Clevedon Salerooms ever-popular Interiors sales always offer an eclectic mix of the rare, desirable and the just plain quirky, as the most recent sale on Thursday February 22nd showed. Strong bidding was in evidence throughout the sale, but it was amongst the Collectables section that the day’s biggest surprise – and highest price – was to be found, a Victorian stereoscope and collection of photographic cards.
The Victorian age was marked by new opportunities in the spheres of technology, photography and travel nowhere was this better demonstrated than in the stereoscope.The craze for Stereoscopy swept through Victorian society, becoming one of the most popular forms of home entertainment. Victorian families could travel the world from the comfort of their drawing room all through a viewing device that allowed dual images to be viewed with a 3-d like appearance. The one on offer had arrived – as is the case with so many star lots at Clevedon – at one of our popular Monday valuation days. Inherited with a number of other items, it’s owners had little idea of its historical significance or its value. They will doubtless have been delighted when it went on to outshine its estimate several times over, selling for a remarkable £1,800.
Amongst the other high prices of the day, it was a case of going for gold. An interesting lot comprising a 9 carat gold curb link bracelet with fourteen various charms, together with an old-cut diamond three-stone ring, and a gold sovereign 1974 in a 9 carat gold mount, weighing in at 77.6g gross sold for a very respectable £1,350. Meanwhile, an unmarked yellow metal figaro link bracelet with a 1929 George V gold sovereign sold for £1,100 and 9ct gold double Albert watch chain with 9ct gold medallion sold for £700.
Thereafter, it was the typical Clevedon Interiors sale eclectic mix which accounted for the day’s top big hits. Proving that good things do come in small packages a miniature set of Shakespeare volumes in a miniature carousel bookcase, raised a few eyebrows when it sold for £820. A large collection of Royal Mail mint postage stamp presentation packs dating from 1967 to 2020 sold for £700 and a collection of approximately 130 microscope slides, dating from the early 20th century sold for £620.
With Spring just on the horizon, attention now turns to the Quarterly Fine Art sale on March 14th. In what promises to be an exciting and eclectic sale, other lots to be offered include a Victorian platinum and diamond tiara and, less regally but no less impressive, a rare early draft film script for “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. Clevedon Salerooms Spring Specialist will be held on Thursday March 14th commencing at 10.30am.