Silver Collectables Shine at Kinghams Auctioneers

The market for fine silver collectables is as strong as ever, according to the results of Cotswolds auctioneers Kinghams latest specialist Silver & Objects of Vertu sale in Moreton-in-Marsh.

Associate director Matthew Lafite said, “We are so pleased that our specialist sales attract so much attention, and we were inundated with worldwide interest. We were delighted with the results. The sale achieved 158% by value with a sale rate of over 90%. Fine and rare novelty collectable items are performing particularly well”.

Honey Skep Nutmeg Grater

A Victorian silver novelty naturalistic nutmeg grater flew above its top estimate and sold to a telephone bidder for an all-inclusive £6,953. According to Mr Lafite, “I have been interested in nutmeg graters for more than twenty years and have seen so many of them. This was the first hallmarked silver honey skep example that I have ever encountered or seen recorded”. The honey skep was contested by specialists and collectors alike. After a prolonged bidding battle, an ethusaistic collector prevailed. “I don’t think it is the all-time record auction price for a nutmeg grater, but it is certainly close to it”, Mr Lafite said.

Pin cushions proved very popular, with three lots in particular catching the eye of keen collectors. “Novelty. Rarity. Condition. The main criteria for determining value and desirability when it comes to novelty pin cushions.” Mr Lafite added.

Recumbent Camel Pin Cushion

Kiwi Pin Cushion

Polar Bear Pin Cushion

The most encountered novelty or ‘zoomorphic’ pin cushions tend to be in the form of a pig and an elephant, but in the sale at Kinghams, three particularly unusual examples were offered. A polar bear, a recumbent camel, and a kiwi bird. According to a reference book on the subject, only two kiwi pin cushions are known. “I personally have seen only one other. It is also unusual in English silver from the early twentieth century to see a native New Zealand bird depicted”, Mr Lafite added. The three pin cushions sold for a combined £4,723.

Sampson Mordan Railways Interest Enamel Vesta Case

Golf club vesta, stamp case, and sealing wax holder

Pig Vesta Case

Specifically designed to hold matches, rare vesta cases also sold extremely well. A Victorian silver and enamel example by famed maker Sampson Mordan, with racing and railways interest, doubled its estimate, selling for £2,100. A very unusual combination vesta, stamp case and sealing wax holder, modelled in the form of a golf club, also proved popular and sold for £1,312. Continuing the zoomorphic theme, a pig vesta case, from the Victorian period, although tiny in size, sold for a hefty price, £1,050.

The next specialist Silver & Objects of Vertu sale at Kinghams Auctioneers will be held in June, and entries are invited. Please contact 01608 695695 or email enquiries@kinghamsauctioneers.com