“I’m sure I reflect the general trend when I say the sale was very up and down,” he said. “Good things fetched excellent prices, bad or over-priced things, which we hope not to have, didn’t sell at all and as for middle-range furniture... like pulling teeth.”
Best of the furniture was an early Victorian rosewood canterbury at a predictable £1900 while a George III mahogany secretaire bookcase with an associated top took £1000.
A c.1890 canteen of 191 pieces of German 800-grade style cutlery engraved with the initials OT and with Art Nouveau-style patterns all housed in an oak case, went to an Isle of Wight buyer at £1050.
Four etchings by Eileen Soper – she illustrated Enid Blyton’s Famous Five series – created something of a stir.
Found by the vendor between pages of old copies of the Illustrated London News, they sold at £540.
Patrick Cheyne, Altrincham March 23
Buyer’s premium: 10 per cent
Canterbury rewards hard day’s work
WITH 452 lots bringing around £43,000, this was a satisfactory enough Cheshire sale if sometimes hard work for Patrick Cheyne on 23 March.
