Henry Aldridge & Son

The Devizes Auctioneers

2007 Auction Review

2007 will be recorded as a very successful chapter for Henry Aldridge and Son the Devizes Auctioneers. January saw a great change for the company with the removal of general sales from the firms calendar. They were replaced with a monthly auction of antiques and collectors items and the saleroom was expanded to make room for the additional volume of items.

This new sales format has been a great success with a number of record prices achieved throughout the year. One of the more interesting collections sold was the Syd Ricketts archive. Mr Ricketts was a well known Wiltshire postcard collector and had one of the best collections in the county amounting to several thousand cards which sold for over £40000. Militaria is another strong suit in Devizes and a good private collection of medals and awards was offered which sold for over £10000 together with a World War Two Distinguished Service Order making £2800.

A number of good quality paintings have been sold through the year these have included a pair of William Henry Hunt oils which sold for £7000, two Norman Hoad oils of Hurricane Fighter planes £1800, a Charles Taylor marine watercolour £2400 and in the most recent December sale a pair of marine scenes in the Dutch School style for £1200. Jewellery and clocks are other areas showing consistently high prices. Successes in 2007 have included a 1.1ct brilliant cut diamond ring £2800, a stunning 2.97ct brilliant cut diamond cross over ring £7000 and a .80ct diamond cluster ring £1800. Clocks also sold well the highlight being a William Johnston of London gilt mantle clock selling for a shade over its top estimate at £4200. The Archibald Irving collection of Pewter was another example of the type of niche collectables now being sold in Devizes. It amounted to 30 lots of assorted pewter which aroused interest from collectors across the globe selling for over £6000. A carved Black Forest cigarette container attracted numerous bids selling for £1600 and a 19^th century French Automaton that suffered damage in the Blitz made its owner £1800. A private collection of violins attracted a great deal of attention, several instruments in particular merit a mention. These were an 1892 Collin Mezin which sold for £2800, a Jeffrey Gilbert made in 1882 £1400 and a 14ins violin made by T. Jacklin made £1500. Furniture is the staple diet of most auctioneers and Henry Aldridge and Son are no different. An 18^th century Bombe commode needing a degree of tender loving care made £3000, a beautiful 19^th century wing back armchair made £1700, a rosewood stick barometer made by F. Underwood of Manchester £1500, a Regency waterfall bookcase £1500 and a compact 19^th century Chest of Drawers £1800.

Auctions of antiques and collectors items are being held throughout 2008, please contact Alan Aldridge or Andrew Aldridge BA Hons MRICS for free advice for single or multiple items regardless of distance.

Henry Aldridge are the world leaders in the sale of memorabilia from the Titanic and 2007 has seen prices reach new levels with numerous world record prices achieved. Saturation press coverage for the auctioneers helped make the sales a success with every major weekday newspaper in the UK and numerous publications overseas covering Titanic items sold in Devizes. Buyers from across the planet come to Devizes which has now become the top destination for any serious buyer or seller of Titanic memorabilia. Highlights for the year included £100,000 for Titanic Postman Oscar Woody’s postal keys from the ship, £90,000 for Second Officer David Blair’s Crows Nest Key, £17000 for a silk postcard written onboard the ship which was is a world record price for a postcard sold at auction and £33000 for a ticket for the launch of Titanic in Belfast on May 31^st 1911. Letters relating to the Titanic performed consistently well with two written by First Class Passenger Alfred Rowe onboard the ship selling for £28000 and £11000 respectively, a lettercard written by Father Robert Bateman £15000 and a fascinating letter written by Titanic survivor Mabel Lucie Francatelli reaching £22000, far in excess of the valuation of £750 offered by a leading New York auctioneer of Marine Memorobilia.

2008 promises to be a year to remember as the next Titanic auction is on April 19^th 2008 and this promises to be just as exciting as those in 2007. The auctioneers are also co-ordinating a major Titanic exhibition from March-November showcasing a unique selection of material including the only known example of a Third Class Menu from April 14^th which is valued at £100000.