The December Auction
“Well, that’s Christmas sorted.”
I was sitting outside the auction room on 6 December,
signing people in, assigning bidding numbers etc. and was impressed by the
number of people who, when leaving, announced that they had just finished their
Christmas shopping. Of
course, this makes perfect sense…you can find something for everyone at an
auction; especially the Windibank December auction which was filled with lots
that appeared to have come straight from Santa’s Workshop…at least that part of
the workshop devoted to gifts for grown-ups.
Nearly half of our top 20 items on the day were
jewellery. We have no doubt that the
recipient of Lot 528,
an 18ct gold solitaire brilliant cut diamond ring with a just
over one carat diamond is going to be pleased.
The ring went right on estimate at £7500. Also, some lucky woman will be opening a gift
containing Lot 469 a pair of 18ct gold diamond solitaire earrings of
approximately one carat each which sold for £4850. Lot 571, a
Chinese
18ct white gold bangle with pierced and raised dragon and phoenix decoration, went
on estimate for £810. Lot 525, selling
for £600 was a gorgeous 14ct white gold ladies ring set with centre orange
sapphire surrounded by diamonds.
It wasn’t all about jewellery. We sold an unsigned drawing attributed to
Gwen Johns (Lot 316) for £450. Lot 290
sold for £600. It was an Oriental scroll depicting 2 fan shaped
panels decorated with landscapes and buildings.
The buyer had flown in from Shanghai two days before the auction to have
a look at that and several other scrolls which he also purchased.
Of course the bigger ticket items
are just part of the story. We also sold
a lot of Moorcroft vases, Melba Ware character jugs, animal figurines from
Royal Copenhagen, Branksome, and Beswick including a relatively rare Beswick
moose (for £310!) and a ceramic fish to a small boy attending his first auction
with his father. I saw him several times
over the day; at the morning preview, poring over the catalogue, “discussing
tactics” as he told me with his father, and finally holding his purchase in his
hands and looking as excited as if it were already Christmas morning.