Clevedon Salerooms most recent Interiors sale was held at the Kenn Road Auction Centre on Thursday October 24th. A crisp sunny autumn day outside was matched by a golden hue inside as it was amongst the Jewellery section that the top prices of the day were to be found.
Top price of the day was scooped by a 9ct gold charm bracelet attached various charms and fobs including a half sovereign. Weighing in at a mighty 148g gross approx., it naturally formed the focus of spirited and sustained bidding which saw the gavel finally fall at an equally impressive £2,800. Also imparting a good deal of charm to the day’s proceedings another 9ct gold charm bracelet which sold for £1,200. Also proving that in times of uncertainty all that glitters is invariably gold, a late Victorian 18ct gold full hunter small pocket watch hallmarked for Chester 1899, sold for a healthy £920. Staying with watches, a Bueche Girod 1960s lady's 9ct white gold bracelet watch, also performed well, selling for £700. A complete change of mood was offered by another of the day’s hotly contested lots. It must be said that Lilliput Lane cottages are not usually the sort of fare to set the saleroom alight but occasionally a rare model comes to light which sets collectors’ pulses racing. So it was that the day’s biggest surprises came in the form of a limited edition model ‘Beside the Seaside’. Measuring in at 43cm diameter, this was hardly lilliputian in size but packing in, as it did, a variety of buildings it made an impressive display. Bidders certainly thought so and after a tense tussle between two online bidders it sold for £650. That was the same price as a group of Chinese Canton Famille Rose ceramics, late Qing dynasty and later, comprising a bowl decorated with a procession, two further bowls and two covers. These were also the focus of an online bidding battle which saw them leave their estimate standing. With another Interiors sale, the last of 2024 (my, where has this year gone?) attention then turns to the Winter Quarterly Fine Art sale on December 5th. In what is already shaping up to be an exciting auction, lots consigned to date include a rare and unusual 1960s architectural panel composed of Whitefriars glass tiles, a rare a Martin Brothers stoneware bird, a Rolex Gentleman's Oyster Perpetual Datejust Chronometer, and a first edition of C.S. Lewis’s 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'. Entries for this sale will be open until November 11th.