The perfect game for anyone losing their marbles in solitude
ANYONE who’s spent the new year snowbound will know how quickly you can lose your marbles. So, for those who spend a lot of time in isolation, how about this game of solitaire, with 38 marbles made of semi-precious stones set in a wooden base?
The 8-ins wide game – which comes up for auction at Moore Allen & Innocent in Cirencester on Friday, January 22 with an estimate of £150 to £200 – is not just fun, it’s educational too. Each of the marbles is made of a different beautifully polished semi precious stone, including types of calcite, agate, quartz and jasper and individually labeled with its geological classification.
In the same sale are two collections of semi precious stones carved into the shape of eggs. The dish of 15 small eggs includes pink granite, serpentine, rose quartz and petrified wood, while the tray of 11 larger eggs contains quartz, white jasper and pink limestone. Each lot carries an estimate of £70 to £100.
On the subject of beautifully-decorated pieces, a modern table lamp in the Bohemian style commands an estimate of £70 to £100. The clear glass has been overlaid with a thin layer of amethyst, and the decoration has been hand-cut into the lamp and shade – whose design harks back to earlier oil lamps – revealing the pattern beneath.
A little late for the Christmas dinner table, but a pair of children’s deportment chairs are attracting a lot of interest. The circa 1900 beech chairs were designed to teach children to sit up properly – the long legs and straight back discouraged slouching.
However, they are also the perfect height for toddlers who are outgrowing the high chair to move with the adults to the dinner table, without the need for bolster cushions. The chairs would have originally been varnished in a dark wood shade, but have been renovated with a light wood finish and reupholstered to compliment any modern kitchen or dining room. The pair carries an estimate of £100 to £150.
Finally, an item of local interest is a circa 1882 Ordinance Survey map of the parishes of Barnsley and Bibury. At a generous 25ins:1mile scale, the intricate map shows individual buildings, gardens, field boundaries and wooded areas.
Places of interest, including Bibury Court and the Swan Inn, are individually identified, as are milestone markers, giving distances to Cirencester and Burford. Whoever bought this first edition map new opted for the deluxe edition. A note at the bottom of the map states the colour version – which this is – cost four shillings, while the black and white version was available for just two shillings and sixpence. Today, a bid of £40 to £60 should secure the lot.
The next general and antiques sale at Moore Allen & Innocent will be held on Friday, January 22. This will be followed by the biannual Sporting Sale on Friday, February 5.
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A game of solitaire, with 38 marbles made of semi-precious stones |