A-bomb memento studied at valuation day

THE twisted and melted remains of a road sign from the Japanese city of Hiroshima, picked up by a sailor in the aftermath of the dropping of the atom bomb, was one of the most unusual items seen during a valuation tour of the Cotswolds by antiques experts Moore Allen & Innocent.

The auctioneers’ day out at Fairford was the busiest yet. The event ran for an hour longer than scheduled and, even then, people were queuing to have their valuables examined. An impressive £380 – the proceeds from the valuations - was raised for the nominated charity, Fairford and Lechlade Carers Support Group.

The Hiroshima road sign was brought in by a local man who, as an 18-year-old, was serving on HMS Bermuda. Seven months after the Americans dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima – on 6 August 1945, one of two nuclear strikes credited with bringing the Second World War in the Pacific to an end – the crew of the Bermuda visited the city.

“The sign was twisted and melted and an incredible thing to see,” said auctioneer Philip Allwood. “It was not the sailor’s only memento. The gentleman also had a photo album with pictures of scenes from around the city.

“This is of significant historic interest. Whilst it is difficult to put an estimate on such an item, and recognising that the gentleman does not wish to part with it anyway, we valued it at between £1,000 and £1,500, although a keen collector or museum might be prepared to pay significantly more.”

Next to this reminder of death and destruction were some objects of great beauty, like an 18th century Goliath pocket watch. As the name suggests, Goliath pocket watches are over-sized examples of regular pocket watches.

“What made this one really unusual,” said Philip, “was its age. Most Goliath pocket watches date from the 19th century. This one was much older. It had a silver hallmark dating it to 1754 and was made in London.

“Again, the owner does not wish to part with the item, but we valued it at £1,000 to £1,500.”

One object that will be appearing at auction after being brought to the valuation day is a rare Moorcroft sugar sifter.

“William Moorcroft founded his pottery studio at Stoke-on-Trent in 1897 and the distinctive pottery is still being made today,” said auctioneer Chris Surfleet. “This sugar sifter is from the Eventide collection from the 1920s, which features a stylised tree design. It’s a popular design from a highly-collectable manufacturer, and as such we’ve valued the piece at £300 to £500.”

The Moorcroft sugar sifter will be one of the lots going under the hammer at the first selected antique sale of the year, on Friday 29 February.

Auctioneer Chris Surfleet with the rare Moorcroft sugar sifter, valued at £300 to £500