Cedar Falls arts/antiques auctions draw international bidders

CEDAR FALLS — An auction house, dedicated to the selling and appraising of fine arts and antiques, sits on the industrial edge of Cedar Falls, near the Waterloo Regional Airport.

Founded in 1969, Jackson’s International Auctioneers and Appraisers, 2229 Lincoln St., mainly serves private collectors — about 50,000 of them.

“Our regularly scheduled annual auctions require at least a million in sales, including two premier fine art auctions,” said James L. Jackson, 63, president and CEO of the company, son of its founder, and an art collector himself.

“Our largest single auction brought in $4 million in two days from passionate collectors, including Chinese, Russian and Old Master paintings and several collections or estates,” he said.

One of those big auctions is coming up this week. On Tuesday, the business will auction the largest collection of Russian Imperial porcelain in the country that belongs to Ray Piper, a retired schoolteacher who lives near Milwaukee.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Russian icons and museum quality paintings from the collection by Lt. Col. Robert and Betty Kelso of San Antonio, Texas, will be auctioned. The online catalog is at www.jacksonsauction.com.

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The business

“Jackson’s has grown into a powerful auction house, tripling in revenue and size — an Iowa version of the upscale Sotheby’s or Christie’s auction houses in New York,” Jackson said. “It has had many world-record sales for individual artists.”

Jackson’s ended one year with sales of $15 million, he said, adding that 90 percent of the its buyers come from outside Iowa, and about 30 percent are outside the U.S. Canada and Mexico.

Jackson’s has an average of 2,600 attendees at its auctions — growing from the 300 people who attended the in-person auctions 30 years ago. Most of those attending the auctions today — 80 percent — are online. About 10 percent of the sales are in person and 5 percent are by phone.

“While our attendance has increased, the value of common art and antiques has significantly diminished because so many multiples of items have flooded the market, and the tastes of Gen-Zers are different,” Jackson said.

“General antiques, such as oak dressers, have dropped in value 75 percent from 30 years ago,” he added. “Young people want simple, minimalistic lifestyles and modern art. They are not buying Tiffany lamps, heavily carved furniture or statues. They want to buy and use Ikea furniture and want simple white and gray walls.”

That said, auctions can bring surprises, Jackson said.

“A Colonial furniture piece worth $5,000 30 years ago could go for $1,000 today, but a farm scene painting by Iowa artist Marvin Cone sold for $186,000. The most important quality in valuation is who made it. Art appreciation depends on the age of the buyer.”

Jackson said his family -owned company continues to flourish despite those trends because it specializes in high-end items. The company accepts only a small percentage of the items offered it, selecting only those that meet the needs and interests of its private collectors.

Jackson’s staff of nine local and seven nationwide represent personal property for sale, including paintings, historical firearms, European and American porcelain, ceramics, coins, rugs, jewelry and 20th-century decorative arts.

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Appraisals

Jackson’s staff also handles appraisals of collectibles, antiques and art, a service that represents about 10 percent of the business’ work.

The appraisers are accredited by the International Society of Appraisers. Clients include celebrities, senators and CEOs, Jackson said.

Lauren Stump, a fine art appraiser with Hollingsworth Fine Arts in Orlando, Fla., has worked with Jackson’s since 2012. She assists her clients, many in the final stages of their careers, with selling valuable artwork, collectibles and heirlooms.

“I often partner with Jackson’s, given their team’s impeccable customer service,” Stump said, “including the care that goes into researching consignments and their ability to identify and target specific audiences for those items.

“Jackson’s,” she added, “has direct access to strong buyer networks in Europe, East Asia, and the Middle East, also catering to U.S. collectors with fine offerings of American memorabilia, paintings, prints and sculptures. My clients expect results — partnering with Jackson’s offers me the benefit of knowing their beloved items are in reputable and capable hands.”

The company’s appraisers accept digital photos for free evaluation and will arrange on-site visits if required, Jackson said.

Elizabeth Krambeer, one of Jackson’s appraisers, said the “hot art market” today is “ultra contemporary.”

“There has been a shift in taste from decorating in a Victorian style to midcentury modern,” she said. “We have more buyers who are end users with less desire to fill their homes with displayed assets.

“While real art lovers believe there is no comparison to seeing it in person, the average person’s desire to consume art is mitigated because they have seen it on the internet a thousand times.”

Knighted by Pope

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Jackson, a civic leader knighted twice by the Pope, is the son of the company’s founder, the late Harold (H.) James “Jim” Jackson, who started the company in 1969.

The elder Jackson was an elementary school principal who began holding summertime auctions in a rented building. As his reputation grew, law firms asked him to do probate appraisals and sell the items. His son tagged along, helping his dad.

“I learned from an early age that every object has a story to tell,” the younger Jackson said. “If you like history, as I do, you want to follow the story.”

In 1993, the younger Jackson left a successful career as an ad agency vice president to buy his dad’s business and real estate. He expanded it through marketing efforts and repositioned the company as a fine arts auction firm.

Along the way, he became an expert in Imperial Russian antiques (the monarchy before the 1917 revolution) and American and European paintings.

He is married to Ukrainian-born artist Tatiana Anatolievna Jackson, who helps with Russian translations when needed. They have four children, ages 18 to 28 — daughter Sophia works as a client services associate — and both are leaders in civic and philanthropic activities.

In addition, Jackson co-founded Purple Heart Warriors Outdoors, an all-volunteer, nonprofit hunting excursion in Fayette County for active duty combat soldiers and recently retired veterans. The group had one of its hunting events last week for Veterans Day.

Because Jackson has traveled to 30 countries and sold or appraised more than 10,000 antique Russian icons and decorative arts, national appraisers seek him out for his expertise in Russian and European art and sculpture (c. 1500 to 1900), especially ecclesiastical art.

He also has been a guest museum curator and lecturer for Russian icon exhibitions in the U.S.

His advice for those who have a collection of fine arts and antiques?

"Sell it now,“ he said, ”or the value keeps going down.”