16 30th June 2012 auction reports Why bidding shoots up


■ Lady Motorist fails Royal Worcester production test but sells at £10,000 to collector


Terence Ryle reports


SO often in the collecting arena, nothing succeeds quite like a failure.


A flawed stamp or currency note


printed by Perkins & Bacon or De La Rue, a first novel so bad that the author* destroyed all the copies he could, or a Royal Worcester figural design with such top-heavy problems that it never went into general production… Failures all – but pure gold to collectors. It was the Royal Worcester gaffe


that surfaced at one of the best sales at Fieldings of Stourbridge since Nick Davies and Will Farmer set up the firm 11 years ago. This was a 1909 candle-snuffer in the


form of that most radical-chic female, the Lady Motorist. She was modelled in her driving goggles, a green overcoat and a lilac head scarf (the suffragette colours) tying down her hat. It was one of half a dozen figural


snuffers brought into Fieldings by a lady collector who, said ceramics specialist Alison Snowdon, was unaware of the values. On sale day all sold, five much as expected with, for instance, a 4¾in (12cm) tall monk reading a book date coded for 1915 bringing £40 and a 3½in (9cm) witch with black pointed hat, red cape and puce mark making £85. In between came the 5in (12.5cm) Lady


Motorist – puce mark, date code 1909, shape 2489, No. 549425 – estimated at £400-600. The description of the snuffer had


collectors salivating, although few of them believed she would sell for anywhere near the estimate.


Left: extremely rare Royal Worcester candle-snuffer, the Lady Motorist of 1909 – £10,000 at Fieldings.


Above: late 17th/early18th century rhino horn Chinese libation cup – £30,000 at Fieldings.


Right: Italian 19th century life-size marble statue of Diana – £29,000 at Fieldings.


Fieldings, Stourbridge, May 19 Number of lots offered: 987 Lots sold: 73% Buyer’s premium: 17.5% Sale total: £295,600


“Of course, I knew it wouldn’t go at


under £1000,” said Brighton specialist dealer Tony Horsley. “I didn’t think it would go for under £10,000” – the reason being that the model is one of Royal Worcester’s rarest pieces. Only four were recorded as having


been made in 1909 and just two of them were coloured. Mr Horsley believes the problem


was that the model was top heavy and unstable – a difficulty encountered again in a 1976 reissue project using the original


moulds, of which only seven to ten are thought to exist. The last time an Edwardian model


came up was when an undecorated example appeared at Bristol’s Clevedon Saleroom four years ago. Then estimated at £250-350, it went to a collector at £5300 (plus 17.5% buyer’s premium) with Mr Horsley the underbidder. Mr Horsley said at the time he was


going to have to amend his definitive 1999 book Distinguished Extinguishers. He tells me that the new edition, four


times as big, is now with the editors so there is still time to record the Fieldings star. Bidding on the phone, Mr Horsley


again came up against a determined private collector who told Ms Snowdon that he had waited ten years for it. He was the winner of the snuffer at £10,000. A couple of other top-sellers among


the ceramics were more frequently seen at auction – a pair of 7¾in (20cm) c.1920 Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre vases in the Imps on Bridge pattern by Daisy Makeig-


Nelson touch propels


THE attractions of variations from the run-of-the-mill ceramics extends to all factories, not just the Royal Worcester example discussed above. With a production run from 1952 to 1969, the first


Left: Royal Doulton Nelson character jug with the all-important commemorative backstamp, above – £5400 at Louis Taylor. Right: Bonnie Prince Charlie jug in prototype colours £1450 at the same Stoke-on-Trent sale.


of Royal Doulton’s Nelson character jugs is not hard to find in its standard issue form. Something between £50 and £100 is the norm. However, for a short period, just three years into the run, the backstamp changed to mark a rather special anniversary. Instead of the issue number D6336, it reads Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar 21st October 1955 followed by First Sea Lord and a central medallion with


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