Plymouth Auction Rooms Heads to Maker

 It’s always interesting heading to customers’ houses to view their potential treasures, and this particular house call did not disappoint. Read on to find out more about Plymouth Auction Rooms’ recent trip to a property in Cornwall. 

Arrange a house visit for a valuation 

There are many reasons why a house visit is in the best interest of our customers. Perhaps you have large, heavy items of furniture, aren’t comfortable sending images via our WhatsApp or simply have too much to fit in the car. Our team are always happy to arrange a house call if needed. 

This particular visit was due to a house clearance, so there were a lot of fragile items packaged in boxes ready to view. We left the Auction Rooms and headed across the water to Maker, near Mount Edgcumbe. After the Sat Nav took us on a particularly ‘scenic’ route (don’t they always?!) we arrived to greet the customer. 

.

Sorting through potential treasures

There was a real mix of items to sort through, from silverware and glassware to jewellery, gold coins, Chinese porcelain and some specialist military memorabilia.  The family had a rich history and it was so interesting to hear some of the stories behind the pieces. 

Victorian Samplers 

Antique and Vintage Samplers were often stitched by children and young people in the home. They were a form of embroidery to help develop needlework skills. Seen today as antique folk art, they are very unique and personal. 

These particular samplers were owned by Katherine Pearce, the eldest daughter of William John Pearce. William was the editor of the Western Morning News in Plymouth before moving to Worcester. Here he became the owner of the Berrows Worcester Journal, one of the oldest newspapers in England. 

Military Memorabilia 

We brought back a lot of military memorabilia to sell at auction. Some highlights included a shark skin navel sword belonging to Lieut. Cmdr Derek T Martin. He was a prisoner of war on the infamous Stalag Luft 111 in Sagan, Poland. His incredible escape led to his story being held by the Fleet Air Museum in Yeovilton, alongside his POW Rolex and golden caterpillar club badge. 

.

Dinky Toys Galore 

Dinky Toys and diecast models are always a great find. to see a collection of good condition, boxed models was a joy! A boxed Sutcliffe 101  ‘Unda Wunda’ submarine was valued between £70-£150. All models came back with us to the Auction Rooms to be lotted up for the new year, no doubt they’ll be snapped up by keen local and worldwide collectors. 

Jewellery and Watches at Plymouth Auction Rooms 

Some highlights included an Omega electronic watch which will be a headline lot in our upcoming Jewellery & Watches auction in the new year. 

We’re all about unique pieces here at Plymouth Auction Rooms and a Georgian Pear case watch dating from 1790-1800 certainly hit the mark. There was also a gold hairpin, with a delicate golden spider detailed with a ruby in the centre. 

Selling at Auction with Plymouth Auction Rooms 

All in all, there were some great pieces from our house visit. We took them back to the auction rooms to be valued and lotted up in our upcoming 2023 auctions. You can see a full list of upcoming auctions here. If you have any historical items of interest, please do get in touch with the team to see how we can help you.