FYI: Dopyera collection to be sold through Christie's

[Brad Bechtel]

I saw this message from Margaret Lay-Dopyera on the resoguit-l Google group.

Greetings to all our resonator friends!

You are likely aware that my husband, John E. Dopyera, across the years since his father's death in 1988 has sought a museum interested in the purchase and display of the collection of instruments from the last shops of John and Rudy Dopyera.

You may recall that these instruments along with other "last shop" furniture and artifacts were exhibited in Syracuse in 1988 and at the Erie Art Museum in 2000.

For a period of time the instrument collection was featured and offered for sale by Elderly Instruments. Keeping the collection together seemed desirable but that has not worked out.

Now, the instruments are to be sold separately by auction at Christie's in NYC on November 27, 2012. The one instrument from the original set to be withheld from the sale is the resonator violin. The instruments to be sold are, as follows:

DOBRO - A 12-STRING RESONATOR GUITAR CA, C.1974

DOBRO - A RESONATOR GUITAR LOS ANGELES, C. 1932-34

NATIONAL - A RESONATOR TENOR GUITAR, LOS ANGELES, CA, C.1929

DOBRO - A RESONATOR MANODLIN, HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA, C.1970

SAFARI - A RESONATOR MANDOLIN, HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA. C. 1970

NATIONAL – A TRICONE UKEULELE, STYLE 2 VARIENT, LOS ANGELES, c. 1928-29

RUDY DOPYERA - AN ELECTRIC-ACOUSTIC BASS, CA, CIRCA 1975

DOBRO – AN ELECTRIC LAP STEEL GUITAR, LOS ANGELES, C.1936

DOBRO – AN ELECTRIC-ACOUSTIC HAWAAIIAN LAP STEEL GUITAR, C. 1970

RUDY DOPYERA – TWO BALALAIKAS, CA, C. 1973

Revenues from the sale of the instruments will be distributed to the grandchildren of John Dopyera (as per his wish).

To observe or participate in this sale, go online at www.christies.com The catalogue of the sale is available on the website. The Dopyera instruments are lot numbers 31-40.

Additional Dopyera shop artifacts and assorted vintage parts and print materials have been retained but will be made available at a later time.

Here are the instruments.

[HowardR]

Thank for posting this Brad......

[Alvin Blaine]

They've been For Sale on Elderly Instruments website for 4 or 5 years now. I think they were trying to sell it as a complete collection, along with workbenches tools and paper work, now it looks like they are going to auction off everything individually.