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VALLEY AUCTIONS
auction programmes which now litter the daytime TV
L
schedules. I guess the public appetite
for a rummage through Grandma's loft in search of a priceiess heirioom was first whetted many years ago by the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, still going strong. Then there was "Lovejoy", a
whoie other story and deiving a little deeper, if oniy through fiction, into the occasionally murky world of the antiques trade.
Perhaps on a quiet night long
ago, deep in a dark BBC vault, Lovejoy and the Roadshow shared a dusty shelf, so that their offspring now abound on our screens. Whether it be "Bargain
Hunt", "Cash in the Attic", "Flog It" or "Dickinson’s Real Deal", there’s no getting away from our love of the auction house and the chance that there might, just might, be an long lost Da Vinci lurking under Great Unde Walter’s stairs. Having spawned a winning
formuia, the BBC knows a good thing when it sees it and now a new incarnation is on the way, "Restoration Roadshow’’... more on that iater. • , But back to me, for despite
enjoying the auction highs and lows of others on TV, and becoming virtuai pais with a host of "celebrity antique dealers", I had never actually set foot In the sale room, much less made a bid. i remained an auction house virgin. All that changed with an
invitiation, through a work contact, to attend one of the monthly general sales held by Clitheroe-based auctioneers Silverwoods. As one of the region’s
ieading auctioneers and valuers, it hoids reguiar sales of everything from top fiight seriously valuable antiques, through to "rural bygones" and collectables and down to weekly Wednesday sales of pretty much anything you want rid of and someone might buy. The general sale, held on the
last Thursday of each month, and with almost 500 lots covering a very broad spectrum, seemed as good a , place as any to dip my toe. Before setting out i had a
good look at Silverwoods’ website (
www.silverwoods.
co.uk) where I found a very useful section explaining how
18 the Valley
The clock, bought by Duncan And fun is what it was. On
arrival at Silverwoods’ modern salerooms, off Lincoln Way, I ■ went to the general office where friendiy staff welcomed me. For a nominal fee (£2.50) I was registered and given my own "paddie number", written on a piece of paper with which to bid. The registration is not
just for this auction, but lasts for the whole year - my first bargain of the day. i ventured into the busy
saieroom, where the auction was in full swing. Orchestrating proceedings was Silverwoods auctioneer Wilf Mouid, who, i quickiy realised, has a confident and breezy style with the gavel and eagle-eyes trained to never miss a bid! He moved aiong at a fair iick, but I had no problem following what was happening. Some lots seemed to soa r, . away as rival bidders went
,
head-to-head, while others stubbornly refused to budge. Some failed to reach their reserve - a minimum price set by the seller - and so were
■ unsold, but most found a good
ike me, you’ve no doubt seen and perhaps enjoyed the raft of TV
by Duncan Smith
auctions work, how and when to view the goods on offer, how to seii, how to bid, and what i should expect to pay on top of the "hammer price". i couid also download a
catalogue listing aii the iots in the sale, complete with brief description and estimate, aithough catalogues can also be bought at the sale itself. The more I read the more I
realised that auction houses were not strange and exclusive trade-only establishments, populated only by an "in-the- know" crowd of dealers, where an inadvertent scratch of the nose couid iand you with an unwanted iong case clock. No, they were places where
ordinary people like me couid go along and, by following a few simple guidelines, join in the fun.
price, often weli up on their cataiogue estimate. Each new iot was dispiayed
by the hardworking saieroom porters, and the number of each winning bidder dutifuily noted down so they couid coiiect and pay for their purchases iater. On some lots, buyers who
could not attend had lodged their top bid with the auctioneer prior to the sale, Wilf telling the room that the bid was "with me", uniess someone in the room outbid if. There were aiso telephone bidders for some items. The 482 lots were split into
sections - ceramics and collectables (that’s pottery to you and me), then glassware, silver jewellery and watches, "bygones and larger collectables” , pictures and prints, and so on. Last to seil were the . - -
"furniture and interior decor" which, I reaiised, was no accident, as most of the punters were sitting on a motley assortment of chairs that would sell among the final
-lots. They were an odd crowd (in a
good way!); a mix of deaiers who seemed to all know "the ropes" and each other, other regular attenders who enjoyed a day out at the saleroom (some with packed lunches), and a smattering of novices like me, perhaps there to bid on a singie item, or to see their own items sold. Unusually, this sale included
a collection of 27 "edged weapons" (in this case swords and sabres, but the description wouid aiso cover knives and bayonets), which I guessed had been the property of a single collector. They had attracted a handful of specialist buyers and so made good money, whereas a singie sword in a general sale might struggle. I half had my eye on one, a
. 1796 pattern English light cavairy sabre. It was described in the cataiogue simply as a "19th Century curved sword in steel scabbard and leather grip", estimate £45 - £60. I knew if it sold for anything
in that region it would be a huge bargain, especially as the condition was good, b u t ! suspected the” mi!itaria men" knew its true worth. I was right - it sped to £170, still a good price, but too rich for my blood. Every lot brought fresh
interest and I couidn’t heip but wonder at the stories behind them. A silver cake basket
ots o
made £260, more than double its £120 lower estimate; a 1965 gold sovereign in a pendant mount and chain made its top estimate of £130, and a modern silver Girogio Armani ring went for £48; a wooden child’s high stool, which looked fit only for the bonfire, raced past its £20 upper estimate for the hammer to fall at £65. Two cased displays of
taxidermy made £170 and £100 (there’s no accounting for taste!) and a wonderful brass magic lantern, complete with 550 glass slides of country scenes, seemed a steal at £380. Moving forward in time, a
collection of 1970s Action Man figures, complete with outfits, accessories and vehicles, sold
. for £75, while a ladies’ mink jacket seemed a snip at £22... but who would dare wear it in these PC times? - By now my confidence was brimming, which was just as well, as I had spotted a lovely Smiths eight-day early bakelite wall clock, which the catalogue told me was in running order, it said Smiths on the clockface and this Smith’s it would be... I
r r m
r /
Our prestigious showroom has been open for 40 years and we offer
• No p • CAD design serv ce
Experienced design staff tressure selling erviice
Over 30 cfisplays on show
Project managed installation with full fitting service or supply-only
Sllverwoods' auctioneer Wilf Mould Aizosoa/zg
hoped. But I had set my limit and was resolute I would not exceed it. Others bid first, but it seemed to stall at its upper estimate of £30. Wilf seemed all set to bang his gavel, so I raised my numbered piece of paper and easily caught his eye. "It’s at 32 in the room, do I
have 35? I’m selling now at 32.... bang!" Elation! My first bid and it
was mine, and quite a bit below my self-set limit. Buyers pay a 12.5%-rVAT (14.38%) premium, so I took my number to the office and settled up at £36.60, which I still reckoned a bargain, as modern reproductions, knocked up in China, cost three times that. The final lot of the day was
an early 20th Century full-size mahogany snooker table, complete with all accessories and with an estimate of £2,000 to £3,000. Proceeds from its hoped-for sale would swell the fund to refurbish Downham Village Hall, where the snooker table had been sadly under used of late. Unfortunately it failed to sell. Apparently the recession has
causea tne closure of countless working men’s clubs, their surplus snooker tables now flooding the UK market. Ah well, back to the drawing board! As for me, I thoroughly
enjoyed my first excursion to the auction house and it won’t be my last, although next time 1 might just have a bash at selling... now where did I put that stuff from under Great Uncle Walter’s stairs? ■ For more information on
Silverwoods’ range of sales, valuation days, and how to take part, call 01200 423322 or visit:
www.silverwoods.co.uk ■ "Restoration Roadshow" is
a new 20-part BBC2 series which is coming to film at Stonyhurst on August 29th and 30th. Hosted by Eric Knowles and a team of specialist restorers, it gives people the chance to have their broken or "past-their-prime" antiques : valued, with an option to pay
; for work to restore them to their former glory, perhaps for sale at auction. For more on this new series,
■ see this week’s Clitheroe Advertiser and Times.
Open Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm (Evenings by appointment) Sat 10am-4pm. Sun 10am-4pm
We are KBSA members giving deposit protection and assured quality of product and service
Approved GE Money retailer with flexible finance facilities
Very competitive prices - part of J & J Ormerod, furniture manufacturers
1
352-358 Newchurch Road, Stacksteads, Bacup, Lancashire. 0L13 OLD Tel: 01706 252122 Fax: 01706 879357
• f ' - ' — «*-j m
Kitchen House, corner of Brogden Street & Market Street, Ulverston, Cumbria. LA12 7AH Tel: 01299 581828 Fax: 01229 581729
Units A&B, Cherry Tree Retail Park, Cherry Tree Road, Blackpool. FY4 4TH Tel: 01253 762226 Fax: 01253 762228. •
www.rossendaleinteriors.com /■* I I
Rossendale iv iterloY 's
. # GE Money
LAUFEN.co.uk -
-i . . - ' the Valley 19 '
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