Cotswold auctioneers, Kinghams, were delighted with the results of the Peter Cameron Collection, held on June 9^th and 10^th.

The sale proceeds totalled well over four hundred thousand pounds.

A Victorian silver and parcel-gilt novelty ‘Huntsman’ inkwell, possibly modelled after the Duke of Argyll, by Henry William Dee, London 1879. The total price achieved was £8528.

Peter Cameron is a world-renowned antique silver specialist with over fifty years of experience. A Freeman of the Goldsmiths’ Company in London, he served on the prestigious Hallmarking Authentication Committee, which assesses the authenticity of British silver. After studying history at Peterhouse, Cambridge, he began his career in antique silver in 1974. His maternal family has deep roots in the trade, dating back to the early 1800s.

The sale was held across two days at Kinghams’ headquarters in Moreton-in-Marsh.

A pair of George III Neoclassical candlesticks, by John Carter, London 1771, sold for £5772.80.

According to associate director and silver specialist Matthew Lafite, “In the world of antique silver, the name Peter Cameron is synonymous with quality, scholarship, and expertise. Peter has a well-earned reputation as a true expert with exacting standards. This collection contains some of the finest pieces of silver encountered outside of a museum. We are delighted to have been entrusted with the collection, and the outcome is extremely pleasing.”

Top lots in the sale included a Victorian silver-gilt cased tea set, designed by the renowned Dr. Christopher Dresser, which took £8528.00 including fees. A Victorian novelty inkwell in the form of a Huntsman, possibly modelled after the Duke of Argyle, also made £8528.00 inclusive.

A Victorian silver-gilt cased tea set, designed by the renowned Dr. Christopher Dresser, sold for £8528.

Hukin and Heath silver and glass snake handle claret jug, sold for £3936.

Other sale highlights included a Heath and Middleton for Hukin and Heath, tall late Victorian silver-mounted claret jug,  with an entwined green glass snake handle. This model of jug is listed in the Hukin and Heath catalogue, and in the 1890s was priced at £5 4s. The total price achieved was £3936.

A unique Victorian silver and parcel-gilt novelty ‘Huntsman’ inkwell, possibly modelled after the Duke of Argyll, generated worldwide interest. Made by the famous firm of Henry William Dee, in London in 1879, and after a bidding battle, finally sold for £8528 including fees.

Mr. Lafite remarked, “Henry William and Louis Dee made high-quality silver novelties, including a number in the form of political caricatures. There is a striking resemblance to the 8^th Duke of Argyll, George John Douglas Campbell, the polymath and Liberal statesman. So far as we know, this piece is a one-off. The quality is second to none. We were delighted with the interest this lot generated, and the result is very pleasing.”

A Victorian novelty silver sewing case by Louis Dee.

A rare Victorian novelty silver sewing case, modelled in the form of a flatfish, made by the celebrated family firm of Dee, and hallmarked in London in 1881, again brought out bidding competition. The fine quality of the piece saw strong interest, finally selling to an online bidder for a premium inclusive, £4460.

A Victorian silver coaching horn, presented by the Marquis of Waterford sold for £4985.

A cased Victorian silver coaching horn, presented by the Marquis of Waterford in 1838 almost doubled its top estimate, and sold to a UK-based buyer for £4985. The 3rd Marquis of Waterford (1811-1859), well known for his love of sport and his 'gentlemanly larks', his participation in the riot in Melton Mowbray, when a number of doors and a pub sign were daubed with red paint, and his duel with Lord George Loftus - when each exchanged shots without injuring the other- was also a keen participant in the Eglinton Tournament as the Knight of the Dragon. It may be that this horn relates to the fashionable processing which formed part of this tournament in Ayrshire and at practice jousting sessions in St. John's Wood prior to the tournament.

“Unusual, interesting, and fine quality silver items are very keenly contested in our specialist silver sales, and we were delighted with the strong results achieved in the auction”, Mr Lafite remarked.

 Kinghams Auctioneers hold quaterly specialist silver sales, and for further information please contact associate director Matthew Lafite on 01608 695695, or matthew@kinghamsauctioneers.com