Having gone in for an extra day this week (yesterday), I am making good progress on the August auction. My stock database now has full details of over 400 lots, so I am fairly confident of having it complete by the end of the week, which will enable me to produce pre-auction vendor advice notes (and ultimately, when I have full details of advance bids, a bid book).
I also did some imaging of course, and have some fine pictures to share with you all…
Bulk coin lots of this nature are best handled by selecting a few choice specimens to do close ups of and photographing the whole lot.
This lot was so large it had to photographed in two tranches and the two images then joined together.
Pre-decimal pennies across the ages from Victoria to Elizabeth II
The Royal Mint insignia in all it’s gloryFive ceremonial coins – four crowns and a 50p (centre)
This is the first of a series of special images of these medals I have produced for use in publicity – there are four in total, this one, one of each set of medals and a 400dpi scan of the big set of medlas
These windows belong to Debenhams, and I am probably the only person who regularly gets to see them.A close up shot o one of the three panels.
After a constructive Great Centenary Auction organising meeting, and a tour of inspection of the area where the Raynham Hall auctions will take place (the rehearsal aka James and Sons July sale, and the big event in September), which latter took in some heavy lifting but also provided some photo opportunities as you will see, it was back to the shop and more imaging. Some of the pictures I am putting up will have been seen by users of Facebook and Twitter.
Although I missed much of the day’s action from Wimbledon I was back in time to listen to the closing stages of 19 year old Nick Kyrgios’ spectacular defeat of world no 1 Rafael Nadal. The last time a world no one was beaten by a teenager was nine years ago when Federer was beaten by Nadal.
Now for those pictures…
Yes – we have been assigned quarters in the stables.
A nuisance of pigeons – or perhaps the alliteration of a pestilence of pigeons.
This interesting window i situated in a position where the only person who regularly has the chance to see it is me.
Stock for the July auction.A stout ring like this on each section of door, a chain to link them and a stout padlock will sort out security.
On auction day(s) a marquee will be set up on this lawn.
Even though my outside seating area was still in the shade this morning I could not resist sitting outside for my second cup of coffee of the day, and I got a couple of decent pictures while doing so.
My entire working day today was spent imaging for the dress rehearsal auction at Raynham Hall (aka James and Sons July sale), although tomorrow will be more varied, with some press releases to go out. Most of the imaging was of course done with the camera, but some items do genuinely work better done with the scanner, and there are couple of these among the pictures the accompany this post. I am going to start posting on the Great Auction facebook and twitter pages with some of these images and the suggestion that if anyone has similar items that they would like to donate to a really good cause, please get in contact with us.
I have just had an email from Phil Pell at the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge confirming that we have a session booked for August 27th. The new feature (for me) of this particular research project as that it will entail spending time in an MRI scanner. As group leader of the King’s Lynn Asperger Support Society (KLASS) and as someone who wants Asperger’s Syndrome to be better understood by the world at large I always accept invitations to take part in research projects of this nature.
Now for the photos…
As both sides of this item were interesting I decided to take two pictures and produce a composite image.I went for the secondary image for the purposes of this blog.
I always use the scanner for small stamp lots.
This flagpole, atop the Clifton House Tower is a popular perching placeI had not previously seen a bird perching on this wall.
Another day, another collection of splendid pictures.
I notice that England are going well in the first test match of the summer, having bounced back from a decidedly shaky 120-4 to 575-9d – and that after being put into bat. Joe Root with 200 not out played the big innings around which others, notably Prior (86), Moeen Ali (48), Broad (47) and Plunkett (39) could chip in. Tomorrow I will actually be able to listen the play, and it promises to be an interesting day.
At James and Sons I have been imaging lots for the July sale (PR drive coming soon), and have some interesting pictures from that. I also have some non-work pictures for you. I was also given r3esponsibility for safely storing three pieces of Chester silver which will be lots 1-3 at that sale.
If you should chance to visit www.facebook.com/GreatAuction you will see one picture that I have posted today, and there is another scheduled for this evening. Also of course do not forget www.twitter.com/great_auction and of course extra detail, including ideas for donations, and how you could make such donations can be seen at www.greatcharity.org
Now for the pictures…
I decided to include the whole gallery for this Daguerrotype from the US Civil War
Today has been a busy day at James and Sons, with lots coming in for the July sale, and needing imaging. I have some cracking photos, including one which I have used as a marketing ploy on the Great Centenary Auction facebook and twitter pages, giving people a link to follow to find out how to donate if they are so minded, which I now repeat here: http://bit.ly/1l53uOh. As usual I have some pictures for you…
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….
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.
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.
As usual I am taking this opportunity to show you some highlights from today’s work…
This medallion was a first for me
This rather nice wooden souvenir features a real eagle, rather than the heraldic version that features on medals.
Both the cloth badge and the medallion were new to me – the rest while interesting is not importantI 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.
James and Sons May auction is tomorrow at the Maids Head Hotel in Norwich, starting from 10AM. Today I have been working on the June auction, which is on the 21st, also at the Maids Head. As well as plenty of imaging I also created a poster advertising some old and precious banknotes which will be kicking off the sale.
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.