A rare Victorian copper jelly mould shaped as a tortoise or turtle, £2000 at Brighton & Hove Auctions.
Estimated at £80-120 it sold way above expectations to an online bidder via thesaleroom.com.
The 6in (15cm) mould, made to an unusual design, carries the stamp for Benham & Froud, the firm of London coppersmiths. The signature of an orb and cross references its most famous commission, the replacement finial created for the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral in 1821.
A view of the copper jelly mould that made £2000 at Brighton & Hove Auctions.
Benham & Froud (best known for the designs it produced with Christopher Dresser) created some of the most innovative and ambitious copper moulds. Most designs will bring less than £100 but rare ‘figurals’ include the profile head of Queen Victoria, the Prince of Wales feathers, a recumbent lion and a mould in the form of a Victoria Cross – all of them capable of prices close to £1000.
Markings on the Victorian copper jelly mould shaped as a tortoise or turtle.
However, the £2000 bid by a collector in the north of England for this turtle model may be the highest for a single copper jelly mould at auction.
The sale at Brighton & Hove Auctions took place on March 30.
