Chinnery School Canton Paintings Lead October Auction Results Alongside a Jordan Rookie Card

Two Chinnery School views of Canton’s Pearl River factories brought sharply different prices at William Bunch Auctions & Appraisals on October 6, 2026: The European Factories, Canton sold for $5,525, and The European Factories at Canton brought $2,990. Their results put the spotlight on a distinctive export art tradition, while nearby sales ranged from carved Chinese sculpture to a graded Michael Jordan rookie card.

On October 14, 2026, WorthPoint added 84,843 transactions to its Price Guide. Together, those transactions totaled $10,608,533.35 in tangible asset value, with an average lot value of $125.04. The auction results below show how widely individual prices varied across paintings, sculpture, furniture, sports cards and political memorabilia.

Two Pearl River views, two sale prices

William Bunch’s October 6 art sale included 305 lots and totaled $125,495.50. The two paintings attributed to the Chinnery School appeared as a pair but were offered separately. Both depict the foreign factories along the river in Canton, and both carry labels from Richard Green Fine Paintings Gallery on Dover Street in London. Their matching frames make the relationship between the works especially apparent, even as the sale prices diverged.

The first painting measures 19¼ by 38¾ inches. Its view includes French, American and Dutch flags on the Pearl River, with reflected sunlight picked out across the white buildings, clouds and water. Those details may help explain its stronger result: the scene gives the eye several bright points to follow while preserving the fine architectural and river detail that makes this kind of work rewarding to study.

The second work, measuring 24 by 43½ inches, looks down the Pearl River in the opposite direction and sold for $2,990. The difference between the results is notable for two works presented as a pair, but the recorded details point to distinct compositions and viewing experiences. The first painting’s treatment of light is a visible feature to compare; the available description doesn’t establish a single cause for the price gap.

The Chinnery School name refers to George Chinnery (1774–1852), an English painter who settled in Macau in 1825. Painters in Canton studied and copied his Western oil painting approach. Lam Qua is identified as the best-known among them. Artists made views of the river, foreign factories and ships for merchants to take home, and because many of these painters left their work unsigned, such paintings are commonly credited to the school rather than a named individual.

Other results at William Bunch

The sale’s prices ranged from under $100 to a high of $8,450. That top result went to an untitled interior painting by Sarah Blakeslee, identified as a North Carolina artist of the 20th century. The sale provides a reminder that the Chinnery works were part of a broader art offering, with a range of subjects and price points.

Chinese sculpture stands out at iGavel

At iGavel’s October 6 sale, a gilded, carved Wenshu figure reached $55,937.50. The sculpture measures 53¾ inches high and 43 inches wide, and traces of gold gilt remain on the wood. It depicts the deity seated atop a hoofed animal with a dragon’s head. Splits in the wood were noted, but they did not, in the seller’s account, diminish the work’s striking presence. Its scale, remaining surface detail and elaborate mount make the piece particularly memorable in the reported results.

A Chinese bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara, set on a carved wood base, sold for $28,750. Its estimate was $4,000 to $6,000, so the result finished well above that range. No date was given for the bronze. iGavel’s sale totaled $262,388 across 137 items.

Cards, furniture and a 1904 button

Several other October sales offer useful points of comparison across collecting categories. Heritage Auctions sold a 1986–87 Michael Jordan Rookie Basketball Card, PSA 9 Mint, for $40,260 on October 11, 2026. The grade and card year are central identifying details for collectors comparing results.

• A signed “Muses” etched bronze coffee table by Philip LaVerne (1907–1987) and Kelvin LaVerne sold for $6,080 at Uniques & Antiques, Inc. on October 7, 2026.
• The 1904 Theodore Roosevelt “Bucking Bronco” Button, bearing the phrase “Our Teddy never pulls leather,” sold for $6,900 at Hake’s Auctions on October 7, 2026.

For collectors, the most useful takeaway is the specificity in each record: dimensions and composition for the paintings, condition details and scale for the sculpture, an estimate and sale price for the bronze, and the exact year and grade for the basketball card. Those details make comparison more meaningful while keeping each result tied to the item that actually sold.

Comparable results can be searched through the WorthPoint Price Guide. More information about WorthPoint plans, including a seven-day trial and cancellation before the trial ends, is available at WorthPoint.

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This article is written by Will Seippel, the founder of WorthPoint, in pursuit of a clearer, more transparent, and participative auction marketplace.

Will Seippel is the founder, president, and CEO of WorthPoint. He has collected since 1974 and dealt in antiques, with an emphasis on ephemera, since 1984. He also created HIP, a website dedicated to preserving history captured on film.

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