D. Thomas Miniatures Introduces The James Damiani Collection Estate Sale

D. Thomas Miniatures is proud to be bringing the James Damiani Miniatures Collection to market to miniatures enthusiasts from all over the world with a late winter/early spring estate sale starting on Thursday, February 29 on eBay.

James Damiani, an artist and collector from New England is looking to downsize his collection and D. Thomas Miniatures is helping to find new homes for Mr. Damiani's tiny treasures. Darren Scala, owner of D. Thomas Fine Miniatures says, "I am thrilled to be hosting this estate sale filled with awesome miniatures and joining them with collectors everywhere who will love and appreciate these fine works."

The sale includes a dramatic Georgian style period roombox featuring polished hardwood floors, an ornate center fireplace, fabric wall covering, wainscot paneling, a 6-panel milled door with lavish plaster relief and a breathtaking multi-level coffered ceiling highlighted by a glass and crystal chandelier. The roombox is contained within a lacquered 2-door Asian-inspired painted cabinet with brass hardware.

The 1/12 scale Georgian roombox is replete with the highest quality miniatures available for sale and made by some of the finest craftspeople of the 20th century including furniture by Alan Barnes/Tarbena (desk, chair and bookcase), Mark Gooch (long credenza), and Michael Walton (hardwood book shelf with fretwork).

There are also many small scale accessories and decorative objects included in sale by artists and companies including Keith Bougourd/Small Time Miniatures (mantle clock), Stokesay Ware (porcelain), Jim Pounder (lighting), Pete Acquisto (Sterling Silver), Ed Chol (Vermeer) and Taller Targioni (sewing stand, bench, turned frame with petite point)

The collection also includes a large assortment, rarely found, of tiny treasures by the gifted Nantasy Fantasy (leatherwear, walking sticks, dueling pistols, hardwood cases and more) as well as pieces by J. Getzan, Ken Palmer, John Miller, L. Delaney and Luminations by Mr. K.

And finally, there are several hand-painted antique portraits of 18 and 19th century figures (some historically significant) including a French lady painted on ivory and framed in reticulated brass (signed, likely 1800s).

This sale will be a mix of "buy now" and 10 day auction options starting on Thursday, February 29 at approximately 7pm ET. The auction will end on Sunday, March 3, starting at 7pm ET. Auction start and end times will be staggered to allow for multiple bidding and subsequent wins .

A special LIVESTREAM preview of the estate sale will is scheduled for Tuesday, February 27 at 7pm ET for viewers to see several pieces offered and address any questions you may have before the sale ends. I'll also be sharing tips and trips for navigating an eBay sale for a successful buyer experience. Registration for the livestream event can be found here.

I look forward to seeing you there and wish you the best if you decide to shop the sale!

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Be sure to sign up at www.dthomasfineminiatures.com so you never miss event updates a and follow me on my social media channels here: https://bit.ly/DThomasLink

Thank you for being a part of the D. Thomas Miniatures community!

- Darren

D. Thomas Miniatures

SMALL TALK * ESTATE SALES * GALLERY

#FindTheJoyInMiniatures

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D. Thomas Miniatures Web Talk: How to Sell Your Adored Miniatures

Are you looking to sell your adored collection of miniatures? Join my free webinar when I will talk about all of your options if you are interested in selling your adored collection.

Perhaps you are downsizing your assortment or looking to make room for more miniatures (who knew little things take up so much space?!). Maybe you are helping a friend or family member find happy homes for their miniatures or looking to make sure that your collection is ushered into the right hands after you’ve moved on to a bigger and better mini world!

I'm excited to be sharing my knowledge of the options you have for guiding your collections to a protected and cherished home while answering as many of the questions you might have about best ways of handling your adored treasures.

Hardwood Dollhouse Miniature Artisan Kit

While my seminar will take you through all of your options for selling your collection, you may decide to choose my services. Here is a bit more about me and my experience selling miniatures:

I’ve been a passionate about miniatures virtually my entire life. While I collect and craft miniatures as a hobby, I mostly promote and sell tiny treasures as a business. Over the years, I've developed a keen ability to connect collectors with buyers who share the same understanding of the love, dedication and hard work it takes to curate a personal collection of miniatures; I've learned how to join sellers with enthusiasts who share a common appreciation for the joy, respect and care that miniatures deserve. I’m often called a “Miniatures Empath” or the "Dollhouse Whisperer.”

I'm excited to be sharing my knowledge of the options you have for guiding your collections to a protected and cherished home while answering as many of the questions you might have about best ways of handling your adored treasures.

Miniatures are so often misunderstood and dismissed as “toys” or mere “playthings” and sellers want to ensure that their estates are handled with the proper care and respect they deserve. Through the process of learning about the collectors and their collections, I find out about their specific passions, their favorite artists and where they made their discoveries. I ask questions and create an emotional connection while developing strong relationships with my clients, building trust and providing comfort in knowing that their collections will end in the right hands. Photo Above: Buckalter Estate Sale)

Dollhouse Miniature Collection Fine Art Scale Furniture

A few years ago, I worked with the family of a miniature collector. I learned that the collector was born in Philadelphia, was the wife of a prominent businessman and that she spent over 50 years putting together her collection. I discovered that a portion of her collection was gifted and exhibited in an East Coast museum and that it appeared on the cover of a miniatures magazine.

It was terrific to meet with the granddaughter and great granddaughter to review the collection and talk about bringing it to market. They were excited to know that I would care for it as much for it as their grandmother did.

Dollhouse Miniature Harpsichord Fine Art Miniature Joannes Landman

The balance of the collection consisted of, among other objects, miniature metal, pottery, flowers, and a pair of oversized, hand-crafted, antique hardwood secretaries. Through research, I found the original gallery in New York City which handled the sale of the piece and discovered that it was quite a rare object. When I began the auction, I connected with a buyer who had been looking for a similar piece for a long time and was thrilled when she discovered one had existed. She was overjoyed as the winning bidder!

Dollhouse Miniature Fine Art Furniture Michael Walton Neil Bateson

More recently I connected with a woman who was handling the estate of her sister who had passed several years ago. Her sister was an avid collector with a passion for food miniatures and had commissioned and purchased an extensive assortment of fine scaled polymer clay bakery and confectionary pieces.

This included individual cakes and cookies as well as vignettes overflowing with scrumptious treasures created by artists like Mary Broaddus and Kim Saulter.

Tufted Leather Dollhouse Miniature Fine Art Comfy Chair

My client expressed how delighted she was that her sister’s collection would be treasured, cared for and loved as much as her sister loved them. I’m still working on finding new homes for this wonderful collection!

Assortment of Fine Art Miniatures 1/12 Scale Mark Murphy

I do love the miniatures world but what I think I love most is how it can bring people together through a shared love of tiny objects and respect for the craft.

Neil Bateson Dollhouse Miniature Secretary 1/12 Scale

This is a reprint of my feature in the March 2021 issue of Dollshouse and Miniature Scene magazine.

I look forward to seeing you all at my upcoming seminar!

See you there!

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Be sure to sign up at www.dthomasfineminiatures.com so you never miss event updates a and follow me on my social media channels here: https://bit.ly/DThomasLink

Thank you for being a part of the D. Thomas Miniatures community!

- Darren

D. Thomas Miniatures

SMALL TALK * ESTATE SALES * GALLERY

#FindTheJoyInMiniatures

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The Year in Miniatures!

I'm excited to share with you a recap of the BIGGEST little stories to hit the Miniature World in 2023 from mainstream media news and entertainment, museum and gallery installations, the show circuit and more... so let's get to it! (Below: Aba Amuquandoh, host of Best in Miniature)

There were a number of mainstream print and digital news stories published about our little world in 2003. In May, The New York Times took us "Inside the World of Small Objects" and featured show promoter Tom Bishop...

...along with a number of awesome artists presenting at the annual International Tom Bishop Show in Chicago (below: folks from Itty Bitty Mini Mart)

In early November, author Scott Huler wrote a terrific story in Esquire about the "Weird and Wonderful World of Miniatures" which featured miniaturist Bob Off  and talked about how Miniatures are having its moment.

And finally, later that month The Wall Street Journal took on the subject with this piece and wrote about how newcomers are entering the scene with cash to spend on the tiny!

In early November, author Scott Huler wrote a terrific story in Esquire about the "Weird and Wonderful World of Miniatures" which featured miniaturist Bob Off and talked about how Miniatures are having its moment. And finally, later that month The Wall Street Journal took on the subject with this piece and wrote about how newcomers are entering the scene with cash to spend on the tiny!

Commercial media, entertainment and fashion has also covered Miniatures over the past year in a BIG way and included the kick off of Season 3 of Best in Miniature, the hit reality-based competition show about making miniatures. We also saw the arrival of the Small is Beautiful Art exhibition in New York City (after debuting in London and Paris) which featured dozens of miniature artists from across the globe with an entertaining approach to showcasing the tiny!

...and finally, Miniatures were highlighted in an episode of PBS Craft in America just last month and featured an interview with master miniaturist and IGMA Fellow Mark Murphy.

...oh, and miniatures also made it BIGLY into the fashion world with the launch of the designer dollhouse handbag presented by Jaden Smith at the Fall 2023 Louis Vuitton fashion show.

In major museum and gallery news, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston opened its "Tiny Treasures: The Magic of Miniatures" exhibition (through February 2024) featuring miniatures in a number of different mediums from diorama art, portraiture, pottery and more...

The National Trust Queen Victoria Museum and Gallery presented Miniature Worlds: The Magic of Small Scale Making co-curated by and featuring work by Joshua Smith. A special Meet the Miniaturist broadcast is available to watch here.

And finally, the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures in Kansas City premiered a new miniature art gallery space within the museum featuring rotating miniature art exhibitions.

The space was designed and built by Los Angeles based miniaturist Chris Toledo along with help from the iconic Bill Robertson.

In addition to presenting and lecturing at library and arts organizations this year, D. Thomas Miniatures (me) was thrilled to curate and host my first miniature flower show at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, New York with the help of many awesome miniaturist who contributed their talents and treasures to the exhibition. More here and to view my virtual tour hosted by the museum.

I was also able to host a number of mini movers and shakers in the Miniatures World on my Meet the Miniaturist broadcast - you can catch all of the previous broadcasts on my YouTube channel here. (Work below by the very talented Hannah Lemon from Hannah Lemon Art here.)

And finally, I was thrilled to host a number of estate sales and auctions to help find happy homes for some of the treasures crafted by artisans from all over the world belonging to diligent and passionate collectors (Below: work by Nell Corkin).

It's been a terrific year for the miniatures world and I am excited to be just a small part of it...for more 2023 news and stories, head over to (and follow!) my Facebook page here - you can also check or check out my blog posts here. Make sure you're signed up for my email updates here. and of course you can follow me on all my social media channels here.

Thank YOU for all of your continued support and encouragement for the content I bring, for all the follows, likes and comments, you make what I do love it even more each day...stay tuned for more in '24!

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