Stories of an auctioneer...
AT THE latest meeting of Barrow WI we were introduced to Vanessa Savage who is a Regional Valuer at Hansons Auctioneers and Valuers, where she has worked for 15 years with Charles Hanson.
Most of us have probably seen Charles on Bargain Hunt, Flog It and the Antiques Road Trip which he does in addition to running his auction house in Etwall, Derbyshire and more recently, London.
Vanessa’s career started as a teacher on the Channel Isles but she moved to the mainland in the 80’s, setting up a market stall with artefacts, curios, etc in Redditch and progressing to antique fairs where she met Charles, the rest is history.
We were requested to have a rummage in our attics, drawers and cupboards for any small family heirlooms, jewellery, ceramics, anything old and interesting, that Vanessa could value, date and also identify its origin.
A snapshot of some of the items were: Tilly’s beautiful amber necklace which is a family piece. Amber is fossilised resin from pine trees with the butterscotch colour fetching an increased price.
Betty’s Lalique bird. Rene Lalique was a French glass designer who was wellknown in the 1920’s for his Art Deco style.
Marion’s black opal ring. Apart from owning such a beautiful ring, Marion has quite a connection with it as her husband made it when he was a jewellery craftsman in Birmingham.
Model of a Battle of Britain plane (in the Trench Art style, made from a shellcase), which Jillian’s husband owned.
The price would increase depending on its provenance.
The valuation of all our “goods” ranged approximately from £2 to £3000.
If you are visiting an antique fair in the future, desirable items to buy, which should increase in value are, certain fountain pens, sovereigns and late Victorian photographic cards, especially if they depict a one-off event.
It was clear that a smaller, cheaper item can have more value if we love it and it has a personal connection to you.
We thanked Vanessa for her valuations and her interesting talk on the world of antiques. She does valuations at the Manor House at Quorn, so we may catch up with her again.
The meeting next month is at the Conservative Club (function room) on November 14, at 7.30pm.
It will be the AGM but we will also be making Christmas Tree Decorations.