Tag: Great Centenary Auction

A busy day at James and Sons

I have just spent the entire day imaging at James and Sons, having attended to a large number of lots, including all the coins and all the stamps for the June auction. As a result I have a large number of quality images to share, to the extent that I am holding some of them over until tomorrow.

I have had confirmation that my new camera has arrived, and I will be picking it up from my aunt’s house this evening.

The day began with some very intriguing stuff – three large exhibiting boxes full of ribbons and rosettes, before moving to the slightly more workaday.

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This style of 2d piece stopped being produced after the discovery that the value of the copper was actually more than the face value of the piece!
This style of 2d piece stopped being produced after the discovery that the value of the copper was actually more than the face value of the piece!

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These date from the reign of Edward I
These date from the reign of Edward I

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This is definitively the last photo I will take with my old Camera.
This is definitively the last photo I will take with my old Camera.

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A variation on the “Picnic in the park” and the last non-work photos with my old camera

Yesterday being the first Monday of the month saw a group meeting of the King’s Lynn Asperger Support Society, at which among other things arrangements were made for next month. Every summer we try to hold one group meeting in the open air, and previously it has always been as a “Picnic in the Park”, meeting at the Bandstand near the Broadwalk. The only issue with this spot is that it is rather too far for comfort from decent cover should the weather turn bad very quickly (not unknown in King’s Lynn). Thus at my suggestion we have decided to meet up on the quayside instead and have our meeting overlooking the Great Ouse. There are various outside seating areas along the quayside near the Purfleet, and for the cost of a drink apiece we can take shelter in Marriott’s Warehouse should the weather decline to cooperate.

I came up with this idea for an alfresco meeting at a location where cover was available while taking a long and scenic route to the Lattice House where we had this month’s meeting. I refused to allow the fact that it was spotting with rain when I set off to deflect me, although I did defer to the weather to the extent of donning my bush hat, which has a very broad brim offering almost as good protection against rain as an umbrella without the danger of it being blown inside out. As a result of this little excursion I have some photos, which are the last non-work related photos I will take with this camera. Almost certainly, my work at James and Sons Auctioneers today will require the use of the camera, hence the caveat.

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This picture of a moorhen only just made the cut - it was actually raining when I took it, so getting a really clear image out of it was difficult.
This picture of a moorhen only just made the cut – it was actually raining when I took it, so getting a really clear image out of it was difficult.

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A confusion over swords and more imaging

Today started with the discovery that the sword which will be a subject of press releases in the near future was not the one I imaged yesterday for the June sale, but one which I imaged today and which will be going under the hammer in the Great Centenary Auction on September 21st and Raynham Hall. There are signs that Archant having become a sponsor are really getting into gear, with an article, reproduced here, that appeared in yesterday’s Fakenham and Dereham Times. I have already as Great Auction publicly thanked both the publication and the journalist, Chris Hill. If you have not already liked http://www.fgacebook.com/GreatAuction and/or followed http://www.twitter.com/great_auction please do so.

Having taken many images of this old and very ornate sword, and kept those that were good enough to be usable I then finished the stamp imaging from yesterday and did most of the postal history, leaving fifteen lots of that, plus whatever new comes up for Tuesday.

As usual I have a highlights package of images from today for you….

Just to whet your appetite for later.
Just to whet your appetite for later.

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Imaging

Another interesting and varied day at James and Sons. My first activity of the day was to image and prepare a press release (needs further discussion tomorrow) about an old and very ornate sword that will be in our June auction, at the Maids Head Hotel in Norwich on the 21st. The sword is in a leather scabbard, has a very ornate pommel featuring among other things a crown and a sconce horn and also has some very ornate decoration on the blade. Most of the sword images will be displayed just once on this blog, tomorrow, but I will whet your appetite with one image today.

The other imaging I did today was almost entirely of stamps, which usually come out fairly well, and I have some highlights from there as well.

If you have not already like http://www.facebook.com/GreatAuction and/ or followed http://www.twitter.com/great_auction please do so.

Now for the images…

The sword, with leather scabbard.
The sword, with leather scabbard.

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A day out in Cambridge

Yesterday I travelled to Cambridge to take part in some research into Autistic Spectrum Conditions being carried out at the Downing Site. There were two memory tasks, one involving words and phrases and one involving pictures. Around these were fitted questionnaires and pattern recognition tasks, some of which I had encountered before, and at least two of which are near enough universal parts of any research project in Autistic Spectrum Conditions.

Unusually I got my expenses plus ex-gratia payment for taking part in the research in cash rather than having to wait for a cheque to arrive through the post.

After the research had finished I went for a walk round the town, stopping for lunch on the way, and took some interesting photos. The place was absolutely heaving, so I did not get all that many chances to get the kind of photos that interest me, but I did get some interesting stuff.

The building works on King’s Lynn station have finally finished, and it looks good. The station signs are retro style white text on a blue background, of the type that if they are originals sell for a fortune at auction (one from a very minor station went for over £900 at a James and Sons auction not so very long ago).

If you have not already liked http://www.facebook.com/GreatAuction and/ or followed http://www.twitter.co.uk/great_auction, please do so now.

Here are the photos…

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June Imaging/ Databasing

Just finished a productive day at James and Sons, imaging for the June sale and also updating my stock database (I am looking to provide a demonstration of what I can do on this part of the database by recording details of all June lots there so I can provide a real time demonstration.) There were some interesting militaria lots, including some Hungarian stuff. I also sent out a press release about our May sale, which took place on Saturday. Although it attracted early interest from other quarters, my advance bid of £20 proved sufficient to secure the postcard reproductions of classic London Underground posters as an early birthday present – the actual price was £18.

Alongside this of course I continue to build up the Social Media profile of the Great Centenary Auction – don’t forget that if you have not already done so you should be liking http://www.facebook.com/GreatAuction and/or following http://www.twitter.com/great_auction.

As usual I am taking this opportunity to show you some highlights from today’s work…

This medallion was a first for me
This medallion was a first for me

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This rather nice wooden souvenir features a real eagle, rather than the heraldic version that features on medals.
This rather nice wooden souvenir features a real eagle, rather than the heraldic version that features on medals.

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Both the cloth badge and the medallion were new to me - the rest while interesting is not important
Both the cloth badge and the medallion were new to me – the rest while interesting is not important
I was sufficiently intrigued by the medallion to a close up scan of it in addition to the main image.
I was sufficiently intrigued by the medallion to a close up scan of it in addition to the main image.
All of these items made over their top estimate, in some cases well over.
All of these items made over their top estimate, in some cases well over.

SUCCESSFUL AUCTION IN NORWICH

New donations for Great Centenary Auction and Archant are on board

The Great Centenary Auction continues to gather momentum. Among recent donations are a bayonet and complete run of World War One magazines.

I am holding fire on the magazines because one of the other people involved in this has an artist friend who may be doing a painting based on one of them, but the bayonet is on facebook and twitter, and I have sent out a press release about it, with the enthusiastic approval of Lord Townshend at whose home the Auction will be taking place.

Also, following a meeting at way higher levels than those I operate at, Archant who publish most of Norfolk’s local newspapers are backing us 100%, and there will be an article appearing in the near future about the Canadian Cross which was the subject of my first press release.

If you have not already liked www.facebook.com/GreatAuction and or followed www.twitter.com/great_auction please do so.

As usual I have some added media for you, mainly images for James and Sons’ June sale but also the bayonet press release…

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Training Session and Press Release

I have just attended a training session for my role on the social media side of things for the Great Centenary Auction , and I now feel that I can handle twitter and facebook. The website is not fully up and running yet, but that will be a doddle compared to the other stuff. I have also sent out a press release about another of our donated items, as you will see from the attached media.

Don’t forget: if you have not already liked http://www.facebook.com/GreatAuction please do so.

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A summer saturday

The shopping is done, the washing is on the line, and I am now in shorts and t shirt, having set up the “outside office” as it is such a beautiful day. I got some very fine pictures while walking to and from the Hardwick Estate to do my shopping. I will soon by tuning into some cricket commentaries on the net (although the spoiled brat millionaires have finished their season in the f-game, there is lower division playoff action which in the minds of those who control scheduling at the BBC trumps T20 cricket).

I will conclude the very brief text portion of this post with what is going to become my equivalent of  “delenda est Carthago”: If you have not already liked www.facebook.com/GreatAuction please do so.

To think that some local government numpty thought that this land could be built on! Note that this is just an ordinary high tide, not a storm surge.
To think that some local government numpty thought that this land could be built on! Note that this is just an ordinary high tide, not a storm surge.
With the fine weather, boats are once again making use of the jetty
With the fine weather, boats are once again making use of the jetty
The Outside Office at my humble abode.
The Outside Office at my humble abode.
One for the botanists to puzzle over - these flowers grow just outside Hardings Pits.
One for the botanists to puzzle over – these flowers grow just outside Hardings Pits.
The Purfleet on a summer's day.
The Purfleet on a summer’s day.