Western Morning News (Saturday)
Find a treasure trove of nostalgia at April sale
THE third lockdown has been a very busy time for the team at Beech Clearances and Auction Room. The volume and range of recent clearances has been extensive, including a large estate with coach house, two country houses with barns full of treasure, a public house and solicitor’s offices.
A vast array of exciting auction lots will be going under the hammer from April to June, via its own online auction platform at www.beechauctions.co.uk, where buyers may register to bid.
Some 2500-3000 lots in total are currently being catalogued and condition checked, to be auctioned in categorised batches.
The first auction on April 22-25 includes a large range of garden furniture, barn find militaria, weaponry, sporting accoutrements, shop display and signage. Examples of the latter is a Fry’s Chocolate advertising mirror, a Dewhurst’s Silko cotton thread display cabinet with contents and a delightful set of four advertising tin plate shelf edgers from a hardware shop.
A large selection of thumbsticks and canes includes canes of shark vertebrae and scrimshaw whales pan bone construction.
The chicest of folk art shell craft is by far the sailor’s valentine. These were made by gluing shells onto cotton batting in intricate patterns, encasing them under glass, often in an octagonal two part folding frames, these delicate delights would be gifted to loved ones by sailors on their return home.
As the name suggests, they would often be centred around a heart shapedesign, some having messages spelt out in tiny shells.
The romantic tales are of sailors making these for their loved ones, when most were actually purchased as ready-made gifts, from cottage industries, on the last stop, before returning home from months or years at sea.
One half of a folding pair from the 19th century is forward in the April auction with no reserve. A text catalogue for the first auction is available, then followed by a full online catalogue with multi-images of each lot, nearer to the timed online auction date.
For more information call on 01579 383129.