Gordon's timing for his sale was right. The rising stock market, the strong economy, new collectors on the scene, and Chrisitie's publicity machine all worked in his favor. Dealers who complained about repainting, rebuilding, reglazing, and cut margins nevertheless bid competitively on items too good to resist. Those not as savvy paid big prices for items with major repairs. Though Gordon said that some things he bought for a few hundred dollars years ago sold for tens of thousands, not every item brought more than he paid, and some went for dramatically less, reflecting changes in the marketplace, increased knowledge, and current attitudes toward restoration.
Every sale has some bargains.
Recently shown at the Museum of American Folk Art, they were well painted and in fine condition, with very little conservation in the background and none to the figures themselves. A smaller portrait of the man's daughter, attributed to Brewster, was more appealing. Gordon said both came 30 or more years ago from the same source, New York dealer Harry Stone. The buzz at the presale exhibition was that it was a 20th-century piece. New scholarship and connoisseurship worked to Gordon's advantage.