A single owner collection of cockfighting pieces ruled the roost at Trevanion Auctioneers’ two day June auction. Day one was a specialist sale dedicated to silver, jewellery and paintings, while day two saw a wide range of antiques, furniture and collectables go under the hammer.
Cock of the walk on day one were two oil on canvas portraits of fighting cocks by renowned British artist Herbert Atkinson (c1863-1936), one depicting a single bird, the other a pair. ‘Although well known as an artist, Atkinson was also an internationally renowned poultry judge and accomplished naturalist’ commented art valuer Simon Grover, ‘his deep knowledge of poultry informed his painting, imbuing each picture with real character as well as anatomical accuracy. Both paintings were lovely examples of his work, and attracted international interest before the sale.’ The paintings were fiercely contested by phone and online bidders, but both sold in the end to buyers in the room against strong interest from an Australian under bidder. The single bird portrait made £5,500 plus fees, but was eclipsed by the double portrait, which raced away to £8,000 plus fees.
The rest of the collection also attracted strong interest, with a group of enamel, wood and metal snuff boxes selling for £550 plus fees, a silver snuff box making £460 plus fees, and an unusual silver pocket watch with a cockfighting scene to the dial achieving £400 plus fees. ‘Cockfighting was banned in England and Wales in 1835, and in Scotland in 1895, and is obviously a highly emotive subject’ said Director Ashley Jones, ‘but pieces documenting the sport can be highly sought after, providing as they do a unique social history of what used to be considered a fashionable gentleman’s pastime’.
As ever, jewellery was a strong performer at the auction, with a 20th century old cut diamond solitaire ring selling for £7000 plus fees. ‘As the name suggests, old cuts are one of the oldest cuts of diamond’ said Jewellery specialist Amelia Tomkinson. ‘They’re a very characterful hand cut dating from the 19th century, known for their large culet and variation in facet size and symmetry. They’re very different from modern brilliant cut diamonds which show perfect symmetry, it is a matter of taste whether you prefer a brilliant or an old cut.’
Also attracting strong interest was an unusual collection of stick pins. Buyers were particularly drawn to a 19th century turquoise set parrot stick pin, which sold for £2,800 plus fees, and a very unusual ‘lover’s eye’ example, which made £550 plus fees. In total the collection sold for over £4000 plus fees.
Day two of the auction was given a particularly nostalgic feel by a group of mid 20th century pedal cars, including a rare and highly collectable Austin J40 in its original pale blue paint. Valuer Ian Woodward was touched by the car’s story: ‘The J40 was built by disabled miners at a factory in the village of Tiryberth in South Wales from 1955 to 1971 under the auspices of BMC owner Lord Nuffield, owner of full size car maker BMC. They became known as the ‘Joy Car’ or ‘Junior Austin’, and the story goes that they were made from the offcuts from the Austin factory to keep costs down, but even so they were sold at the time for the hefty sum of £20. Of course that’s nothing compared to the £2,600 plus fees this example sold for even though it was in barn-find condition.’ The Austin was joined by two racing cars, a Rolls Royce and an American army Jeep, and the collection made £4,200 plus fees in total.
‘I was delighted with the outcome of our two day June auction,’ said Managing Partner Christina Trevanion. ‘Our specialist jewellery, silver and paintings sale saw some phenomenal results, as did the antiques, furniture and collectables auction the following day. As ever, new to the market single owner collections proved a huge draw to buyers, but we saw success across the board.’
Trevanion Auctioneers will hold their next auction on 31st July. We are currently accepting entries for our September Fine Art & Antique Auction. The deadline for entries is 16th August.