ATLANTA – At the start of each month, ACN columnist Ken Hall gathers top auction highlights from around the United States and beyond. Here’s what made headlines since last month’s report:

Mardi Gras Rex ducal badges, $9,963, Crescent City Auction

A group of four Mardi Gras Rex ducal badges from 1888, 1894, 1907 and 1912 sold for $9,963 at an estates auction held Jan. 14-15 by Crescent City Auction Gallery in New Orleans. Also, a 14K white gold dinner ring with a round 2.12-carat diamond went for $9,840; a French carved walnut bookcase, circa 1900, brought $3,444; and a Confederate Navy cutlass attributed to Thomas Griswold (New Orleans, circa 1861), with embossed eagle pommel, fetched $2,214. Prices are inclusive of the buyer’s premium.

Three-stone diamond ring, $37,200, Nadeau’s Auction

A platinum three-stone diamond ring set with three emerald-cut diamonds, each one 1.8-1.9 carats, sold for $37,200 at a New Year’s Day auction conducted by Nadeau’s Auction Gallery in Windsor, Conn. Also, a Patek Philippe minute repeater chronometer in an 18K gold closed-face case changed hands for $32,500; an oil portrait painting by Thomas Prichard Rossiter (American, 1818-1871) brought $20,400; and a yellow 1966 Thunderbird with 51,659 original miles sped off for $15,600. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.

Automaton musical clock, $998,250, Fontaine’s Auction

A rare 18th century English-made pagoda form automaton musical clock, produced for the Chinese Qing Imperial Court, sold for $998,250 at an Antique & Fine Arts Auction held Jan. 21 by Fontaine’s Auction Gallery in Pittsfield, Mass. Also, a Joseph Jennens oak Horner 9-tube grandfather clock fetched $25,410; an E. Howard floor standing regulator clock realized $24,200; and a French industrial animated steam pump clock finished at $20,570. Prices include a 21 percent buyer’s premium.

1837 U.S. Treasury banknote, $28,800, Archives International

An 1837 interest-bearing $100 U.S. Treasury proof banknote sold for $28,800 at a two-session auction held Dec. 6 and 13 by Archives International Auctions in Fort Lee, N.J. Also, a U.S. Department of the Interior 1894 Federal related Cherokee Nation Bond, for the purchase of the Cherokee Outlet in Oklahoma Territory hit $1,620; a Central Bank of China, 1949 Gold Yuan issue essay specimen pair hit $1,440; and a 1925 Ningpo Commercial Bank, Shanghai issue rose to $2,400. Prices include a 20 percent buyer’s premium.

1959 Chevrolet Corvette, $78,775, Stevens Auction

A red 1959 Chevrolet Corvette sports car with the original 283 cubic-inch engine and four-speed transmission, in like-new condition, roared away for $78,775 at an auction held Jan. 7 by Stevens Auction Co. in Aberdeen, Miss. Also, a circa-1860 pair of period rococo gold mirrors, 7 feet 4 inches tall, brought $23,000; a two-piece rosewood Victorian bedroom suite attributed to Pottier & Stymus fetched $19,550; and a 10-saw cotton gin made circa 1905 went for $17,250. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.

Apulian red-figure amphora, $43,020, Artemis Gallery

An oversize Apulian (Magna Gaecia, southern Italy) red-figure amphora, 39 inches tall, sold for $43,020 at an auction of antiquities, Asian and ethnographic art held Jan. 18-19 by Artemis Gallery in Boulder, Colo. Also, a Romano-Egyptian plaster mummy bust of a young man, circa first century B.C. to first century, 15 3/4 inches tall, fetched $13,145; and a Chavin (northern coastal Peru) artwork replicating a jaguar’s paw, circa 1400-400 B.C., also hammered for $13,145. Prices are inclusive of the buyer’s premium.

Diamond pendant necklace, $14,000, Cordier Auctions

A 10.6-carat total weight white and cognac diamond pendant necklace sold for $14,000 at a Fine Jewelry & Sterling Auction held Dec. 3 by Cordier Auctions & Appraisals in Harrisburg, Pa. Also, a 14K 2.27-carat diamond ring went for $7,000; a 14K Dudley Masonic pocket watch finished at $4,600; a 14K white gold and 3.48 carat total weight diamond bracelet made $4,000; and a 64-piece set of Stieff Rose repousse flatware was tops in the silver category, selling at $1,300. Prices are hammer, exclusive of the buyer’s premium.

Fine Asian jade table screen, $100,300, Michaan’s Auctions

A fine Asian jade table screen crafted from a thick plaque of semi-translucent pale celadon jade and carved in high relief on both sides with landscape scenes sold for $100,300 at a Fine Asian Art Auction held Dec. 18 by Michaan’s Auctions in Alameda, Calif. Also, a richly colored tall Chinese cloisonné enamel vase, covered in stylized motifs and with a neck encircled by figures of smiling boys, also fetched $100,300; and a large huanghuali altar coffer hammered for $50,150. Prices include a 17 percent buyer’s premium.

Edward Seago painting, $106,250, Freeman’s

A painting by British artist Edward Seago (1910-1974), titled The John Biscoe in Pack Ice, sold for $106,250 at a sale of The Forbes Collections (Dec. 14) and The Brewster Collection (Dec. 15) at Freeman’s in Philadelphia. Also, a painting by the French painter Jules Achille Noel (1815-1881), titled Plage du Treport, rose to $106,250; and a painting by Eugene Louis Boudin (French, 1824-1898) made $87,500. Prices include a 25 percent buyer’s premium.

Experimental ’42 glass cent, $70,500, Heritage Auctions

The only known surviving intact experimental all-glass cent coin, manufactured in 1942 as an alternative to copper, which was urgently needed during World War II, sold for $70,500 at an auction held Jan. 6 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., by Heritage Auctions as part of the annual Florida United Numismatists convention. Made of tempered, yellow-amber transparent glass by the Blue Ridge Glass Co. (Kingsport, Tenn.), the coin is one of only two known. The other one is broken in half.

1598 map, Southeast Asia, $31,200, Swann Auction

A double-page map of Southeast Asia by Petrus Plancius, titled The Spice Map, London, 1598, sold for $31,200 at a Maps & Atlases Auction held Dec. 8 by Swann Auction Galleries in New York City. Also, a map by Robert Laurie and James Whittle, titled The Complete East-India Pilot, or Oriental Navigator (London, 1797), sailed to $81,250; and a first state engraved chart by Joseph Frederick Wallet Des Barres, titled The Coast of New England, London, 1776, made $25,000. Prices include a 25 percent buyer’s premium.

Set of English delftware plates, $24,000, Cowan’s Auctions

A set of six English delftware Merryman plates sold for $24,000 at an Americana Auction held Dec. 10 by Cowan’s Auctions in Cincinnati. Also, an Adirondack fall landscape scene by the Scottish-American artist James McDougal Hart (1828-1901) realized $19,200; a hunting scene by Arthur Fitzwilliam Tate (American, 1819-1905), titled Setters and Quail, fetched $22,800; a cigar store Indian figure went for $16,800; and a New England Federal sewing table brought $10,800. Prices are inclusive of the buyer’s premium.

1966 Jaguar XKE coupe, $60,500, Hess Auction

A 1966 Jaguar XKE Series I two-door coupe with a 4.2-liter, 265-horsepower, dual overhead cam, inline 6-cylinder engine roared away for $60,500 at an Antiques & Americana Auction held Dec. 3 by Hess Auction Group in Mannheim, Pa. Also, an oil portrait of George Washington by Jacob Eichholtz, after Gilbert Stuart, commanded $37,760; a Lancaster, Pa., Chippendale walnut architectural schrank realized $15,730; and a marine watercolor of yachts by Montague Dawson made $9,440. Prices include the buyer’s premium.

James Buttersworth painting, $348,500, Doyle New York

A marine rendering by James Buttersworth (1817-1894), titled Yacht Racing Off Sandy Hook, sold for $348,500 at a sale of the Nelson Doubleday Jr. Collection held Jan. 11 by Doyle New York. Also, a pair of circa 1775 George II giltwood pier mirrors earned $75,000; a Chinese famille rose porcelain garden seat realized $7,500; and Doubleday’s National League Championship baseball ring, presented to him after New York’s Subway Series of 2000, hit $13,750. Prices include the buyer’s premium.

Tripod censer painting, $20,000, Clars Auction

A Chinese painting of a tripod censer sold for $20,000 at an auction held Jan. 14-15 by Clars Auction Gallery in Oakland, Calif. Also, a woodcut print in colors by Chiura Obata (American/Japanese, 1885-1975), titled Before the Rain: Mono Lake, High Sierra, realized $10,890, a new auction record for the artist; an orotone by Edward Sherriff Curtis (American, 1868-1952), titled Out of the Darkness, finished at $10,710; and a collection of 37 works by Czech artist Jan Saudek (b. 1935) made $32,700. Prices include a 19 percent buyer’s premium.

Chinese ‘Lime Green’ vase, $87,500, Kaminski Auctions

A Chinese “Lime Green” vase of globular form, just 8 1/4 inches tall and on its original 18th century wood stand, sold for $87,500 at an auction held Jan. 15 by Kaminski Auctions in Beverly, Mass. Also, a Chinese Sang-de-Boeuf “Yuhuchun” vase with a pear-shape form and covered in a deep red glaze with the Qianlong mark on the vase’s base climbed to $18,750; and a mobile by the Argentinian artist Julio Le Parc, titled Continental Lumiere No. 23, 1968, went for $13,750. Prices are inclusive of the buyer’s premium.

Important Paul Evans cabinet, $382,000, Rago Arts & Auction

An important cabinet by Paul Evans sold for $382,000 at a Design Auction held Jan. 21-22 by Rago Arts & Auction Center in Lambertville, N.J. It was a new auction record for the Delaware Valley Modernist. Also, a ribbon-handle vase by George Ohr went for $87,500; a sculptural metal wall-hanging cabinet by Paul Evans brought $112,500; a Murrine a Dama vase by Paolo Venini achieved $46,875; and a large Sonambient sculpture by Harry Bertoia finished at $56,250. Prices are inclusive of the buyer’s premium.

1851 Humbert $50 gold coin, $61,687, Legend Rare Coin

An 1851 U.S. $50 gold coin, issued by Augustus Humbert as California assayer of gold, graded PCGS AU50, sold for $61,687 at Regency Auction XX held Jan. 26 by Legend Rare Coin Auction in Lincroft, N.J. Also, an 1864 U.S. $1 coin, graded PCGS PR66, finished at $47,000; an 1881-S U.S. $1 “Freckles” coin, graded PCGS MS66, brought $23,500, a new world auction record; and an 1885-O U.S. $1 “Screaming Wow” coin, graded PCGS MS66+, hit $19,387, also a record. Prices include a 17.5 percent buyer’s premium.

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By KEN HALL