User:OvumNidum/sandbox

= Nest Egg Auctions = Nest Egg Auctions, LLC. is a private American auction house founded in 1997 by Carl and Mary Ellen Brechlin in Meriden, Connecticut. It is currently located in the village of Plantsville in Southington, Connecticut. Nest Egg Auctions is a regional specialist in fine arts, antiques, coins, jewelry, and rocks and minerals.

History
Nest Egg Auctions was originally founded as Nest Egg Antiques, an antique dealing business, by Carl and Mary Ellen Brechlin in 1995. The couple inherited a piece of ruby flash souvenir glass, and were fascinated with the medium. They began collecting, and soon had a large collection. Buying and selling antiques ultimately led to the development of an auction in 1997. Carl Brechlin completed the Missouri Auction School correspondence course, and became a full-fledged auctioneer. Other Brechlin family members and friends, including their children Ryan, Jennifer, Christopher, and Blake, worked with them and the business grew. After the passing of Carl Brechlin in 2008, Ryan became the auctioneer of Nest Egg Auctions.

Early auctions at Nest Egg were in rented spaces such as the Grange Hall and, later, the Masonic Hall in Meriden. In 2003, Nest Egg Auctions was registered, and moved into a permanent home at the former Napier factory in Meriden. Nest Egg Auctions moved to a new building on Research Parkway in Meriden in 2007, and another building in Berlin, Connecticut in 2015. Nest Egg Auctions moved to its current location in the former Carrington Company Building in the village of Plantsville in Southington, Connecticut in 2021.

Auctions
Nest Egg Auctions currently runs a number of curated auctions per year, centered around major auctions in the Spring and Fall, with the main auction being the New Years Sale. Additional thematic auctions, focusing on categories such as jewelry, coins, or individual collections, take place throughout the year.

Nest Egg Auctions has had a number of different types of auction sales throughout its history. From 2003 until 2008, its major sales were weekly Monday morning auctions. Clients would bring in objects they wished to sell, and Nest Egg would sell them that day. These sales were mainly made up of works brought by antique dealers and sold to other dealers. From 2008 until 2017, Nest Egg transitioned to a weekly Monday night auction aimed at the community at large. These auctions were more generalized, with the merchandise being sold by and to the general public. These sales included art, antiques, and jewelry, as well as tools, equipment, and other pieces. Nest Egg’s weekly sales ceased in 2017 as the company began to pursue curated fine arts and antiques sales.

Areas of Expertise
Nest Egg Auctions has expertise in fine arts and antiques, especially pieces from Meriden and the state of Connecticut at large, such as paintings by local artists, silverware, and Victorian art glass. Jewelry, watches, coins, and rocks and minerals are other major categories handled by Nest Egg Auctions. Nest Egg began handling firearms in 2016, and this turned into another company, Connecticut Firearms Auction, in 2017.

Major Auctions
Nest Egg Auctions has had a number of major sales, most notably from private collections. The collection of photographer Alfred Cheney Johnston was the subject of one complete sale, and contributed auction lots to a number of other sales put on by Nest Egg. Johnston’s private collection, which included countless artworks, pieces of furniture, and books, was most notable for the number of nude photographs by Johnston it contained. The collection of New Haven historian Richard Hegel was also sold at auction, and included various paintings, prints, and antiques connected to the city of New Haven, Connecticut. The William Brimley Collection of Circus memorabilia, a local collection of various artifacts related to the circus, was likewise a popular sale of the assembled artifacts of a lifelong collector. The estate of artist Carl Brandein, who painted around the world in the early to mid 20th century, was also sold at a dedicated sale by Nest Egg Auctions.

Selected Artworks Sold
Nest Egg Auctions has sold a number of major artworks:


 * At the Alfred Cheney Johnston Collection Sale on April 16, 2011, a painting by Alphonse Mucha sold for $59,000. This painting was made as an illustration for Hearst’s International Magazine in 1922.
 * At the January 7, 2012 Gala Auction, a painting of the New York Public Library in a snowstorm by Guy Carleton Wiggins sold for $30,680.
 * At the May 5, 2012 sale, a painted aluminum sculpture by Sol LeWitt sold for $118,000.
 * At the December 29, 2018 Gala New Year’s Auction, a painting of the racehorse Man O’ War by Franklin Brooke Voss sold for $59,040.