A vintage auto promises to deliver a high-octane hammer price in Cheswick. Meanwhile, local art nicely frames a Web-based sale. Constantine & Mayer Jeff Constantine never had a sale he didn't like. In fact, he'll tell you that just about every auction at his Cheswick headquarters is one of Constantine & Mayer's best ever. But he swears that this weekend's two-day event is a topper. "This just might be our biggest sale to date," he says. "I'm really amazed by the quality of the merchandise we have this time around. This one is really bursting with highlights." So, let's cut to the chase and shine the spotlight on a few of the stars on the block this weekend. To get your motors running, a classic 1972 Mercedes 280 SE coupe should rev up bidding from zero to 60 in less than a few seconds. This hardtop German beauty hails from a Mt. Lebanon collector and is complete with brown leather interior, AC, Becker radio and power brakes and steering. Now, let's put the pedal to the metal and steer in a southwesterly direction. Always partial to American Indian crafts, Constantine brings Indian baskets and pottery to the forefront. Much of the work dates to the 1920s, a golden age when American Indian crafts commanded high prices among collectors. Today, those wares are even more valuable, especially because mass-produced knockoffs in later years pushed handcrafted goods out of the market. Among the beauties up for grabs are more than two dozen lots of woven baskets featuring geometric or animal designs, along with decorated pottery jars and bowls. Look for a good crop of paintings representing both sides of the Atlantic. Landscapes abound, ranging from 19th-century Highland scenes to 1930s renditions of American urban skylines. Of local note, an A.B. Wall pastoral nicely captures a small flock of sheep peacefully grazing beside a meandering stream. Constantine offers a weighty number of bronze statues, along with a solid lineup of marble works. Headlining this category is an 8-inch-high study of an American Indian in full headdress and brandishing a pistol, created by Karl Kauba and marked "Austria." Standing head and shoulders above the rest in the marble category is an elegant 18th-century bust of a lovely Italian woman. For historic preservationists, several architectural wonders should build some excitement. Along with a half-dozen mantles, a large, leaded-glass window styled in the manner of Louis Comfort Tiffany, and a good selection of table lamps, with five actual Tiffanys among them. In addition, you'll find lighting from Pairpoint, Handel and several attributed to Phoenix Glass. Sunday's quality runs so deep that this column could cover nothing but that sale. However, Saturday's auction includes the second- and third-tier of goods from an earlier sale. Stored away for almost two decades, those items hail from a home razed to make room for the East Street Valley Expressway. For a sneak peek, previews run 5-8 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. Friday, 8-10 a.m. Saturday and 9-11 a.m. Sunday at Constantine & Mayer in the Cheswick Shopping Center, 1306 Pittsburgh St., Cheswick. Saturday's sale begins at 10 a.m.; Sunday's sale begins at 11. Details: 724-275-7190 or www.constantinemayer.com . Aspire Auctions Aspire Auctions, an online-only bidding venue, invites interested parties to double click Thursday and Friday for its year-end sale. Showing its regional industrial heritage is lot 65, a tempera-on-board work depicting the interior of a J&L Steel plant. Painted by Cleveland School artist Carl Gaertner, the painting at one time was part of the defunct steelmaker's collection. Also from Pennsylvania is "Otterhounds," by Brit painter John Sargent Noble. Signed in the lower left corner, the oil-on-canvas shows four sizeable pooches resting in various poses. And one last item from the Commonwealth: an elaborately carved and painted 17th-century Italian harpsichord with 20th-century workings by American craftsman Eric Herz. The keyboard's bone and ebony keys still produce a bright, resonant sound. Most impressive, the case and legs are embellished with painted and gilded images of flowers, putti, vignette scenes, insects and other designs. Details: 412-894-8221 or www.aspireauctions.com . Royal York Auctions With a fast reload after a Nov. 4 auction, the Royal York swings back into action Saturday with a sales roster that includes a heavy dose of toys, vintage clothing and Victorian furniture. Previews are 5-8 p.m. Thursday and 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday at 5925 Baum Blvd., East Liberty. Details: 412-661-1171. J.S. Dill Auctions If it's Thursday, we must be in Zelienople, home of J.S. Dill Auctions. This week, the goods include folk art, sterling silver, early painting and watercolors, country goods and vintage advertising. The preview starts at 5 p.m., with the sale at 6, at 2341 Evans City Road, Zelienople. Details: 724-453-0853, 412-362-9001 or www.jsdillauctions.com .

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