DISS AUCTION ROOMS GAZETTE WINTER 2015 ISSUE 48
‘tis the Season* *for bad puns
Sale p5......Christmas Gifts p 8....Militaria...p3...Poultry Show & Sale p5...Christmas Gifts p8....Milita
Picture Perfect You may not be thinking of moving house immediately but for many it is on the agenda somewhere in the not too distant future, whether you are thinking of upsizing or downsizing. As a nation we spend a lot of time and money decorating and furnishing our homes to ensure they are kept up to date but not all of us pay the same attention to our gardens.We are all aware that a property which has been well maintained and has modern fixtures and fittings will attract more buyers and achieve a stronger selling price than a house which has become dated and tired. The same applies to gardens. An attractively landscaped and cared for garden will add value to any property, no matter what the size. It increases the kerb appeal and sets the house off well in its surroundings and therefore it is imperative that house owners do not overlook the importance of landscaping and the impact it can have on the value of their home. Whilst the initial cost of engaging a garden designer may seem expensive, it should be considered as a long term investment which will pay dividends. Alternatively, engage a knowledgeable gardener who will advise on suitable plants for your soil type. Planting need not be expensive either and discounts can often be negotiated on large orders. At Diss Auction Rooms you can also pick up a variety of trees, shrubs and plants every week. When designing a garden it is worth considering the best views from the house and from the garden itself. Screen any views you wish to obscure by planting trees and hedging which will provide structure and interest throughout the seasons. This need not be expensive, particularly if you are prepared to wait for the desired effect, in which case buy bare root plants and bed them in over the winter months. In the spring plant pretty perennials and shrubs and don’t forget to include scented plants along pathways and seating areas.Additionally, plant up pots to brighten up a patio or place either side of the front door to create an inviting feel. Last but not least, driveways and paths should be well presented and maintained as first impressions count.A cracked concrete driveway or pot-holed track does nothing to enhance a property, so take steps to improve on these areas. If you follow these guidelines, your property will be picture-perfect when you come to sell.
by Rowena Youngson r.youngson@twgaze.co.uk
Militaria Saturday 28 November by Edward Taxil-Webber e.taxil-webber@twgaze.co.uk
November brings our final Militaria auction of the year, and amongst many items of interest there is something very special; a plate once belonging to Norfolk’s greatest ever son, Admiral Lord Nelson. This George III silver plate from Admiral Lord Nelson’s Copenhagen service is by London goldsmith Timothy Renou, 1801. It is circular in form with a gadrooned border and is engraved with Nelson’s armorial crest. 25.2cm in diameter it weighs approximately 535g /18.8oz. On Nelson’s death his estate was extensively divided with his brother, Earl Nelson, inheriting the bulk of the silver. Thereafter, via the marriage of the Earl’s first daughter to the then Lord Bridport, it Specialist Miltaria advice available all year around. Next sale Saturday 5 May
passed to the Bridport Family. From there the collection began to fragment and sadly it remains as a service no longer, however the whereabouts of the individual pieces is largely known. Significantly one plate can be seen on show in the Nelson gallery in the Royal Naval Museum, situated just opposite HMS Victory, in her dry dock at the Portsmouth Naval base (Reference Prentice, N., The Authentic Nelson, National Maritime Museum, 2005)
This particular plate came into our vendor’s family in 1963 when it was bought by Mr Cecil Gadd at Sotheby’s. Mr Gadd, the vendor’s grandfather, then gifting it as a 21st birthday present in 1980. With an item of such historical interest The National Maritime Museum was contacted in 1985 and were able to add
another item to their register. The supporting confirmation letter authenticating the plate is included with the lot. With a presale estimate of £8,000 – £12,000 and live internet bidding available there is sure to be lots of interest, and not just from Norfolk.
AUTOMOBILIA By Tom Miller
POST
SALE
REPORT
auctions@twgaze.co.uk
With winter closing in, and all classic cars safely stowed away in their cosy garages, it is time to reflect on our Autumn Automobilia sale that was held in the Blyth Barn on the Thursday 15 October.
Following a large on site and media advertising campaign, we were able to offer entries by appointment up to two months before the sale date, a service we will be offering again in 2016 for cars and parts alike.
Our updated sales began life in October 2014, jointly run by auctioneer Andre Ling and valuer Tom Miller, after three sales and a year on, they are going from strength to strength attracting large crowds of people from across the East of England, the atmosphere evoking a time of nostalgic motoring that is long since passed.
With the high standard of entries in previous sales we were looking to attract more vendors, and the public did not disappoint; covering all aspects of motoring, including an Enamel Castrol oil sign (Lot 6121) that sold for £140 as well as countless oil tins, plaques and signage. These ‘petroliana’ items are key for future sales and are proven sellers. A boxed Tissot F1 wrist
watch (Lot 6274) sold for £150. These items complimented our star lots in our sale. The 1948 Rover 75 P3 finished in old English white with red leather interior sold for £8,400 and the 1938 Ford 8.7Y, that was the property of the late Arthur Negus, sold for £4,700. All of our recent Automobilia sales have been hailed a success by everyone involved, and as we look to 2016 we will be offering a stable and reliable platform to sell memorabilia signage and parts, as well as modern and collectable cars, see you then.
There is always lots happening on the TW Gaze Facebook page, and this month there is an extra incentive to get involved. We are running a
WIN your CHRISTMAS DINNER competition. Instructions on how to take part can be found on Facebook. The successful entrant stands to win a wonderful locally reared Turkey fit for any Christmas table (read more about this on the next page) and will be announced on 21 December.
Good Luck
Next Automobilia Auction Thursday 10 March
The TW Gaze Christmas Poultry Show and Sale... ...will be held in Saleroom 1 at the Diss Auction Rooms on Tuesday 22 December.
We shall have around 250 birds consisting of Turkeys, Geese, Chickens and Ducks for sale (either oven ready or roughplucked), all from local farmers, within an approximate 20 miles radius of Diss. Some of our farming families have been putting their birds into our sale for over 40 years. Consignors include commercial farmers who produce 1000’s of birds for the Christmas market whilst others are local small holders who only produce around 20 birds.The birds are sold as close to Christmas as possible so that they are fresh and ready for the Christmas dinner table-(and they don’t take too much room in the fridge for long!).The birds are of high quality, are fresh, locally reared and offer excellent value for money. Turkey Breeds include Bronze, Norfolk Black, White, Lavender, Narragansette and Bourbon Red.
Contact Jenna Goodall Browne for detaills j.goodall@twgaze.co.uk
The firm was founded in 1857 and we have been holding the annual Poultry Sale from our Diss Auction Rooms since our establishment. Right up until the late 1980’s some birds were sold live in the pens! During the war years of 1939-1945, when there was meat rationing, the sales were particularly significant. Before the birds are put forward for sale they are all entered into our show and are judged, rosettes are given for each class (Turkeys, Geese, Ducks, Chicken) and within each class there is a rosette for Highly Commended, Reserve Champion and Champion. Of course everyone wants the Champion Turkey for their Christmas dinner so a premium is often paid for the best bird of the show. Our Honorary Judges this year are David Thacker and Matthew Ward who are Managing Director and Director of Crown Chicken Ltd based at Weybread, Diss. The company’s origins date back to 1951 when David’s father, Fred Thacker began processing a few hens in a small shed only yards away from where today’s modern factory stands. The company comprises all the stages of feed milling, breeding, hatching, rearing and processing and is a top quality, modern and efficient company that is today rearing and processing in excess of 450,000 birds a week. The consignors bring the birds (which have been killed within the past 24hours) in the morning and judging begins from 2.30pm in the afternoon, public viewing opens at 4pm. Around 250-300 members of the public come and view the poultry beforehand and pick out their chosen Christmas bird ready to bid on later. The sale will commence at 5pm until approximately 8pm.
Photo courtesy of Peele’s Norfolk Black Turkeys
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A Valuable Theory Most people are likely to own at least one antique which predates 1900. I am sure if you think about it, you will remember something at home which you think matches this criteria.Whether it is a piece of furniture in your living room, a piece of china handed down to you from your grandparents or something you didn’t know you had which is unknowingly tucked away in the loft! You’re also quite likely to have something which is not only antique but BRITISH.You might even have something which is pre 1800 AND British! In a number of areas of the market, it may be evident that the antiques trade for items made between these periods has dropped slightly in the past 20 years, and I often hear many people having the belief that the market will remain this way for at least the foreseeable future. However, I believe in the next 20 years there will be a climb in the market, and I’ll explain one theory as to why.... Back in 1800, the world population had reached a milestone of 1 BILLION (the population of England and Wales at the same time, estimated to be around 8.9 million at this point). The Industrial Revolution provoked a tremendous change with the second billion arriving 130 years later in 1930 (and Britain’s population reaching around 47 million at the same time). The third billion arrived in less than 30 years (1959), the fourth billion in 15 years (1974), and the fifth billion in only 13 years (1987).The 20th century alone saw the population in the world grow from 1.65 billion to a staggering 6 billion. In 1970 there were roughly half the people in the world that there are now! So at this point it might seem that I am diverting from a point I began to make earlier but actually these statistics have a bearing on my conclusion. When the mad King George III was 40 years into his reign in 1800, there were only enough household items (which we now class as present-day antiques) to fill the houses of a population of 7 TIMES fewer people than Britain of today.The world population has multiplied many times over and is set to grow considerably in the near future. There are simply not enough antiques to supply the demand. Like oil, antiques are a depleting, non-renewable resource in this country. With much of the rest of the world seeking British antiques (hotspots being particularly in USA and Far East), in theory the price-per-item should grow simply through the ever increasing rarity-per-person. More people are being born, no more antiques are being made. Combine this with the growing export of our home-crafted treasures, you can draw an educated guess that the rarer they become in relative terms per-person.... the likelihood is they’ll rise in value as the years go on. Note to end on... If 8.9 million British people owned antiques in 1800, how will this meet the demand posed by 8 billion people in 20 years time? This would be one British antique item per 1000 people in the world....
2025
Edward Taxil-Webber e.taxil-webber@twgaze.co.uk
Noticing the signs... Vintage toys from the 19th and early 20th Centuries are increasingly scarce and often the features which make a toy distinctive these days is a mixture of aspects such as its maker, type or category of toy, theme (e.g. film-related), condition, limited edition, presence of original packaging etc. In reality, it may be quite modern, but still deemed collectable or possesses perceived investment value. Toys in the “old days” used to be “miniature versions of the real thing” and with the exception of rocket ships and robots popular from the 1950’s, much less was geared to the ideals of fantasy worlds now available to young people.Therefore my heart still flutters at the sight of a “proper” toy; of a quality and precision no longer feasible in modern-day production, and which, due to the attention to detail, actually illustrates how life used to be and what everyday objects used to look like.The added bonus comes when it is still boxed and of a
size that, if clad in seasonal paper, would grace any festive stocking; tantalizing and satisfying in equal measure. Consequently, among the Hornby trains, Dinky die casts, Britain’s lead soldiers, classic games, playroom pass times and nursery novelties consigned for the sale this time, I was especially excited by one little package I found lying tumbled amidst a jumble of playing cards and part draughts sets, plastic souvenirs and cheap trinkets in a dark garage at a vacated property. Easily overlooked in its modest thin brown cardboard wrapper, plain except for a simple printed label at one end; I removed the lid to reveal a set of Dinky Toys No. 47 road signs, complete and in very good condition, lying against their brilliant yellow backing card. How thrilled was I, but equally how easily could this virtually anonymous, small and very drab box have been consigned to the dustbin! It now holds a preauction estimate of £50 - 70.
Little sets of 12 handpainted die cast road signs with black on white striped posts and red tops are listed in the “scarce” section of some specialist web sites.The first version was produced 1935 – 1941 when the signs were displayed in a square box, one row of six above a second row of six. It was then produced post-war, normally repackaged in a rectangular box. Due to the austerity of the post war years, toy packaging was usually very modest and in this example, the stapled brown card lid bears only one slender yellow paper label, simply announcing maker and contents with set number. The retention and genuineness of even such modest packaging can add disproportionately to the value of the contents on the collectors’ market; unadulterated authenticity counts for a lot in this day and age when boxes for toy trains and cars have been known to be faked and forged. The date of such a set can also be determined by
Elizabeth Talbot
e.talbot@twgaze.co.uk what signs were included; however, post-war sets still contain outdated pre-war style “corner” signs. In 1954 the set was renumbered to 770, preempting the issue of another set of Meccano Dinky die cast British road signs, numbered 772, made between 1959 and 1963. This larger set comprised 24 signs, and was in an even longer rectangular box and which was brightly printed on all sides with titles and illustrations of contents. Although more recent in manufacture, such sets are not seen very often, either, these days. Viewing will take place on Thurs 10 Dec, 2 – 8pm, Fri 11 Dec, 10 – 6pm and on morning of auction from8.30am. The sale, 12 December, will start at 10am. Further details and catalogues twgaze.co.uk or from sale organisers Robert Kinsella and Tom Miller on 01379 650306.
Christmas Gifts Across the year customers no doubt buy items intended to be gifted at virtually all of our 200 plus auctions. But once a year we focus that to assemble unique and quality items that cover a range of budgets and tastes: Christmas Gifts, Friday 4 December. The full catalogue will be available from Wednesday 2 December but until then here is but a taster. A 9ct gold charm in the form of Cinderella’s coach £80-120 A pair of Cloisonné vases £120-180 A late 18th C hand painted tankard £400-500 An Omega 18ct white gold wristwatch £800-1200 An early 20th C French made bird in a cage automaton £250-350 A Moorcroft Anemone pattern vase £220-300
GAZETTE Issue 48/winter’15
TW Gaze , Diss Auction Rooms, Diss, Norfolk IP22 4LN 01379 650 306 auctions@twgaze.co.uk www.twgaze.co.uk