Hunt for treasures: Plenty of spring in the antiques trade for next Hartleys auction

A boot full of curios whose owner wasn’t even sure if they were worth selling became the stand-out sale items in Ilkley-based Hartleys latest antiques and interiors auction.

A rare Aboriginal parrying shield is now on its way home to Australia after reaching a fantastic £6,600 in the recent spring sale. While another item, identified as a Tongan Kali (head rest), even surpassed the auctioneers’ expectations by reaching a hammer price of £11,500.

Hartleys Spring Antiques & Interiors auction certainly showed there is still plenty of spring in the antiques trade, as buyers flocked to their Victorian saleroom to hunt for treasures.

The eclectic mix included the twice-yearly arms & militaria sale, with almost every continent represented and ages spanning from early antiques to 20th century battlefield relics. A quality French revolver rifle made £1,000, while a family of Victorian Boer War yeomanry medals reached £1,600 and two highly decorative Ceylonese kastane swords made a total of £2,400.

Silver service

With the stock exchange in turmoil, bullion continues to be a safe space for investment, driving the market in silver still higher. Of the 108 lots of silver nearly 100% saw new homes and 20 made over £1,000.

This included a George V pierced fruit bowl at £2,000, Victorian Armada ewer that fetched £2,100, an Edward VII rat tail pattern table service at £2,200, four-piece silver tea service at £2,800 and very smart Kings pattern table service which reached an impressive £3,800.

Hidden gems

Watches are another safe space for investment, some with bullion content and all with their typical exemption from capital gains tax.

The watch section was a great success, with a pretty 18ct gold Victorian pocket watch reaching £1,200, a ladies Rolex Oyster Perpetual wristwatch (in stainless steel) at £1,600, striking limited edition Omega wristwatch in rose gold at £3,200 and 18ct gold pocket watch reaching £4,400 due to its extremely high-quality carrousel movement.

Odd jewellery surprises included 20 items which made four-figure sums, including £1,800 each for an art deco diamond brooch and pair of diamond drop earrings, £2,200 for a smart sapphire and diamond necklace, £2,700 for a high quality 18ct gold and diamond ‘double swag’ necklace and £4,200 for a beautifully made tricolour and floral engraved bracelet.

Works of art

A small but very popular offering of stamps featured a small album of Falkland Island and New Zealand stamps that reached £1,000 and a truly remarkable Victorian and later British album (including 27 penny blacks) that made an astonishing £11,000.

The best two prices for paintings came from the same artist, Yorkshire lad Peter Brook, with £1,500 for a dower house artwork and £4,200 for an amusing farm scene with two sheep dogs stealing the limelight.

The pick of the bunch in the clocks and furniture section was an elegant Egyptian inspired bracket clock by Brockbanks that made £1,050, large teak Ladderax unit that made the same price and pretty Dutch colonial chest adorned in decorative brass mounts which made £2,400.

Do you have one of those?

Now is the time to clear out your lofts, cupboards and sheds for a spring declutter to see what your items could reach at auction.

The friendly family team of Emma Padgett and her brother Charlie Hartley are ready and waiting to help.

Charlie, who has been shifting furniture since the age of eight, now runs the valuation and auctioneering side of the business while Emma, who has worked there since 1990, keeps all the cogs turning behind the scenes.

Together they are putting their collection together for Hartleys Summer Antiques & Interiors Auction.

Take your items – which can be valued on a daily basis – by their Monday 11th May deadline if you’d like them to be included.

Garden and architectural sale

Or if you’re buying, don’t miss the specialist garden and architectural section which is included in the summer sale.

For the full details of what’s on offer see their website at www.hartleysauctions.co.uk.

Find Hartleys at Victoria Hall, Little Lane, Ilkley LS29 8EA.