Auction 86 Highlights

Welcome to Sale 86 which contains many items that are ‘exotic’ or ‘erotic’ in taste. If you are easily offended, then this is not the sale for you and, we suggest that you look forward to our next auction.

The sale largely comprises collectables from the estates of two Sydney gentlemen.

The first, John Pond, was a multi-talented man who excelled in a number of careers first as a pioneer of Australian TV Variety productions, then as a an executive in the hospitality industry before chancing his hand in America as a high-ranking employee of ‘Playboy Enterprises.’ While the Director of Entertainment at Sydney’s Boulevarde Hotel, John was central in extricating Frank Sinatra from a hotel siege after he offended the Australian Union Movement then headed by Bob Hawke with his comment about women journalists. John was provided with an access pin so that he could liaise directly with Sinatra in his role as the go-between with Hawke. The pin is included in our sale and comes with a copy of the ‘Joint Statement on behalf of Frank Sinatra and Bob Hawke on behalf of the Unions’ that satisfied all parties and enabled ‘Cranky Franky’ to leave Australia.

The second, Gene van Grecken was a soldier, inventor, artist, and avid collector who as an early patron of the Hermannsburg Art Movement held a ground-breaking exhibition of Aboriginal Art at Anthony Hordern’s Arana Room in 1957. Some of the art from this historic exhibition is included in this sale. His later amalgam of sex and mysticism resulted in a collection of graphic prints titled 'Aphrodisia' which he released as a limited-edition book of just 200 copies.

I think you will agree that two lives-well-lived resulted in a unique mixture of collectables that captures different aspects of their existences. We hope you enjoy the items on offer.

Smalls Auctions.