Wessex Auction Rooms Auction Review
Has it really been a month since my last auction update?I guess time does fly when you’re having fun – and the month of July saw plenty of smiles at Wessex Auction Rooms starting off with the Bargain Hunt cameras coming down to film a celebrity special auction to raise money for BBC Children In Need.The celebrity red & blue teams were made up Homes Under The Hammer Vs Escape To The Country and they were greeted by a room absolutely full of buyers willing to dig deep and help them achieve some golden gavels.
There were also a number of very special lots up for sale generously donated by Bargain Hunt experts, the BBC and other businesses such as Bristol City FC, and McLaren F1.In total over £16,000 was raised for Children In Need, so Pudsey walked out of the auction with a smile on his face and a bucket full of change!
We held a number of specialist auctions over the month, with one of the highlights being our coin collector’s auction.The highest price achieved on the day was a whopping £10,336 for a Royal Mint 2008 14 coin gold proof set.This limited edition set was released in 2008 to mark the last issue of the Emblems Of Britain and the first issue of the Royal Shield Of Arms.When arranged correctly the Royal Shield Of Arms coins create a shield design between them. Presented in a lovely oak veneer case, this set was limited to only 150, and is highly sought after by UK coin collectors.
Every time we have a coin auction coming up, we get many enquiries along the lines of “I have a tub of old coins, but I don’t think they are worth anything.Can you have a look at them?” and it is very rare that these collections are unsaleable.One such ‘tub of old coins’ was actually a tub of all silver coins including pre-decimal, pre-1947 and pre-1920 examples which, after some competitive bidding in the room, sold for a premium inclusive £316.So, my advice is to never disregard any collection, seek a professional valuation.
We also held our third specialist Jewellery, Silver & Watches auction and it was the watch section that created the most pre-auction buzz and enquiries from international collectors.My personal favourite was an Omega Speedmaster ‘moon watch’ purchased in 1988, rarely worn, and kept with the original box and papers.A classic example of the iconic Speedmaster chronograph model which has been in production since 1957 and continues to be produced to this day and considered a ‘must-have’ time piece for most watch collectors.All of the bidding for this particular lot came from online buyers and after a few minutes of back and forth the hammer came down at £3526 including buyer’s premium – more than four times what it cost back in 1988!
Perhaps the most exciting lot of the day was a circa 1920s watch by the Swiss brand IWC.This example certainly didn’t resemble the current crop of IWC watches adorned by the likes of Sir Lewis Hamilton.Suffering from scratches to the glass, heavy patina to the face, signs of rust, and a replacement strap… let’s just say it had seen much better days!But despite being in need of a full professional overhaul, the pre-auction interest was extremely strong, meaning that there were a number of pre-registered commission bids as well as bidders live on the telephone.In just over two minutes of bidding the price had soared from a modest £500 starting bid up to a final premium inclusive hammer of £7656, and do you want to know the best bit…?The watch was found by our specialist team in a ‘box of old watches’ purchased at a car boot sale for less than £20 by the seller!
Yes, I know I might sound like a broken record, but please please please don’t just decide for yourself that something has no value.Seek advice from specialists because you just never know what might be hiding in your ‘box of stuff’.
I am currently less than an hour away from taking to the rostrum for our next specialist Toy Collector’s auction and I look forward to sharing those results with you next month.
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