The son of Jewish refugees from Poland, his first job was with the book auction house Hodgsons where he spent 15 years – in his spare time scouring London shops (and occasionally further afield) for books of merit, honing his near photographic memory and developing an uncanny knack (remarked on by many who knew him) for turning up exceptional rarities.
With his wife Josie (they met at a dance and it was love at first sight), he set up a tiny wedge-shaped shop in the King’s Road, next to Ciancimino’s antique shop.
As a dealer, although keen on a profit, Orskey was not greedy. The ‘action' or 'thrill of the chase' were what appealed. Hence, he sold mostly to the trade and at a fair price.
In the end, it is perhaps the dealer’s own books, prints, and paintings which will say most about him, for it turns out that he and his wife were serious and judicious collectors across a spectrum of subjects.
The collection of books, prints and paintings is to go under the hammer at Dominic Winter Auctions on June 26.
A collection of needlework and other material is to be sold by Tennants.
