March 2006

After the post-Christmas lull of January with few ‘goods and chattels’ coming on to the market in the wake of a slow property market, February saw the tide begin to turn and March certainly came in like a lion with Morphets Spring Fine Art and Antique Catalogue sale on the 6th.

Prices were hot, hot, hot with live internet bidding and telephone bidders battling it out with those in the room, there was plenty of overseas competition to keep the home interest on its toes.

A collection of art, period furniture and English and Oriental ceramics and antiques, originally forming part of the contents of a hall in Nidderdale, arrived at Morphets in February after many years in storage.  The first consignment of period furniture was offered in the March catalogue and drew serious interest immediately that it was marketed.  A pair of George III mahogany and brass bound peat buckets soared over estimate to finish at £13,500 and a Chippendale Revival mahogany silver table, the subject of much debate as to whether it was period or revival, realised £8,000.  Two items of North Italian origin were also carefully viewed, a tortoiseshell casket on stand which realised £3,600 and an ebony chest on stand intricately inlaid in bone, realised £2,600.

George III peat buckets

The second consignment from the collection to include the important English and Oriental ceramics and 18th and 19th century art will come under the hammer on 5th June.

An amazing library of sporting books and ephemera, the property of the late J M Kilburn, Esq, cricket correspondent to the Yorkshire Post 1934-1939 1946-76, created a huge amount of interest.  In particular a small photograph album dating from the early 20th century and including twenty-seven original sepia photographs of English cricketers including J Rhodes with Herbert Sutcliffe, Jack Hobbs with P Homes amongst other well known names of the day, realised £1300.  Top price amongst the six lots of ephemera was £2600 for cricketing memorabilia with press passes, programmes, printed records etc from the 1950s.  Amongst the books, a copy of Wisdens Cricketers Almanac 1910, 47th edition realised £1,250.

Wisdens Cricketers Almanac 1910, 47th edition

A rare collection of  1930s Danish silver ware designed by Harald Nielsen for Georg Jensen attracted international bidding from Denmark, USA and the UK.  The collection sold for treble the pre-sale estimate, with the silver pitcher illustrated here realising £3,200.  English silver was back in demand with much stronger prices than of late.

A George Jenson planished silver pitcher

A Royal Worcester porcelain lidded vase discovered in a card box amongst other china sent in by the owner for inclusion in a general sale was spotted by a Morphets valuer and included in the fine art sale. The vase was painted with a pig and two piglets by Harry Davis, the subject being something of a rarity which was reflected in the top bid of £3,400 despite having a broken cover.

A Royal Worcester porcelain lidded vase

A good selection of period furniture from various local estates and private clients fared well with plenty of competition, buoyant bidding and expectations exceeded.  It would seem that brown furniture is back in favour!

Brian Shields ‘braaq’ continues to sell well, three examples of his work were up for sale and realised £5,000, £3,600 and £3,400 – are you looking at a fortune and don’t realise it?

Brian Shields lived and worked in Harrogate and gave paintings to his many friends who do not always realise how they have increased in value over the years!

BRIAN SHIELDS 'BRAAQ' BRITISH (1951 - 1997) 'Ok you lot - bath'

Morphets next Fine Art and Antique Catalogue sale is to be held on 5th June and the deadline for entries is 9th May.  If you would like advice on the auction value of your items contact Elizabeth Pepper-Darling or Andrew Hepworth on 01423 530030.

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5th March 2008

Echoes of distant age in cricket treasure chest

By Brian Dooks

HE was the doyen of cricket writers. For 40 years JM Kilburn wrote lovingly about the game for the Yorkshire Post.

Now, 15 years after his death, Mr Kilburn's own sporting library, including some of the books he wrote about cricket, is to be auctioned.

Mr Kilburn was a legend in cricketing circles – a journalist of a different generation who beguiled readers with an essay about the day's play.

In one match report he wrote: "Runs were taken thereafter in the manner of a second sandwich at a Victorian tea party – thankfully but not voraciously."

His was a style never to be repeated. It is claimed that if there was a hat trick in the last over of a game he would not change what he had written and would put it in his final paragraph.

There is also a story that Len Hutton was injured on a Test tour in Australia and Kilburn failed to mention it in his report. The editor sent a telegram saying: "Regret no mention Hutton injury." Kilburn is alleged to have cabled back: "Resent tone your telegram."

Mr Kilburn, who became Yorkshire Post cricket correspondent in 1934, had previously taught at Oatlands Prep School in Harrogate and when the Second World War started he resumed teaching at Ripon Grammar.

He returned to writing for the Yorkshire Post in 1945 and wrote about cricket until his retirement in 1976. Following the death last year of his widow, Mary, his library is being sold at Morphets in Harrogate tomorrow

There is a large collection of cricket books, together with some about golf and rugby union. They include many volumes of Yorkshire County Cricket Club Year Books dating back to 1903, including those for 1991, 1992 and 1993, which are bound in leather with gilt lettering, inscribed "Mr JM Kilburn, Honorary Life Member".

Morphet's valuer Suki Burnett said: "There are some quite important books. There are some works by JM Kilburn which are interesting rather than valuable. What I think is particularly interesting is a book by Joseph W. Goldman called The Bibliography of Cricket.

"It was privately printed in 1937 and this particular one is a presentation copy, number 15 of 115, signed by the author. It is accompanied by two letters, one to Mr Kilburn and the other to Charles Davey, who was the literary editor of the Yorkshire Post. Goldman wrote to Kilburn and Davey who was the literary editor of the Yorkshire Post. Goldman wrote to Kilburn and Davey asking them to review it."

Among the 68 lots are an early 20th century album of photographs, containing 27 pictures of English cricketers, including Wilfred Rhodes, Herbert Sutcliffe and Jack Hobbs, a Wombwell Cricket Lovers' Society poster and a menu from the high tea at a Yorkshire v South Africa rugby union match in October, 1906, signed by 27 players.

Ms Burnett, who said there had already been considerable interest, added: "For lovers of cricket and golf related books it is quite a significant collection. It is nice because we have all the provenance of it belonging to Mr Kilburn."

All the items may be viewed on the auction house's website at www.morphets.co.uk

n Sweet Summers, a biography of J M Kilburn by Yorkshire Post Deputy Editor Duncan Hamilton, will be published by Great Northern Books in July, priced at £16.99.