Trophy is top prize at Auction Gallery of Palm Beaches, June 25

The trophy from the Palm Beach Estate of B. Giles Brophy is certainly the gallery’s most recognized lot to be offered to date. Gallery president Brian Kogan commented that “having the trophy for auction is like having a very special and one-of-a-kind jewel. There is only one trophy made for the breeders of the horse and no additional copies are made.” The auction will take place at 6 p.m. EDT at the gallery’s premises at 1609 S. Dixie Highway, Suite 5, West Palm Beach.

The Kentucky Derby Trophy is believed to be the only solid gold trophy awarded annually to the winner of an American sporting event. It is a created from a brick of 14K gold and the horse and jockey finial is 18K. The solid gold trophy is made by the New England Sterling, weighs 62 ounces and is 16 3/4 inches. To complete the trophy by April, craftsmen begin the process during the fall of the previous year and literally work hundreds of hours. The entire trophy is handcrafted with the exception of the horse and rider that are both cast from a mold. The horseshoe, fashioned from 18K gold, had pointed downward on each of the trophies since 1924. Strike the Gold went on to place third at the Belmont that same year and had a racing career with winnings over $3.5 million before being sold to the Jockey Club of Turkey for breeding. The trophy is estimated at $100,000-$150,000.

Additionally, the auction will include a selection of English, American, European and Oriental antiques; English, American and Chinese sterling silver; fine art; bronzes; ivory, chandeliers/sconces; and jewelry from estates and individuals in South Florida and the Palm Beaches. Over 350 lots will be offered including lot 325, an impressive English George IV sterling salver by Robert Garrard London 1816, 20 3/4 inches in diameter and weighing 126 ounces; lot 319, a late 19th century French Fountainbleu porcelain figural clock adorned with a standing almost 30-inch-tall classical lady with wreaths and bouquets of exotic flowers; lot 295, a superb Chinese white jade vase with cover subtly carved with rooster mask; lot 263, a 284-piece Coalport china service in the Hong Kong pattern; lot 224, a natural yellow fancy 2.4-carrat diamond ring; and lot 76 an American 18th century mahogany Chippendale inlaid extension dining table; and lot 154 a 1947 Seeburg Symphonola kukebox.

Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches Inc. is recognized as having been one of the first auctions to sell on-line, in 2003. Over the past nine years the gallery has become recognized as the leader in the selling of estates in Palm Beach and South Florida. The gallery preview will begin on Wednesday, June 20, and run daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Telephone, absentee, and Internet live bidding is available. Visit the auctioneer’s website at www.AGOPB.com for details or email the gallery at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . For condition reports contact Leslie Baker or Brian Kogan at 561-805-7115.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.