January Auction Review with Tim Weeks

Happy New Year! The team at Wessex Auction Rooms were straight back into the swing of things at Wessex Auction Rooms with our first auction of 2026 being on our very first day back at work! The auction was split into two specialist sales to include Football Programmes & Sporting Memorabilia, shortly followed by Pictures, Paintings & Artwork. As a collector of Arsenal programmes and memorabilia myself, it is always an exciting specialism to be a part of for me, and buyers came from the width and breadth of the country to challenge for the lots. Recent years have seen football shirts experience one of the largest rises in collectability both in the UK and internationally, and Lot 75 highlighted such a trend. It saw three original Southampton Football Club replica football shirts from what can be termed the 'Draper Tools' era of the late 80s and early 90s and featured a particularly striking 1986/87 blue away shirt which would’ve seen worn by a very young Matt Le Tissier, and a slightly older Glenn Cockerill. The shirts had the usual expected wear but still sold for a considerable price of £408 including buyer’s premium. Just think how many of those vintage football shirts are hiding away in lofts or at the back of wardrobes… now it the time to dig them out!

As in any football related auction, football programmes always tend to be the king and 1950s issues were attracting bids from room, online and telephone. Lot 15 contained eight Scottish football programmes from the 1950s including Queens Park v Alloa Athletic from 5 Dec 1953, and sold for £288 inc BP, highlighting that sometimes it can be the ‘smaller’ and ‘less attractive’ teams that have the bigger value due to their scarcity. Another interesting programme that is always well sought after was in lot 7, a 1955 Lincoln City v Manchester United friendly programme played on 12th March. Much like the small group of Scottish programmes in lot 15, it is the fact that the home team was ‘less glamourous’ which would have attracted a smaller gate than the more famous English footballing powerhouses, and when you can add a magic name like Manchester United, it becomes particularly valuable. This example sold for £144 inc BP.

Upon completion of the sporting auction, we moved into 100 lots of artwork. A standout piece was lot 156’s 19th century English school, half-length portrait of Georgina Farside Watson, Bilton Hall, dated 1855. This stunner of an oil on canvas was partly inscribed on the left 'Georgina Fa’ before becoming indistinct, but importantly signed Howell to the lower left. The painting was beautifully presented in a very elaborate gilt frame. The item received 24 bids and unsurprisingly sold for over double its estimate with the gavel finally coming down at an impressive £660 inc BP. The same vendor also saw another of their oil paintings go under the hammer on the day - lot 145 which was a classic Scottish scene by British artist David Bates, specifically featuring Ben Nevis from Spean Bridge, clearly signed to the lower right and dated 1897 with the title inscribed to verso. I loved this painting, and it sold for £360 inc BP.

As we can’t get enough of auctions here, what else would we rather be doing on our second day back at work than having our second auction of the calendar year! This time it was back to Antiques, Collectables & Furniture and the frost on the ground didn’t keep the punters away. Lot 2 showed us that proper genuine antiques are still hot property as an 18th century French porcelain large footed comport decorated with floral sprigs, marked to its base Potter & Blancheron porcelain factory Paris, sold for £1.080 inc BP. Lot 390 moved us into the early 20th Century and contained a real piece of class in the form of an Asprey London leather vanity case. The canvas cover was initialled 'T.E.S.', and the contents hallmarked silver with yellow guilloche enamel, London 1926, maker's mark for Corke Brothers & Co, and came complete with mirror, five various jars and bottles, two brushes, a nail buffer and a needle case. It was an absolute stunner, and the hammer came down at £576 inc BP.

It was a great first weekend back at work and the fast start at Wessex Auction Rooms continues throughout January and February with sales in Antiques, Furniture, Toys, Vinyl Records & Music Memorabilia, Jewellery, Coins, Silver & Gold just around the corner.

Wessex Auction Rooms are always consigning for forthcoming auctions and welcome entries Mon-Fri 9-5 at our auction rooms just off J17 of the M4 (Chippenham) with no appointment necessary, or on an appointment basis at our central Bath office, or at your home.Contact the team on 01249 720888 or email enquiries@wessexauctionrooms.co.uk