45-Piece Sidney Mobell Collection Scores Big for Bonhams

A collection of 45 jeweled creations from the estate of Sidney Mobell brought in $132,864 at a recent Bonhams sale, with a gold-plated, gem-set Monopoly board fetching more than five times its high estimate.

The single-owner online auction featured designs by Mobell — an American artist, jeweler and philanthropist — as well as items from his personal collection. Overall, 87% of lots sold.

The top lot of the sale, a Sidney Mobell 23-karat gold-plated, gem-set Monopoly game, included board, dice, tokens, cards, hotels, houses, dice cup and play money printed in metallic paper. The piece realized $28,800, more than five times its $5,000 high estimate.

A Sidney Mobell 18-karat bicolor gold and round diamond loupe with 10x magnification set with 4.35 carats of round diamonds quadrupled its upper presale price, selling for $10,880.

Meanwhile, a platinum ring with a cut-cornered rectangular step-cut, 1.97-carat diamond surrounded by 26 tapered baguette diamonds brought in $10,880, just over its $10,000 high presale estimate.

Other highlights of the sale included:

A Sidney Mobell 18-karat gold, platinum, gem-set and diamond Snowball Furby doll, dated 1999, with removable and wearable jewelry. It sold for $8,320, smashing its $2,000 high estimate.

A Sidney Mobell white metal and enamel Monopoly set that achieved $7,040, far exceeding its $3,000 upper price.

A 14-karat bicolored gold mousetrap made in 1975 with moving parts and a white gold cheese wedge bearing 60 round diamonds. It fetched $6,400, within its expected range.

A Sidney Mobell 18-karat yellow gold bingo dabbers with round diamonds that spell “Bingo” set in white gold. It garnered $6,080, against a high presale estimate of $3,000.

A gold-plated silver, gem-set, diamond, and enamel limited-edition egg, circa 1982, by artist Susan Tibbon for Sidney Mobell. The Christmas themed piece achieved $4,800, more than five times its $900 high presale estimate.

Image: Monopoly board. (Bonhams)