Lockdown has sparked quite possibly the biggest spring clean in the history of mankind, writes Charles Hanson.
People stuck at home for months with little to do have cleared out cupboards, drawers, garages or entire rooms for the first time in years. For once, not having enough time has simply not been an excuse.
But this has yielded some positive results. It’s helped to unleash a plethora of fascinating finds, historical gems, quirky objects and memorabilia that’s been gathering dust, often forgotten, for decades. Plus, lockdown has given people some thinking time to ponder what to sell or keep, whether it’s a lockdown find or not.
Consequently, our safe and airy open-air free valuation facility at Etwall is proving a popular destination for people who’d like to turn unwanted items into cash – and lockdown has brought in some fascinating objects.
For example, on June 23 we’re selling a Victorian field surgeon amputation kit. Lot 3211 consists of a complete boxed set of circa First World War medical equipment. The amputation kit comes with tourniquet and two pairs of forceps. Estimate £300-400.
Rare, unusual and of great historical significance, it acts as a powerful reminder of just how far we have come in terms of medical facilities, treatments and anaesthetic.
Amputation kits like this would have been used during the Great War of 1914-18 to remove a limb damaged beyond repair. There’s keen interest in the lot which looks destined to exceed its guide price.
In the realms of the strange and quirky, we’ve also uncovered a spider cat! It is, in fact, a Meerschaum pipe carved in the shape of a cat inset with a glazed compartment containing a moving spider. It was part of a set of three items with a humble estimate of £50-£70 which went under the hammer on day one of our June 18-24 Antiques and Collectors Auction.
Despite the lack of sporting action, there’s no let up when it comes to sports memorabilia discoveries. One find swept us back to 1960-61 – one of the finest seasons in Tottenham Hotspur’s history. They did the double. They won their second First Division title and third FA Cup final. It was Spurs’ first and only double in their 137-year history and our find commemorates that achievement – football tickets from 22 fixtures from the 1960-61 season. The set includes a ticket for a match against Sheffield Wednesday on April 17, 1961, which saw Spurs clinch the First Division title.
That match was an iconic moment in an iconic sporting season for Spurs. Head of our sports memorabilia department David Wilson-Turner says it’s rare to see such a fantastic collection as football tickets were usually discarded after the games.
The 60-year-old tickets, which will appeal to Spurs fans across the world, have a guide price of £600-800 and are due to go under the hammer on August 17 in our Sports Memorabilia Auction. More entries are invited until July 31.
Another fascinating find in our June sales is a collection of music memorabilia – including a Beatles Fan Club jumper from circa 1964, possibly worn at a Beatles concert in Bournemouth. It’s being sold together with an autograph book containing signatures of 1960s pop stars such as Dusty Springfield and Chuck Berry, general ephemera and LPs. It’s Lot 3231 in our June 23 Antiques & Collectors’ Music Memorabilia section, estimate £80-£120.
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The seller told me that every time her Beatles Fan Club jumper needed washing her mother would remove the badge and then sew it back on again.
Our vendor saw the Beatles at least twice in Bournemouth. The first time was at the Gaumont in 1963 when she was 13. That same year she saw the Fab Four at the Winter Gardens, Bournemouth, after queuing overnight, lying on the ground, to get tickets. She was rewarded with front row tickets. However, Beatlemania had taken off and, such was the noise from screaming fans, she could hardly hear the music.
A keen autograph collector from 1963-66, she knew a back entrance at the Gaumont where visiting stars were dropped off. Road managers and assistants often made lines to hold back fans but on one occasion she peeked through a gap in the swathe of bodies to see Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones.
I love hearing memories like this sparked by lockdown finds. Objects often hold wonderful memories of people, places and times dear to us.
Free valuations
If you’ve an item you’d like to have valued, pop down to our marquee at Etwall Auction Centre, Heage Lane, Etwall, DE65 6LS, Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm, Wed, 5-7pm, Sat, 9am-noon. Plus, on Monday June 22, Kate Bliss will at Hansons in Etwall offering free valuations of jewellery and silver from 10am-3pm, no appointment necessary. We’re gathering items for all of our upcoming auctions which include general sales, toys, sports memorabilia, fine art, jewellery and watches.
