Frank Lloyd Wright-Designed Urn Sells For $772,000

Copper urn goes to private benefactor $200,000 dollars above selling price

Three-quarters of a million dollars could go a long way. Or it could get one rare copper urn.

That was the case for one Floridian private collector.

A copper urn designed by Frank Lloyd Wright was sold to the benefactor Monday at the Leslie Hindman Auctioneers for nearly that much -- $772,000.

The urn was originally created in the Edward C. Waller house in River Forest and is one of a few that survived the years including five found in public institutions. The urn was originally supposed to go for $400,000 to $600,000 but sold for more than $200,000 above that.

Specialist of Fine Furniture and Decorative Arts John P. Walcher claims the urn was popular because of it design and original inner liner.

"The liner is very rare. This one had its original liner signed in pencil E.C. Waller," said Walcher.

Walcher points out the last Frank Lloyd Wright urn sold by the auction house only went for $400,000 in 2004.

The urn comes from the Ralph Esmerian collection. Esmerian, a former owner of Fred Leighton Jewelers, was sentenced in July to prison for financial fraud.

The urn's original liner is in remarkable condition, with the pencil-signed signature of E.C. Waller still visible.
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