March of the enamels is a sure sign of the times

ALL four of the highest realisations in Railwayana Sales’May 23-29 email and telephone auction were station enamel signs, thus ensuring that the relentless march of this high-flying category continued unabated.

At their head with a hammer price of £2650 was a BR(S) direction sign to London Road (Guildford) station, ably supported by a duo of totems, comprising BR(NE) Huddersfield (£1650) and BR Southern Region Herne Bay (£1250), and by SR target sign Folkestone Junction, which went for £1050.

The last of the four-figure successes at exactly £1000 was the smokebox numberplate from LMS Jubilee

No. 45726 Vindictive, and then it was back to the enamel signs, including BR(W) totem duo Bromsgrove (£750) and Didcot (£640), sandwiching a BR(Sc) Enquiries doorplate that fetched £660.

The three Class 47 diesel nameplates in the auction – Restive (D1603), Isle of Iona with badge (D1674), and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award from D1951 – failed to sell, but a second smokebox numberplate that did go to a new home was 32471 from a SR E4 class 0-6-2T (£640). Prices exclude buyer’s premium of 10%.