Forthcoming BBC Filming Dates

We are delighted to welcome back to the North East both BBC Antique's Road Trip and BBC Flog It!.


Paul Laidlaw



David Harper

BBC Antique's Road Trip is now in it's 7th Series and will be motoring along in a Classic Car to Boldon Auction Galleries on Wednesday 17th April where Antique Road Trip stalwarts David Harper and Paul Laidlaw will compete to make a profit in one of our fortnightly Victorian and General Household Sales. 

BBC Flog It! will be visiting us at our quarterly Fine Art & Antique Sale on Wednesday 12th June.  There will be a Valuation Day prior to this Sale when you can come along and have free valuations, meet the experts and who knows end up at Boldon Auction Galleries being filmed selling your items on Flog It!

Details of the Valuation Day venue and timings will follow, keep checking our Website and News section.

Spring Sale Highlights

Lot 150 - Sold for £7,600

Highlights from our recent 6th March

Fine Art & Antique Sale will be posted soon.

Acornman

ARTS AND CRAFTS FURNITURE

Alan Grainger Senior started working at Bradsby in North Yorkshire in 1934, after learning his craft at Medds in Easingwold. When Alan’s son, Alan Grainger Junior, joined the firm in 1958 Acorn Industries was formed and a year later they started using the 'acorn’ trademark. During the 1960s they were employing seven craftsmen with many other former apprentices setting up their own workshops in the area. The company closed in 2005 when Alan Grainger’s grandson Derek, the last family member of the business, retired.

On Wednesday 6th March we are offering these pieces from the Acorn workshop.

Lot 465
An "Acornman" Coffee table.  107cm long
Estimate £50-£80 

Lot 466
A set of "Acornman" oak dining chairs comprising 6 single and 2 carvers, all with ladder backs.
Estimate £300-£500

Lot 468
An oak "Acornman" dresser with raised back, 3 drawers to the front, below 4 panelled doors,
supported on octagonal legs.
Estimate £300-£400

Lot 467
 An "Acornman" oak refectory table. 214cm long, 89cm wide
Estimate £200-£300

All pieces are hand made from solid English oak and bear the acorn mark. Surfaces finished with the adze having a distinctive ripple. The chairs have ladder backs. The dining and coffee tables have shaped end supports leading down to sledge feet and traditionally pegged central stretchers. The dresser has distinctive wooden handles and wrought iron hinges.
This furniture is part of an Arts and Crafts movement known as the "Yorkshire Critters" made up of a band of apprentices and strong followers of Robert "Mouseman" Thompson. Robert Thompson of Kilburn, known as the 'Mouseman', worked in North Yorkshire. Thompson was born in 1876 and died 1955 and he started his business as a maker of ecclesiastical oak furnishings and furniture. It has been suggested that the ‘critters’ trademark came about by accident in 1919 after Robert Thompson had told one of his colleagues that he was 'as poor as a church mouse.’ At the time he was carving a cornice for a screen and this random remark inspired him to carve a small mouse which went on to become a trademark for all his works.

Dancing Girl

Demetre Chiparus (1888-1947), born in Romania, studied in Italy and travelled to Paris in 1912 attending the Ecole des Beaux Arts where he was taught by Antonin Mercie and Jean Boucher. He worked with a process called chryselephantine (a combination of bronze and ivory) and the majority of his renowned works were made between 1914 and 1933. His Art Deco flavour sculptures have been said to be remarkable for their bright and outstanding decorative effect. Subjects included French theatre, dancers from the Russian Ballet and after the tomb of Tutankhamen was excavated took on an Egyptian influence. Chiparus also designed the stylised and often ornate bases for the figures in onyx or marble. Most of his sculptures were cast at Lehmann or Etling foundries.

We are offering for sale on Wednesday 6th March this figure by Demetre Chiparus

Chain Dancer circa 1925

cold-painted, gilt-bronze and ivory, on onyx plinth, 30.5cm high
Signed Chiparus on the plinth and impressed 94 to bronze skirt
Reference: Alberto Shayo, Chiparus, Master of Art Deco, New York, 1993, p. 102 (design illustrated)

This lot is estimated at £3,000 - £5,000.

Viewing for the sale is on Saturday 2nd March 10am - 1pm, Tuesday 5th March 2pm - 6pm or the morning of the sale from 9am.

Invitation to Consign

Demetre Chiparus bronze and ivory figure "The Chained Dancer" to be sold 6th March

Estimate £3,000 - £5,000

Invitation to Consign

Fine Art & Antique Sale

Wednesday 6th March

FREE Valuation Sessions in February:
Friday 8th 10am - 12noon & 2pm - 4pm

Saturday 9th 10am - 12noon

Friday 22nd 10am - 12noon & 2pm - 4pm

Saturday 23rd 10am - 12noon

For further information please visit
www.boldonauctions.co.uk

Sale Highlights from our Fine Art & Antique Auction held on Wednesday 5th December 2012

Christmas shopping fervour was clearly evident at our December Fine Art auction with many items hitting top prices. First to see a really eager flurry of bids was lot 34, a pair of Art Nouveau WMF pewter vases with glass liners which flew up to £2700. This was quickly followed by lot 38, A Clarice Cliff “Clovelly” pattern coffee set which sold to a commission bidder for £1600.

Lot 69, A 1930s Art Deco bronze patinated figural table lamp has a bright future after selling for £450 and lot 85, a set of 11 out of 12 wall plates that portrayed the figure “Eve” sold for a healthy £400.

We had some good toy lots with 120, a boxed Shackleton Foden FG6 Tipper lorry and a boxed 8 ton Dyson Trailer selling for £460 and 136, five trays of Dinky and Corgi military vehicles selling for £400, as well as a pair of lots containing teddy bears which sold for £140 and £210.

Two albums of Victorian photographs taken by Edward C. Chaston sold for £1700, while a Tynemouth medal for saving life at sea and World War I medals awarded to Percy Catmore Chaston sold for £1000.

The star of the sale was definitely lot 165, a group of 7 medals awarded to Major Norman Batey Pigg including a Military Cross for conspicuous gallantry in action. These medals attracted keen interest among commission, telephone and internet bidders before selling to the room for an impressive £14,000.

Concertinas are still selling well with lot 172, a Lachenal and Company concertina with rosewood fretwork ends and with original mahogany box, selling for £750.

The auctioneers were particularly pleased with how well books sold in this auction.

Lot 187, Plans of Proposed Navigation from Newcastle Upon Tyne to Haydon Bridge. Chapman 1796 with impressively large fold out diagrams, sold for £850, lot 192, a collection of books including 'Olivers Map of Newcastle 1844' sold for £700 and lot 198, a box of books of mining and geographical interest sold for £520. The most interesting lot in this section was 200, a Victorian sketch book with numerous drawings, watercolours and pencil sketches, along with written extracts including several from John Franklin (1786-1847) the Arctic Explorer which sold to a local collector for £1100.

Jewellery and watches seem destined for luxury Christmas presents with diamond rings in lots 234 and 278 selling for £1000 each and a Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner and a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date GMT Master fetching £1700 and £2900.

After spending 60 years wrapped in newspaper in a Sunderland loft lots 375 and 376, oils by Edgar Hunt, were very keenly received by collectors. Both lots attracted a great deal of interest online, in the room and on the telephones before selling for £3200 and £9400. While lot 379, a Patrick Lichfield photograph of Britt Eckland sold for £1800.

Large items of furniture also found new homes with lot 420, a Shapland and Petter of Barnstaple two piece bedroom set with Art Nouveau marquetry, selling for £1800 and lot 429, a highly decorative a Victorian Marsh and Jones satinwood and marquetry inlaid mirror back credenza, selling for £2900.

We are now accepting entries for our next Fine Art and Antique Auction to be held on Wednesday 6th March 2013.

Please call in, telephone or email us and we will arrange to value and/or enter items for Auction.
Front Street, East Boldon, Tyne & Wear, NE36 0SJ
Tel. 0191 5372630
e-mail: boldon@btconnect.com
www.boldonauctions.co.uk

Christmas Opening Hours

We will be closing at 1pm on Friday 21st December and will re-open on Wednesday 2nd January at 9am.

Our first sale of 2013 will be held on Wednesday 9th January with viewing on Saturday 5th from 10-1pm, Tuesday 8th from 2-6pm and morning of sale from 9am.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Forgotten finds sold for £20,000

Part of an article published in The Journal Friday 7th December 2012 by Tony Henderson
Two paintings were put up for sale by a Sunderland vendor at Boldon Auction Galleries after spending the last 60 years wrapped in newspaper in a loft.
The paintings are by Edgar Hunt, who was born in 1876 and was one of the most accomplished animal and bird painters who is best known for his farmyard scenes.
One of the paintings, of pigeons feeding, sold at Boldon for £3,200 and the other, of hens in a farmyard, made £9,400.
Also at Boldon, seven medals awarded to Major Norman Batey Pigg, who was born in Seaham in County Durham and who fought in both world wars, fetched £14,000 – three times the pre-sale estimate.
The medals had been estimated at between £3,000 and £5,000.
They included a First World War Military Cross and Distinguished Service Order, both awarded for conspicuous gallantry in action.
A brass toilet door sign for the Chief Constable of Sunderland sold for £35, also at Boldon.
Read more: Journal Live http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/12/07/forgotten-finds-fetch-almost-20-000-at-north-auction-61634-32378734/#ixzz2EMHOcvOJ

War Hero's Medal Haul makes £14K

Published on Thursday 6 December 2012 in the Shields Gazette by Chris Maxwell


A MAGNIFICENT seven medals won in battle by a First World War hero have fetched £14,000 at a South Tyneside auctioneers – over three times their asking price.

The historic haul of honours awarded to Seaham-born Major Norman Batey Pigg went under the hammer at Boldon Auction Galleries in Front Street, yesterday.

It had been listed for sale at between £3,000 and £5,000, but received a flurry of bids from military history lovers, both at the auction and via telephone and the internet.

The array of medals included a prestigious Military Cross, inscribed Armentieres, 23.11.16, 31.3.17, N.B.P. for conspicuous gallantry in action, after leading a successful raid into enemy trenches, in which he was severely wounded.

Also included in the lot from the decorated soldier was a Distinguished Service Order medal for conspicuous gallantry and initiative during the operations east of Solesmes in October 1918.

Caroline Hodges, from Boldon Auction Galleries, said: “Lot 165, the collection of seven medals belonging to Major Norman Batey Pigg, sold for £14,000.

“It had been listed for sale at £3,000 to £5,000 but we had a lot of bids both in the room and through telephone calls and the internet.

“The winning bid came from in the room.  “There was an awful lot of interest for Major Pigg’s medals because of their provenance and the history and deeds that he did.  “They went for a lot more than we ever expected.”

Major Pigg, who was born in 1894 and joined the Army in 1914, commanded the 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers in three assaults on enemy territory.

He then went on to serve the Northumberland Fusiliers again in the Second World War.

As a Major commanding ‘C’ Company in May 1940, he became second in command of the battalion evacuated at Dunkirk.

The other medals in the glittering collection from his service were The Great War for Civilisation 1914-1919 medal and the 1914-1918 War Medal.  Major Pigg won further honours for his efforts in the Second World War.  He was given the Defence Medal, the 1939-1945 Star and a 1939-1945 medal.

The impressive collection was given over to be sold to the auctioneers by a family member.

A rare Tynemouth Medal, awarded to Percy C. Chaston for saving a life at sea in 1916, also exceeded its lot reserve of £300 to £500, selling for £1,000.

The medal was handed out on April 1, 1916, for Bravery in Saving Life at Sea, and was included in the collection along with a 1914-1918 War medal and a Mercantile Marine War 1914-1918 medal.

Originally from Northumberland, Chaston was awarded the medal for saving the life of Philip Goddard at Alexandra Dock, Hull.

Wartime honours attract big bids

By Fiona Thompson


Published on Thursday 6 December 2012 in the Sunderland Echo

A WAR hero’s medals attracted a winning bid of £14,000 as a crowd of hundreds gathered for the sale.

The seven awards collected by Seaham-born Major Norman Batey Pigg were bought as a collection at Boldon Auction Galleries yesterday, with the new owner among those who attended the sale after beating offers also taken over the phone and online.

The medals had been expected to reach between £3,000 and £5,000.

Caroline Hodges, a director of the auction house, said: “There was an awful lot of interest for Major Pigg’s medals because of their provenance and the history and deeds that he did.  “They went for a lot more than we ever expected.”

Major Pigg was born in 1894 and joined the Army in 1915, serving in both the 1st and 21st Battalions Northumberland Fusiliers, commanding the 1st Battalion in three assaults on enemy territory.

As a Major commanding “C” Company in May 1940, he came second in command of the battalion evacuated at Dunkirk.

He was presented with the Military Cross for conspicuous gallantry in action after leading a raid into enemy trenches in the First World War, which left him seriously injured.

Others in the lot included a Distinguished Service Order medal for conspicuous gallantry and initiative during operations east of Solesmes in October 1918, the Great War for Civilisation 1914-19 medal, and the 1914-1918 War Medal.
He was also given further honours for his efforts during the Second World War.  He was awarded the Defence Medal, the 1939-45 Star and 1939-35 medal, with all passed on to the auctioneers by his family.

A rare Tynemouth medal belonging to Percy Catmore Chaston sold for £1,000 at the sale.
It was awarded in April 1916 for Saving Life at Sea for diving in to help a man who had fallen into the Alexandra Dock in Hull.