1. Marklin tinplate train – £6500
Marklin gauge 1 tinplate clockwork train – £6500 at 1818 Auctioneers.
Although in tired condition, this Marklin gauge 1 tinplate clockwork train set went way above hopes at 1818 Auctioneers, Milnthorpe, Cumbria on May 7, selling to an online bidder at £6500 (estimate £300-500). The 2609 locomotive and tender plus two third class carriages are hand painted in the livery of the Midland Railway, suggesting they were made for the4 British market in the early years of the 20th century.
2. Ornate saddle axe – £8500
A Sikh silver-foiled saddle axe – £8500 at Chiswick Auctions.
This Sikh silver-foiled saddle axe (tabarzin) sold via thesaleroom.com for £8500 (estimate £1400-1600) at Chiswick Auctions in West London on May 3. A similar saddle axe in the Royal Armouries, Leeds is thought to have been made in early 19th century Lahore.
This present example, 22in (55cm) long and profusely engraved with foliate cartouches, was previously part of the collection of Indian art formed by Pierre Jourdan-Barry (1926-2016), much of it now part of the Rubin Museum of Art in New York.
3. Lalique statuette – £6000
A Rene Lalique Côte d'Azur statuette – £6000 at Kingham & Orme.
This 6.5in (16.5cm) Rene Lalique Côte d'Azur statuette was designed for passengers on the Paris Gare de Lyon to Ventimiglia journey of the Pullman Express.
Lalique was responsible for the design of many of the interior furnishings of the train. The model of a stylised nude female figure in frosted glass, includes an incised signature R Lalique plus the relief moulded commemorative lettering 9 Decembre 1929.
At Kingham & Orme of Evesham, Worcestershire, on May 3, it sold to an online bidder at £6000 (estimate £3000-5000).
4. Original Dr No poster – £9000
An original first release film poster from Dr No (1962) sold to an online bidder for £9000 (estimate £3000-5000) at Astons in Dudley on May 2. Posters from the 1962 film are considered the rarest of all the James Bond film posters, with the full colour artwork for this British Quad by Mitchell Hooks.
This example was in very good condition with only a few tape marks and pinholes to the corners to count against it.
In the same sale a poster for the second James Bond film Goldfinger (1964) featuring golden Bond girl artwork by Robert Brownjohn, also in good folder condition, took £3800 (estimate £1500-2500).
5. Opium War map – £5000
A 'Map of the China Coast’ used by British commanders in the First Opium War – £5000 at Greenslade Taylor Hunt.
Estimated at £100-150, this rare folding 'Map of the China Coast and Rough Sketch of the Provinces lying between Canton and Pekin', sold via thesaleroom.com for an unexpected £5000 at Greenslade Taylor Hunt in Taunton on May 2.
The map, one of only a few known, was published in 1860 by the Surveyor General's Office in Calcutta during the later stages of the Second Opium War. Intended for use by the British commanders, among the notes are references to British movements and victories in the First Opium War plus details of the chief manufacturing, resources, and customs of each area.
This copy came via descent from Major-General Sir Peter Scratchley, Royal Engineers (1835-85).
