Looking for the unusual, quirky or collectable Christmas gift of your dreams? Then just call me Santa because I can help, writes Charles Hanson.
Right now, our saleroom in Etwall is a hive of activity as thousands of items are brought together to be sold in our December 12-17 Antiques and Collectors Auction.
Tomorrow (Dec 11) all will be revealed as we open our doors for viewing from 11am-7pm. Though not in the auction, you can also browse new paintings by Derby artist James Brereton. Do join us for a mince pie.
As always, we have jewellery, silver, furniture, metalware, works of art, paintings and much more to browse. But two collections stand-out, both for their size and eclectic nature. One is an immense private collection of French Quimper pottery.
Our vendors, keen Francophiles, have amassed hundreds of pieces of this highly collectable pottery, which is produced in a factory near Quimper, in Brittany, France. Such is their love for these colourful wares, they have been collecting it for more than 20 years.
Among their treasured pieces, you will find everything from vases, plates and clocks to full tea services and, one of my favourites, a hugely impressive 19th century blue and white Porquier Beau charger, estimate £550-£850. Now that would impress on the Christmas table.
Since 1708, Quimper faience has been painted by hand and production continues to this day. The pottery’s design reflects a strong traditional Breton influence. One famous typical design is the ‘petit Breton’, a naive representation of a Breton man or woman in traditional Breton costume. The petit Breton became popular around 1870 and is still the key design bought by tourists.
Older Quimper items are strongly sought after by collectors worldwide. With pieces ranging from £30-£50 to more than £2,000, there is something to suit every pocket. For a keen Quimper fan, it’s a veritable treasure trove.
The Quimper Club International brings together lovers of this French pottery from all over the world and I am expecting keen bidding.
In the same auction, we are selling hundreds of scientific objects gathered by Staffordshire man Dr J Patrick Wilson over the course of 30 years. Any lover of gadgets or machines, will surely find something to intrigue them.
Among the lots is a Davis and Kidders patent Magneto Electro Machine for nervous diseases – an electric shock machine! Patented in 1854, it has an estimate of £30-£50.
The late Dr Wilson, a physicist with a PhD in physics who worked as a lecturer at the University of Keele in Staffordshire, was fascinated by how things worked.
Other items going under the hammer among more than 60 lots include Faraday lamps, £40-£50; radios including a Marconi Art Deco valve radio, £30-£40; 1920s hearing aids, £40-£80; antique torches, £100-£150; five morse code machines, £50-£80; J Swift & Son London microscope, £180-£250; an Eversheds and Vignoles moving oil ammeter and voltmeter, £80-£100,and many cameras including Canon film cameras, estimate £40-£60.
The Antiques and Collectors Auction, December 12-17, will be held at Hansons Auctioneers, Heage Lane, Etwall, Derbyshire. To view the catalogue, visit www.hansonsauctioneers.co.uk or www.the-saleroom.com.
