Clarks’ mid-week evening sale was very well received with the Liskeard saleroom hosting a sale of jewellery, coins & art. Auctioneer Paul Clark says “It was a lovely atmosphere & pretty much everyone in the room bid with many new faces too” adding “Fine wine & nibbles may have helped but at least I think most enjoyed the experience”.
The sale itself produced some wonderful results for vendors. An 18ct diamond trilogy ring of around 2cts made £1900 with a local bidder beating off international interest on the phone whilst three fine Frederick Goff small watercolours of London, estimated at £300-400, secured bids of £1800, when a determined local bidder floored a London phone bidder & internet interest.
A pair of small ‘G’ colour diamond earrings made an impressive £540 to private interest while a 0.7ct diamond ring made an equally impressive £1000, again to a private buyer. A determined international phone bidder overcome a strong private commission bid when taking a damaged 19thC. yellow metal cameo bangle at £860 & various commission bids failed to overcome a local bidder for an 18ct gold verge pocket watch also in need of attention at £680.
A trio of small Bob Tucker Dartmoor oils surprised a few when easily exceeding their £60-80 guide at £400! Auctioneer Paul Clark said “Little surprises me in this business anymore but this did – it was nice to see two people bid with their hearts & not their pockets on what were three charming landscape paintings”. On the subject of charms, a tiny 19thC. carved nut charm with miniscule sapphire eyes & gold limbs secured a hefty £170 at the hammer while a small 19thC. 22ct gold charm bracelet made £300.
It just didn’t end there with great results throughout the evening. An Edwardian 15ct gold ring sporting the suffragette colours made £360, six times its pre-sale estimate while a similar ring this time with diamonds made £520. Antique jewellery is currently king with investors & collectors & a leading jewellery dealer had to give best to a private buyer on a small Ceylon sapphire pendant at an remarkable £920. Gold prices were also fantastic throughout the night with multiple lots exceeding basic gold weight values notably a 34g 9ct gold chain costing the bidder £440 & one sovereign standing a bidder in at almost £280 cost.
Paintings continued to do well throughout the sale. A Henry Hall coastal painting was well outside his regular genre of Scottish Highland scenes yet still sold well at £500 to a local collector & a 19thC. John Barrett watercolour of “the deer park at Mt. Edgcumbe” saw good interest at £130. A detailed Allin Braund study in oil of a sunflower made £100 & two Timmy Mallett oils made £460 & 500 respectively & two unsigned watercolours by Fred Yates made similar prices.
Good collectable coins are always well received by bidders & a rare Victorian William IV electrotype copy of a crown rewarded its buyer to the tune of £420. Other coins did very well too with an 18thC. Mexican Spanish colony 8 reales silver Philip V coin dated 1741 making £110 & a 1689 William & Mary silver half crown achieving £100 despite wear. Small 19thC. US gold dollars still have a strong following among collectors with an 1856 version selling online at £85, well above any intrinsic values.
