Forget the January blues – we’ve been delivering saleroom sunshine thanks to a host of big auction wins, all down to unexpected fascinating finds, writes Charles Hanson.
Many forgotten treasures come to us tucked away in cardboard boxes when people decide to downsize or have a major clear out – and those objects can soar to success at auction.
For example, in our January Antiques & Collectors Auction, a 17th century coloured map of Menorca was discovered rolled up in the original cardboard tube it was posted in back in the 1930s. We could date the postage thanks to its King George VI stamps.
The partial map of the Spanish sunshine island went to auction with an estimate of £100-£200 but soared to £1,700 – more than enough to pay for a holiday in Menorca for the whole family.
Big wins like this delight our vendors and often take them by surprise. But the eclectic nature of auctions and the collectors’ markets mean anything is possible.
Every week, we discover objects that, when placed before a worldwide audience, go on to exceed all expectations. And nothing gives me greater pleasure than facilitating that from the auction rostrum.
So, if you’ve got the January blues delve into those attics, drawers and even under the bed because you just might have an object that could gain you a pot of holiday money.
Time and again, objects like the Menorca map come to us with little expectation – and yet collectors clamour to own these rare and sometimes quirky items.
Jewellery coins, militaria items, designer handbags, watches, ceramics, paintings and furniture and all manner of household objects can fly at auction. Anything and everything we use and collect throughout our lives can prove to have a value.
And yet, so often, we unwittingly sit on unwanted objects, sometimes for decades, unaware that they could strengthen our bank balances. May advice is never cast something aside. If you think it might be valuable, bring it to show us.
Another lot to fly in our January auctions was a box of items relating to Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson, an English figure and landscape painter, etcher and lithographer who became one of the most famous First World War artists. Eight prints and block prints, some signed by Nevinson, who lived from 1889-1946, sold for an impressive £5,400.
Then there was lot number 2065, a large collection of Chinese scrolls, 19th Century Italian School canvases with classical scenes, 1950s works of art and Grand Tour paintings.
In the 17th and 18th centuries it was customary for upper class young men of sufficient means to undertake a Grand Tour of Europe and, just like us, they liked to record their travels, albeit through paintings rather than iPhones. The box of artworks sold for £1,250 from a guide price of £60-£70.
The January sales also saw several lots of magic lantern slides go under the hammer. Magic lantern slides predate the invention of photography. They are glass slides made from drawings or paintings which, when held up in a device and lit by lantern or candle light, project an image on to a wall. One lot featuring several Oriental magic lantern slides sold for £950.Many of the items which win our clients quick windfalls have been languishing in homes for decades. It’s so easy to accumulate objects but sometimes our homes can take no more or a house move demands a major clear-out.
The big wins for vendors in our January sales came from people who were downsizing. It’s often hard to part with lifelong collections but it can be liberating too.
Talking of collections, our January sales saw the auction of former Derby man David Boorman’s 4,000 pieces of Derby porcelain. Every lot sold and, though it was hard for David to say goodbye to his precious antiques, he said he’d thoroughly enjoyed collecting them.
He was also thrilled to see a rare teacup and saucer go to a woman who’d just discovered an ancestor worked as a gilder at the Derby porcelain works.
Barbara Holder, from Mickleover, decided to explore David’s collection in the hope that she would find a piece painted by her great-great-great grandfather William Cooper. She did – a tea cup and saucer from 1790.
I’m happy to report that Barbara secured her item for £110. It may seem a lot for one cup and saucer but it’s priceless in terms of a piece of family history.
Want to beat the January blues? Join us for free valuations at Hansons, Heage Lane, Etwall, DE65 6LS. Our experts are available Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm, plus Wednesdays, 5-7.30pm and Saturdays, 9am-noon. To find out more, book a free appointment with a specialist or enquire about downsizing or house clearance, please call 01283 733988.
