting its winter sales, featuring items that are offered in continuous auctions with new listings posted every day. Auctions include art, antiques and collectibles in all categories and all price ranges...

Appraisers Association of America, Inc.

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iGavel and the Changing Landscape for Online Auctions
Fall 2008

iGavel is an umbrella organization offering a sales platform for professional appraisers, experts and auction houses. Private consignors may not sell directly on iGavel except by consigning property through an iGavel seller, called an "associate." iGavel provides a secure, centralized registration process for bidders...

Antiques and the Arts Weekly

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Daniel Cooney Offers Fine Art and Photos Sale Online
October 31, 2008

NEW YORK CITY - Auction house iGavel will host Daniel Cooney Fine Art's auction of photography and fine art, online through November 13. Included in this auction are nearly 100 lots including a number of notable works by important and revered photographers of the Twentieth Century, such as George Platt...

Antiques and the Arts Weekly

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Online Auction of Fine Art and Posters from Val Forgett Collections Runs Until Nov. 10
October 31, 2008

NEW YORK CITY - The online auction house iGavel is currently hosting its fall fine art auction, which closes on November 10. Included in this auction are paintings from artists of many disciplines, as well as prints, posters, sculpture and works on paper...

Harvard Magazine

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Going Once...Going Twice...Sold!
By Nell Porter Brown
September-October 2008

It's a summer evening, and a crowd has gathered at the Sandwich Auction House for the weekly Wednesday sale. The windows and doors of the shed building are open wide to catch whatever fresh air comes along, and some people fan their faces as they pick through the nearly 300 items to go on the block that night...

Antiques and the Arts Weekly

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Asian Arts Being Offered at iGavel.com to Oct. 27
October 17, 2008

NEW YORK CITY — Auction platform iGavel will continue its Asian, Ancient and Ethnographic
Works of Art auction at www.igavelauctions.com through October 27, continuing a recent trend as Asian art continues to soar on iGavel...

Antique Trader

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Forecast calls for Reyne: Decorative arts have been stepping stone for Haines
By Mark F. Moran
September 2007

"CINCINNATI – It’s been a long time since the title “antique dealer” was an adequate description for the pursuits of Reyne Haines. That’s just fine with the Web entrepreneur, gallery owner, author, budding TV interviewer, auction organizer and Antiques Roadshow regular. “This business has taken me to all kinds of different places that I never would have thought I would end up,” Haines said in an interview with Antique Trader... "

News-Antique.com

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Now Accepting Consignments -Upcoming 20th Century Decorative Arts Auction
August 12, 2007

"Reyne Gallery with iGavel.com presents another fine 20th Century Decorative Arts auction in September 2007. We are currently seeking consignments for our upcoming auction. Our September sale will feature fine time pieces by Rolex, outstanding diamond jewelry, Modernism jewelry by Georg Jensen and several Mexican designers; Art glass by some of the more desirable artists such as Tiffany, Legras, Loetz, Lotton, Lundberg, Galle, Mt. Washington and Lalique."

Maine Antiques Digest

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Taking It to the Streets
by David Vazdauskas
August 9, 2007

"Is there an affiliate model for the higher end on-line auction companies?
Lark Mason, president of iGavel, an on-line marketplace dedicated to the sale of fine art, antiques, and collectibles, said that he has explored the affiliate model even prior to the advent of the eBay model and is in fact developing iGavel affiliates for higher end consignments. "The whole key is building a network and making it simple and transparent for the customer," said Mason."

Antiques and The Arts Weekly

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Chinese Vase Brings $234,000 At Litchfield County Auctions
June 19, 2007

"The event hosted on www.igavelauctions.com included major paintings from the Julius Levy estate, Asian art, jewelry and antiques. Overall, 524 of 699 lots sold for an average sell-through rate of 75 percent. Of the items that sold, the presale estimate was about $600/900,000. The gross total of $1,020,000 was well above the high. Although the sale was completely online, participants viewed the sale in person during a five-day gallery exhibition that also included a tag sale, which grossed $45,000. The top lot was an imperial Chinese vase, Eighteenth Century, that began its bidding at on the first day of the sale at $360 but by the morning of May 2, had climbed to $21,000. During the day, the price rose to $99,000. It climbed in fast increments to $125,000, $150,000, $175,000, and excited shouts could be heard from the back offices at LCA. When it finally hammered down at $234,000, applause erupted from the employees throughout the gallery."

The Wilton Bulletin

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Weir Farm of Wilton hosting 'Ridgefield Roadshow' appraisal event June 10
May 30, 2007

"Weir Farm Art Center is scheduled to present the Ridgefield Roadshow, an opportunity for art enthusiasts and collectors to receive individualized appraisals by some of the nation’s fine art, furniture, decorative arts and jewelry experts at a modest cost.... Lark Mason, president of iGavel.com and previously senior vice president of Chinese art at Sotheby’s appraising furniture and Asian Art..... All proceeds from the Ridgefield Roadshow will benefit the art center’s programs at the Weir Farm National Historic Site."

Antiques and The Arts Weekly

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Asian Works of Art Offered By iGavel Through May 14th
April 27, 2007

"New York City – iGavel's Asian works of Art spring online auction will continue through May 14th. Previews for the sale will be held at iGavel's newly renovated exhibition space at 227-229 East 120th Street. iGavel's Asian works of Art auction is one of two conducted by igavel and includeds a variety of objects, including Buddhist paintings, Chinese scholars' objects and other works of art. "

ARTINFO.com

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Notes on Collecting: iGavel’s Old-School Sales Pitch
by Robert Ayers
April 11, 2007

"NEW YORK—Because we work in the digital realm, we are always interested to see how art is bought and sold online. In the past, we’ve highlighted favorite artist Web sites and award-worthy art sellers, and we’ve examined commerce on the colossus eBay. This week, we turn our attention to the smaller, more art-centric iGavel.com, founded by former Sothebys.com execs Lark E. Mason Jr. and Benjamin Turk Tolub. While browsing through the site, we were intrigued to see that young Chelsea dealer Daniel Cooney has been holding his own photography auctions on iGavel. (In fact he now stages three regular, two-week auctions there each year, with the next one concluding July 19.) "

Courier Post Online

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Appraiser takes skill on road
By Bryan Finlayson
April 7, 2007

"Antiques appraiser Lark Mason went on PBS television's Antiques Roadshow dressed in a bow tie and colored shirt. Then, on national television, he began to cry. A woman had brought a rare eighth-century Chinese marble lion statue for him to appraise. She brought it wrapped in a towel. That was in Albuquerque, N.M., in 2000. "Look at these rippling muscles," Mason said to the stunned woman. The lion was worth $250,000. "You have a national treasure," he said. Mason is known for his expertise in Chinese art and just about everything else. "

Antiques and The Arts Weekly

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Antiques & Fine Art Auctions Blast Off On iGavel.com
April 6, 2007

"New York City – As iGavel.com heads into its fifth year of business, it does so with the confidence of an established organization, no longer just another start-up company. Breaking auction records, establishing previously unknown artists and selling major items across a wide variety of collecting fields, iGavel has become an integral part of the fine art and antiques community. "

News-Antique.com

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Elder's to hold huge online art and antiques sale
February 6, 2007

"(Nokomis, Fla.) - Elder's Fine Arts & Antiques, already a powerhouse in the world of online auctions dedicated to fine Asian, American and European antiques and fine art, will hold its largest art sale of the year February 21 to March 7. Headlining the event will be about 25 works by the social realist and abstract impressionist Ben Wilson (American, 1913-2001). “Ben Wilson is a little known gem, an individual style reminiscent of Brice Marden,” said Don Elder of Elder's Fine Arts & Antiques. “Ben retained a large body of his own work and now there is an opportunity to collect this important American artist.” To view many of the paintings to be sold, plus other items, click on www.eldersantiques.com. "

Auction Talk Radio

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Men's Vogue Benefit Auction for Ninemillion.org
February 2, 2007

"Ninemillion.org is a UN Refugee Agency- led campaign to raise awareness and funds for eduaction and sports programs for refugee youth. To see item visit Mensvogue or ninemillion.org"

Antiques and The Arts Weekly

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Men's Vogue Benefit Auction for Ninemillion.org
January 26, 2007

"NYC-Sports fans and athletes will get a chance to own pieces of sports history or special items from the world of sports by bidding in the Men's Vogue Benefit Auction on www.igavelauctions.com The goal of the auction, which is currently running online until February 12, is to raise money that will help provide at least some of the nine million child refugees worldwide with the means to improve and erich thier lives through education and engagement in the universal pastimes of sports and play. "

News-Antique.com

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New 20th Century Decorative Arts Auction Announced
January 22, 2007

"(Cincinnati, OH) January 23, 2007 – The Midwest will offer a new auction house with a familiar face beginning this March 2007. Reyne Haines teams up with Lark Mason and iGavel.com to form a new Twentieth Century Decorative Arts quarterly auction starting this March 2007. “I have worked with several great auction houses over the years, but it was time for me to do my own thing.”says Reyne Haines. “I’ve always enjoyed buying at auction, and consigning to auctions. This just seemed like a natural next step.” For the last four years Haines has owned Reyne Gallery in downtown Cincinnati specializing in Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Modernism furniture and decorative items. "

mensvogue.com

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The Men's Vogue Charity Auction
January 8, 2007

"On January 22, 2007, Men's Vogue will launch an online charity auction, in partnership with iGavel, to benefit a United Nations Refugee Agency campaign called Ninemillion.org. The auction will make available rare and one-of-a-kind items, from sporting goods to works of art, while the proceeds will help provide educational supplies and sports gear to the estimated nine million child refugees around the world"

Antiques and The Arts Weekly

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$210,000 Zitan Laterns Stands Brighten Asian Sale At iGavel
January 5, 2007

"New York City - A record price was set at www.igavelauctions.com as a pair of Eighteenth Century zitan lantern stands fetched $210,000 in an auction of Asian works of art that closed November 14. The auction presented pieces from the collection of Hugo Munsterberg and other important colectors. 'Prices in this auction were substantially higher than estimates, demonstrating the increasing worldwide interest in Asian art' says Lark E. Mason Jr."

Antiques and The Arts Weekly

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Raoul Dufy Watercolor Nabs $264,000 At iGavel Auction
December 22, 2006

"New York City - A record high price was set ay iGavel.com - an online world record for fine art - for a watercolor of Epsom Downs by the French artist Raaoul Dufy when a European buyer snapped up the painting for $264,000 in the (Roland Antiques) auction that closed November 15...iGavel has proven again its strength as a venue that realizes strong prices for property in the middle and upper markets. "

Antiques and The Arts Online

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Opera Buffs Bid For Items From Anna Moffo Sarnoff Collection
December 8, 2006

"Items from the collection of soprano Anna Moffo Sarnoff gernered interest among opera lovers around the world in a sale that closed October 17 on iGavel. Among the most interesting lots were theatrical costumes created by Tirelli for performances of La Traviata and Carmen and a costume sketch by Cecil Beaton. 'This was a chance for opera fans, as well as antiques collectors, to own part of a legend,' said Lark Mason, president of iGavel."

Antiques and The Arts Online

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Asian Art, Nineteenth Century European Paintings Bring Record Prices on iGavel
December 1, 2006

"The October16–30 sale by Elder's Antiques on iGavel produced strong prices for Asian art and Nineteenth Century European paintings. A Chinese Eighteenth Century inlaid Hardstone and ivory carved sandalwood cabinet from the Qianlong period was fiercely conested by numerous bidders before fetching $49,500. 'The sale had property ranging from American furniture and paintings to Asian works of art and all categories exceeded expectations.' said iGavel President Lark Mason. "

Antiques and The Arts Online

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Hugo Munsterberg Asian Collection On Offer At iGavel To November 14
November 9, 2006

"iGavel.com is auctioning items from the collection of Asian art and archaelogy scholar and author Hugo Munsterberg through November 14. Rarities in the auction include a carved dingyao foliate-shaped dish with metal bound rim($10-15,000), a Chinese enamel decorated dish, Kangxi period, made to celebrate the emperor's birthday; a Seventeenth Century Kolmari enameled dish ($7-10,000), a pair of Zitan and hardwood lantern stands, Eighteenth-Nineteenth Century ($10-15,000); and a Chinese yellow jade carving with ivory base, Eighteenth Century ($3,500-4,000)."

News-Antique.com

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Chinese cabinet fetches $49,500 at Elder's online sale
By Ken Hall
November 9, 2006

"An exquisitely inlaid Chinese cabinet made during the time of the Qianlong Dynasty (1736-1795) sold for $49,500 in an online auction held Oct. 16-30 by Elder's Fine Arts & Antiques of Nokomis, Fla. Online bidding for the sale was facilitated by iGavel.com, of which Elder is a charter member. “Obviously, the Internet component was a big help for an auction that featured so many Asian antiques,” Elder said. “We had aggressive bids pouring in from all corners of the globe, but especially China and Hong Kong.' "

Delaware News Journal Online

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Everything under the sun -- and then some
By Eric Ruth
September 18, 2006

"iGavel.com: An attempt to meld the eBay experience with the more traditional values of authentic auctions, iGavel doesn’t boast a wide selection, but does offer authenticity guarantees and upscale quality. Specializing in fine art, antiques and collectibles, iGavel auctions items in groups, or collections, gathering bids over a specific time period. Sellers must be dealers, appraisers or auction house professionals. It has established consignment centers in metropolitan areas where items are assessed and where potential buyers can inspect the goods (the nearest is in Maple Glen, Pa., north of Philadelphia). "

Business Week Online

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You Gotta Have Art
By Eve Tamincioglu
September 11, 2006

"By stressing the "middle market" of collectors, Lark Mason's iGavel.com prospers in a niche the heavyweights largely ignore. While plenty of people might buy a $20 butter dish after viewing only an online photo, few would spend $30,000 on an oil painting they hadn't seen up close. That's what prompted Lark Mason Jr. to co-found iGavel.com. The site sells expensive -- but not too expensive -- art through eBay-style auctions. What separates the site from those like eBay is that would-be buyers can view the artwork before they buy at one of iGavel's 13 exhibition centers or 300 dealers, appraisers, and galleries that are part of Mason's network."

Antiques and The Arts Online

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Chinese Brushpot Brings $86,800 At iGavel.com Auction
July 11, 2006

"The recent sale of Asian art on www.igavelauctions.com brought a record for the site, with 148 lots selling for $864,600. "We are delighted," says president Lark E. Mason. "It's what we believed would happen when we started the company three years ago - we enable buyers and sellers to participate from around the world, because they are comfortable with our platform, knowing that we guarantee every lot for authenticity and condition."

Antiques and The Arts Online

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Tea Table Sells For $59,400 At Litchfield County Auctions
June 20, 2006

"Sale totals reached $561,525 against an estimate of $375/575,000. A priced estate sale, featuring property from the same estates and collections, earned more than $30,000, bringing the sales' total to about $600,000. Of the 557 lots, 468 were sold for a sell-through rate of 84 percent. This was Litchfield County Auctions 12th sale on the auction Website iGavel, and Litchfield County Auctions remains very happy with the venue. "

Maine Antiques Digest

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iGavel Sets Up New York Office and Showroom
by Lita Solis-Cohen
May 2006

"'Our sales have been hosted by our associates-large dealers and auction houses who sell entirely on line with us. Now we see the need for smaller sellers and have launched monthly various-owner consignment sales under the banner of iGavel Associates," Mason explained. "We have developed strategies to accommodate big sellers and small ones while at the same time guaranteeing all items for authenticity and condition.'"

Traditional Home Magazine

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Serene Celadon
by Ann E. Berman
April 2006

"That celadon so prized by 17th-and 18th-century European nobility really set the tone for later collecting,"says New York dealer Lark Mason. "In the early 20th century, important American collectors like J.P. Morgan were buying it in quantity....After China became more open to the West, a lot of lesser-quality Song and Ming material became available, softening prices in the middle market, " says Mason. "But prices for great things have continued to rise."

Bloomberg.com

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Chinese Jar Sells for $4.7 Mil. at Sotheby's New York Auction
by Lindsay Pollock
March 30, 2006

"'We're seeing confirmation of the influence of buyers from mainland China,' said Lark Mason, President of iGavel.com, an online auction site. 'They're looking for personal status symbols.'"

Antiques and The Arts Online

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Tiffany Desk Set Trumps Fine Art At Litchfield County Auctions
March 28, 2006

"Litchfield County Auctions' (LCA) February 16 online auction on iGavel was one of several very successful auctions that kicked off 2006 for the online website. Overall, the sale was a great success, according to the auctioneer, selling 509 out of 571 lots for a sell-through rate of 89 percent. The 509 items had a combined presale estimate of about $400/600,000 and sold right at the top of that estimate for $600,000."

Antiques and The Arts Online

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Everard & Co. Internet Camera Auction Brings Over $708,000
March 14, 2006

"The third sale of cameras from the collection of the late James A. Collins, Jr, conducted by Everard and Company, brought a total of $708,000 (including buyer's premium) and brought record prices for rare items, with 95 percent of lots sold. "The star of the auction was an extremely rare Leica MP-2 camera with motor and two battery packs," says Chris Everard. "Only 27 cameras and 15 motors are known to have been produced. Something like this comes up once in a collector's lifetime, and it set an Internet auction record of $86,250."

Art and Antiques Magazine

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Eye of the Beholder, History and visual appeal are true values
by Morgan McFarland
February 2006

"The Western world has been fascinated by China for thousands of years,” says Lark E. Mason Jr., president of iGavel.com. “Alexander the Great, Marco Polo, many Spanish explorers and American sea traders all traveled to Asia to expand trade routes in exotic goods that were purchased inexpensively and then sold back home for a profit. During the 18th century, contact between Western traders and Chinese merchants was extensive. The mystique of China captured the popular imagination, and European porcelain factories created models of how they believed these exotic peoples appeared."

Houston Chronicle

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VALUED TREASURES, On the "Roadshow'' Three episodes of PBS program give Houston-area collectors a chance to bask in the spotlight
By Nicki Britton
January 28, 2006

"Beth Galiano's beautiful painted Chinese vase sits atop a carved camphor-wood chest in her neat-as-a-pin living room. The vase, the chest and a half-dozen other Asian art pieces were gifts from her father, an electrician who received them as payment from a Chinese immigrant client in the 1960s. For 40 years, the vase has decorated her den, surviving the rough play of children and grandchildren as well as four burglaries. Galiano thought the piece might be worth $1,000. Her eyes widened when appraiser Lark E. Mason estimated it would fetch $8,000-$12,000 at auction. "

NetClearly

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SOLD!
By Nirmala Nataraj
October/Novemeber 2005

"'iGavel.com (www.igavelauctions.com) focuses exclusively on art sales. Run by curator and art connoisseur Lark E. Mason Jr., iGavel offers a wide variety of original paintings, sculptures, glasswork, jewelry and prints. In the section labeled The Attic, iGavel also offers merchandise for buyers on a budget, with prices that don't exceed $200. Online auctions are ideal for art lovers who have neither the time nor the volition to make it to an auction house. Although they've been around for some time, there's room for new competition as well as more innovation.'"

EcommerceGuide.com

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Buying and Selling Antiques Online
By Jennifer Schiff
October 18, 2005

"'Until recently, if you wanted an antique appraised and/or sold, you went to a local antiques dealer or maybe contacted an auction house. Then came eBay, which purchased auction house Butterfield & Butterfield in 1999, and antiques and collectibles buyers and sellers had another option. However, as anyone who has ever auctioned — or tied to auction — antiques on eBay has quickly discovered, moving big-ticket items is rarely as easy or as profitable as it seems. Similarly, selling antiques through a dealer or an auction house, while perhaps more reliable, can get pricey when you factor in commissions, fees, and shipping. Buying can be expensive, too. Today, however, antique sellers and buyers who don't want to go the live auction or eBay route have two more options - both of them reliable and less expensive than the more traditional methods of buying and selling antiques. Welcome to the world of iGavel.com, the next generation of buying and selling antiques. "

Bloomberg.com

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TV's Lark Mason Jr. Brings Art Expertise to Online Auction Firm
by Lindsay Pollock
August 23, 2005

"Mason, 50, is president of iGavel, an online auction house focused on the vast middle market for art and antiques--higher quality than Ebay Inc. but considerably lower the live sales conducted by Sotheby's Holdings Inc. and Christie's International. Prices on iGavel range from $200 to $250,000."

Savannah Morning News

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Online auction house finds a friendly home in Savannah
By Bill Dawers
July 30, 2005

"Everard & Co. has now been up and running for two years. Founded by Amanda and Chris Everard, the business is making quite a splash in the world of online auctions. But this is no eBay, where you can find just about anything of any quality. Through the site iGavel (www.igavelauctions.com), which guarantees authenticity and condition of fine art, antiques and other collectibles, Everard & Co. holds approximately four major auctions a year. Certain aspects of iGavel are similar to eBay, like the mad rush in the auctions' final moments. But other aspects are more buyer-friendly. The minimum bids, for example, are the same as the reserve amount, so potential buyers are not as much in the dark as with the larger Web site. Minimum bids are typically 60 percent of the low estimate."

Courier Post
(Cherry Hill, NJ)

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An Eye for History
By Michael T. Burkhart
July 1, 2005

"Today, Mason is president of iGavel.com, an online auction site he founded in 2003. Mason enjoys holding history in his hands, from his specialty of Asian art to ancient letters and ship logs. His relationship with Antiques Roadshow, public television's most-watched prime-time show, started a decade ago, when producers were looking for experts to travel the country appraising items."

The Daily Record
(Baltimore, MD)

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Tech Roundup - Registered e-mail, preventing theft and more
By Correy E. Stephenson
May 27, 2005

"Need to sell something that is truly special? www.igavelauctions.com is an established online auction site specializing in antiques, collectibles and fine art. The site requires registration and the rules are similar to eBay's with regard to bidding. Users will appreciate the ability to reach a broad audience, especially when the local market isn't promising. The site also offers consignment fees and can provide guarantees of authenticity and condition for your items. "

The Wall Street Journal

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Small Auctions: Going, Going, Gone Online
By Alex Halperin
May 25, 2005

"In 2003, Sotheby's alumnus Lark Mason started iGavel, an e-commerce site for art dealers. The site does not host live auctions. Instead, as with standard eBay, bids arrive for days or weeks before a predetermined closing time. IGavel derives revenue from a portion of the 15% buyer's premium charged on all purchases. In April, it sold an untitled painting of Paris by the Chinese-born artist Zao Wou-Ki for $220,000 not including the buyer's premium, a site record. The average sale price on iGavel is about $870. "There's a lot of excitement in going to a live auction," Mr. Mason said. "There's also a lot of wasted time." Placing a bid online and checking it daily (or hourly) might be less fun than a bidding war in a well-appointed hall, but the small sites argue that they better serve their sellers through targeted advertising and more personal attention. ' Everard and Co., a Savannah, Ga., art business that works with iGavel, had a pair of Chinese zitan cabinets estimated to sell for $3,000 to $5,000. After a bidding war between buyers in Shanghai and Hong Kong, the cabinets sold for $70,000. To get good prices, sellers "don't have to go to New York anymore," the company's president, Amanda Everard, said."

Antiques and The Arts Online

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Enamel Miniature of George Washington Brings a Record $120,750 Online
May 17, 2005

"'An unsigned enamel miniature of George Washington was the star of Ruggiero & Associates' April 13 auction on iGavel.com, where it brought a record $120,750. "The high sales price demonstrates that great items produce exceptionally good results," said Bob Ruggiero of Ruggiero & Associates, which presented the auction. "Our estimate for the miniature was only $5/800 because, although we had oral tradition as provenance, it was unsigned," he said. "But quality and rarity count. We saw the same trend in estate jewelry and European paintings, and with iGavel we reach a knowledgeable audience worldwide.'"

Crain's New York Business

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Special Report: Small Business, Art dealers do web site's bidding
By Tina Traster
May 9, 2005

"In 2004, it's first year of operation, fine art and antiques auction Web site iGavel grossed $300,000 by working with large regional art dealers. Founder Lark E. Mason Jr. is now convinced that he can double his revenues by resettling his sights and aiming for the far more numerous and needy small dealers. iGavel gives dealers 'a chance to greatly expand their pool of specialized buyers by eliminating geographic boundaries.'"