“That’s me in 1981,” said Thomas Cornell, the licensed and bonded owner and auctioneer of Thos. Cornell Galleries Ltd., pointing to a page from the 1981 “An Insider’s Guide to Auctions” with his photo. “I worked for Lubin Bros. Gallery in Manhattan for 20 years.”
He started as sales manager, rose to auctioneer, then was Lubin’s vice president.
Cornell’s over four-decade journey forging a legendary antique and auctioneer career will end with his last auctions in Bellport Village, on July 13 and Aug. 15.
But his professional and expert essence will linger on in many a memory.
(His New Year’s Day brunch and auctions always brought in a standing-room-only crowd.)
Cornell talked with the Advance in his adjacent gallery space at 150 South Country Road, chockablock with items like the gorgeous, red-tinged 130-piece Royal Crown Derby dinnerware set rimmed in gold; his early 20th-century podium emblazoned with two mystical birds and crown that he stands next to a screen during auctions; a bronze marble-top Louis XV-style commode; and a large stained-glass window. Everywhere you turned there were desks, paintings, sofas, chairs and rugs, including a vintage Egyptian-style tapestry from the living estate of Joseph Rodano.
His hunt for antique treasures was first piqued at the Century’s 110 Drive-in Theatre in Melville, no longer there. “They had a flea market Wednesday and Sunday,” he said. “My wife, Rosemary, would sell items, and one day there was a box of porcelain glassware. I paid $10 and sold it for $40. I was hooked.”
Over the years, “I’ve done 3,000 auctions in my life,” he said; there were always monthly ones.
Three hundred to 400 people bid now online at his auctions; the bids, many from smartphones, come from as far away as China, Japan, England, France, Germany and, he said, tons from California and Florida. His most expensive item, a Chinese 12-panel screen, sold for $100,000.
Cornell was in what is now Buttermilk’s Kitchen, in Patchogue, for 16 years. In 2016, he established his business in the beautiful building next to MVP Auto on South Country Road. His wife, Rosemary, ran the office, oversaw inventory and cataloguing, and went on purchase trips.
Before “Antiques Roadshow” debuted, Cornell had been meticulously researching and cataloguing his own finds.
“It’s all in the preparation. We take seven to 10 photos of every item,” he said. (Staffer Nancy Ludwig, in fact, was busy outside taking photos of lamps in front of the entrance.)
“They’re shipped all over the world, and we’re very careful if there are any chips or cracks. Because we’re known for ‘what we said, is.’”
His showroom is a regular stopping point for residents and collectors. Friend Craig Morrison dropped off a container of fruit and asked Cornell about lunch.
“He’s generous and smart,” Morrison said, adding with a laugh, “and he can be stubborn.”
“I bought my first antique from him in Patchogue, and he was the most knowledgeable dealer I ever met,” reported Pamela Lerner, of Pamela Lerner Home & Design. “It’s a tough business. You have to put your time in. It’s a massive amount of work, and you have to deliver the goods as a live auctioneer. He’s very fair in business and he’s a respected businessperson.”
Items come from estates like Geoffrey Beene, Arthur Godfrey, New York Times editor and columnist Abe Rosenthal, and other famous folks, some not so famous.
Attorneys or family members of the deceased contact him. Cornell will go with staffers to the locale, assess the collection and provide a price. If accepted, a truck is then sent to pick up the goods.
Apartments and houses are emptied out, he said, after agreement. “Some we do ourselves; staffers help with the moving,” he said.
About 10 people work for him.
Christine Rudowski has been at the gallery for two years. “He’s very knowledgeable,” she said. “And very patient with us. I’ve been a longtime collector and he’s taught me a lot.”
Ludwig said she’d attended his auctions, then saw his “Help Wanted” sign and applied. That was 12 years ago.
Cornell, who will be moving to New Hampshire near family members, said another antique business would take his place. While staffers are expected to remain, the deal is still in the process of being finalized.
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