A silver owl inkwell and George II walnut chairs are among the five lots to watch
Novelty hallmarked silver inkwell for W&G Neal, London, 1907 – estimate £1000-1500 at Kings Russell 18th Jan.
1. Silver inkwell
This novelty silver inkwell (above) in the shape of an owl’s head with glass eyes, hallmarked for W&G Neal, London, 1907, is expected to fetch £1,000-1,500 at Kings Russell in London on the 18th January.
2. Pocket watch
Victorian silver pocket watch with paired case and enamel dial featuring a steam locomotive on a bridge – estimate £200-300 at Thomas N Miller on 18th January.
This Victorian silver pocket watch with paired case and enamel dial featuring a steam locomotive on a bridge retails for £200-300 at Thomas N Miller in Newcastle upon Tyne on January 18.
Although the case is hallmarked for London 1848, the movement is signed for John Taylor, Morpeth.
3. Naval Portrait Thumbnail
Portrait of Captain Charles Fellowes Grice (d.1850) of the Indian Navy – estimate £1,000-1,500 at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood 18-20 January.
The three-day Fine Sale at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood in Exeter from January 18-20 features a collection of single-owner naval portrait miniatures.
The 47 lots include, estimated at £1,000-1,500, this portrait of Captain Charles Fellowes Grice (d. 1850) of the Indian Navy. It was probably painted in Calcutta, around 1820.
4. Meiji Gold Coin
A Japan Meiji gold coin, 1870, 10 yen, year 3 design, large blank, diameter 32mm – estimate £50,000-80,000 at Toovey’s on 19 January.
A gold Japan Meiji coin, 1870, 10 yen year 3, large blank, diameter 32mm, is estimated at £50,000-80,000 at Toovey’s auction January 19 in Washington, West Sussex.
Toovey’s says this “extremely rare coin” was discovered during a routine appraisal appointment with a group of other gold coins at a local property.
He adds: “According to the seller, it has been in the family’s possession since the end of the 19th century and is currently one of five known examples. Of the other four, one is in the collection of the Bank of Japan, one is in the British Museum and two were auctioned by Heritage Auctions in the United States in 2011 and 2014.”
5. George II Walnut Seating Set
The furniture and artwork sale at Lawrences of Crewkerne on January 21 includes a set of George II walnut seating.
The set, consisting of a sofa and six chairs, has an excellent provenance. The items were made around 1740 for Creech Grange near Wareham, the Dorset seat of the Bond family from the late 17th century until the sale of the estate in 1975. The chairs were photographed in situ in the library by country life in 1931.
The house was remodeled in 1739-40 by Francis Cartwright, a Blandford architect who worked in tandem with Blandford’s furniture firm John and William Bastard. A surviving note in the family’s account book for September 1741 reads: ‘pd. Bush for transporting chairs from Blandford 5s.’ and for May 1742 is an entry recording “paid M. Bastard’s bill £14.9.0”.
The chairs and sofa together are estimated at £15,000-20,000.