November Auction Report

November Auction Report

November Auction Report

Date of auction: 6^th & 7^th November 2024

Number of lots: 1215

Number of online bidders: 1,663 from 31 countries

Highest price achieved: Lot 254 – Pratts vintage figural lighter fluid dispenser formed as a miniature petrol pump– sold for £4,700

Surprise result of the sale: Lot 1316 –William Moore of London double barrelled over and under percussion hammer action pistol with notable damage– sold for £750

Auctioneer’s favourite lot: Lot 1011 – Nobel's Explosives Co Ltd Agents Major Bros Shrewsbury display board decorated with Quarrying Explosives – sold for £800

The November auction at Harper Field Auctioneers was one of our most successful gun auctions to date with strong bidding seen across all lots including accessories, cartridges, air pistols and rifles, antique guns, rifles and shotguns.

The market for licensable shotguns remains very strong with extensive bidding from the USA and Europe meaning we are seeing strong prices achieved across the board.  A few notable results include a Browning Ultra XS Pro 12 bore over and under shotgun that sold for £2,300, a Sabatti ST-18 rifle in 6.5mm Creedmoor that sold for £1000 one of over five Sabatti rifles selling for more than £800 and a Miroku 12 bore over and under shotgun that sold for £950.

Included in the auction were a number of deactivated guns, including a British L1A1 SLR  sold for £1200, a Bren .303 machine gun sold for £900 and a Browning 9mm pistol and Thompson M1 submachine gun each selling for £800. We already have over 20 deactivated guns consigned for future auctions including a Vickers machine gun with rare dial sight. Don’t forget that in order to legally sell a deactivated gun, it must meet the 2018 EU regulations and have a relevant certificate. If you have a deactivated gun of the old specification then Harper Field can organise having it brought up to the new specifications for you.

As ever the prices for air rifles, pistols and antique weapons remain high, there is less regulation in place meaning a much larger audience of buyers. A double-barrelled sporting gun with a tubelock mechanism, a rare ignition system used for a short period during the 19thC that was quickly superseded by the more reliable percussion cap system, produced by William Moore sold for £2,600. A Tranter patent .577 breech loading percussion rifle sold for £1850 and an Air Arms S510 carbine air rifle sold for £800, all exceeding their estimates.

Alongside the ever-growing gun section was the specialist section of glass and ceramics, which in general are challenging markets at the moment with the overwhelming trend towards minimalist living prevalent, especially amongst younger people. This is borne out by the corresponding collapse in value of display cabinets and dressers. However, there are bright spots in the market for good design or statement pieces, good factories such as Meissen, Royal Worcester, Nymphenburg, Swansea and small quality collectible pieces. Pricing is key to success as high or unrealistic estimates seem to be very off-putting to buyers at the moment. Lalique, Whitefriars, Waterford and modern studio glass such as Isle of Wight, especially signed/limited edition pieces, still have plenty of bidders, especially if estimated attractively. Large dinner and tea sets definitely need to be in desirable patterns, for example Wedgwood Astbury, Florentine and Cornucopia, Herend, Meissen, Shelley, Nymphenburg will all have buyers queuing to bid, while lesser factories remain difficult. Of the traditional British factories, Royal Crown Derby, Royal Worcester, Royal Doulton seem to be bucking the trend and producing good results. A pair of Hannah Barlow vases realised £680 despite having fairly commonplace sheep decoration and a pair of Florence Barlow ewers realised a very respectable £890. The market for Hungarian Zsolnay Pecs reticulated ware remains exceptionally strong as even a pair of damaged vases realised £240. Royal Worcester and first period Worcester still have plenty of collectors bidding for the rarest pieces in good condition, pieces by Stinton, Davies, Baldwyn and any painted fruit have lots of interest worldwide, especially Australia where our in-house shipping team have recently sent a number of items. Some niche markets still exist, such as the small collection of 18thC Turkish Kutahya tea ware sold in four lots for a very respectable £1350 to a Turkish online buyer.

The next auction is our Christmas sale on the 4^th & 5^th December and will feature jewellery, silver, watches, coins, bijouterie and the always popular fine wines & spirits section. If you fancy buying a special Christmas present or even just treating yourself, why not come along to our public viewing day on 3^rd December from 10am to 6pm and take a look around. Seasonal refreshments will be available!

We are still accepting items for our February auction, which will once again include specialist sections of guns & weapons, medals & militaria, taxidermy & sporting items and ceramics & glass.

If you are thinking of selling, we run free drop-in valuation sessions every Friday between 9am-4pm. or if you wish to book an appointment with one of our specialists then please give us a call on 01453 873800. Alternatively just email images of your items  to valuations@harperfield.co.uk and we will come back to you with a valuation.