Bidders go nuts for walnut

BIDDERS went nuts for walnut at Moore Allen & Innocent’s antiques and general sale in Cirencester on Friday, June 12, when a bureau sold for more than ten times its estimate.

The three-drawer walnut bureau in the 18th century manner carried an estimate of £200 to £300, but two bidders were determined to own the piece and surprised everyone by pushing the hammer price to £2,200 – the top price of the day.

Perhaps more predictable was the demand for garden ornaments. A pair of Royal Doulton pottery urns on stands, complete with Doulton & Co of Lambeth stamps made £660 – bang in the middle of the £500 to £800 estimate, while a bronze fountain featuring a putti riding on the back of a dolphin sold for £460.

Also on a seasonal theme was a pair of Royal Worcester plates featuring summer fruits by the firm’s renowned designer M Morris. Estimated at £100 to £150 for the pair, they achieved more than that each – selling at £360.

Finally, the war memorabilia collectors were in a spending mood. A bar of four First World War medals comprising a 1914-15 Star, a War Medal, a Victory Medal and a Meritorious Service Medal, all of which had been awarded to a sergeant in the RAF, sold for £480 against an estimate of £100 to £150.

Meanwhile, a circa 1940 magazine poster of Winston Churchill before a fleet of Hurricanes, carrying the legend Let Us Go Forward Together, achieved £40 against an estimate of £20 to £40.

The next sale at Moore Allen & Innocent starts at 10am on Friday, July 3 at the Norcote Salerooms, Cirencester.

A bronze fountain featuring a putti riding on the back of a dolphin, which sold for £460	A circa 1940 magazine poster of Winston Churchill before a fleet of Hurricanes, carrying the legend Let Us Go Forward Together, which achieved £40
A The three-drawer walnut bureau in the 18th century manner, which sold for £2,200