A humble table tennis bat – purchased at a car boot sale in Surrey for £3.50 – served up an auction surprise.
The antique racket, which was bought by the vendor for his children to learn to play the game around six years ago, sold for £1,000 at Hansons London on September 25.
Chris Kirkham, associate director of Hansons London, said: “It was the surprise of the day – and sparked a bidding battle. It turned out to be an extremely rare Victorian bat dating to circa 1900, perhaps a presentation piece. The handle was hallmarked as Edwardian silver. It’s found a new home in the USA thanks to a winning bid of £1,000.
“Its modest guide price was £50-£80 but it raced into the hundreds with ease when bidding got under way. It just goes to show some great car boot sale finds are still out there.”
It was one of several glowing autumnal results at Hansons London’s monthly sale. Other highlights included an orange Émile Gallé Art Nouveau twin-handled cameo vase decorated with spider flowers. The ever-ingenious Gallé etched a spider onto the base in an unusual twist. It caught plenty of bidders in its web and soared to £1,700.
Magical carpets were flying high, too, with a with part-silk Qum rug (lot 276) being particularly coveted. It sold for £2,100 from a £200-£400 estimate and showed that vintage and antique floor coverings are in vogue. Some seven rug lots in the sale achieved a combined total of more than £6,000.
Another highlight was sparked by a free valuation day event at the Avenue Club Kew in Richmond. A member of the public brought long three signed artworks by British artist Evelyn de Morgan (1855-1919), a respected painter associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Movement. Her pencil and pastel sketches of a female commanded worldwide attention and were purchased by a top London gallery for more than £6,000.
These included lot 2, an oval portrait of a woman in pencil, above, which reached £2,500; lot 4, a half-length study of a female nude in pastel, £1,250, and lot 7, a female nude in pastel, £2,600.
Mr Kirkham said: “It was a varied auction full of surprises and fascinating lots, my favourite being the beautifully executed pictures by Evelyn de Morgan.”
Hansons London is inviting entries for its October 30 Antiques, Jewellery and Fine Art Auction until October 15. Free valuations are available at The Auction Centre, Normansfield Theatre, 2A Langdon Park, Teddington, London TW11 9PS, on Wednesdays and Fridays, 10am-4pm. To book an appointment or home visit, please call 07469 953077 or email [email protected].
