Going for Gold

Bidders were ‘going for gold’ during the sale of jewellery, where a 9ct gold heavy link curb identity bracelet achieved £2,400 on the rostrum. As it was our highest-selling piece of the day, unsurprisingly, our second-highest-selling piece was a similar example, reaching an incredible £1,900. Vendors are clearly responding to the high returns on gold, as our sale contained over one hundred lots of gold jewellery, across rings, chains and brooches.

From the smallest items to the largest, an unequivocally ginormous archive of memorabilia pertaining to Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales, demonstrated her enduring popularity with collectors. Curated over decades, the single-vendor collection included original photographs and negatives, signed letters from Diana and Buckingham Palace, and a piece of wedding cake. The pieces went over their initial estimate, reaching £788 on the rostrum, a historical gem for a Royal fan.  

In the sale of pictures, local interest translated into lots of bidding, with multiple lots of Bristol engravings reaching their high estimates on the rostrum. The 19th-century views captured Clifton, the Great Western Railway, the Suspension Bridge and the leisurely pursuits of Bristolians of old; a charming glimpse into the city’s past and a fitting addition to any Bristol home today. As the prints came from a large collection from a single owner, underbidders will be glad to know that more pieces from its vendor will be included in upcoming sales. Also in pictures, an engraving titled 'Stonehenge at Daybreak', after JMW Turner made its mark on bidders and became the highest-selling picture of the sale, with a final price of £260, more than doubling its initial estimate of £50-£100. The piece had plenty of interest online before the sale, which was translated into high bids on the day.

A glorious finale to Thursday’s auction came in the very last moments, when keen bidding saw a garden ornament leap to more than three times its initial estimate. A composite stone greyhound, or whippet, proved to be no underdog, racing to £300 after a bidding battle between the room and the internet. The winning bidder was determined to take the piece home and make a pair with a similar companion already in their garden, ensuring this hound had finally found its forever home.

Our next sale is our Autumn Specialist Sale on the 10^th of September, featuring the highest quality antique and luxury items sourced over the last quarter. Consignments for this auction are already making an impression, including a 2011 Chevrolet 6.2L SS V8 automatic coupe, with an estimate of £15,000 - £17,000, a four-carat Art Deco diamond ring, with an estimate of £5,000 - £7,000, and Peter Lord (b. 1953) - 'Morph' modelling clay figure, estimated at £600 - £800. As we cross the ‘t’s and dot the ‘i’s of the catalogue, view our preview lots for this sale on our website now.