Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Potteries Auctions!
2020 has been a difficult ol’ year, hasn’t it? It’s definitely provided its own unique trials and tribulations, but at Potteries Auctions we’ve been extremely fortunate to find continued success during these strange times that we hope to see well into 2021 and beyond.
In response to the Covid-19 lockdown earlier on in the year, we had to adapt and close our in-person auctions at our Silverdale and Cobridge salerooms. We have always hosted online auctions and commissioned bids as part of our service, and so our transition to selling online only was thankfully a smooth one and one in which has proved incredibly successful as the year has gone on.
As a result, we’ve seen some really high prices being achieved through online-only auction, as well as attracting brand new audiences from all over the world that are interested in bidding and buying. All this new interest has certainly influenced the driving up of hammer prices on lots, and some prices have been truly outstanding, so from rare pottery to vintage comics, check out some of our 2020 auction highlights!
One of our highest selling lots of 2020 was – by far – this Rare Art Deco c1930s Stardust Faturan Cherry Amber Bakelite lamp stand (pictured right) from our November Fine Art sale. Formed from a rare and desirable class of faturan with embedded gold ‘stardust’ particles, this beautiful piece sold for an absolutely astounding £21,000. More of this in 2021, please!
These lots did incredibly well at our Fine Art Sale back in September. (L-R) A 5ct certified diamond single stone Solitaire and platinum ring that sold for an astronomical £11,200; a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust gentleman’s wristwatch that was originally estimated to sell for £1000-£2000, but the end it sold for a staggering £3100; a Martin Brothers stoneware smiling musician imp figure that well surpassed its £750-£1500 estimated hammer price and sold for £2500
These two lots of Shelley Cabaret dinnerware sets in Dolly Varden pattern 3744 and 3750 were set to go under the hammer for £30-£60 each but in the end sold for much more, with the left going for an incredible £950 and the right for £800
These vintage collections of Silver Age Marvel comics, The Amazing Spider-Man (left) Silver Surfer and The Mariner (right), were estimated to sell for £50-£100 at our November Fine Art Sale. The Spider-Man collection fetched a hammer price of £1200, while the Silver Surfer and Mariner collection sold for a marvellous £1250!
These large, rare Royal Doulton prototype witch and wizard character jugs sold for £3100 and £3000 respectively back in September. Aren’t they wonderful?
We’re incredibly grateful to have had a successful year despite the chaos of 2020, but Father Christmas, if you’re reading this, we’d love to keep this success rolling and see some of the pieces from our wishlist below under the tree this week. We do understand you’re a little busy at this time of year though, so because we’re good and patient we are happy to wait until 2021 if you need a little more time to find them and direct them to our salesroom. Thank you in advance!
- Maurice Wade landscapes
- Arthur Berry paintings
- Jack Clarkson woodcarvings and oil paintings
- A Linn Sondek LP12 turntable
- A Thorens TD-124 turntable
- A Braun T1000 Dieter Rams radio
- Staples Ladderax furniture
- A vintage 1985 Petster sound activated robot kitty cat
- A vintage Type I Curta mechanical calculator
- A Hasselblad XPan 35mm panoramic rangefinder camera
- An Old School BMX Mongoose Supergoose 2
- A Brian Rourke 653 road bike
- A Charles Eames-style lounge chair and ottoman
- A vintage aquamarine Lewis Leathers Aviakit motorcycle jacket
- A Belstaff Panther 1966 leather jacket
- A genuine Irvin RAF sheepskin leather flying jacket
Have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year from all of us here at Potteries Auctions, here’s to a good and healthy 2021!
If you have items for auction, get in touch and we can help you with a valuation. Talk to our team of experts who will be able to give you an accurate auction estimate on a range of items from household goods to antiques. You can join us at one of our valuation days (lockdown permitting), email us for an appointment enquiries@potteriesauctions.com or call us on +44 (0)1782 638100 Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm. Please note, however, that our office is closed for Christmas until 9am on Monday 4th January 2021.
Our first online auction of 2021 is scheduled to take place on Friday 8th January & Saturday 9th January, the details of which you can find on our January auction page, or view the online catalogue here.