09/19/2026
Kaminski Auctions Announces the Landmark Estate Sale and Auction of Joseph and Anna Prince Haley
BEVERLY, MASS.— Kaminski Auctions is proud to announce the monumental estate auction and tag sale of Anna "Pansy" Prince Haley and Joseph W. Haley. The three-day on-site tag sale will take place October 16-18, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at 214 Main Street in Wenham, Massachusetts. Concurrently, a live two-day auction will be held on Saturday, September 26th and Sunday, September 27th, 2026, at 11:00 AM at the Kaminski Auctions gallery located at 117 Elliott Street, Beverly, Massachusetts.
Highlighting a breathtaking cross-section of fine and decorative arts, the collection reflects the breadth of the Haleys' global travels, intellectual curiosity, and refined eye for collecting. The offerings feature exceptional examples of early American documents, an extensive library collection, fine silver, bronzes, Asian ceramics, antique English and American furniture, along with historic family heirlooms imbued with rich ties to Boston’s North Shore.
Anna Prince Haley was a lifelong artist, collector, and adventurer. Born in Wenham in 1927, she graduated from Radcliffe College, the Art Students League of New York, and Montserrat College of Art, maintaining a prolific artistic career on the North Shore well into her nineties before passing away in 2019. Her husband, Joseph W. Haley, who passed in May 2026, was a respected real estate attorney at Goodwin Procter, passionately dedicated to land conservation. Joseph served as legal counsel for the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America and offered his expertise to support the Essex County Trail Association (ECTA), protecting miles of trails across Essex, Hamilton, Ipswich, Topsfield, Wenham, and West Newbury. Together, Joseph and Anna were devoted members of the Myopia Hunt Club, where Joseph served as Whip and avidly supported Anna's passion for equestrian competitions.
The auction's roots run deep through local history, anchored by Anna's childhood home at 214 Main Street in Wenham, which she and Joseph purchased from her late parents' estate in 1985. Anna's parents, Gordon Chickering Prince and Dr. Anna Agassiz Prince, moved into the home around 1924–1925 following their wedding at St. Paul’s Church in Hamilton on May 24, 1924. Gordon Chickering Prince was a descendant of the four Prince brothers who were the founding members of the Myopia Hunt Club. His uncle, Frederick H. Prince, owned 1,500 local acres—including Chebacco Lake, home of the Myopia Sailing Team, and the land where Gordon College now resides. Gordon was also the great-grandson of Jonas Chickering, the founder of Chickering Pianos of Boston, the grandson of Civil War veteran Col. Thomas Chickering, and the nephew of Norman Prince, co-founder of the Lafayette Escadrille.
Anna's mother, Dr. Anna Agassiz Prince, trained at Columbia University Medical School in the 1920s to become a licensed doctor and served as director of Beverly Hospital during World War II. She was the great-granddaughter of renowned naturalist Louis Agassiz and granddaughter of Alexander Agassiz, the exceptional engineer and scientist whose successful investment in Michigan’s Calumet & Hecla copper mines helped to fund the Agassiz Museum (now the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University). Alexander’s stepmother, Elizabeth Cabot Cary Agassiz, was the first president of Radcliffe College. The family’s philanthropy extended further: Alexander’s sister Ida married Col. Henry Lee Higginson, founder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, while his sister Pauline Agassiz Shaw founded the North Bennet Street School the first trade school in America, and introduced kindergarten to America. Anna’s father, Rodolphe Agassiz, renowned as one of the world's first 10-goal polo players, renovated the historic "Homewood" estate in Hamilton, and also built the Beverly Farms seaside estate "Bon Jour" (later renamed Misselwood, now a part of Endicott College).
Public preview for the auction will be held at the Kaminski Gallery at 117 Elliott Street in Beverly, Massachusetts, running Monday, September 21st through Friday, September 25th from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily, as well as starting at 9:00 AM on the days of the sale. Bidding will be available in person, by phone, absentee, and online. For complete catalog listings, tag sale details, and bidding registration, visit www.kaminskiauctions.com or call (978) 927-2223.
