A PAINTING by renowned artist LS Lowry thought to be worth more than £100,000 is to go under the hammer next week.
‘Barges on a Manchester Canal’ could fetch well over the estimated price when it appears at auction at Edinburgh’s Lyon & Turnbull on 2 December.
The distinctive works of the Lancashire-born painter – known for his famous depictions of Glasgow’s docks – have been sold for several times the estimated price in the past.
His painting of The Liver Building went for £1million in 2006 – double the expected price.
While Cranes and Ships, a 1947 painting of Glasgow’s Prince’s Dock, was bought by the city’s council for £200,000 in 2006. Continue reading →
SCOTLAND’S answer to Indiana Jones sold his meteorite collection today – but the results weren’t as earth-shattering as the experts thought.
Estimated at over £500,000, Robert Elliott’s collection of rocks – which included a piece of the moon – raised just £130,000 when they went under the hammer at Lyon and Turnbull.
The enthusiast’s collection included pieces of meteorites from all over the globe, including the Barwell Meteorite which fell to earth on December 24 1965.
It was the highest selling item – fetching an impressive £8,000.
THE original Robert Burns manuscript of Auld Lang Syne is going under the hammer – but the winner will be banned from taking it home.
As one of the world’s most famous songs, experts believe it will fetch over £50,000 at auction.
But instead of taking the treasured book home to keep, the winner will become the “patron” of the song.
All their money will buy is a plaque displaying their name, on show beside the manuscript in the new Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Ayrshire. Continue reading →
AS the nation’s property market continues to plummet, a seller in Edinburgh might just have come up with the perfect solution for prospective house-hunters.
Several acres of the capital’s Water of Leith riverbed could become a floating estate when an auction begins next week.
Property experts say demand will be high for the 6.5 acres of water, with some hoping the sale could encourage other home-owners to drop anchor permanently in the city.
The sale will hopefully trigger the creation of dozens of floating homes and offices in one of the capital’s most fashionable areas.
A RARE Chinese vase found among a box of bric-a-brac by a Scottish bargain hunter has failed to sell at auction.
Edinburgh auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull have refused to say how much the reserve price on the vase was, but did confirm the bidding stopped at £75,000.
The silver Tang vase – which dates from the ninth or 10th century – went under the hammer at Blenheim Palace after being found in a cardboard box at a sale in Scotland.
The anonymous seller, thought to be from the Scottish Borders, paid only around £100 for the rare artifact which is said to be worth approximately £120,000.
A SCOTS collector has sold 7,000 antique golf clubs to a Chinese businessman for a massive £120,000.
The haul is thought to be the largest-ever collection of hickory clubs, with all the items dating back to before 1930.
John Dixon, of Edinburgh-based dealers Georgian Antiques, picked up the putters, drivers and irons over a period of 12 years from auctions and specialist shops. Continue reading →
SCOTS auctioneers are beating the credit crunch by cashing in on the rising price of gold and silver.
Lyon and Turnbull are getting ready for their upcoming silver and jewellery sale in May, and have already accumulated a mountain of gold sovereigns, worth £35,000.
The price of silver has increased by 30 per cent in the last five months – leading to an increase in the number of people flogging their precious items.
All sorts of gold and silver items, from gold sovereigns to silver candlesticks are going under the hammer to raise much needed cash.
Colin Fraser from the auctioneers said: “Silver is often seen as the poor man’s gold.
“As the price of gold increases on the bullion market so does silver, it is one of the best times to sell as there are plenty of customers out there eager to buy.”
“We are planning two silver sales to meet the demand, the first will be in May and the second, an exclusively Scottish Silver and Wemyss Sale, will be held in August.
“This follows the success of our Scottish Silver and Wemyss sale last year.”
The last time the auctioneers held their silver and jewellery sale a George III Irish presentation silver gilt snuffbox sold for a whopping £9375.
A RARE Guinness toucan statue which attracted interest from all over Britain has sold at auction for over £200.
Collectors were keen to snap up the iconic figure in what is the world-famous drinks giant’s 250th anniversary.
Standing a proud 2ft high, the toucan is thought to date from the 1930’s and originally came from a pub in Dublin.
And although Dundee auctioneers Curr and Dewar were hoping to receive £400 for the statue, it eventually sold to an anonymous local collector for £220.
Auctioneer Steven Dewar said: “The man selling the statue is from Fife, and the toucan had been in his family since the early 1950’s. The story goes his father haggled for it in an Irish pub, but couldn’t remember how much he eventually got it for.
“The landlord of the pub told him it had been hanging on his wall since the 1930’s, and that is all we really know about its history.
“But it really is an iconic piece of pub culture, and one that had lots of interest.
“We had lots of calls from all over Britain, and a few local collectors even popped in a few days before the auction just to have a look at it.
“The buyer is a local man who has bought quirky items from us before. He looked really pleased with it when he left.”
The toucan first appeared in Guinness adverts in the 1930’s when artist John Gilroy created posters for the drinks company depicting various animals including kangaroos, sea-lions and, most notably, the toucan.
The original posters featuring Gilroy’s art work became as famous a symbol for Guinness as the original harp logo.
Mr Dewar added: “There is a huge following for Guinness memorabilia and the company has become famous for iconic advertising and its quirky sense of humour.
“It’s wonderful that the statue has managed to attract an offer of £220.”
The Irish brewers originated in 1759 when Arthur Guinness signed a 9000 year lease on a disused brewery at St James’s Gate in Dublin for an initial £100, and an annual rent of £45.
He first started brewing Dublin ale, but soon diversified into ‘porter’ which then became known as Guinness Stout.
By the late 1960’s Guinness were producing radio and television commercials that featured the talking toucan.
THE entire contents of an island mansion are going up for auction – with no minimum price set on the items.
Hundreds of antiques – some valued at £30,000 – are being sold as their owners move to a smaller house.
The Ainslie Collection features garden furniture, kitchen pots, Persian rugs and even a set of seven 19th century copper jelly moulds.
And with no minimum price tag, auctioneers are convinced bidders will net some fantastic bargains.
The unusual sale is taking place at the Edinburgh Lyon & Turnbull auction house where the massive haul of objects from the Isle of Bute house is on display.
Collectors Gilbert and Lillian Ainslie have put the contents of their Victorian island house Ascog Old Manse up for sale after deciding to have a ‘clean sweep’.
Mr Ainslie – who has been dealing in antiques since he was 14 – moved to Bute in 2004 in order to retire, but old habits die hard and he continued collecting antiques.
He said: “When Lillian and I moved to Bute to take things a bit easier, we ended up running a monthly antiques sale in Rothesay, which became well known in the area.”
Now, the couple have decided to move to Perthshire and are parting with all their personal belongings.
Mrs Ainslie, who spent almost a month polishing all the brassware, said : “It is going to be hard to part with our collection as each piece has its own story, but the time has come to let someone else look after it.
“I shall enjoy not doing all the dusting and polishing.”
Gavin Strang, director of Lyon & Turnbull, said the auction would be a rare and interesting treat for bidders, with items including Edwardian mustard pots, a George III mahogany clock and a mid 19th century cow horn.
Mr Strang said: “In this day and age it is quite unusual to have the opportunity to say ‘everything must go’.
“There will be real bargains to be had as everything will be sold and the quality means some items could go at a great price for some bidders.
“There is something for every taste and wallet size.”
The highlights of the January 14 auction are being billed as a Demetre Chiparus Art Deco figure group ‘Bal Costume’, worth £30-50,000 and a pair of massive Japanese vases – estimated at £25,000 to £30,000.
The light blue cloisonné baluster vases stand at almost four feet and are decorated with flowers, pheasants and finches.
Mr Strang said: “I remember my first time to the isle to visit the Ainslies. Walking in to their house was like walking in to Aladdin’s cave. It was a real treat.
“There isn’t one aspect of the collection, they have interesting Japanese and Chinese pieces as well as some amazing oak Scottish country furniture.
“It’s very eclectic but all bound together by the very good quality.”
The sale also includes an extensive collection of metal ware, including a pair of 17th century Dutch brass candlesticks valued at £2,000-3,000.
Other unusual items expected to fetch hundreds of pounds include a small 19th century wooden wheelbarrow, an oak and brass salted pork barrel and a Georgian mahogany cutlery tray.
A LETTER written by Scots racing legend Jim Clark just 18 months before his death is set to fetch over £1000 at auction next week.
Signed by Clark on his own personal notepaper, the letter is dated September 1, 1966 and in it the former World Champion exclusively reveals his plans to market new motoring shoes.
The Jim Clark motoring shoes were specially designed for the dangerous sport and were specifically produced to help drivers with pedal control.
The historic document, which is framed and comes complete with a black and white photograph, comes up for auction at Sotheby’s Olympia in London in November.
In the letter, Clark explains: “They have been specifically produced to take any of the requirements of pedal control, at the same time giving the wearer maximum comfort whilst driving…these unique shoes have tyre-tread soles and heels, designed by Pirelli of Italy.”
A spokesperson for Graham Budd Auctions said: “Although the ownership history of the letter is very vague, we are fairly certain this letter is a one-off.
“This is because the letter is signed J. Clark which is really unusual as he always signed autographs as Jim or Jimmy.
“We are expecting a lot of interest in this very attractive piece.”
Jim Clark worked on his family’s sheep farm before finding fame in motor racing.
He won his first world racing championship at the age of 27 in 1963, winning a record seven Grand Prix races during that season.
In 1965 he regained his title while also becoming the first non-American since 1916 to win the prestigious Indianapolis 500.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Clark’s death.
The Borderer was killed on April 27, 1968 in a Formula 2 race in Hockenheim, Germany when his car swerved off the track at high speed hitting a tree.
By Rory Reynolds
Deadline Press & Picture Agency 