Modern, mass-produced chair will fetch a princely sum

A MODERN, mass-produced chair is causing ripples of excitement among collectors ahead of a Cotswold antiques auction next month.

Made in red varnished beech, with a fabric seat, and manufactured by Remploy, it looks like it came straight from the staff room at the local comprehensive… apart from the gold royal crest on the back, that is.

The chair was one of 4,600 made to seat the guests at the investiture of HRH The Prince of Wales at Caernarvon Castle on 1 July 1969.

Examples often crop up at auction, but what makes this one special is that it was owned by Dr R H Jones, who was the secretary of the investiture committee, and comes with paperwork to which only he, and a select number of co-organisers, had access.

Included in the lot is a leather bound order of service, a framed photograph of the prince, signed “Charles, July 5th 1969,” and numerous invitations, admission tickets, car parking passes and programmes connected with the investiture, and the subsequent celebrations in Cardiff.

Even more interesting to collectors of royal memorabilia are private documents, including the travel itinerary for the royal party traveling from Euston station to Ferodo Works, Caernarvonshire, and the minutes of the investiture planning meeting of February 12 1969 – marked ‘confidential’ ­– at which it was agreed that guests be offered the chance to buy their seats after the event as souvenirs, for the princely sum of £12 including mainland delivery.

These documents might be described as ‘money can’t buy’ items, but of course they can be bought – a bid of £200 to £300 should secure the lot.

Meanwhile, a set of six chairs associated with another royal dynasty – that of the Arts and Crafts movement – is worthy of note. The ash ladder-backed chairs, with rush seats, were crafted in the 1960s by Neville Neal in Worcestershire, after a 1906 design by Ernest Gimson, the Sapperton-based furniture maker and leading light of the Victorian Arts and Crafts revival.

Neville Neal was trained by an apprentice of Gimson, and Neal’s son continues the dynasty today, making furniture using plans and tools inherited from Gimson. The chairs carry an estimate of £300 to £500.

Also noteworthy – for their sheer number – is a set of 20 William IV mahogany and green leatherette dining chairs with shaped scrolled backs and turned and carved front legs – just right for a large Christmas gathering. The lot carries an estimate of £3,000 to £5,000.

Gracing the front cover of the auction catalogue is a 19th century Dieppe ivory figure of a pretty but shoeless girl carrying firewood. The wind whips her cloak, but despite huddling from the cold this exquisitely carved girl has a serene look on her face. Mounted on a rosso marble base, the carving carries a £1,000 to £1,500 estimate.

The top price of the day is expected to be achieved by a pair of large 18th century German corner cabinets, built in walnut and embellished with parcel gilt pierced scrolling foliate pediments in the rococo taste. The pair is expected to make £10,000 to £15,000.

There is a large selection of china, with an 1878 Paris Exhibition piece by Mintons among the lots. Decorated by Antonin Boullemier it features a tavern scene inspired by the work of David Teniers and carries an estimate of £300 to £500. Also beautifully decorated is a circa 1900 Art Nouveau tray by Carl Sigmund Luber for John Van Schwartz, featuring a maiden and poppies and carrying an estimate of £500 to £800.

There is also a large selection of silver, with stand-out lots including a George III tea set, with teapot, sugar basin and milk jug, carrying an estimate of £500 to £800 and a pair of silver trencher salts designed by Alex Styles and made by Nayler Brothers to mark another important royal occasion of the late 20th century – the Queen’s silver jubilee – as well as the 650th anniversary of the Goldsmith’s Company. A bid of £150 to £200 should secure the pair, which would grace any Christmas table.

The auction will be held at the Cirencester saleroom of Moore Allen & Innocent on Friday, December 11. The full catalogue can be found online at www.mooreallen.co.uk/furniturefinearts

A set of six Arts and Crafts chairs.	A chair made to seat the guests at the investiture of HRH The Prince of Wales at Caernarvon Castle on 1 July 1969, and rare private documents that form part of the lot
A 1878 Paris Exhibition piece by Mintons	A circa 1900 Art Nouveau tray
A 19th century Dieppe ivory figure	A pair of large 18th century German corner cabinets
A George III tea set, with teapot, sugar basin and milk jug	A pair of silver trencher salts designed by Alex Styles and made by Nayler Brothers, 1977