Auction alert: 3-day antiques, collectables, paintings, prints and sporting & country pursuits

Vintage Aldo Londi Bitossi horse

Claydon Auctioneers will be holding their 3-day antiques, collectables, paintings, prints and sporting & country pursuits auction early next month. It takes place in Buckingham on 6th & 7th October 2021 from 9am and 8th October 2021 from 10am. An astonishing 2,743 lots will be going under the hammer.

In addition to the hammer price, there will be a buyer’s premium charge of 19.5% + VAT, (23.4% inclusive of VAT). As is the case with all the auctions we feature in this series, bidding online is an option if you can’t be in the room for whatever reason. Claydon explain:

Online bidding has transformed traditional auctions, allowing bidders to participate from anywhere in the world from the palm of their hand. We are therefore very pleased to offer various options for online bidding. You can bid through our own website, as well as via a number of popular online bidding platforms which include The Saleroom, EasyLive Auction, Invaluable / AuctionZip and Live Auctioneers.

Don’t forget that bidding online brings further fees. EasyLive Auction is our preferred site as you can pay a flat fee of £3.00 when registering to bid on each sale, instead of a percentage of the grand total of your winning bids.

You wouldn’t know it from the 12 items that we’ve selected to share however, there are a lot of sporting & country pursuits-related items. For example, there’s a large quantity of ‘dead stock’ country (hunting, shooting, fishing) attire and vintage advertising ephemera such as pro-hunt wall posters. We’ve chosen to concentrate on the homewares side of things.

My favourite item has to be the vintage American range cooker (the very last image below). I can just imagine it in a mid-century modern decorated kitchen (with bright Formica worktops) alongside one of those over-sized fridge freezers.

Lot 68: An Italian model of a stylised horse
With a turquoise glaze, in Oriental manner, by Aldo Londi (1911-2003). Approx. 16¼” high x 16¼” long
Estimate: £80 – £120

Vintage Scandinavian plate

Lot 127: Scandinavian plate
Decorated with animal illustrations, to include fox, pig, hedgehog, squirrel, rabbit, etc. Marked under Arabia, Made in Finland, 8-63. Approx. 7¾” diameter
Estimate: £10 – £20

Pair of vintage Whitefriars vases

Lot 278: Geoffrey Baxter for Whitefriars
A tangerine glass ‘ coffin ‘ vase 5¼” high together with a m aubergine glass ‘ finger ‘ vase 5½” high (2)
Estimate: £30 – £50

Orange vintage Murano cased glass vase

Lot 309: A 1960s/ 70s retro Murano large orange glass vase
In the manner of Carlo Moretti. Approx 16″ high
Estimate: £50 – £80

Antique letterpress tray and blocks

Lot 1194: A vintage letterpress tray / drawer
With a quantity of assorted carved wooden letter, number and symbol printing blocks, of varying fonts and sizes. Drawer approx. 14¼” x 32¾”
Estimate: £30 – £50

Anatomy head

Lot 1266: A 20thC educational model of half a human head
Showing the anatomy within, with removable brain. Approx. 8½” high
Estimate: £60 – £80

4 vintage suitcases

Lot 1341A: Four 20thC suitcases
Comprising 2 shoe cases by Victor Luggage, 1 vanity case, and 1 suitcase by Harwen Trunk of Hong Kong, the largest 28½” wide (4)
Estimate: £50 – £80

Antique chess pieces

Lot 1488: A set of 19thC turned and carved bone chess pieces
The largest approx. 4″ high
Estimate: £150 – £200

Vintage Mary Quant poncho

Lot 1553: A Mary Quant multi coloured PVC poncho
Estimate: £20 – £30

Antique bead-work handbag

Lot 1571: An Art Deco Austrian / Viennese bead work bag / purse
With multicoloured geometric and striped patterns. Believed to have been designed by Hilda Wagner Ascher, Wiener Werkstatte. Approx. 8¼” long x 5½” wide
Estimate: £50 – £100

Antique leather travelling trunk

Lot 2099: A late 19th / early 20thC leather travelling trunk
With two carry handles. Approx. 14″ x 32″ x 21″
Estimate: £50 – £80

Turquoise vintage American range cooker

Lot 2236: Vintage retro, mid-century: a1950s American GE (General Electric) 1J408N range cooker / stove
In turquoise / aqua blue livery, 49 tall, 27 deep 40 wide
Estimate: £200 – £300

How to pack successfully when going away on a trip

How to pack successfully when going away on a trip

The world is coming out of lock-down and many people are thinking about venturing further afield again. Perhaps, you’re off to visit family on the other side of the world. Maybe you have a 2-day business trip to Europe on your agenda… or just a well-deserved holiday and change of scenery! Below, we’ve shared a few tips & suggestions about how you can pack successfully when going away on a trip.

Businessman with luggage looking out a window at an airport

Work or play?

Unless your occupation is something like ‘professional surfer’, you’ll need to fill your suitcase with smart shirts, jackets, ties and trousers/skirts. If you’re a business traveller with this kind of work attire, a garment carrier is a wise investment; it ensures that your suit (and therefore, you) arrives at your destination looking fresh and uncrumpled. This is especially useful if you’ll be travelling straight to a meeting direct from the train station, airport or ferry terminal.

Beautiful beach with white sand and blue sea & sky

Think about the weather

If you’re lucky enough to be heading to a Greek or Caribbean island for a fortnight of almost guaranteed sunshine, stock up on beach t-shirts to take on your trip… and don’t forget your sun protection! Shorts, slippers and swimsuits will be the order of the day, however, pack a few fashionable dresses, tops and trousers if you plan on eating out in the evenings. Many restaurants have a semi-formal dress code that means you’ll need some smart attire.

Skiing or snowboarding holidays mean you’ll need to pack a completely different wardrobe. Clothes such as padded jackets, jumpers, bobble hats and thermal under-layers will keep you warm on the slopes.

Maybe you’re more of a culture vulture than a beach bum. Make sure you pack a pair of shoes or sandals that a comfortable for walking the long distances between museums, galleries and music venues. Again, some venues such as places of worship require you to wear modest attire.

Packing hand luggage

Carry on, or luxury luggage?

If you’re going on a weekend-long trip it should be easy enough to get away with just carry-on bags. This will save you so much time not having to hang around in the baggage reclaim area.

We have a great piece of advice if you plan on travelling ‘carry-on only’. Wear your bulkiest clothes and shoes to travel in if you can. This plan works better if you’re going from a colder place to warmer climes. Put on your chunky jumper, big boots and overcoat to board the plane to your destination and back again. When travelling from a the tropics to temperate conditions,  you can always wait until you get to the airport before donning your heat-retaining layers, rather than feeling like you’re melting whilst getting there.

Baggage handlers loading a luggage carousel

Stand out from the crowd

If you do have to put your baggage into the hold, there’s a simple trick you can use to help you quickly spot your bags on the luggage carousel. Tie eye-catching ribbons or bandanas around the handles – it will help to distinguish your items from all the other boring grey, monochrome suitcases on the conveyor belt. The less time you have to spend in the waiting for your bags, the sooner that you’re out of there and getting on with your trip.

Travel bag with valuables

Be security minded

You should always have a small, secure bag that remains on your person at all times. In it should be anything valuable or essential that, if lost, misplaced or stolen, would prove to be a catastrophe. Items such as your travel money, credit cards, passports, ID cards, expensive jewellery, keys, medications and mobile phones & laptops should be kept safe and close at hand.

If you have any additional ideas about how to pack successfully when going travelling, share them below in the comments section.

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Gimme Five! Upcycled suitcases

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selection of vintage, upcycled suitcases

We came across vintage trunks, vanity cases and travel bags all the time at auctions and flea markets. They’re often no longer practical for their original use. People now-a-days use lightweight rucksacks or those flight cases on wheels that, once upon a time, used to be the sole preserve of airline pilots & flight attendants.

Upcycled suitcases have found all manner of new uses – coffee tables, desks, shelving and even luxe pet beds. They can be picked up cheaply and, if you’re of a crafty bent, transformed into beautiful bits of furniture. Here are some we found online.

  1. Vintage repurposed red suitcase dog bed with hairpin legs: £34.22, Etsy
  2. Heisenberg retro suitcase speaker by Bass Trunkies: £390, Notonthehighstreet
  3. Occasional table suitcase leather hide low table: £60, eBay
  4. Wooden vintage trunk repurposed as a coffee table: £493.92, Etsy
  5. Pair of wall shelves made from a vintage metal tweed stripe upcycled suitcase: £91.66, Etsy