It’s just week since the Sporting Memorabilia Auction took place and what a sale, which produced some great sale results. Leading up to the auction we had fantastic publicity in the national newspapers with regards to “Virginia Wade’s Ladies Singles Wimbledon Champion’s frilly tennis panties” which attracted a lot of interest with online bidding, telephone bids, as well as in the room, and eventually knocked down for £1600.
Although only a small tiny item in comparison, Lot 24 early on in the sale saw a very rare 1842 St Leger’s winner’s yellow metal and enamel commemorative whip handle top sell for £650 to another online bidder. Staying on the same subject country sports a fine pair of William Powell & Son Birmingham 12 bore sidelock ejectors in the original case sold in the room for £5200 and in the same theme a fine oil on canvas titled Partridges and Cartridges by Alfred Oliver sold for £600.
Again a country gentleman’s Edwardian mahogany and bone mounted revolving billiard Snooker Cue and rest stand sold for £740 to a client in the United States.
Other featured items including an original life size bronze bust of Geoffrey Boycott by the renowned sculptor Andrew Neil selling for £2750 to a client in Hong Kong. There was a large collection of Herbert Sutcliffe (England & Yorkshire) cricket items which came from direct descendants of the family and saw a keen demand with representatives from Yorkshire CCC in attendance, and as expected there was very keen demand for all the lots. Including a 1929 cricket ball from England vs South Africa when Sutcliffe scored a double century complete with engraved silver plated shield sold for £500, another silver commemorative item from 1924/25 England tour to Australia again in recognition of Herbert Sutcliffe’s remarkable innings in the series sold for £340. Another item which created a great deal of interest was a silver plated Cricket Ball Throwing Cup won by Herbert Sutcliffe c1918 which sold £70. Lot of ephemera, photographs etc were keenly sought after.
Earlier on in the sale a quite unique Everlast leather boxing head guard from the Muhammad Ali training camp in Pennsylvania and signed by Ali, Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, George Foreman and Larry Holmes came with the certificate of authenticity from renowned Ali collector and expert Peter Morkovin, and was eventually sold online for £1800.
Going back to the tennis and related items a fine Edwardian boxed table tennis set sold for £380, and a 1938 Davis Cup silver presentation umpire’s spoon realised £280.
There was an excellent turnout of buyers in the room, 167 bidders registered online with the saleroom, 36 registered online with Live Auctioneers and just over 85 absentee commission bidders.
We are now planning dates for 2016 commencing with another sporting sale in February. Entries are now being accepted and John will soon be on the road again visiting clients. Please feel free to contact the office to make an arrangement for appointments either in the office or in the privacy of your own home.
Next week look out for the report on another very successful Golf Auction, again we are looking for entries for the first sale in February 2016.