Where forgotten things find new owners. A theatre of bids, salvaged provenance, and the quiet drama of the gavel. Every lot has a previous life; every price is a negotiation between memory and market.
Twelve lots are open this session. Cards are arranged on the floor as they were received — no order, no pretense, only the slow gravity of rediscovery.
A weighty roll-top desk in figured walnut, original tambour intact and in working order. Twelve pigeonholes, two locking drawers (one key present). Ink stains on the writing surface document a century of correspondence.
An eight-day mantel clock, ebonised case, brass dial with steel hands. Strike on the half-hour. Pendulum and key included; runs reliably for ten minutes before the escapement requires attention.
Forty-eight chromolithograph plates of European wildflowers, bound in half-calf with marbled boards. Spine repaired. Plates clean, occasional foxing to margins, no plates missing.
Surveyor's theodolite, brass with silvered scales, by Cooke & Sons of York. Original mahogany case retains all accessories: tripod adapter, two plumb bobs, and a hand brush. Optics clear.
A wool-on-cotton Heriz of typical geometric medallion pattern, terracotta field, indigo border. Some pile loss in the centre, edges secured. Underlay faintly stamped — possibly from an earlier estate sale.
Cataloguer’s note: the wear pattern in the centre suggests it lived under a dining table. A history of meals woven into the pile.
Matched pair, baluster form, hand-painted floral panels with gilt highlights. One signed verso “M. Lefevre, 1908”. No chips, faint crazing to glaze.
Type 11, sweetheart era. Iron sharp, sole flat, original tote and knob.
Bohemian garnet cluster set in 14k, eighteen stones surrounding a central rose-cut. Unmarked, tested. On a fine Italian curb chain (16 in).
Two-minute and four-minute capable, with both reproducers. Crank intact. Plays. Comes with twenty-three cylinders in original cardboard tubes.
Teapot, hot water pot, sugar bowl, milk jug. Hallmarked Sheffield, 1894. Engraved monogram “HRT” to each piece. Total weight (gross) 64 troy oz.
Leather over hardwood, brass fittings. Inside, a pristine display of cigarette lighters, c. 1955.
Lattice-frame sextant in original mahogany case lined with green felt. Vernier scale crisp, mirrors silvered, certificate of adjustment present, dated 1937.
Cataloguer’s note: still bears salt rime in the case’s recess. Provenance documents suggest service through North Atlantic crossings.
Every lot is sold as it stands, with the wear of its previous life. Provenance is described to the best of our cataloguer’s knowledge.
Bids advance in increments determined by the current standing. The hammer falls thrice before a lot is closed; the third stroke is final.
Payment is requested within seven days of the hammer. Collection is by appointment at the warehouse on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Objects refused at collection are returned to the catalog. Nothing is destroyed; refusal is merely a delay in the next negotiation.