Dear Friends,
This is our last sale of the year so it would be good to see you all so that at least we can wish you a happy Christmas! It’s also full of booze!
It’s on the 10th December at 11am with viewing on the 9th from 1 to 7 pm and from 9.30 am on sale day.
I’m currently looking at a first edition 1560 copy of the Geneva Bible, rebound in the 17th century when the Psalms were added in 1634. It seems to be in good condition although we still need to inspect every page. I’ll do that when we get the confirmed instruction. It carries a £7000-£10,000 estimate. It’s terribly important and I ask you to read about it on Wikipedia to appreciate how rare it is.
The removal men are about to return from what was once the London home of Mandy Rice-Davies. The mews house was restored in the 70s by an opera enthusiast, who lectured on the subject, we have all his records, programmes and scores. All the furniture was from Heals and includes a stylish rosewood dining suite with eight chairs, pedestal chairs and two stylish settees. From a property a little further north, and with a balcony overlooking Lord’s cricket ground, we have more stylish furniture along with glamorous clothes and Ferragamo shoes.
A flat by Harrow School has given us a wonderful oil painting – a scene of Rebecca at the well from the circle of Antonio Balestra. Also from that home is a watercolour by Luigi Bazzani. Otherwise the PICTURES section has works by artists including Ishbel McWhirter, Dan Rubinstein, Giulio Farnese, Salliann Putman, Aase Lykkeberg, F.E. Jamieson, Joseph van Dieghem, Derek Farman, R. Dudley, Bill Waugh, Denis Pannett, Clement Cowles, Hans-Peter Zimmer, Ashton Cannell, Ken King, John Trickett, Michial Mikora, C.W. Oswald, Graeme W. Baxter, Josep Maria Subirachs, Anthony Green, and Teresa Narduzzo. Also in the sale is a group of family silhouettes including by Augustin Edouart.
SILVER AND PLATE includes a good pair of 19th century large silver gilt conch shell dishes, candlesticks, and about 12 shelves of silver plate. JEWELLERY has a very large amount of costume jewellery from a retired manufacturer who sold to Laura Ashley and Fenwicks. They are all nickel-free using hardstones and are good for today’s fashion. Real jewellery includes a heavy platinum diamond eternity ring and a sapphire bracelet, a diamond line bracelet, etc.
Shelf items include a good collection of PORCELAIN, POTTERY AND GLASS with old glass including a 19th century rummer engraved with a horse, a group of English blue and white Delft and continental faience, smart dinner services including a Royal Doulton ‘Babylon’ service with 2 tureens, a good pair of Chinese 19th century blue and white pots with lids, a most unusual pair of 19th century Staffordshire figures of hairdressers, signed Martin ware, Troika, oyster plates. We also have a Rolleiflex camera and lots of other cameras, bronzes, a carved wood reclining deity, a stylish Old Hall chrome plated tea service, old brass and copper, lots of boxes including an old travelling chess set, old scales, fishing equipment, an oil lamp, war axes, a carved Maori paddle shaped club, etc. etc. I can see 15 CLOCKS on the shelves including three in fancy gilt metal, a 19th century rosewood portico clock, a clock in a tortoiseshell case, two carriage clocks, etc. We have a three bottle tantalus with glasses box attached, presented as a first prize in 1898, a Japanese sword, decorative boxes and a charming bronze naked child on a snail which is a fountain, 28″ high.
The WINES AND SPIRITS section is extensive and includes a 1986 300cl bottle of Chateau Potensac, 1981 Rothschild Pauillac, a 1959 Chateau Cantenac Brown Margaux, a ’71 Chateau Latour, a ’77 Chateau Talbot, a part case of Chateau Latour a Pomerol 1979, 1 x 6000 ml and 1 x 3000 ml bottles of Veuve Clicquot, a bottle of Moet champagne in original box, and three bottles of Dom Perignon ’62, ’93, and ’95. There are dozens more wines still to be unpacked along with good whisky including Glenfiddich 1993 Foundation Reserve, two numbered bottles of Bushmills single malt Irish whisky in an entry of 14 single malts from one vendor alone. Ports and brandy are well represented, the nearest one to me being a 1963 bottled in 1965 by J.W. Burmester Ltd in the same lot as a 1972 Fonseca. Worth a visit I think!
Upstairs, the shelves are full of BOOKS, RECORDS, and an extensive collection of MODEL RAILWAY ITEMS including one man’s collection of engines including O-gauge Weaver Milwaukee Road Hiawatha 5 car passenger set (cost £300), Denver Rio Grande loco and tender (cost £700), RR Elsa LGB powered (cost £500), Williams Electric Union Pacific Big Boy train (cost £1000) and many, many more including Tri-ang, Airfix, Fleischman, lots of EFE, models, Hornby, Lima, etc. Other COLLECTABLES include a vast quantity of football programmes, opera programmes and scores, a bag of The Schoolgirl comic, 1930s, old postcards and cigarette cards, an original Rolling Stones European Tour 1982 poster, two car mascots, and lots of fountain pens.
COSTUME includes a fine mink coat and other minks and furs, glamorous clothes and Ferragamo shoes and other quality accessories, and hunt dress coats including one from the Quorn hunt, a ceremonial tail coat, and a ceremonial cloak emblazoned with the Great Priory crest worked in gold thread.
We have a lot of ORIENTAL RUGS.
FURNITURE includes settees and pedestal chairs from Heals bought in the 70s along with a rosewood dining suite, a set of 8 leather dining chairs by Pieff, a slate and steel dining table and a period sofa table edged in exotic hardwood. We also have an extended set of 10 reproduction mahogany dining chairs, each with arms.
GENERAL EFFECTS include garden pots, some planted up, garden furniture, tools and lots of Bang and Olufsen hifis, etc.
Our catalogue is on our website from Sunday and each lot carries a picture.
Register with www.UKAuctioneers.com and you can bid online from the comfort of your home.
See you on the 10th and Happy Christmas!
