John Goodwin held their latest collective sale of antique and other furniture, effects and collectables recently at the Pavilion Rooms in Ledbury.

Entries were consigned from many private vendors and deceased estates throughout the Three Counties area and included a wide and varied selection of lots appealing to an equally wide range of private buyers, dealers and specialist collectors.

Best price in the picture section went to a water colour signed David Cox which achieved a hammer price of £360 against a £300 - £400 pre-sale estimate.

In the book section a collection of military books achieved prices to £170, children’s annuals £50, a box of football match programmes £65 and the works of William Hogarth £60.

There was a considerable amount of interest in a collection of enamelled signs consigned from a Ledbury vendor.  John Goodwin have forged a reputation for dealing with these advertising signs over a number of recent sales and were able to attract competing interest from private collectors and dealers alike.

Values ranged from a fairly modest and fairly common signs which achieved prices in the region of £30 through to the most desirable signs including Frys chocolate at £110 and Lions tea at £100.

A wooden sign advertising the Ledbury garage G Hopkins and Sons and believed to have originally adorned their Bedford breakdown truck sold at £140.

Demand remains strong for quirky items and this was well illustrated by the significant competing interest in a rather rusty metal sign in the shape of a sheep.  Advertising Coopers Dip sold by H Talbot Cooper chemists Upton upon Severn a bidding battle between absentee bidders and a number of buyers in the room resulted in a hammer price of £620.

There was mixed demand for brown furniture although the auctioneers were very pleased with a hammer price of £440 for a satin wood desk thought to have come from the writing room on SS Asturias which was torpedoed in 1918.  Victorian display cabinets sold at £380 and a bow front Georgian chest of drawers at £190.

A unusual lot in the furniture section was an upright piano originally supplied by Harrods.  The piano had been decorated in a very pyhcodelic designed signed David Platts in 1969.  research carried out by the auctioneers linked David Platts with Harrods during the 1960’s and the decoration was very typical of the era.  The piano sold at £160 although it is unknown whether the decoration was to be retained by its new owner!  Other notable prices including £500 for a long case clock via the Bradford maker John Lawson.

Collectables including postcards, stamps, coins and bank notes continued to perform well as did a number of items of militeria which attracted competition from a number of local private collectors.

The value of precious metal remains high and accordingly demand was very strong for sovereigns achieving a hammer prices of between £168 - £175 with 2 half sovereigns each selling at £77.  John Goodwins next good quality collective sale is scheduled for the 8^th September and a catalogued sale of fine arts including a large consignment of old masters is scheduled for the 22^nd September.  Heading sheep dip sign brings buyers flocking in.