13/04/2024 General News
Most auction houses have a hierarchy of sales, holding back the very best lots – whether in terms of value, interest or rarity – for special, high-value sales, writes Tim Blyth. At Keys, these translate into our thrice-yearly Fine Sales, which stretch over three days. The first of these, our Spring Fine Sale, took place at the end last month.
With the advent of internet bidding, collectors and traders no longer have to be in the room to bid. That means that fine sales held in the leading provincial auction houses can now compete with auctions held by the biggest London names, because if you are a potential buyer sitting in Beijing, or New York, or Dubai, it makes no difference where the sale is physically taking place.
The result is that our Fine Sales attract bidders from all over the world. Last year we despatched sold items to over 80 different countries; Aylsham now really is a global centre for high-quality fine art antiques.
People are always interested in what the sale price actually was (as opposed to the sometimes inflated estimates which some unscrupulous auction houses set in a bid to attract business), so here is just a flavour of some of the highlights. The prices quoted here are the hammer prices, excluding buyer’s premium – this is a more honest way of expressing how well an item has done at auction.
Our Fine Sales include the prestigious East Anglian Art Sales, unarguably the world’s leading auction of works by artists from our region. Among five paintings by pioneering 19th century female artist Eloise Harriet Stannard was a pair of still life studies which sold for £3,300.
Ceramics always play a big part in the Keys Fine Sale, and so it proved once again. Big names such as Meissen, Delft and Dresden featured large, with a rare Meissen dish from the Seydewitz service making £1,300, and a pair of very fine Chinese porcelain coral ground bowls selling for £2,300.
Closer to home, our fine sales are one of the leading marketplaces for 18th century Lowestoft porcelain, and our spring sale featured 15 pieces from the factory, with the highlight a rare ‘trifle’ inkwell, with the hammer price reaching £4,050.
Silver, jewellery and watches are a mainstay of the second day of the sale, and this time was no different. Highlights included a Rolex Datejust 36 with a two-tone oyster bracelet which sold for £5,000, a stunning ruby and diamond cluster ring which made £7,950, and a 76-piece Dutch silver cutlery collection by M J Gerritson, which achieved £1,250.
Other highlights of the sale included a rare Macallan Royal Marriage Malt Whisky 1948-1961 which was snapped up for £1,950, and Black Forest cuckoo clock which made £1,200, some three times its pre-sale estimate.
Keys next Fine Sale is in July; we are already accepting consignments.