The Scientific & Musical Instruments, Cameras & Tools sale held at Tennants Auctioneers in Leyburn on Saturday 23 February produced some fantastic prices for vendors in all sections of the 230 lot sale. The total hammer price of just over £95,000 is a record for this department and Nick Lambert (specialist cataloguer) is delighted with the result.
An early 19th century English 2 1/2 Inch Terrestrial Pocket Globe, inscribed ‘A Correct Globe with the New Discoveries’, in its original fishskin case, was bought in the room for £3,200, despite competition from avid internet bidders.
A set of 135 photographic Magic Lantern Slides depicting Shackleton’s (DATE) Antarctic expedition sold to an internet bidder for £4,500. Nick Lambert was pleased with this result but by no means surprised – he commented ‘items relating to Arctic and Antarctic expedition are always sought after, especially when relating to Shackleton’.
Cameras proved to be popular too. A boxed Leica R9 Digital camera outfit (lot 1202), with various lenses, manuals and attachments, complete in original box, sold for £5,600; and a Leica Apo-Telyt-R E112 Modular System 280/400/560 with a Tele-Photo Lens No.3766046 (lot 1206), also caused a bidding frenzy, reaching a final hammer price of £5,400.
Nick said:
This is a great example of top end items still selling well’, he continued that ‘when so expensive to buy in the first place, I expect equipment of this standard to make its money
Other top prices in the 230 lot sale included two 19th century violincellos, an English example making £5,000 and a French example making £2,800. The top lot of the sale was a large Tannoy Model LSU/HF/15/8 Signature Speaker Unit, with a conservative estimate of £200-300. Both Nick and the vendor were equally thrilled when the final hammer finally fell at £7,500. Other excitements of the day included a 19th century Swiss cylinder music box (lot 1152, which despite its poor condition still reached a hammer price of £2,600.
Nick concluded by noting that the sale was a great success and a very positive start to the year; with many more Collectors sales to come in 2013 there is sure to be more excitement.
The next sale is scheduled for Saturday 1 June and selected quality entries now being accepted.
