Auction Results

“Bolton Junction Eccleshill, Bradford”, a rare early mixed media work made by David Hockney when he was just 19, is one of the highlights of the sale. The work was purchased from David Hockney at his end of year show at Bradford Regional College of Art by Malcolm Riley, a tutor at the college and the vendor’s father.

The sale will be a celebration of Northern Art with some of the most significant artists of the region represented, including two drawings by L.S. Lowry, a selection of works by mining artists Norman Cornish and Tom McGuinness, and three paintings by Huddersfield-born contemporary artist Maxwell Doig.

Ceramics by Pablo Picasso will sit alongside pictures by Ken Howard, Spanish artist Carlos Nadal, David Shepherd, and a vibrant ‘Heart Spin’ by Damien Hirst, made to celebrate the opening of Damien Hirst: Requiem, an exhibition at the Pinchuk Art Centre in Kyiv 2009.

A Yorkshire View Part II: The sale will open with A Yorkshire View Part II, a large Private Collection of paintings, principally of Yorkshire or by Yorkshire artists, collected by textiles manufacturer George Hopkinson. Artists represented in the collection include Fred Cecil Jones, Fred Lawson, Jacob Kramer and Philip Naviasky. The Yorkshire View Part I was held at Tennants in 2021, and the catalogue can be viewed HERE. 

To be sold in nearly sixty lots, the pictures on offer are just a small part of the collection built up over fifty years from the 1920s to the 1960s by Mr George G Hopkinson, a proud Yorkshireman and textile businessman who was a director of West Riding textile company Hopkinson and Shore and Bradford fashion house Novello’s. Upon his death in 1969, the collection was divided between his second wife, Joan, and the families of his two sons, John and Gary. The paintings presented in this sale formed part of John Hopkinson’s estate. The collection is a legacy from a remarkable individual whose discerning eye played a significant role in promoting Yorkshire-based artists of his time. Read more about the Collector.

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Celebrating the 150^th anniversary of the birth of Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson (1876-1955), Tennants is delighted to present a special auction dedicated to the work of the iconic Yorkshire craftsman. At the heart of the sale are three exceptional private collections:

The North Yorkshire Collector
A beautifully curated collection, put together over the course of a decade by a dedicated collector, offering a host of Mouseman carvings, including rare models, furniture and small pieces sourced from Kilburn and auction.
The North East Collector
A wonderful private collection of furniture, carvings and small pieces, many of which were sourced direct from Kilburn, including a very rare Racing Greyhounds carving and a six-mouse bowl.
The Stone Lodge Interior
Stone Lodge on Skipton Road, Silsden was fitted with a Mouseman interior in 1953. Now demolished, the Mouseman removed from the property includes beautiful panelling, a fireplace, numerous doors, and delightful owl and mouse carvings on the staircase newel posts.

To view the 20th Century Design Sale taking place on the same day please click HERE

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The sale will feature a small private collection of Moorcroft, which includes an important Monumental Moonlit Blue Landscape Pattern Vase made as an exhibition piece for the 1924 British Empire Exhibition in London. Also of note is a stoneware serving bowl by Dame Lucie Rie, Japanese pottery by the likes of Shoji Hamada, and a collection of Art Nouveau, Jugendstil, Art Deco and Arts and Crafts metalware.

Amongst the furniture in the sale are good Art Deco chairs, mid-century furniture, and finely made High Wycombe furniture by Stewart Linford. 

To view the Mouseman: The 150th Anniversary Sale taking place on the same day please click HERE

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The monthly Affordable Jewellery, Watches and Silver sales are curated to offer a wide range of pieces appealing to buyers of all tastes.

The June sale, comprising 360 lots, will include a good mix of collectable vintage and modern wristwatches and gold pocket watches, such as a circa 1880 Lady's 18 Carat Gold Enamel Fob Watch, and a 1980s Omega Seamaster in 9 carat gold. Amongst the jewellery in the sale are such highlights as a Ruby and Diamond Heart Pendant, which features rows of calibré cut rubies forming the heart, bordered with round brilliant cut diamonds. The 170-lot strong silver section will offer both period and modern silver, including practical flatware and tableware and decorative pieces such as a Pair of Victorian Silver Vases made by Sampson Mordan & Co. of London.

Taking place on the same day will be the popular fortnightly Antiques and Interiors Sale, offering 20th and 21st century collectables. Including a mix of affordable traditional art, antiques, and more.

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This Antiques and Interiors Sale will include 20th and 21st century collectables, paintings, taxidermy, books, rugs, furniture and more.

Taking place on the same day will be the Affordable Jewellery, Watches and Silver Sale, which will offer 360 lots. The sale will include a good mix of collectable vintage and modern wristwatches and gold pocket watches, a wide variety of jewellery from cameo brooches to diamond rings, and 170 lots of period and modern silver.

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This Antiques & Interiors auction will include Asian Art, Royal Worcester, Royal Crown Derby, Beswick, other British and European ceramics, glass, and high-quality copper pans by Leon Jaeggi & Sons. Etc. There will also be a selection of books, works of art and furnishing pictures, rugs, and furniture.
The sale is in one session and will start from Lot 1000.

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Colourful textiles from around the world will star in the sale, with the first part of a large collection of 19th century Indian turbans, an array of traditional silk robes, skirts and fans, notable amongst which is a Pair of Early 20th Century Chinese Face Screens or Palace Fans and an unusual Early 20th Century Mint Green Woven Silk Chinese Robe.

The sale will also feature the Eileen Baker Collection; Eileen Baker of Scotland is an avid collector, who purchased her first item of antique costume in her late teens from a stall in Grainger Market, Newcastle, sixty-two years ago. Continuing to buy throughout her life, she amassed a varied collection of costume and accessories from the 18th to 20th centuries, part of which is now going under the hammer. A second Private Collection of 1920s to 1940s Costume will feature stylish ladies’ day and evening wear and accessories.

Amongst the collector’s items in the sale is a selection of antique and good modern doll’s house furniture, and one of the most unusual items in the sale is an Early 20th Century German Father Christmas Clockwork Automaton.

The sale will offer a broad range of British and European ceramics including a Private Collection of Royal Worcester, British and Continental bronzes, good furnishing rugs, attractive wall timepieces, landscapes, portraits and sporting art and an array of furniture dating from the 17th to the early 20th century. 

The sale offers nearly 150 lots of jewellery, ranging from good Victorian brooches to unusual period enamel necklaces alongside wearable pieces such as diamond earrings and contemporary jewels by the like of Theo Fennell. Amongst the watches are both good antique pocket watches and vintage, collectable and luxury wristwatches, and the silver section includes highlights such as a 16th century silver-gilt chalice and paten, a collection of Thai silver, and object of vertu including a good Dunhill Aquarium lighter. 

The sale offers a broad range of musical instruments, from antique stringed instruments including a good Violin with paperwork identifing it as a late 18th century example made by Richard Duke of London, to good electric instruments such as a fine Fender Stratocaster and a range of amplifiers. A Classic Wurlitzer CD Jukebox from the 1980s is also on offer. Highlights of the Scientific section of the sale include a good James Smith Monocular Microscope, and an interesting selection of cameras include a Leica M3 Camera. 

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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.

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The Coins and Banknotes Sale on 6th May includes a wide variety of high-quality lots. Of particular note is a very rare Death of Captain Cook Medal. The medal is believed to be among the earliest pieces issued to commemorate the death of the famed explorer James Cook, who was killed following a dispute with Native Hawaiians at Kealakekua Bay on 14 February 1779. Struck in bronze and featuring a prominent portrait of Cook, the medal is seldom offered at auction and is expected to fetch £3,000–£4,000.

Also to be offered is an extremely rare Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Specimen Album, comprising a set of six specimen banknotes from 1980, each bearing the serial number 000055. The album is estimated at £3,000–£5,000. It was presented to Tony Latter, a former employee of the Bank of England, who later moved to Hong Kong to take up the role of Deputy Secretary for Monetary Affairs with the Hong Kong Government.

The modern proof section of the sale is particularly substantial, featuring an extensive range of issues from The Royal Mint, including silver proof coins, large-format fine silver pieces, and boxed commemorative sets. In addition, the sale includes a small but attractive selection of collectable high-grade farthings, an interesting group of commemorative medals, and a notable collection of shillings and sixpences spanning the Elizabethan era through to the twentieth century.

Lots 154-229  will have a commission rate of 15.0% + VAT (18.0% in total), all other lots 24.0% + VAT (28.8% in total)

 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. 

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This Antiques & Interiors auction will include a good section of Beswick & Border Fine Arts, ranging from chestnut gloss and mounted horses to good limited-edition agricultural models. There is a large private collection from Worcestershire amongst it and a selection of Royal Worcester horses by Doris Lindner.

On the same day is strong section of silver, as well as jewellery, watches, art, rugs, furniture and more. The perfect opportunity for those furnishing properties or building their collections.

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The upcoming Natural History and Taxidermy Sale on 22^nd April will see a very rare specimen of an extinct Carolina Parakeet go under the hammer with an estimate of £15,000 to 25,000 (plus buyer’s premium). The Carolina Parakeet was one of only three native parrots to the North America and were thought to have been poisonous. The species was declared extinct in 1939 following a collapse of their habitat with settlement in the 19^th century and the clearing of forests. The specimen is part of a small display of birds native to North and South America, made circa 1880-1900.

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To include a historically significant archive of letters relating to the family life of Joseph Priestley (1733-1804), the West Yorkshire-born chemist, natural philosopher, theologian and political thinker whose work helped shape modern science. Amongst other highlights are a good first edition of An Account of the first Aerial Voyage in England... by pioneering balloonist Vincenzo Lunardi, an extensive collection of Underwood & Underwood stereoscopic cards dating from circa 1898 to 1918 comprising hundreds of cards of countries such as Palestine, Australia, Congo, Russia, and Norway alongside images of the Second Boer War and the First World War. The sale will also include a good, small section of polar exploration books, and a nice first edition copy of H.G. Wells’ The Island of Doctor Moreau, published in 1896.

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To include over 70 lots of Designer Fashion including top brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Chanel with their iconic Double Flap handbag, and an assortment of Chanel jewellery. An array of Hermes silk scarves and a selection of Mulberry handbags, including the Bayswater and the Alexa are also included.
Over 100 lots of Affordable Modern and Contemporary Art feature a wide range of paintings, textiles, prints, pastels and etchings, as well as sculptures, including works by Paul Kenton, Uri Dushy and Frank Vernon Martin, and notable contemporary artists such as Alistair Little, Neil Simone and Keith Palmer, alongside works depicting local Yorkshire views such as Whitby Harbour, Emley Moor Mast and Roseberry Topping.
The sale will also include a good selection of jewellery, watches, ceramics, and collectables, along with rugs and furniture.

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A rare archive of early West Ham United football programmes is expected to sell for over £10,000 when it goes under the hammer in the 1st April Toys, Models, Collectables, Sporting and Fishing Sale. Dating between 1913 and 1945, the collection was put together by the vendor’s grandfather, a devoted West Ham supporter who kept all the programmes from the matches he attended. In total, the collection includes 164 programmes, which are being sold in ten lots. 

The sale will also include a good variety of interesting lots, including an Elvis-owned shirt, a collection of Mamod models, vintage enamel advertising signs and a good range of fishing equipment. 

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The sale will include over 120 lots removed from Corby Castle, including nearly 70 lots of silver alongside furniture, ceramics and glass.

This unusually large sale will also include approximately 40 lots of modern furniture originally supplied for Wyreside Hall, Dolphinholme, Lancaster, a Private Collection of Beswick animals, and a good offering of jewellery, watches, pictures, furniture, antiques and collectables. 

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The Militaria and Ethnographica Sale at Tennants Auctioneers on 18^th March is set to include over eighty lots of medals, such as a Second World War D.S.C. Group of Medals, awarded to Lieutenant Commander James Ian Curickshank R.N.V.R, and a Private Collection of Army Temperance Badges. A Private Collection of Cap and Headdress Badges and Accoutrements, which includes over eighty lots with examples from the Indian and South African Armies.

Interesting lots of Militaria include Four Early 19^th Century Mosaic Roundels, which were once set into the floor of the Guards Chapel in Wellington Barracks, London and a Pair of Second World War German Kriegsmarine 10x80 Deck Binoculars from the S-Boat Tender Ship ‘Tsingtau’. Amongst the helmets and uniforms in the sale are a Second World War German Luftwaffe Paratrooper’s (Fallschirmjäger) M38 Single Decal Helmet and a Post-1902 Full Dress Uniform to a Trooper 16^th Lancers.

 Moving onto weapons, there is an interesting 19^th Century French Romantic Dagger decorated with a medieval huntsman mounted on a rearing horse and fighting a wildcat, a good Pair of Early 19^th Century Scottish All-Steel Flintlock Belt Pistols by Daniel Ross of Edinburgh, a 19^th Century 4 Bore Percussion Wildfowling Gun, and a Private Collection of 19^th Century Powder Flasks.

 Ethnographic and Tribal Art from across the world includes three rare Late 18^th/Early 19^th Century Pre-Contact Australian Aboriginal Boomerangs, an Early 19^th Century Australian Aboriginal Sword Club, and two good Early 19^th Century Fijian Ulas or Throwing Clubs.  

Three remarkable examples of fine quality Ceylon blue sapphires are set to go under the hammer in the March Fine Jewellery, Watches and Silver Sale.  Each stone was hand selected by a well-reputed gem merchant in Sri Lanka and cut with precision. Acquired directly by the vendor through familial connections as investment gemstones, they are completely fresh to the global auction market. The Prince of Orion Sapphire and Diamond Ring (15.07 carat), the Sword of Orion Sapphire and Diamond Ring (8.81 carat) and the Merveilleux Diana Sapphire and Diamond Ring (4.07 carat) have been laboratory tested and certified as unheated. The sapphires lead a fine selection of jewellery, with pieces from leading jewellery houses, good diamonds, and notable antique jewels.

 A small private collection of Tank Americaine watches by Cartier are on offer, led by a Fine 18 Carat Gold Tank Americaine, which features square and baguette-cut diamonds set in the Cartier factory. Limited edition watches by Omega and IWC are joined by fine examples of vintage and luxury wristwatches for ladies and gents by Rolex, Patek Philippe and a selection of pocket watches.

 A fine Louis XV Gold Snuff Box made in 1763 by Pierre Siffait of Paris and set with a portrait miniature of the Hon. Peregrine Widdrington (1692-1748/9) leads the Objects of Vertu section of the sale, and amongst the Silver are good lots made by Garrards from the late 18^th and mid-19^th century, and notable pieces of 20^th century silver such as an Elizabeth II Silver Model of Red Rum after a model by Maureen Coatman, and a Pair of Elizabeth II Scottish Silver Three-Light Candelabra by T.K. Ebbutt Ltd.

The sale will also offer nearly 160 lots of silver from Corby Castle, Cumbria.

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The Asian Art Sale on 14th March includes interesting ceramics such as a Chinese Porcelain “Nodding Head” Figure dating from the Qianlong period, a Chinese Porcelain Double Gourd Vase in the Chongzhen style, and a Chinese Porcelain Saucer delicately painted in the Yongzheng style with a quail. Amongst the works of art in the sale are a Chinese Cloisonne Vase probably dating from the Wanli period, and an intricately wrought Chinese Pale Celadon Jade Carving in the Qianlong style, depicting a cat climbing two flowers. The sale will sit alongside the Spring Fine Sale, the British, European and Sporting Art Sale, and the Fine Jewellery, Watches and Silver Sale. 

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The British, European & Sporting Art Sale sees a host of good genre paintings, depicting scenes from everyday life. Leading this group of paintings, which includes numerous works from a private collection, is an impressive scene by Italian artist Vittorio Reggianini (1868-1939). Afternoon Tea with the Little Lady illustrates Reggianini’s preferred subject matter of the upper middle classes relaxing in opulent interiors, and his mastery of painting fine silks and satins. Further interesting genre pieces include Cricketers by Thomas Webster (1800-1886), Timing the Exposure by Charles Bertrand D’Entraygues (1850-1928), and “Quai de la Megissenie” by Eugene Galien-Laloue (1854-1941). Also of note in the sale is an impressive pair of still life paintings of fruit and flowers by Dutch artist Jacobus Linthorst (1784-1815). The picturesque canals of Venice are a perennially popular subject in paintings, and two good Venetian scenes by Antoine Bouvard (19^th/20^th Century) are also included in the sale.

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A Gold, Enamel and Gem-Set Hat or Bodkin Pin, dating from the 16^th or 17^th century and discovered by a metal detectorist in Lancashire, will be going under the hammer in the Spring Sale. The pin is shaped in the form of a bishop’s crozier, the handle decorated at the face with table-set white gems and at the reverse with turquoise-coloured enamel. The pin was found in the Yealand Conyers parish in Lancashire, just north of Carnforth, and bears a similarity to two pins that were part of the legendary Cheapside Hoard, the greatest single collection of Elizabethan and Stuart jewellery that was found by workmen in 1912.

The sale will also include a diverse range of antiques, with notable lots including a rare and impressively sized Victorian Carved Walnut Metamorphic Extending Dining Table with 13 leaves, made circa 1880, a Yewwood Wake Table dating from the 19^th century, a Victorian Olive Wood and Ebonised Kneehole Desk possibly by Wright and Mansfield, and a Regency Rosewood and Brass-Inlaid Dwarf Cabinet in the Manner of George Bullock. Good clocks include a rare French Ormolu Singing Bird Automaton Clock, made circa 1850 and stamped Japy Freres to the backplate. 

Amongst the ceramics and works of art in the sale are a circa 1745 Meissen Porcelain Figure Group of Medea and Jason, a Pair of Meissen Porcelain Vases dating from the late 19^th century, and an Italian School 17^th Century Bronze Portrait Bust of St Francis Xavier. Interesting, too, is a circa 1795 English Delft Side Plate, likely made in a Lambeth pottery decorated with a hot air balloon, marking the fight of Vincenzo Lunardi, who made the first balloon ascent in Britain in 1784.

 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.

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A drawing by the inimitable L.S. Lowry from the end of his career, when his work cast a critical gaze over his fellow man, is coming up for sale in the Modern and Contemporary Art Sale on 28^th February. Executed in pencil, “Children in a Crowd” dates from 1969 when Lowry’s drawings had become colder and more critical towards his subjects as he cast a satirical eye on his contemporaries and figures became almost objects of ridicule, in exaggeratedly ill-fitting clothes, shoes and hats. Lowry became interested in depicting, often with hostility, the relationships and interactions between small groups of figures, as can be seen in the present work. He had great difficulty in understanding how humans ever made deep connections with each other, and his drawings at this point in his life are possibly his way of trying to get to grips with the human relationships that he did not really understand in his own isolated life. The sale will also offer a large selection of signed prints after L.S. Lowry, led by his most sought-after print, “Going to the Match”.

Amongst notable lots of Northern Art in the sale are "Royal Albert Hall" by Brian ‘Braaq’ Shields, and “Gate Posts” by Manchester-born Geoffrey Key. The sale also offers two private collections; the first is a group of thirty paintings from the artist's estate by Wensleydale artist Piers Browne, who died in 2024, and the second is a small collection of works from the artist's family by Paul Maze, an Anglo-French painter often known as “The last of the Post Impressionists". 

A good selection of prints in the sale include works by David Hockney, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Elizabeth Blackadder,and Norman Ackroyd and amongst the Contemporary Art in the is “With All My Love” by Los Angeles-based street artist Mr Brainwash.

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Three of Louis Wain’s quirky and charming Lucky Mascots are coming up in the 20^th Century Design Sale on 28^th February. Louis Wain (1860-1939), a shy and eccentric man, created an extraordinary and vivid world populated by anthropomorphic cats. One of the most recognisable artists of the Edwardian era, he helped change the perception of cats in the early 20^th century and left and extraordinary artistic legacy.

Continuing on the animal theme, the sale will also offer an exceptional range of English Oak Carvings by the Workshop of Yorkshire icon Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson and by Stan ‘Woodpecker’ Dodds, sourced from several private vendors, including The Mouseman of Kilburn, an anthropomorphic figure of a mouse dressed as a Mouseman craftsman. 

Amongst the furniture in the sale are ten pieces of Arts and Crafts furniture by Cumbrian cabinetmaker Stanley Webb Davies (1894-1978). Working from his studio in Windermere, he strove to uphold the principles of the Arts and Crafts movement with his fine handmade furniture whilst constantly working to better society for all.

The sale will also offer a wide range of Mouseman and Yorkshire Critters furniture, Moorcroft, studio pottery, Art Deco bronze figures, Jugendstil metal ware and much more. 

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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.

Click here to find out more about consigning to upcoming sales

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.

Click here to find out more about consigning to upcoming sales

A fascinating archive giving an insight into the laborious work of a tambour embroiderer at the atelier of Norman Hartnell, dressmaker to royalty and aristocracy, is coming up for sale on 13^th February in the Fashion, Costume and Textiles Sale. The archive relates to Mollie Welch of Sydenham, Kent, who was a much-valued member of Hartnell’s team in the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s, hand-stitching beads onto the elaborate creations made for the likes of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, and the Duchess of Gloucester.

This sale also includes over 100 lots of antique costume and accessories from a single vendor, collected from London.  It includes 18^th to 20th century costume, shoes, hats and other costume accessories, silk shawls, haberdashery, children's costume and other treasures.  

The sale features an impressive selection of historical coins, ranging from the Celtic period to the 19th century, including some rare and high-grade examples. Additionally, there is a strong offering of collectable modern Royal Mint issues, as well as a variety of world coinage.

Many of the coins come from the eclectic collection of George Edward Lovelace Carter (1886-1974), from Devon, employed in the British Indian Civil Service before returning to England to work in property. A member of the Royal Numismatic Society and a keen amateur historian, George’s collection has remained in storage for over 50 years. This provides collectors with a unique opportunity to bid on coins that have not changed hands in many years.

Highlights of the sale include an extremely rare George III threepence from 1765, recognised as one of the scarcest Maundy issues minted. There is also an extremely fine and exceedingly rare William IV halfcrown brockage, which is sure to attract the interest of error coin collectors. The hammered section features attractive Edward VI and Commonwealth shillings, along with a very rare crown from the reign of Elizabeth I.

Victorian shillings are well represented, with a fine selection of high-grade specimens on offer. The 19th-century milled section includes practically uncirculated Regency period halfcrowns and a strong variety of gold coins.

Finally, the banknote section is strong this sale, offering a good selection of Bank of England issues. This includes early 19th-century notes from Abraham Newland and Henry Hase, as well as 20th-century Treasury issues, featuring a scarce Dardanelles overprint.

Lots 229-332  will have a commission rate of 15.0% + VAT (18.0% in total), all other lots 24.0% + VAT (28.8% in total)

This sale will comprise a specialist section of Beswick and Border Fine Arts. Included is a large private collection of limited-edition sheep, various agricultural machinery models, chestnut gloss horses and more.

The sale will continue with the usual run of jewellery, watches, ceramics, and collectables. Part II includes paintings, rugs, furniture and more.

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The sale will offer the first part of a private collection of good quality modern guitars; the majority of the collection are Gibsons, with some nice examples of Fenders and Rickenbackers. The music section of the sale will also include two good lots of hi-fi equipment, and amongst the cameras are two Hasselblads, a Leica M6 and medium format cameras. 

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An extensive collection of art, antiques and silver from Corby Castle, Cumbria, went under the hammer in a landmark three-day sale at The Auction Centre, Leyburn.

One of Cumbria’s most historically important mansion houses, grade I-listed Corby Castle sits on a plateau, rising above the picturesque River Eden to the east of Carlisle. The Manor of Corby was granted to Hubert de Vallibus by Henry II and passed to Andrew de Harcia, Earl of Carlisle before being given to Richard Salkeld in 1336. The estate remained in the hands of the Salkeld family until it was sold in 1611 to Lord William Howard, the third son of Thomas Howard, 4^th Duke of Norfolk. The house is built around a red sandstone peel tower, or fortified tower house, built in the 13^th century; William Howard added a two-storied L-shaped house to the peel tower, and the house was once again modified in the early 19^th century by descendant Henry Howard. Between 1812 and 1814, Scottish architect Peter Nicholson gave the castle a new rectangular plan and the harmonious neo-classical façade in the distinctive local red sandstone that graces the building today. Corby Castle remained in the Howard family until 1994, when Lord and Lady Ballyedmond, as new owners, began an inspired revival of Corby, giving new life to one of the great Cumbrian mansions.

The sale comprises over 1,100 lots, ranging from period portraits and 17^th century tapestries to decorative 19^th century furniture and clocks, and one of the most extensive collections of silver to come onto the market in recent times. Lord and Lady Ballyedmond carefully restored and furnished Corby as a much-loved family retreat for grand entertaining, with style and elegance apparent throughout. The auction provides a unique opportunity for buyers at all levels to acquire exquisite and rare pieces from this outstanding property.

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Tennants is excited to present a fantastic single-owner collection of predominantly British gold coins for sale in January. This collection has been meticulously assembled by a local Yorkshire gentleman with a keen eye.

The collection primarily features coins from the British sovereign series, showcasing gold coins from all monarchs since the first issue of the modern sovereign during the reign of George III, including some notable rarities and top-grade coins. Additionally, there is a small selection of coins outside the sovereign series, including guineas and half guineas, gold Britannias, a few foreign gold coins, and a hammered Scottish sword and sceptre piece.

Highlights include a George VI proof five-pound coin, one of only approximately 5,000 pieces issued as part of the Coronation proof sets in 1937. No further gold coins were issued during his reign, making them scarce and desirable pieces. Other notable items in the sale include five-pound and two-pound coins from the reigns of Queen Victoria and Edward VII, and a range of earlier Victorian shield-back issues.

The comprehensive sovereign section features extensive date runs of good quality coins, offering collectors an excellent opportunity to fill gaps in their own collections.

William Neville Blakey (1914-2009)

William Neville Blakey was born in 1914, and lived over the family antique shop in Brierfield, Lancashire. After attending the local school until he was 14, Neville began helping in the family business, and took a great interest in clocks, pictures and antique furniture. However, times were hard, and he chose instead to enter the ironmongery trade at a large outlet in nearby Burnley. Enlisting after the outbreak of the Second World War, life in the Army took Neville overseas, including to Egypt, where he worked on aeroplane instruments. Wherever he was stationed, Neville would send antiquities back to his family shop and made numerous useful contacts. By the end of the war, Neville was ready for a new challenge, and although he was offered a directorship in the ironmongery business in which he had worked before the war, he instead started a locksmiths after being approached by people to use his skills in working on clocks that he had acquired in the family shop, to help fit keys to locks. His locksmith business thrived, as did the family antiques and restoration workshop, and soon he moved into larger premises. As he replaced locks for customers, he would keep the old locks – and thus evolved his extraordinary collection of locks. Neville was a visionary locksmith and safe engineer, and he designed and built master keyed suites for homes and factories as well as being a founder member of the Master Locksmiths Association. Outside of his businesses, Neville was a talented organist, holding posts at the local parish church and covering for absent organists at other churches. In his spare time, he built the largest concert organ in Europe and held monthly concerts with organists from around the world, including American Carlo Curley and the former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath. Neville continued to work regularly into his nineties, and J H Blakey and Sons (Security) Ltd is now in its 120th year, providing specialist locksmithing services nationwide. The company is still family owned and run.

The Blakey Lock Collection, now up for auction, is unique. It covers almost every aspect of locks, from doors and safes to machinery. The collection includes the likes of a 16th Century Chest Lock from Loganbank in Scotland, a late 17th Century Dutch Door Lock, and a collection of locks removed from doors in Litchfield Cathedral, through to locks from public lavatories,  hospitals, castles, and aristocratic houses along with Victorian Chubb locks and a vast array of keys.

The Country House Sale at Tennants Auctioneers will see a host of good traditional art, antiques and furnishing items come under the hammer.

The sale features over two hundred lots of silver and objects of vertu from the 18th to the 20th century, including pieces by makers such as Augustin Le Sage, Robert Garrard, Christopher Dresser, Hunt and Roskell, Georg Jensen and Fabergé. Amongst the highlights is a French Silver Table-Service and an Edward VII Silver Epergne, made by Thomas Bradbury and Sons Ltd. in 1903. A fine 18 Carat Gold Art Deco Style No.7 Watch by Swiss watchmakers Bedat heads the Watch section. Of interest too, is a Fortis Stainless Steel Super Compressor Case Marinemaster from 1972, and a Heuer Yach Timer Stopwatch dating from the 1970s. Jewellery from leading brands includes an 18 Carat Gold Profili Necklace by Fope, alongside pieces from Asprey and modernist designers such as Georg Jensen. Also included is an interesting array of gemstones with a particularly good offering of opals and emeralds, and a selection of animal-themed jewellery featuring a whole host of creatures from monkeys and pigs to dragonflies.