Western Morning News (Saturday)
Huge success at auction with strong bidding
THERE has been never been a better time to sell with a huge surge of interest in auctions since Covid-19 and our last 1600 lot sale was indicative of this. With over 3000 bidders registered to bid and almost 2600 commission bids left totalling over £120,000. The final result was over £166,000 (inc. 21.6% B.P.).
The first sale started with a single owner collection of Pelham puppets from a local deceased estate. Bids came in globally and the collection made £12,000 including Harlequin Type SM which sold for £600 to a collector. The whole toy section making £26,000.
From a local house clearance undertaken after the owner, a retired professional chef, had to go into a home. Having once worked creating banquets for Cambridge University a remarkable collection of antique copper moulds were discovered in the eaves. Most came from St. John’s College and a 19th century game pie mould by Trottier made a staggering £970 and the whole collection made £5600.
In a small section of enamel sigs one advertising James Phillips & Sons Ltd., Union St. Bristol’s removal company and measuring over two metres long made £2800.
The £9000 clock collection included twin Master clocks with control panel which had come from Scotland Yard after refurbishment was carried out.
The second day was topped by William Scott (1913 -1989), British Abstract Artist, ‘Summer Suite Green Predominating’, Lithographic Print 27/40, selling to an Irish bidder for over £3600.
While there were no massive hitters in the £23,000 jewellery section, prices indicated the large number of private people on forlough having time at home to treat themselves, with prices for some Georgian items being ten times what we usually expect. Not so unexpected as the almost £1100 paid for the Georgian memorial ring by a US bidder.
The same exceptionally strong bidding was seen in a mediocre silver section which made over twice high estimates, selling for over £16,550.
Our small Chinese section making over £16,000 saw huge interest with a 19th Century Chinese Famille Rose saucer decorated with figures in a landscape and with six character mark 1821-1850. This sold to a private Chinese buyer in London for almost £3900.
An antique Chinese carved jade archer’s ring sold for £910. Continuing over a quarter of a million pounds worth of sales in art glass, a René Lalique Inseperables Opalescent Clock, model no. 765, circa 1926 sold for £1580.
For more information visit www.piersmotleyauctions.co.uk or call on 01395 267403.