Clarks’ welcomed in 2019 with a simply scintillating record sale. The sale boasted repeated terrific, exciting “scraps” between room, phone & internet platforms throughout. Auctioneer Paul Clark said “I was hopeful for a good sale but I knew everything would have to drop in place to beat last September’s record & remarkably it did” adding “it was a great sale for our vendors which is what it is all about”.
With two live bidding platforms battling room & telephone interest, prices soared for Clarks’ vendors with a series of great results throughout the sale. A child’s Georgian “Mother’s Friend” educational game saw a battle royale between a determined room bidder & the internet at a remarkable £1750 whilst a smaller game published by John Wallis in 1798 made £720 as the same bidders exchanged blows a second time. Other collectables did well with a quantity of modern diecast model tractors making over £13000 in total including one lot achieving an impressive £720. A small first edition “Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit” Beatrix Potter book made £330 despite minor faults.
However it was the series of fifteen small portrait paintings from a West Country house that set the room alight. The first painting, believed to be Captain William Wade Ellis who travelled with James Cook as a Surgeon’s Mate on his Third Voyage, saw a what can only be described as a good old fashioned auction slugfest between a canny room bidder & overseas phone interest with the hammer eventually falling at £5150. Interest continued, albeit at a somewhat lesser level for the rest of these intriguing paintings but these as a lot brought bids of nearly £18000 at the hammer. There were some other fine artwork results with a gilt framed Carl Suhrlandt hunting scene making £800 & an unframed Maltese harbour scene by Girolamo Gianni in at an impressive £1650.
Throughout the sale great prices were being achieved with a small Picasso Editions jug making £1900 & a Boucheron objets d’art securing an identical price despite faults. Coin prices though were astounding. An 1893 silver proof set was always going to sell well but made more than ten times the guide at £3000 whilst an 1869 coin set scaled the heights at £4800 with the aid of a rare one penny. A 1595 James VI gold coin of high grade also created a real stir in the room when achieving a thumping £2500 whilst a high grade Victorian gold sovereign made £350.
The jewellery section of the sale was very exciting with most lots selling. A boxed ladies Cartier Tank Française watch with custom set diamonds made £2500 whilst a ladies Rolex with factory set diamonds made £4200. A diamond ring of approx. 1.8ct made £3300 while an emerald & diamond ring secured online bids of £1450. A Georg Jensen daisy brooch made £1700 & a silver butterfly brooch made bids of £95. Victorian jewellery invariably does well. A small moonstone bracelet made £240 whilst a pretty Victorian emerald & diamond ring won internet interest at £460. Costume jewellery also saw good sales with a small quantity from Victorian & Edwardian eras doing £380 at the hammer.
