Contemporary art pipped to post by Spanish beauty
AUCTIONEERS in the Cotswolds are hoping a small collection of advertising hoardings will be the sign of a good sale when they go under the hammer next week.
The enamel sign, which measures a whopping 5ft wide, carries an estimate of £50 to £80, as does a tobacconists' sign, in striking black lettering on a yellow background, which proclaims the virtues of Wills's Superfine Shag.
Meanwhile, a chromolithograph poster from the early part of the 20th century advertises farm machinery manufactured by Lincoln-based agricultural engineering firm Ruston Proctor & Co. The poster, which is in remarkably good condition for its age, carries an estimate of £20 to £30.
The lots are bound to appeal to several different audiences, with general collectors of advertising hoardings competing with those who collect agricultural, retail or motoring memorabilia.
And there's plenty for the motoring fans to get excited by with the inclusion of a full set of Bartholomew road maps in the auction. The 37 maps, covering England and Wales, were published in the early 20th century. They come in a charming leather-bound box with a compass and measuring wheel, which can be rolled along a road on the map to determine the actual distance between two points. The set carries an estimate of £60 to £100.
Cartophiles will also be delighted with a collection of 17 Ordnance Survey maps from the late 1800s, some hand-coloured, detailing the parishes around the upper Severn valley (estimate £50 to £80) and a couple of colour wall maps from the early 1900s, one of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, the other of England and Wales, the Geographical Counties and Boundaries including All Railways and Steamships with Distances Between Them, both of which carry a £20 to £40 estimate.
Whether a late 19th or early 20th century traveller was going by road, rail or steamboat, they might want to take some music with them, and the auction features a couple of good examples of portable music player - the iPod of their time, if you will.
An Excelsia Pearl boxed phonograph from Germany comes with a detachable tin horn and wooden carry case for ease of transport. Sadly the 22 wax cylinders which carry the music are far less portable and take up more than twice the storage space of the player itself.
Of a similar size is a Polyphon, of unknown origin, from the 1880s. This musical box plays metal disks which pluck the tuned teeth of a steel comb. There are 30 cylinders with this player, which has a lovely scene of dancing putti inside the lid, but demands some serious cranking of a handle at the front to get going. Each is valued at £100 to £150.
All the lots will be auctioned at the Cirencester saleroom of Moore Allen & Innocent on Friday, November 5.
Meanwhile, wine connoisseurs are thirstily anticipating the sale of November 19, at which a good selection of wine, port and spirits will go under the hammer. The pre-Christmas wine sale has become something of a tradition in recent years, and this one promises to be the biggest yet, with 70 bottles of 1963 Taylor Port alone being offered for sale.
Anyone who has a bottle, case, or cellar of fine wine to be considered for sale should contact the auctioneers before the closing date of Monday, November 8 on 01285 646050 or at fineart@mooreallen.co.uk
|
 |
|
| A BP sign from the 1930s with the slogan slogan 'Motor Spirit' over a union flag |
Detail from the map England and Wales, the Geographical Counties and Boundaries including All Railways and Steamships with Distances Between Them | |
 |
 |
|
| A full set of 37 Bartholomew road maps from the early 20th century |
An Excelsia Pearl boxed phonograph | |
 |
 |
 |
| A tobacconists' sign for Wills's Superfine Shag |
A Polyphon, of unknown origin, from the 1880s | A chromolithograph poster for agricultural engineering firm Ruston Proctor & Co |