Fontaine’s Auction Gallery

A great family owned antique and auction business. The live auctions are fun, friendly and they change every month! The bidding at the auctions is also very fun! John and his staff made this whole experience wonderful, and I had a great time looking at all of the antiques! I recommend showing up early to see the previews and to reserve a seat!

John Fontaine is a classic example of why antique dealers have a bad reputation! I can’t believe how nice he was and the great prices he gave when he came to down to our place to take many of our beautiful antiques; only to turn around and rob us blind and take us for a ride! A never ending ride! It been almost 2 years and each time we try to contact him and ask him what is going on with the 2 truck fulls of antiques, he says they either didn’t sell yet or: «Well unfortunately, the auction didn’t do too well, here’s the cheque for a few hundred bucks.» Seriously! That one gorgeous antique mirror on its own is worth $ 3000! And he knew it since he himself said when he was at our place, that it wouldn’t go for less than $ 1000! And when we asked for the rest of the big ticket items, he said they haven’t sold yet. Yet, when we asked for their return, few days later, he finally gets back to us and says that they just sold but for 1\8^th the value!!!
How can he even sleep at night!
If we weren’t dealing with family illnesses and care giving, and had the time and energy, we would have already sued! But, there’s a time and place for everything. That time and place will come!

Gave them a bunch of furniture on consignment in 2008. Got a check for $ 75 for an original Thonet hatstand (a bit low, methinks?), and then never heard from them again, despite numerous phone calls. Maybe good for buying, but my experience suggests that they are not trustworthy when it comes to consigning.

Some of the best antiques in the Berkshires and beyond. The last antique clock auction was just fantastic! An E. Howard No. 68 floor standing astronomical regulator clock descending over the course of many decades from the original family sold for $ 277,300 at an antique clock auction held Nov. 23 by Fontaine’s Auction Gallery. It was a new world auction record for an E. Howard clock, shattering the old record set in November, 2012 of $ 230,100, also at Fontaine’s.
The E. Howard No. 68 was the top lot in an auction that saw 370 rare and important clocks from several prominent collections come up for bid in a sale which grossed over 1 million dollars. The best things in this auction went well beyond our expectations, with new clients participating at every level. Fine examples of rare clocks are at the highest selling point that I can remember over the course of my forty years in the industry said John Fontaine, owner of Fontaine’s Auction Gallery.
Fontaine’s Auction Gallery’s next big event will be a cataloged antique auction slated for Saturday, Jan. 11, at 11 a.m. (with previews Friday, Jan. 10, from 10 – 5, and Saturday, Jan. 11, from 8 – 11 a.m.). Featured will be items from the home, shop & personal collection of Randy Gottesfeld of Gaslight Time, Brooklyn NY. The auction will be held in Fontaine’s Pittsfield gallery, at 1485 West Housatonic Street.