A fun quiz I started on Twitter has taken off beyond my wildest dreams and demonstrates why antiques and collectibles are so fascinating – and can deliver rich rewards, writes Charles Hanson.
I’ve gained thousands of new followers overnight all thanks to hidden treasures spotted in charity shops in and around Derby and Derbyshire. It started in July when I was out with my children. I popped into a charity shop and an ugly brown vase stuck out like a sore thumb.
However, the maker was Shelley, a Staffordshire pottery manufacturer in existence since the 1870s. The vase, priced £1.50, was potentially worth £40-£60. I took a photo of it amid the shelf clutter, posted it on Twitter and asked people to spot the object of value. I promised to reveal the answer the next day and help them hone their antiques skills!
The response was phenomenal. Consequently, I’ve tried to post a weekly quiz ever since. I call it Track The Treasure and people like it so much I’ve gained around 15,000 new followers. One September challenge prompted more than 500 guesses, 54 retweets and 1,000 likes. The treasure was an English lead tobacco jar with presser and cover, circa 1790, potential value £80-£100.
Finds like this underline a point I make repeatedly – objects gathering dust in your home could bring you a surprising windfall. And with a cost-of-living crisis upon us, it’s a good time to delve into those dusty corners.
You may think you own nothing of value but so often the opposite is true. And auctions offer a route to success thanks to a worldwide audience of thousands of online bidders. Forgotten gems can soar to unimaginable glory. To give you an example, lot 2095 in Hansons’ August Antiques and Collectors Auction reached £700 from a £50-£70 estimate.
So, what sparked this fierce online bidding tussle? Answer: Chinese ceramics. A pair of Republican period octagonal bowls in typical eggshell porcelain plus a similar miniature vase proved highly desirable. One of the bowls had a repaired hairline crack but this not deter the buyer.
It demonstrated yet again the huge international demand for Chinese objets de vertu and the seemingly endless reservoir of highly-prized Oriental items that are spotted by our eagle-eyed team in our Derbyshire saleroom or by valuers during home visits.
So, what else might you have that could spark a bidding war? Retro styling and the teak revival were in evidence again in our August sales. A series of good results culminated in £850 paid for a striking 1960s table and six kidney-back chairs with woven seats. Their original estimate was £200-£300.
Now is definitely the time to cash in on 1970s and 80s furniture that used to be frowned upon. But a word of warning, potential buyers are looking for well-known makes like Ercol and items in good condition.
August was also an excellent month for clocks with 40 clock lots achieving more than £3,200. Longcase clocks, prestigious acquisitions in days gone by, can be had at bargain prices, as can carriage clocks – perfect for enhancing the modern home.
In among the bevy of mantel, wall and bracket clocks one particularly unusual timepiece caused a stir – a 19th century Black Forest ‘trumpeter’ wall clock. It’s a type of musical clock that reproduces the trumpeter’s call. They were made exclusively in the Black Forest region of Germany and are highly collectible. Needless to say, competition was intense and the trumpet rang out to the tune of £480 from its base of £80-£100.
Another item to excel was a bottle of ‘The Macallan Royal Marriage Malt Whisky’. Thanks to its rarity, it reached a heady £3,700 from a £1,800-£2,000 guide price.
To mark the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer on July 29, 1981 at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Macallan produced a marriage of whiskies distilled in 1948 and 1961, the years they were born.
More glittering successes came in the jewellery section. For example, an amethyst and 18ct white gold ring sold for £200 from £50-£60 estimate and a 1970s Gilbert Albert 18ct gold and hardstone interchangeable ring with six quartz spheres made £1050 from a top estimate of £800.
Jewellery gathering dust in a box or drawer? Lot 214, a mixture of items including a 1965 Elizabeth II sovereign, various 9ct gold chains and a sapphire and diamond 18ct gold ring achieved £1,700 from a top estimate of £1,200.
So, what are you waiting for? Track your treasure and bring it to Hansons for free valuation. To make an appointment at Hansons, Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire, or to arrange a home visit, email [email protected] or call 01283 733988. Entries are invited for all forthcoming specialist and general sales.
