Pin Cushion Collection totals £49,000 in The Cotswolds

On 3rd March, Cotswold auctioneers Kinghams offered a private single-owner collection of novelty silver pin cushions and enamel boxes which totalled £49,00 hammer price in their Fine & Decorative Arts auction.

The collection consigned by a private collector is one of the largest and finest of its type to come on the open market in recent years. Comprising over 40 silver pin cushions mainly from the early 20th Century, there were various shapes and forms to indulge connoisseurs of this niche collecting market. Attractive pre-sale estimates, detailed photography and marketing helped generate worldwide interest resulting in most estimates exceeded on the day and a delighted vendor.

At the turn of the last Century, a number of Birmingham silversmiths cemented a reputation for creating ‘toy’ silver items, ie small novelties such as miniature furniture, boxes, vesta cases and of course pin cushions. Most of the key Birmingham makers were represented here including Adie & Lovekin, Levi & Salaman, George Loveridge & Co, Crisford & Norris and Robert Pringle to name a few. A few London and Chester makers were also represented such as Sampson Mordan and Henry William Curry.

It is easy to see why the market for small novelty silver items is so buoyant. Small in size means posting is a simple affair, an endless array of shapes and makers to pursue plus easy to display and upgrade/exchange should the collector wish.

In this unique collection there was a menagerie of farm, domestic and wild animals on offer. From ducks, hedgehogs, pigs and elephants to more unusual examples such as a goat, a monkey, frog, polar bear and even a kangaroo and Humpty Dumpty.

Individual highlights included Lot 165, a kangaroo resting on a bar made by W.J. Myatt of Birmingham in 1908 which fittingly sold to an Australian collector for £1,050. Also on the safari theme, Lot 174, a cushion in the form of a giraffe with 1912 import marks for Berthold Muller exceed its £400-600 estimate to bring £1,800. Lot 162, another wild animal, this time a rhinoceros hallmarked for Birmingham 1908 brought £1,660. Another wild rarity was Lot 181, a 1906 Crisford Norris cushion in the form of a lizard which sold for £900.

One of the top prices and a particular rarity was Lot 178, a realistically modelled polar bear by Cohen & Charles, Birmingham 1906 which was hotly contested to £2,050 by a UK private collector.

Kinghams Auctioneers offer free home visits for clients who would like items valued for auction, estate clearance and downsizing advice. Probate and insurance valuations are also undertaken. Specialists in all fields are on call, from jewellery, watches, silver and paintings to furniture, collectables, ceramics, glass and much more.

For further information or to make a booking please phone 01608 695695, email enquiries@kinghamsauctioneers.com or visit our website: www.kinghamsauctioneers.com n By Adrian Rathbone, Associate Director, Kinghams Auctioneers, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire

Note: all individual prices quoted include the 23% buyers premium and any other additional online bidding fees

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