A collection of Beswick animals, ranging from rare cows to pot-bellied pigs, created a stir in our Etwall saleroom last week.
Four bovines – a Highland bull and cow and a pair of red Friesians – charged past their pre-sale estimate of £70-£90 to sell for a moo-ving £1,050.
Meanwhile another menagerie, made up of seven Beswick pigs, including a Royal Doulton pot-bellied pig, trotted past their guide price of £50-£70 to sell for £480. The lot also included two rare Hereford bulls and five calves.
They all came from the collection of a mother and son from Bridgnorth in Shropshire who had acquired them over many years.
The vendor said she was “delighted” with the result.
Hansons Auctioneers’ ceramics expert, Rob Churchill, said: “The demand for Beswick pottery animals is soaring to new heights at auction as the world celebrates its passion for all creatures great and small.”
John Beswick Ltd, formerly J W Beswick, was a pottery manufacturer, founded in 1894 by James Wright Beswick and his sons John and Gilbert in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. It was chiefly known for producing high-quality porcelain figurines such as farm animals and Beatrix Potter characters and these have become highly sought in the collectables market.
The Highland bulls were designed by Arthur Gredington and executed in the classic tan-and-brown gloss finish typical of Beswick animal figurines.
Unique colourways and early Gredington‑signed models, especially rare early cattle including the Hereford in roan, are highly sought after among collectors.
Last year Hansons sold a rare grazing shire horse, found in a good private Beswick collection, for £800 – galloping past its guide price of £120-£150.
