THE railways themselves may not be as dependable as they were, but you can absolutely count on Sheffield Railwayana Auctions coming up with the goods. June 12 saw the specialists, who still don’t charge buyer’s premium, steaming along to a £438,000 total from 530 lots.
As usual, locomotive nameplates took the top prices - The York
And Ainsty, shown right, from an LNER Hunt Class steam loco going
at £32,000 and, setting a record for a diesel, the historic Falcon,
below right, going at £22,500.
Probably of wider interest to any dealers offered railwayana, was
auctioneer Ian Wright's assessment of lots other than nameplates.
These averaged £650 per lot, the highest these rooms have
seen.
Collectors can, just about, come in at a low level, but almost
anything to do with railways is now expensive. Station totems, for
instance, once easily obtainable, now usually make four figures.
Here, one for Merston, on the Isle of Wight, took £4400.
Then there is what might be called the accessories market. At
Sheffield, two table lamps from Pullman cars sold at what Mr Wright
called an astonishing £5500 (a record) and £3600 and a handlamp
marked Cleator & Workington Junction made £3900.
Otherwise workaday clocks take on a new price structure with, for
instance, a drop-dial example marked North Staffordshire Railway
making £2800 and even horse brasses get a new shine - one marked
Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway sold at £1200.
Back to top
Follow us on:
