Kirriemuir geologist’s archive was seriously underestimated at auction
It is not unknown for small salerooms to err on the cautious side in estimating lots, which then fly when bidding begins.
18 Search results for ‘qs/Bell Baxter High/rf/sample/qt/article_slideshow/qc/tag’
Ticking all boxes: a fancy clock from the continent
A curiosity of the horological world is the early “flat”, or horizontal, clock.
Game of Thrones: a model coronation chair
Silver does not necessarily have to be old to be considered for inclusion in an antiques sale.
A considerable rarity: Scottish gold box under the hammer
Angus Council was rightly cock-a-hoop at the discovery near Carnoustie of a Bronze Age spearhead with a gold socket at the end of its shaft. The weapon is one of only five gold-bound spears to have been found in Britain and Ireland.
Hero of the hour: a watch with a story
Many families keep grandad’s silver pocket watch in a bottom drawer. Alas, having fallen out of fashion, these once-treasured heirlooms often face a fate of being melted for scrap.
Celestial dials: a rare combination locking tobacco box
I welcome Rosebery’s Auctions of London to this column for the first time, as I have dipped into their summer antiques sale for a little item which I cannot recall seeing previously.
In memoriam: mourning ring expected to sell for hundreds
A rare Jacobean mourning ring in memory of a five-times Dundee provost is expected to sell for hundreds of pounds in London this week.
Scotland’s top 100: what would you choose?
The only stand-alone Medieval Museum I have seen is in Waterford, Ireland.
Tea for two: a fine George III Pembroke table goes under the hammer
Tea was once a luxury. Its price, heavily taxed, placed it beyond all but the well-to-do. The Female Spectator in 1745 declared that the tea table “costs more to support than would maintain two children and a nurse.”
18th Century watch is a timeless treat
THERE’S RARE and there’s special. So when Glasgow auctioneers McTear’s described an 18th century 18 carat gold key wind pocket watch as rare, they weren’t fibbing. Key wound watches from anywhere in the 1700s are uncommon.