Auction Results

This Antiques & Interiors Sale will include a good section of limited-edition Border Fine Arts and Beswick, including an array of horses, cattle, tractors and more. Featured is Part III of a Private Yorkshire Collection.

The sale will continue with a general run of traditional art and antiques, jewellery, watches and more.

More details and full catalogue coming in due course.

Predominantly composed of post-millennium examples, the collection includes a large range of UK commemorative gold proof coins celebrating Royal Anniversaries and Jubilees, the 2012 London Olympics, pioneering Britons and significant historical events. This is coupled with a strong selection of both brilliant uncirculated and proof sovereigns, five pound coins and sovereign sets.

Highlights in the approximately 150-lot sale will include a rare gold proof ‘Kew Gardens’ 50p, and with only 629 issued this is one of the rarest and most sought-after coins in the series. Also of note are several four and five-coin sovereigns sets, which were issued in low numbers, and the full Olympics 2012 ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’ gold coin set. In addition, both investors and collectors will be pleased to see a large selection of unopened sovereigns still in their brilliant uncirculated condition. Nearly all the coins featured in this sale are unhandled and still in their original packaging.

This sale will have a buyer's premium of 15% + VAT (18% in total)

We are delighted to be offering another outstanding selection of early Mouseman furniture this October. Most excitingly for fans of Mouseman, is a rare circa 1926 English Oak Hutch Cupboard, which has two of Robert Thompson’s own hand-carved mice with front paws, which were only included on very early pieces, and most unusually they are undercut so their heads and chests are raised off the wood underneath. The hutch comes with provenance from the Preston/Isherwood family, from Lancashire. With provenance from the same family is a Pair of English Oak Easy Chairs made circa 1930.

Further notable collections of Mouseman in the sale include a selection of pieces commissioned in the 1930s for Tudor Croft, an Arts and Crafts house on the edge of Guisborough built by Ronald Crossley in 1935, a 9 foot refectory table and set of armchairs that were by repute made for Yorkshire Copper Works,Leeds in 1939, and a selection of furniture and fittings from C.E. Waddington, a family-run gentlemen’s outfitters with three shops in Worksop, Rotherham and Bawtry, commissioned between 1958 and 1965. Finally, a there is a highly personal collection of Mouseman and Critter pieces from the estate of the late Ken Almack (1932-2021), one of Robert Thompson’s craftsmen. The sale will include over 100 lots of Mouseman furniture and furnishings, and over 80 lots by the Yorkshire Critters.

The sale will also offer the David and Brenda Pearson Studio Pottery Collection, including outstanding pieces such as a Stoneware Bottle and Vase, circa 1983 by the inimitable Dame Lucie Rie. David and Brenda Pearson had a passion for studio ceramics and purchased much of their collection from the Peter Dingley Gallery in Stratford-upon-Avon, not far from their home in Birmingham, which showcased the works of outstanding contemporary potters. Their collection also includes pieces by the likes of Shoji Hamada, Bernard, David and Janet Leach, Richard Batterham and John Maltby.

A further Private Collection of French and American Art Glass from the North West, dating from 1900 to the 1930s is also on offer, encompassing cameo and painted pieces.

A fine selection of Modern and Contemporary Art will be offered this October, with important works including "Torpedo Fish" by Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, "Houses, Trees and Ships" by Alfred Wallis and two paintings by Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis.

Also included in the sale are works by Christopher Wood, Henry Moore, Mary Fedden, Dame Eileen Mayo, John Hoyland, Sandra Blow, Bryan Pearce, Roger Hilton, Breon O'Casey and Sir Terry Frost.

To include a Collection of Violins by Clifford Tunstall of Barnard Castle, Part 2 of a Fine Collection of Electric and Acoustic Guitars including Masterbuilt Fenders, Gibsons, Martins, Burns, Paul Reed Smith and Rickenbacker; period Fender amplifiers, an EMG XB gramophone, a collection of arcade gaming machines, mechanical music, mining lamps, a good selection of cameras and many other items.

This Antiques and Interiors Sale will include a section of Affordable Modern Art, comprising over 100 lots by a wide range of artists including Ed Kluz, Stephen Scholes, Caroline Bailey, Jacquie Denby and prints After Andy Warhol and After Banksy amongst others.  In addition, the sale will feature three single-owner sections, with works from the Estate of Pat Maclaurin, the Estate of Stephanie Dingle and a single owner collection of works by Reginald James Lloyd.  The sale will also feature the usual selection of affordable traditional furniture, furnishings, pictures, prints, jewellery, watches and more.

Highlights of the Militaria section include an interesting collection of items relating to Colonel Alwyn de Blaquiere Valentine Paget, a Gentleman at Arms (bodyguard) to King Edward VII, a Second World War RAF Sector Clock, used in operations' rooms to aid track and intercept enemy aircraft over Britain and two collections of badges, buttons and insignia. A good offering of Ethnographica in the sale is lead by a 19th Century Australian Aboriginal Parrying Shield, from the Lower Murray River Region.

The September Country House Sale will include a number of private collections, including The Collection of the Late Captain Edward Cazenove (1923-2000).

The Collection of the Late Captain Edward Cazenove

Devoted hunter and art collector Captain Edward "Teddy" Cazenove was born on 11 June 1923. He was brought up by his New York-born mother, Edith, at the family house of Cottesbrooke in Northamptonshire. Cazenove was educated at Eton and Oxford, where he took every chance he could to hunt.

Shortly after graduating from Oxford, he joined the Army and served diligently throughout the Second World War. He was taken prisoner in France in 1944 and was wounded attempting to escape. After the war, instead of following in his father's footsteps and joining the family firm of stockbrokers, which had been established from the 1820s, Cazenove chose to do what he loved best. He settled in Pytchley, Northamptonshire, to hunt. Highly skilled and consistently enthusiastic, Cazenove became Master of hunts in England, Scotland and Ireland. He died aged 77 in 2000.

The sale will also include a Private Collection of Works by Fred Lawson and a Private Collection of Works by William Miller Frazer. 

Jewellery, Watches & Silver Sales bring together a wide a range of affordable period and modern jewellery, vintage and collectable watches, and silver from the 18th to 21st century.

THE SELECTED CONTENTS OF DYKES HILL HOUSE, MASHAM, NORTH YORKSHIRE, FORMERLY THE PROPERTY OF THE 2nd EARL AND COUNTESS OF SWINTON AND SOLD ON THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE 4th EARL AND FAMILY AND THE TRUSTEES OF THE LORD SWINTON WILL TRUST

The Swinton Sale, will include a selection of fine English and Continental Furniture, Paintings, Sculpture, Chinese Works of Art, Silver, Meissen, Sèvres, Books and Objets d’Art from one of Yorkshire’s most important landed estates.

The Swinton Estate which spans approximately 20,000 acres encompasses some of the most beautiful landscape in North Yorkshire and has been in the ownership of the Cunliffe-Lister family since the 1880s. Dykes Hill House, close to Swinton Park, became the family seat and home to the 2nd Earl and Lady Masham following a life changing injury when she was thrown from her horse shortly before their wedding in 1959, causing her to be paralysed from the waist down.

The 2nd Earl died in 2006 and his widow Susan Cunliffe-Lister, Countess of Swinton, Baroness Masham of Ilton, DL, continued to lead a full life as a British crossbench member of the House of Lords. Amongst her many achievements, she was a former Paralympic athlete and was also the founder and lifelong President of the Spinal Injuries Association. She died on 12th March 2023.

Whilst a number of the chattels have been retained by the family, the remaining contents of Dykes Hill House provide a rare glimpse of what epitomises the quintessential taste of the English aristocracy.

To include a specialist section of silver, as well as a good mix of affordable traditional art and antiques, jewellery, watches and more. The sale will also include a collection of modern and antique taxidermy.

The Fine Wine and Whisky Sales include fine, collectable and affordable wines and champagne from the world’s leading producers as well as whisky, port, Madeira, cognac and liqueurs. Also included is a private collection of 1947 Tuke Holdsworth Port from a cellar in Yorkshire.

Viewing is available by appointment, please contact William McNab
william.mcnab@tennants-ltd.co.uk

The Summer Book Sale includes a wide range of interesting books, maps, photographs and manuscripts. In the modern books there are first editions by J.R.R. Tolkien and Mervyn Peake, signed works by Evelyn Waugh, Siegfried Sassoon, John le Carre and others as well as a good collection of deluxe Folio Society works. Earlier books include a small collection of finely bound works published by Didot of Paris, early Law books, a seventeeth century cookery book, a sixteenth century book on Crucifixion by Lipsius, and a very early sixteenth century book using italics which caused controvery at the time.
A good collection of early travel books is complemented by an interesting album of photographs of British Central Africa as well as a small selection of early maps, including a scarce folding map of Tasmania. A typescript personal account of the British Economic Mission to the Far East in 1930 provides a surprisingly interesting read.
For the Royalists, there are signed photographs of Queen Victoria and Albert, Prince of Wales and three Christmas cards signed by H.M. the Queen Mother. The sale concludes with a section of books on Natural History, Science and Theology which includes three early editions of Darwin's Origin of Species and a ground breaking work on the human brain by Marie Antionette's physician Vicq D'Azyr, illustrated with hand-coloured aquatints. 

The popular fortnightly Antiques and Interiors Sales attract a loyal following of regular buyers and they are a good source of 20th and 21st century collectables. Including a mix of affordable traditional art and antiques, jewellery, watches and more the Antiques and Interiors Sales are a great place for novice buyers to begin their collection.

Highlights include three rare 19th century samplers made by girls at a Bristol orphanage, good 19th century quilts and the collection of the late Mrs Jean Hoyle, who over the course of fifty years, collected a glittering array of lady's decorative costume accessories including fans, buttons and buckles dating from the late 18th century to the middle of the 20th century. The sale will also feature a selection of antique and vintage costume from circa 1810 to the mid-20th century, and a range of modern designer costume and accessories including pieces by desirable labels such as Chanel, Mulberry, Fendi, Yves Saint Laurent and Balmain.

Lots 2069-2095
The Late Mrs Jean Hoyle Collection of Fans and Costume Accessories
The Late Mrs Jean Hoyle was Lancashire born and bred, an antique dealer and collector, her collection spans over five decades of collecting from the mid-1960s to early 2000s.  Jean came from quite humble beginnings, born in Rawtenstall, Lancashire on 28^th June 1930.
It was apparent from a young age that Jean had a natural flair and passion for design, fashion, colour & textiles and after leaving school became a designer of print patterns for materials produced at Barrow Printworks in Lancashire.  In the early 1960s, Jean along with her husband Derek Hoyle were introduced to the world of Antique Fairs and Flea Markets. Starting the family business in 1972, they held a series of antique events on the North West, establishing in Lytham, Southport, Morecombe and Blackpool, all proving hugely popular and successful for the antique trade and public alike, events were also established in Cheshire & Yorkshire.  This success carried on for many years, becoming the mainstay of the family business for decades.
It was during this time, Jean concentrated on buying, selling, and building a refined private collection of antique fans, buttons, buckles and costume related artefacts. Jean was a member of the International Fan Circle and would always be eager to share her knowledge and expertise with anyone who was interested to learn.  Jean thoroughly enjoyed spending time building her extensive collection until she sadly passed away on 2^nd July 2021 reaching a grand age of 86 years old.

Lots 2193-2199
Private Family Collection
Some of the items included in this collection were from Sarah Dyer, her parents were landowners in Ireland and murdered during the potato famine. She was fortunate to be taken in and cared for by a local humble tenant family. Sarah married a Welshman by the name of Dyer and they moved to Naples, Italy, unfortunately there is no historical date to explain why. They had three children, Annie Laurie, Winifred Sarah and a boy, after which her husband abandoned them, and she made supported her family by taking in lodgers.
Annie Laurie Dickens and her husband went on Tour to Egypt in 1910.
Winifred Sarah married Thomas Washington Allen, an English engineer working in Armstrong's munitions factory, they continued to live in Naples, and had three girls including the vendors grandmother.

This specialist Coins and Banknotes Sale will feature a fine offering of gold, silver, modern and historic coins and banknotes, which will appeal to collectors of all areas.

One of the highlights is sure to be a Victoria 1887 Specimen Set; the eleven-coin set features coins from the Golden Jubilee year of Queen Victoria. The set comprises a full set of gold and silver coins from five pounds to threepence and is housed in an original red leather case designed for the proof set of the same year.

There is an interesting section of Chinese silver dollars, coins and banknotes, some of which are from the collection of a Russian émigré based in North West China in the early 1900s. Some of the coins are in excellent condition for the type. The banknotes include some rare local issue Harbin notes which are seldom seen for sale.

In addition, the sale will include an excellent selection of good coins and banknotes, including a George V Proof Crown 1935, a Charles II Guinea 1683, and a rare George V Sovereign 1921 Sydney Mint. There is a pleasing group of interesting 18th-century tokens including a selection of rare Samuel Birchall, Leeds Halfpennies, each with an estimate of £180-250, and a quality group of 19^th Century Commemorative and Award Medals.

To include an array of period and fine modern taxidermy featuring three good private collections. Highlights include a large Late Victorian Diorama of Sea and Estuary Birds, circa 1880-1900 and a cased Late Victorian King Charles’ Spaniel “Charlie”, circa 1860-1880 from the Harold Soar Collection, a cased Mandarin Duck, late 20th century from a private collection of cases mounted by David Keningale, and a Diorama of Red-Legged Partridge, 1997 from a private collection of cases by Colin Dunton.

To include a specialist section of silver and a collection of clocks and watches featuring wall, table and mantle clocks from the 19th and 20th century and quartz and digital watches by makes such as Seiko, Casio and Timex.
The sale will also include a large collection of Halcyon Days Enamels boxes, the first part of a private collection of 18th century Worcester porcelain teapots and a good selection of jewellery, affordable modern & contemporary and traditional art, antiques, furniture and more.

Toys and Collectables Sales at Tennants incorporate model trains, railwayana, live steam, vintage toys, diecast models, model kits, memorabilia from the world of film and music, vintage advertising ephemera.
The Sporting and Fishing section of the sale includes a wide range of collectable sporting items, such as sporting memorabilia for popular sports such as football, cricket, tennis, horse racing, rugby, boxing the Olympic Games, as well as antique and good modern fishing tackle.

Bombsquad is a York-based non-profit community arts organisation passionate about street art and beyond, aiming to enrich the cultural landscape of York whilst raising money for local charities.

Previous projects have raised over £20,000 for York Food Bank in 2022, and almost £12,000 for York Mind in 2023.

This year, Bombsquad is raising money for SASH (Preventing Youth Homelessness Together), a registered charity preventing homelessness in young people aged 16 to 25 throughout North and East Yorkshire.

For this year’s project, from 22^nd June until 7^th July, Bombsquad will occupy a four-storey building in the centre of York with an exhibition of retrospective and contemporary spray paint culture, graffiti and street art, by internationally renowned contemporary and local street artists, featuring three galleries, a cinema room, artist shop and live DJ's.  One floor of the exhibition will explore the history of York's graffiti and street art scene from the 1980's through to present day, with photography , video and press clippings from the exclusive archives of Keith Hopewell, alongside his new work. Also featuring three decades of paintings from artist James Jessop's collection, and one floor will welcome a selection of artists to paint a mural or create an installation. Last floor will host the shop and live DJ's, where artworks from the exhibiting artists and more will be on sale, with all profit from the sale being donated to SASH.  To support this year’s fundraising project, participating artists have specially created and kindly donated unique works which will be sold by In this timed online auction.  Find more details of Rise Of The Vandals on Instagram @BombsquadUK

Bidding opens on Monday 8th July at 5pm and lots will begin to close on Sunday 21st July at 12 noon.

For all enquiries relating to the sale, please contact Stuart Stevens or Sharon McDonagh:

stuartrstevens@gmail.com
sharonmcdonaghartist@hotmail.com

The popular fortnightly Antiques and Interiors Sales attract a loyal following of regular buyers and they are a good source of 20th and 21st century collectables. Including a mix of affordable traditional art and antiques, jewellery, watches and more the Antiques and Interiors Sales are a great place for novice buyers to begin their collection.

Sir Alfred Munnings is rightly celebrated as the master of equine art; his lifelong affinity with the horse is reflected in his insightful and vital equine portraits that capture the grace and power of the animals, and his “Lord Astor on Shooting Stick with Horses” will be sold in the British, European and Sporting Art Sale on 13th July. The painting is a sketch for “A Summer Evening at Cliveden, Waldorf Astor, Second Viscount Astor (1879-1952), seated”, which is held in the Cliveden Estate Collection in Buckinghamshire, now managed by the National Trust. From the same private collection is a watercolour by Munnings; “In the Woods Near Noyon 1918 Attack. Our Retreat” was executed whilst the artist was serving in the First World War with the Canadian Cavalry. 

An engaging portrait sketch by the renowned George Romney, which has been in the same family collection since it was painted, will also be offered. The sketch depicts Caesar Hawkins and is thought to have been executed in preparation for a full-length portrait of Caesar, his sister Louisa Anne, and their mother Emma Hawkins (née Adair), which was once in the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. 

Four works by one of the leading Victorian equestrian artists, Heywood Hardy are also on offer, hailing from two private collections.

The Summer Fine Sale offers nearly 450 lots of ceramics, Asian art, clocks, rugs, works of art and furniture, including a collection of 19th century Terracotta Campagna Urns from Raby Castle, County Durham, a Lock of Florence Nightingale's Hair, and a French Alabaster Figure Group of the Holy Family, probably made in South West France in the late 14th century. A Private Collection of English Pottery will be offered in twenty-three lots, including numerous Prattware and Creamware figures, and the sale will also include pieces of fine 19th century furniture and good early oak and walnut furniture.

A dazzling selection of rings are on offer in the Fine Jewellery, Watches and Silver Sale, led by two impressive diamond rings from private collections. The first is a Diamond Three Stone Ring, which has a significant total diamond content of 6.25 carat approximately. The second is a Diamond Two Stone Twist Ring, featuring old cut diamonds with a total estimated diamond weight of 5.00 carat. For those seeking colour, a Sapphire and Diamond Ring from the Victorian era features an old pear cut sapphire and old cut diamonds, and an Art Deco Emerald and Diamond Cluster Ring has a central Colombian emerald. 

An extremely fine and rare 1968 Omega First Generation/Second Execution Professional Exotic Red Racing Speedmaster Chronograph Wristwatch is one of the outstanding lots in the Watch section of the sale. This is joined by a 2021 Rolex 18 Carat Everose Gold and Diamond Set Day/Date Wristwatch, a 2014 Breguet 18 Carat White Gold Classique Wristwatch, and 2016 Patek Philippe 18 Carat Rose Gold Annual Calendar Wristwatch. Amongst the pocket watches in the sale is a very rare Cartier Art Deco Ultra Slim 18 Carat Gold Open Faced Pocket Watch, made in 1935. 

The sale also includes a selection of silver, purchased in the legendary 1977 ‘Sale of the Century’ at Mentmore Towers, conducted by Sotheby’s. Mentmore is a grand country house, built for the Rothschild family in Buckinghamshire in the 1850s. Highlights of Mentmore silver on offer in the sale include a Pair of Edward VII Silver Inkwells by Sebastian Garrard, London, 1904. The inkwells belonged to Archibald Philip Primrose, 5^th Earl of Rosebery and 1^st Earl Midlothian, who married Hannah de Rothschild, only heir of Baron Meyer de Rothschild.  Amongst several lots of Chinese silver in the sale is a Five-Piece Chinese Export Silver Tea and Coffee Service, retailed by Nanking Store, Shanghai in the first quarter of the 20^th century, each piece chased with dragons and with handles cast in the shape of bamboo. Further highlights include a Victorian Silver Tea Tray by Stephen Smith and William Nicholson, London, 1853 decorated with the coat-of-arms of the Holdsworth family, and a Pair of William III Silver Tazze by Joseph Sheene, London, 1698.

An array of classic and vintage cars and motorcycles will be coming under the hammer in Tennants Auctioneers’ Summer Transport Sale on 13^th July, along with intricately made live steam and models, and automobilia from car mascots to antique enamel signage.

Leading the sale are a selection of cars including a 1979 Austin Morris Pick-Up (estimate: £9,500-£10,500 all figures exclude buyer’s premium) and a 1951 MG (estimate: £7,000-8,000). Highlights of the motorcycle section include a 1932 Rudge Whitworth Motorcycle (estimate: £6,000-8,000), and a c.1968 Triumph T120R (estimate: £4,500-5,000).

The Antiques and Interiors Sale includes a good offering of affordable Modern and Contemporary art. Look out for the second instalment of pictures from the Estate of Pat Maclaurin, various works from the Estate of Stephanie Dingle and a collection of works by Reginald James Lloyd alongside affordable traditional works. The picture section comprises over 200 lots.

The sale will also offer a specialist section of silver, as well as jewellery, watches, ceramics and collectables, furniture, rugs and more.

A fine Viking sword from the second half of the 10^th century, said to have been discovered in a river in the 1930s, is to be sold in the Militaria and Ethnographica Sale on 26^th June. The sword, which comprises a welded steel blade and a runic inscription inlaid in iron, is an example of the Petersen Type X sword with the distinctive ‘tea cosy’ shaped pommel. The sword is thought to have been discovered in the River Witham, just outside of Lincoln in 1936, since when it has been held in private collections.

A Second World War British Paratrooper’s Beret, which belonged to British Army officer turned Hollywood actor Richard Todd OBE, is also up for sale. Todd, who was born in Ireland, initially trained at Sandhurst before giving up a promising military career to take to the stage. However, shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War he enlisted and went on to serve in the 7^th Battalion Parachute Regiment on D-Day, helping Major John Howard to hold Pegasus Bridge, which played an important role in limiting the effectiveness of a German counter-attack in the aftermath of the Normandy invasion. Indeed, Todd went on to portray Major Howard in the film The Longest Day, retelling the daring deeds of Pegasus Bridge, in which he wore this beret. After the war, Todd went on to become a leading man in Hollywood in the 1950s, earning a Golden Globe and being nominated for an Academy Award. The beret is being sold alongside folders of personal correspondence and film role paperwork, both found in his house following his death in 2009.

Further interesting lots in the auction include a First World War DCM Group of Four Medals awarded to C.S. MJR. Frank Abbott and associated ephemera, including Distinguished Conduct Medal, 1914-15 Star (SJT), British War Medal and Victory Medal (W.O.CL.1). Amongst the more unusual lots in the sale are a very rare First World War French Military Field Hospital Tin Leg Bath, and a rare First World War Officer’s Tin Campaign Bath, complete with lid and leather strap. These are joined by an Ejector Seat for a Lightening XS895 aeroplane, made by Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. Ltd. 

This Antiques & Interiors auction will include the largest specialist section of Border Fine Arts & Beswick to date. Look out for your favourite limited-edition agricultural models, including a single owner private collection comprising over 50 lots, and Beswick horses in chestnut gloss and rocking horse grey. The auction then continues with a good mix of affordable traditional art and antiques, jewellery, watches, furniture, paintings and more.

On offer in the June 20th Century Design Sale will be the Michael Claxton Collection, an extraordinary collection of over 350 pieces of British pottery put together between 1974 and 2024, the majority of which were purchased directly from the potters. Potters represented in the collection include David Leach, Richard Batterham, David Roberts, Philip Marston, and Jim Malone.

The sale will also include a good private collection of furniture by Stanley Webb Davies, a fine large Lancastrian Lustre Vase by Gordon Forsyth for Pilkington's Tile & Pottery Co, and a good range of Mouseman and the Yorkshire Critters furniture and furnishings.

“Woman with a Sewing Machine”, a rare early lithograph made by a 17-year-old David Hockney, is to lead the Modern and Contemporary Art Sale on 15th June. The lithograph, which is one of approximately five proof versions of this unpublished print, is being sold by the descendants of Hockney’s school friend and fellow artist David George Fawcett (1935-1973). One of the other proof copies is held in the collection of the Tate.

The sale will also include a group of four works by mining artist Tom McGuinness. The works were purchased directly from the artist by lifelong friend of the artist Sidney Lockey, the pair having first met at school in Witton Park.

Also on offer will be works by the likes of Anne Isabella Brooke, John Hoyland, Damien Hirst and Philip Naviasky.

The popular fortnightly Antiques and Interiors Sales attract a loyal following of regular buyers and they are a good source of 20th and 21st century collectables. Including a mix of affordable traditional art and antiques, jewellery, watches and more the Antiques and Interiors Sales are a great place for novice buyers to begin their collection.

This sale will include a section of over 90 lots of affordable pictures from a Private Collection in the North of England. Predominantly dating from the 19^th and 20^th centuries, the collection includes a broad range of watercolours and oil paintings, covering all genres from landscape and seascape, to interiors, genre scenes and still lifes. 

Highlights of the sale include a series of Penny Blacks (lots 1-39) from a 1940s pocket album of the 240 check-letter combinations, excellent North-East China from a collector living in Manchuria in the 1930s-40s (lots 135-143), an attractive range of mint Hong Kong from SG.1 onwards (lots 153-159), Japanese Occupations of Malaya from a collector who served in the Royal Military Police in the 1950s (lots 171-174), the collection of Switzerland from a President of the Helvetia Society of Great Britain with extensive postal history (lots 180-192) and much more.

The popular fortnightly Antiques and Interiors Sales attract a loyal following of regular buyers and they are a good source of 20th and 21st century collectables. Including a mix of affordable traditional art and antiques, jewellery, watches and more the Antiques and Interiors Sales are a great place for novice buyers to begin their collection.

Highlights include the wardrobe and collection of a lady from Bath, who was an art student in the 1960/70s comprising clothing by Anokhi, Biba, Ginger, and the costume collection of 1920s and 1930s evening wear. Other items include two Ossie Clark dresses, mid-century 20th century cotton day dresses, suits, evening wear and accessories. This continues with fabrics and curtains designed by Hans Juda for Heals, David Whitehead curtains and Liberty fabric lengths. The sale also includes a Private Collection of Vivienne Westwood Costume and Accessories, a 19th century Bristol Orphanage Sampler, and a Georgian darning sampler, a collection of decorative American quilts, Chinese vestments, other eastern textiles and more.

Lots 2000 to 2020: Items from Dutton Manor, Lancashire

Lots 2215 to 2237:Geraldine Wynn Marchand Fashion Student and Private Collector, Bath

Geraldine Wynn Marchand worked at the Bath Fashion Museum for over 25 years, working as Head Guide, and lecturing on the history of costume to a wide variety of organisations.  Her experience in the Museum prompted her MPhil on textile printing in 1993 and thesis on the development of the handkerchief, which featured on BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour in the 1990s.  Her passion for clothes and accessories, from antique hatpins to geometric dresses, has spanned a lifetime.

Born in Llandrindod Wells in 1939, after studying ceramics in Tehran, and qualifying as an art teacher at Hornsey School of Art in London, she became based in London.  Dividing her time between teaching and working as a prop’s assistant for Len Fulford’s commercial photography studio, near Regent Street and Carnaby Street therefore placing her at the heart of the Swinging Sixties fashion.  Geraldine loved browsing London’s street markets for treasures from Brick Lane to Portabello Road, this would continue after moving to Bath in 1969 with her husband. 

Lots 2240 to 2249: Collection of Vivienne Westwood Costume

The May Jewellery, Watches and Silver Sale will include an interesting group of late 17th and 18th century silver, lead by a circa 1650 Memento Mori Watch-Case in the form of a Skull, and a William III Silver Punch Bowl made in London in 1697 by Benjamin Pyne. Also of interest is a group of three lots of silver by early 20th century master silversmith H.G. Murphy, and a silver sculptural trophy of Shakespeare, given in memory of an actor killed in WWII, is to be sold by the Hull Music Festival to raise funds to support the education and development of young performers in the area.

The Jewellery section will be opened by a selection of silver jewellery by Georg Jensen, which will include a stylish matching set of ‘Forget-Me-Knot’ Earrings and Brooch designed by Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe for Georg Jensen. Colourful jewels are also amongst the highlights, with pieces by Catherine Best and H. Stern, and a Citrine and Diamond Brooch. There are also several sets of Gentleman's Cufflinks.

A good offering of World War II Military Watches, from a Private Collection, lead a wide variety of vintage collectable and luxury watches, alongside a selection of pocket watches. Highlights include a rare circa 1944 IWC Mark X Military Issue Wristwatch – one of the so called “Dirty Dozen”, a 2006 18 carat gold Hermès Lady’s Cape Cod Wristwatch, and a rare 1809 Silver Eight Day Duration Verge Pocket Watch with Calendar Display by Jno Hill of London.

The Country House Sales offer an appealing mix of traditional antiques and curiosities, good furnishing pieces and specialist collectors’ items. The sales incorporate the contents of important properties and private collections as well as individually consigned lots redolent of the English Country House. 

Included in the sale will be an extraordinary collection of Treen and Metalware, put together over many years by David and Hilary Hide. The Hides, who lived in the North of England, had a fascination for British vernacular objects and developed a deep knowledge of their subject. The extensive collection will be sold in fifty lots. Highlights of the collection include an 18^th Century Treen Lignum Vitae Mortar with similar hardwood pestle (estimate: £300-500 all figures exclude buyer’s premium), a Pair of George III Carved and Turned Mahogany Candlesticks sold with a Pair of Olive Wood Brighton Bun Travelling Candlesticks (estimate: £150-250), and a group of three George III Mahogany Cats or plate stands (estimate: £100-150). Also of interest are a group of three Mid-19^th Century Toleware Spice Boxes (Estimate: £80-120), and a group of Lignum Vitae Treen String Boxes from the 19^th Century (estimate: £100-150).

The sale will also include rugs from the Collection of the Late Nicola Pyne. Nicola Pyne was born in 1948 in South-West London. Her early years were spent at the family house in Strawberry Hill, which backed onto the Thames.  She was academically able, attending Lady Eleanor Holles School before obtaining a BSc in Physics from Birmingham University.  She had a lifelong love of studying and also completed a degree in Biology from Birkbeck.  Nicola worked for many years with IBM before leaving to pursue a teaching career specialising in Physics, Chemistry and Biology.  She loved to travel and visited many countries in Central Asia, the Middle East and India, developing a love of different cultures and filling her house with artefacts from around the globe.  Her travels led to an interest in ethnic items including jewellery, wood carving and of course tribal rugs and related weavings. The items in this collection will be denoted throughout the catalogue with a ~ symbol. 

The Scientific and Musical Sales encompass microscopes, telescopes and binoculars, surveying and navigational equipment, medical and pharmaceutical instruments, woodworking and engineering tools, measuring devices, mining equipment, cameras from vintage to modern and optical toys. The sale also includes all musical related items from antique, vintage and good modern orchestral instruments to vintage and modern guitars, concertinas, musical boxes, juke boxes, polyphones, gramophones and vintage and modern amplifiers and stereo equipment.

The Coins and Banknotes Sale on 8th May will showcase a broad and diverse range of lots comprising ancient coins, hammered, early milled, gold and silver bullion, and an interesting banknote section. The sale is expected to attract collectors from all numismatic fields.

Some of the noteworthy lots include a George VI 1937 4-coin gold proof set, one of only 5001 minted, a rare William IV first bust sovereign 1832, and a very pleasing George V 1935 proof crown, one of only 2500 minted. Two rare Tortola counter-stamped cut dollars are also expected to generate a lot of interest, as well as a small collection of Hudson’s Bay Promissory notes, found in an assortment of papers belonging to a family member of a former HBC employee.

The bullion section is well represented with a large number of sovereigns, gold eagles, and Austrian ducats. Finally, the sale boasts an extensive modern proof coin section, featuring collectable Royal Mint coinage, and a substantial collection of Australian, American, Canadian, and British silver bullion coins.

The silver and objects of vertu section of the sale features an interesting array of items sure to appeal to a wide range of buyers. The objects of vertu in the sale includes ever-popular items such as vinaigrettes, vesta-cases and a number of scent-bottles. Among the scent-bottles are rarities such as a Victorian silver-mounted onyx compressed circular example by Sampson Mordan, marked for London, 1889 and sold with a porcelain ovoid scent-bottle, lot 112. There is also a collection of five silver-mounted ceramic examples, each with painted decoration, lot 111. Other items of note in this section are an Old Sheffield plate snuff-box in the form of a horse’s head, lot 119 and gold items such as Parker pens, lot 120 and a gold comb-case, lot 89.

The silver on offer comes in many different shapes and styles, including the Art Nouveau style such as a three-piece tea-service by Charles Clement Pilling of Sheffield and a mug made by William Hutton and Sons and probably designed by Kate Harris. There are also novelty silver items in the sale such as a charming set of four salt-cellars by John Collard Vickery, each formed as a Sussex trug, the traditional wooden basket that dates back to at least the 16th century but which became particularly popular in the 19th century, lot 23. Another example of silver copying wooden forms is a Mether Cup, a traditional Irish vessel, made by Alexander Clark and Co. Ltd in 1926, lot 29.

A large majority of the items in the sale are items which are useful for around the home. Not only are there a variety of tea and coffee-wares, salvers and bowls but there are also good examples of silver lighting such as a set of three silver plate two-light wall-sconces. These examples are made in the 20th century after originals from the beginning of the 18th century, lot 121. Other lighting in the sale includes a pair of two-light candelabra by Fordham and Faulkner, lot 8; a pair of Corinthian column candlesticks by William (Birmingham) Ltd., hallmarked for 1920, lot 24, and a pair of Old Sheffield Plate examples from the first half of the 19th century, lot 26.

There are also many items of flatware in the sale with everything from silver plate table-services to individual pieces. Of particular note among the flatware is a collection of sugar-tongs, including Scottish provincial examples from towns such as Aberdeen, Arbroath, Dumfries, Greenock and Montrose as well as an Irish provincial pair by John Seymour of Cork, lot 101. Among the other flatware are a wide variety of patterns including Hanoverian, Old English and Fiddle and from as early as the reign of George II.

Elsewhere in the sale there is a good mix of affordable traditional art and antiques, jewellery, watches, furniture and more.

A host of rare bottles of wine, spirits and whisky will be offered in a timed online sale at Tennants Auctioneers, which will be open for bidding from 8^th to 21^st April. Amongst the highlights of the sale is a bottle of Chatequ d'Yquem 1942 Lur Saluces with provenance from Dutton Manor, Lancashire, a bottle of Grand Cognac 1811 Napoleon, and a bottle of Tomatin 1977 36 Year Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 

View Preview

The popular fortnightly Antiques and Interiors Sales attract a loyal following of regular buyers and they are a good source of 20th and 21st century collectables. Including a mix of affordable traditional art and antiques, jewellery, watches and more the Antiques and Interiors Sales are a great place for novice buyers to begin their collection.

This April, Tennants Auctioneers are delighted to have been instructed to sell the Taxidermy Collection of Colonel Stephenson Robert Clarke, businessman, British Army officer, botanist, naturalist, ornithologist, horticulturist, art collector and landowner. The majority of the 61 lots are specimens taken by Stephenson Clarke on four hunting trips to Africa between 1909 and 1924 and were mounted by the renowned Rowland Ward Ltd of Piccadilly, London. Several of the lots are recorded in Rowland Ward's Records of Big Game (View Press Release). 

The sale includes a sketchbook of drawings of Southern China attributed to George Chinnery. English artist George Chinnery (1774-1852) left an extraordinary record of everyday life in Southern China in the early to mid-19th century, which has become an important source of historical information on the region.

Further highlights include an interesting archive of letters and ephemera relating to the composer and bandmaster Charles Coote (1809-1880), personal pianist to William Cavendish, the 6th Duke of Devonshire, and bandmaster and composer for stage productions put on by Charles Dickens. There is also several collections of 19th century photographs including an outstanding album with many views of Eton College and the River Thames at Windsor, Trinity College Cambridge, Switzerland, Gibraltar and Malta as well as an important photographic record of the Challenger Expedition, generally considered to be the foundation of oceanography. 

Single owner collections include a large quantity of books on Polar Exploration and early Whaling. We are also pleased to offer a selection of books from the library of Fred Gettings, prolific author and expert on astrology, symbolism and arcane lore. The library includes many early editions of Nostradamus with several manuscript works on the famous French astrologer.

This Antiques and Interiors sale includes a good offering of silver and objects of vertu. With estimates from under £100 to over £1,000 the sale will appeal to the seasoned collector and to anyone who might want to add a bit of sparkle to their home. A highlight of the objects of vertu in the sale will be a group of early 20th-century pin-cushions. These miniature works of art are formed as animals such as a hedgehog, a duck and a pig. These charming novelty items have long appealed to collectors. Also of interest in the section will be 9ct gold Parker fountain pen and several lots of silver or silver and enamel buttons. The silver section offers several tea and coffee-services as well as numerous flatware items and useful items such as a wine-funnel and various candlesticks. Among the silversmiths whose work is offered in the sale are Hester Bateman, Rebecca Emes & Edward Barnard, Carrington & Co., Walker & Hall, Mappin & Webb and the Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Co..

The sale will also include a private collection of over 100 lots of Moorcroft pottery from the Macintyre era through to modern designs including prestige pieces and trial vases. All to be sold without reserve. 

Also included in the sale is a good a mix of affordable traditional art, antiques, jewellery, watches, furniture and more.

The sale will include an original 1964 Beatles programme for the world premier of the film A Hard Day’s Night, an extensive collection of annotated Railway photographs and slides (sold with copyright), a collection of football and other sporting items including early Rugby League medals and caps, items relating to the 1966 World Cup Finals and match-worn shirts. An extensive collection of HO gauge Continental locomotives and rolling stock, James Bond, modern and vintage diecast, tin toys, fishing and many other collector's items.

To include 20th and 21st century collectables including Beswick, Royal Doulton, Royal Worcester, a good mix of affordable Modern & Contemporary and Traditional Art, as well as antiques, jewellery, watches, furniture and more. Look out for a private collection of walking sticks, fun acrylics by Cloe Vos of fruit & veg, and landscapes by well known local artist Fred Lawson.

Militaria and Ethnographica Sales encompass items across diverse areas of collecting, from European and Eastern armour to 18th and 19th century firearms, military uniforms and documents, edged weapons, World War I and World War II ephemera, masonic regalia and medals.

Also included are a vast range of objects created in the early 20th century or earlier by indigenous cultures around the world, from early American civilisations to African tribes and Polynesian island cultures, incorporating religious idols, domestic and ritual objects, figurative sculpture, jewellery and weapons of all descriptions.

This Spring, Tennants Auctioneers is delighted to be offering for sale a fine and rare Chinese Celadon Jade Inscribed ‘Luohan’ Boulder from the Qianlong reign with its original hardwood stand. It will be sold as part of a Private Collection of Asian Art and European Antiques in the sale. The boulder, which is offered with an estimate of £70,000-100,000 plus buyer’s premium, depicts Luohan Ańgaja sitting cross-legged in a rocky grotto. View Press Release

Further highlights from the collection include a Set of Four Chinese Pale Celadon Jade Bowls, Qing Dynasty, probably Qianlong (estimate: £8,000-12,000 plus buyer’s premium), and a Pair of Chinese Porcelain ‘Nodding Head’ Figures, Qianlong (estimate: £4,000-6,000 plus buyer’s premium).

The collectors lived in London from the 1950s and acquired the fine collection predominantly from the leading Asian art and antiques dealers in the city. Many of the pieces in the collection will be sold with original purchase receipts. The items in this collection will be denoted throughout the online catalogue with a ~ symbol.

The sale will also include selected contents from Dutton Manor, Lancashire. 

In addition the sale comprises a small family collection of Renaissance bronzes, two good Iznik Faience Dishes from the late 16th/early 17th century, and a Private Collection of 17th and 18th century furniture including Continental and English oak pieces.

Fine Jewellery, Watches and Silver Sales are held three times a year, coinciding with the Fine Sales. They offer the top tier of consignments, focussing on important diamonds, fine period and designer jewellery, the most desirable vintage and modern luxury watches by top makers and fine pieces of period silver.

Coming up for auction this Spring are three notable works by Adolphe Valette (1876-1942), a French Impressionist artist who spent the majority of his career in the North of England. Whilst he is best remembered today as being the highly influential tutor to L.S. Lowry, Valette created a significant body of work in oils, watercolours and drawing media. All three works are sold with provenance from The Perera Collection, the largest collection of works by Valette to have been assembled in private hands.

Further notable works in the sale include an exquisitely detailed still life of a peach, black grapes and cobnuts on a marble shelf by Emilie Preyer (1849-1930), and a work by historical genre painter Edward Matthew Ward (1816-1879) that depicts the hero of a popular comic ballad, John Gilpin.

The sale will also see the final part of the Raymond Booth Studio, comprising 19 works. Raymond Booth (1929-2015) was perhaps the greatest botanical artist and illustrator of his generation, and his passion for the natural world shines through in his highly detailed oil studies of flora and fauna.

The popular fortnightly Antiques and Interiors Sales attract a loyal following of regular buyers and they are a good source of 20th and 21st century collectables. Including a mix of affordable traditional art and antiques, jewellery, watches and more the Antiques and Interiors Sales are a great place for novice buyers to begin their collection.

Amongst a strong section of Northern art in the sale is a small family collection of drawings by the great L.S. Lowry (1887-1976); the three works were given by Lowry to Ruth and Neville Blakey of Pendle, Lancashire, longstanding friends of the artist, and will be sold with correspondance with the Lowry. Further Northern artists represented in the sale include Harold Riley, Peter Brook, Brian 'Braaq' Shields, Norman Cornish, and Len Tabner. 

Further highlights include a vivid seascape by Scottish artist Sir William MacTaggart, a harbour scene by Chinese-born Singaporean artist Cheong Soo Pieng who founded the Nanyang style of art, and a striking industrial landscape by Staffordshire artist Maurice Wade. 

An interesting selection of works on paper include greats such as Frank Dobson, Dame Laura Knight, David Bomberg, Sir Matthew Smith, and a good range of prints include those by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Elizabeth Blackadder, Bob Dylan and Victor Pasmore. 

A selection of good, early pieces of Robert 'Mouseman' Thompson furniture will be coming up in the 20th Century Design Sale on 2nd March, including a circa 1929 Monk's Chair from Ampleforth Abbey, two circa 1930s Monk's Chairs from the Horlicks family, and a circa 1930s Partner's Desk. These will be joined by a strong offering of modern Mouseman. A further good example of Arts and Crafts furniture comes in the form of a very finely made Cotswold School Dressing Mirror. 

Amongst the ceramics in the sale will be the Dr John C. Yule Collection of Linthorpe and Middlesbrough Pottery, a Private Collection of Dennis Chinaworks Pottery, a good example of Pilkington's Royal Lancastrian, and a Private Collection of Studio Pottery including pots by Richard Batterham. 

This Antiques & Interiors sale will include a specialist section of Border Fine Arts, with a small quantity of animal groups from other factories such as Beswick.  Most of the section comes from two large private collections, which will be denoted throughout. This section will appear online from Friday 9^th February and the remainder of the auction from Friday 16^th February. 

The sale will include part of 'A Clock and Watch Maker's Workshop', which will offer good clock and watchmaker's tools by Bergeon, clock bushing tools, staking tools, clock and watch parts and good German watchmaker's lathes by G.Boley and Lorch Schmidt & Co. Also on offer will be the first part of the gentleman's pocket watch and wristwatch collection. The remaining specialist pocket watches from the collection will be sold in the Fine Jewellery, Watches and Silver Sale on 16th March and the Jewellery, Watches and Silver Sale on 18th May.  

The upcoming specialist coins, banknotes, and tokens sale at Tennants offers a diverse selection of high-quality lots to appeal to numismatists of all interests. The sale includes ancient, hammered, and milled coins, both British and foreign, as well as an interesting collection of 18th-century tokens, Maundy money, and banknotes. Of particular note is an exceptional collection of coins from the late Michael Whiteley, president of The Yorkshire Numismatic Society in 2000, featuring Roman, hammered, and milled coins, including high-grade Georgian and Victorian silver coinage.

The gold section boasts some excellent 17th and 18th-century British gold coinage, including a Charles I gold unite, a George II, two guineas 1738, and a rare George III guinea 1763, all in highly collectable grades. These coins are in addition to a range of Victorian and modern gold coins.

Maundy sets are also well represented in the sale, with many sets in their original cases, mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries. The earliest set on offer is a Charles II Maundy set 1679. Collectors of tokens will be delighted to find a good number of 18th-century provincial tokens, many in top grades, including a lot of four choice Thomas Spence tokens.

The sale also includes a superb example of a 17th-century marriage medal by renowned medallist Sebastian Dadler, in good very fine or better condition. Finally, the sale boasts a significant number of modern Royal Mint silver proofs and commemorative coinage. Overall, the sale offers a wide variety of quality lots that will surely appeal to collectors of all numismatic fields.

This sale will include a good selection of traditional paintings including watercolours, oil paintings and portraits as well as affordable modern and contemporary art. Notable works include several paintings by artist, illustrator and author Mike Wilks (b.1947).

Mike Wilks was born in London and studied at a junior art school before attending Croydon College of Art. After working as a graphic designer for several years he founded his own design company, which flourished and later allowed him to resign and concentrate on painting and drawing. After publishing a number of best-selling books, Wilks became the focus on an award-winning BBC arts documentary 'Mike Wilks - Making His Mark'. Since then, he has continued to write, paint and draw, and his works can be found in public and private collections in the UK, Europe and the USA.

Also on offer in the sale is a good Private Collection of Japanese Cloisonne Vases, over 130 lots of Jewellery and over 100 lots of Silver.

A host of beautiful 18th and 19th century costume and accessories redolent of the English Country House will go under the hammer in the Costume, Accessories and Textiles Sale on 9th February, including a rare set of 19th century men's livery uniforms, a group of parasols which once belonged to Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood and daughter of George V, 18th century silk shoes and dresses, a 1930s lady's motoring outfit and a carved knitting stick inscribed 'Rudding Park', the fine Georgian manor on the outskirts of Harrogate.

Also of note in the sale is a circa 1911 Steiff teddy bear, and a good collection of Lace from a Private Collection, which includes fine examples of Late 19th Century Irish Youghal Needle Lace, Late 19th Century Swiss Whitework Lace, and Early 20th Century Honiton Lace.

Learn more about the sale highlights.

The sale will offer a good range of brass, string, woodwind and electronic musical instruments, led by a 1963 Pre-CBS Fender Stratocaster, and two fine Selmer Mark VI Saxophones in outstanding condition.

Also of note are Leica cameras, a Curta Type I calculator, and a host of unusual items such as a collection of glass eyes.

This Antiques and Interiors Sale will focus on furniture, as well as rugs, textiles, books and pictures. The next sale to include jewellery, watches, silver and other small items will be 9^th February.  Please check the catalogue for specifics.  

This Country House Sale comprises over 1000 lots and includes items from the Terry Family of York (denoted throughout the online catalogue with a '~' symbol); also, selected contents from Dutton Manor, Lancashire, a private collection of English ceramics consigned from the Isle of Man, a single owner collection of Victorian and later garden furniture and statuary, and a private collection of rugs (denoted throughout the online catalogue with a ' ^ ' symbol). 

Friday 12^th January, 9.30am: Part I (Lots 1-499) (Glass, Ceramics, Books and Works of Art)
Saturday 13^th January, 9.30am: Part II (Lots 501-800) (Pictures, Clocks and Garden Furniture/Statuary) 
Saturday 13^th January, 9.30am: Part III (Lots 1000-1350) (Rugs and Furniture)

Jewellery, Watches & Silver Sales bring together a wide a range of affordable period and modern jewellery, vintage and collectable watches, and silver from the 18th to 21st century.

The Stamps, Postcards & Postal History Sales cover the full spectrum of philatelic collecting, and comprise world accumulations, single country or themed lots, single stamps and sets, and specialised collections that can include errors and varieties. British and overseas postal history memorabilia, from pre-stamp to modern times are included, too.

The first Antiques & Interiors sale of 2024 comprises over 900 lots and includes a specialist section of Affordable Modern & Contemporary Art, and over 170 lots of Silver, including part of a collection of Regimental Silver, sold by order of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers to benefit the Fusiliers’ Aid Society. The second part of the Regimental Silver Collection will be included in the Jewellery, Watches and Silver Sale on 13th January.