Press coverage by the national papers and many of the UK’s regional papers whipped up a huge amount of interest in the sale of the Malcolm Guest Railway Collection Part II which came under the hammer at Morphets, the Harrogate auctioneers, Spring Fine Art and Antique Catalogue sale on the 4th March.

Following the vintage railway poster sale held in January, Part II of the collection included the complete set of pen and ink drawings by William Heath Robinson for the Great Western Railway’s centenary publication Railway Ribaldry published in 1935.

The drawings were discovered, parcelled up in brown paper and string, amongst the massive collection of railway memorabilia at the late Malcolm Guest’s terraced home in Knaresborough.  An icon publication, Railway Ribaldry, is a favourite amongst many who remember the book from their childhood and devotees of Robinson’s work.  Hotly contested the drawings offered in eighty-three lots realised over £145,000 in total, the top price going to ‘The Erection of the Saltash Bridge’ illustrated here, at £3,800. 

This was followed by the David Shepherd oil painting, illustrated here,  of the Earl of Berkley Locomotive No 5060 and another No. 622 in an engine shed, signed and dated 1958, 61 cms x 91 cms which went to a Bond Street dealer at £23,000.  A painting for a railway poster depicting Llandudno by Charles Pears realised £4,600 despite damage and a View of Douglas, Isle of Man  by William Hoggat, realised £5,400.

Other properties included a delightful watercolour of Scarborough fishing boats by Frank Henry Mason at £1600 and a surprise result for a screen print in colour by John Piper entitled Foliate Heads II, no. 7/70 which more than trebled the pre-sale estimate to realise £2,100.

 

Amongst the collectors items a pre-ware Hornby Series O Gauge No. 4c ‘Eton’ clockwork locomotive No. 900 Schools Class L481 and Southern 900 No. 2 special tender brought fierce bidding on the telephone and internet to finish at £850 despite not being in the best of condition.

Notable prices amongst the ceramics and glass were an early 19th century Grainger and Co Worcester porcelain presentation jug with view of Worcester from the north east, which realised £1000, a Worcester Hadley figure of an Italian musician which was chased to £650 and an early Doulton china figure Dulcinea, HN 1343 at £750.  A suite of four 19th century cut crystal candle holders, a fantastic finishing touch to any dining table, sold at £600 and damage did not deter bidders for a pair of 19th century ormolu and facetted crystal lustres, which went to £800. 

Silver prices remain steady with a reassuring level of interest in period items.  Top price in this section went to a George III silver cake basket of elegant design by Abraham Peteson London 1804 at £900.  A Regency mahogany and brass inlaid drop dial wall clock proved that not all clock prices are in the doldrums when it sold well over top estimate at £1900.

Furniture prices were also encouraging, striking a balance between vendor’s expectations and providing value for money for the buyer. A good example of a late 18th century mahogany and satinwood line inlaid ‘D’ end dining table realised £1900; a well proportioned George III mahogany chest of drawers realised £850, a Canterbury sold at £700, and an oak dresser and rack finished at £1700.  An early 20th century walnut display cabinet of unusal quatrefoil form with four bombe shape glass panels took a final bid of £1600 and another unusual piece, this time by Gillows of Lancaster, a name always synonymous with quality, had the furniture trade scratching their heads.  Low set with a single cupboard door, and particularly well suited to today’s requirements for ‘an antique coffee table’ whatever its original use, everyone seemed to want it and bidding went to £2000. 

In the bi-annual specialist sale of 20th century design the top price went to an early example of a lounge chair Model 670 by Charles and Ray Eames selling to the London trade at £2,400.  A Danish teak dining suite by Hansen sold for £750 and a stylish rosewood and chrome sideboard realised £800.

The sale finished in the early evening with a the first part of a collection of African tribal art sold on behalf of the estate of the late Philip Cremin, a London solicitor who began collecting in the early 1970s.  Estimates were reasonable and attracted buyers keen to begin their own collections at affordable prices. A Bamileke buffalo head dress from the Cameroon realised £320, a Janus twin faced head dress from Ejagham tribe, Nigeria realised £380 and a Dan mask from the Ivory Coast took a final bid of £300. 

The third and final part of the Malcolm Guest Railway Collection is to come under the hammer in July with over 2000 transport posters dating from the 1950s and later.

The Philip Cremin collection of African Tribal Art Part II will be offered in September.