Wessex Auction Rooms - February 2024
Now we are settled into the year things have really started with a bang at Wessex Auction Rooms, the front door has been revolving off its hinges and we have had consignment vans travelling throughout the West Country and beyond during January and February. Many of the treasures that were consigned or collected featured in our Antiques, Collectables & Furniture auction of 20th January. I want to start with a self-indulgent look at my favourite item from the auction which was an Arts and Crafts 'Heal & Son' oak bureau bookcase. Heal & Son are no doubt one of British designs most celebrated influencers and have been honoured with praise from the Victoria & Albert Museum, they featured at the famous 1951 Festival of Britain and in 1977 restored the banqueting table at Buckingham Palace for the Queen's Silver Jubilee - not bad company to keep if you were the purchaser of our bookcase!
The piece itself had a rather useful upper section with two glazed doors opening to two shelves, this sat above a fall front opening onto a fitted interior and two drawers and two cupboard doors...it was a labyrinth of a bookcase! However, it wasn't the raft of hidden drawers and compartments that made me so attracted to this piece, it was in fact its proportions of being two metres in height on its raised plinth and just shy of a metre in width. This subtle yet substantial size would make it suitable for any home, which no doubt was a contributing factor in it realising a price of £1,560 including buyers premium.
The beauty of the antiques world is that the fashions, tastes and interests of buyers are always changing, however that doesn't mean items generally considered to be 'out of style' have no value. While I am on the road filming BBC Bargain Hunt I am often approached by individuals telling me that their items and collections are no longer worth anything – particularly ephemera such as stamps, first day covers, postcards and presentation packs. Well our bi-weekly Antiques, Collectables and Furniture auction would have gone a long way to change this opinion as it was stamp collections that stole the show. We have found that large stamp collections have been performing extremely well over recent months and we have had the pleasure of dealing with numerous such collections of late. One of the strongest lots in our auction of 3rd February featured an album of British stamps from the 19th century onwards which contained many Victorian examples, among which there were two Penny Blacks attached to original envelopes, and more contemporary items such as QEII mint stamps and stamp sheets. This album sold for £5,760 including BP.
Featuring in the same auction was an eye catching 1970s 'Hi Deal' pinball machine. It was produced by Chicago based Bally Manufacturing Corp and original Americano examples always attract a strong interest from around the world.This example was especially interesting due to the comical King Kong graphic to the head of the machine. Although the overall case was perhaps a touch boxy and somewhat brutal in its design, the mix of bright colours and quirky artwork helped it achieve a price of £432 including BP.
If collectables of a larger scale are your thing then you may also have been interested in a lovely bit of local interest (at least for our neighbours in Bath!) in the form of an early 20th Century enamel sign. While Southgate Street in Bath has seen its changes over recent years the condition of this original sign for Worth's Fashionable Millinery signed in via our central Bath office had not, as it was showing only minimal edge wear for a sign of this vintage. Now as a man of the 'red and white' persuasion the red ground colour underneath a white font was always going to appeal! But even if one wasn't as fortunate as I to follow North London's finest football team, the colourway of this fashionable South West business would still surely appeal to the masses. The white text was stunning and really ‘popped’, helping to contribute to a selling price of £360 inc BP.
By the time you are reading this we will be in 'Specialist Season' here at Wessex Auction Rooms with a suite of specialist auctions in Vinyl Records, Music Memorabilia, Coins, Jewellery, Watches, Militaria, and of course, my favourite – Toys.I look forward to reporting on those items for you in the upcoming months.
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