Actually given the weather that title is a trifle optimistic! Nevertheless, the October auction of James and Sons was a MASSIVE success. There will be press releases in the near future about Hornby train sets, stamps and militaria to name but three successful areas. Also look out for related posts on my personal twitter account. The single most astonishing story from the auction concerns a box of loose penny red-browns, with may be a few penny rose reds in there as well, which started at £30 and ended up fetching a cool £350!
I do have some photos for you, but because my good camera is at the repair shop they were taken with my old camera and are therefore not as good as they would be had I been using my camera of choice…
A scene from the walk from Fakenham town centre to the racecourse.The Prince of Wales Suite, Fakenham Racecourse, all set for auction action!This pair of U-Boat binoculars went for a mere £3,000The tax discs had some advance publicity in the Lynn News.This cake stand sold.The Fitzroy Barometer was a rare disappointment on a very successful day.In spite of being carefully presented by yours truly most of these suffered the usual fate of books of auction.The banner, behind the rostrum.The view out of the window.The Hornby stuff was a monster success!
This lot sold reaasonably well, and just sneaking into shot is the Connaught Rangers helmet which sold for £160This is not an auction lot – it is marble pestle and mortar bought in Dimitsana and now in residence in my kitchen.
On Saturday James and Sons had their September Auction in the Erpingham Room at the Maids Head Hotel in Norwich. The auction featured two lifetime stamp collections, a large amount of militaria, some interesting coin lots, three folders of Liebig Company Picture Cards and sundry other items.
In order to assist with setting things up, and to be ready for action at the 10AM start time it was necessary for me to catch the 6:00 bus from King’s Lynn, arriving at Norwich Bus Station just after 7:30. After a slightly slower than usual start (for the right reason – lots of bidding), the pace picked up in the later stages of the auction. On a whim I purchased a tub of thru’penny bits for £7, and a little later a made a more considered purchase of a set of Liebig Picture Cards featuring “Divers systemes de Chemins de Fer” for the same price.
Although the massive lot 83 (all 16 boxes of it) did sell, it went to an internet bidder, so it still had to be loaded back on the van. Overall it was a very successful sale, and in the end I got back to my flat a mere 13 hours after setting forth.
I have some pictures from before, during and after the sale, and you can expect pictures of thru’penny bits, and when the coin in question comes out juxtapositions of thru’penny bits and the new style of £1 coin to feature in future posts!
Swaffham Church early in the morningThe nearest place to this church is so insignificant that I have forgotten its name.
A light source doubling up as a hanger!
Most of this headgear did sell.The Auction Database ready for action (but revealing no confidential information) – all I will enter manually during the day are paddle numbers and hammer prices.This spiked helmet did not go due to having an overly high reserve.
This is part of the Norwich Cathedral complex.
Making use of a renewable resource the Norfolk is abundantly blessed with!
I have had a very hectic week imaging for James and Sons, but it is now nearly all done for this auction. On Wednesday evening I got several excellent shots of a hang-glider and I have various other pictures to share with you…
Penny BlackThis was one of ten album pages of penny reds being sold as single lots
There were ten of these giant military maps to image.
In our August auction some of these picture cards sold, so some more are in the September auction.Hollywood Central Cinema aka thye Fakenham Fleapit
Red sky at night – shepherd’s delight! I ate supper outside again
As well as the press releases I have been producing invoices for the August Auction and have made a start on the imaging for the September auction (Saturday 27th, Maids Head Hotel, Norwich, starts 10AM sharp). This upcoming auction features industrial quantities of stamps (one of the lots I imaged today required 20 shots to do it something approaching justice – it was that big) among other stuff.
I have decided to do two blog posts today because I wanted to devote one exclusively to press releases.
There were som many fantastic results at this auction that I decided to split the press releases into categories: Coins, Medals, Militaria, Stamps and a portmanteau category that I privately dubbed “quirkies”. Thus below thsi you can find links to all five press releases and view any or all as you choose. Also I am including full photo galleries of associated images…
Yesterday James and Sons of Fakenham had their August auction at Fakenham Racecourse, and the day went very smoothly. The database system that has been 16 months in the development process is now functioning very well for purpose – at no time was I more than about 10 lots behind the action, meaning that I was able to produce invoices without many delays. The internet connection worked perfectly, so we got our full ration of internet bids.
After I have pulled everything together today I will begin writing up the best success stories (my role at James and Sons could be described as at least a quadruple one – database developer, data input clerk, imager and press release creator). Without as yet revealing any content I can say that Coins, Medals, Militaria and Stamps will all definitely feature.
I have some pictures from the auction venue for you…
The reason there has been no post on this blog since Friday afternoon is that I spent the weekend in East Rudham at a very large family gathering (my Australian aunt was over, and a veritable tribe descended on East Rudham to take advantage of this event).
Today I did everything I needed to at work, plus making a start on the imaging for the September auction, and benefitted from a rare piece of good fortune in that I left a little early because my colleague who was locking up had to go promptly, and the 15:38 bus to King’s Lynn was more than a little late, so I got home much earlier than expected, and it being bright and sunny, I have been out for a walk.
I have three sets of photographs to share with you, those from the weekend, highlights from today at work, and some from the walk (with very few exceptions wherever I go my trusty Nikon P520 Coolpix also goes), so here goes…
£5 worth of hand of pork
Unfortunately due to a mishap we never got to sample this crackling
But we most certainly did get to sample the kebabs that this little lot became.
Outdoor reared Norfolk pork means precisely what it says.
It is always a challenge to get good shots of aeroplanes.
This sunflower was growing in someone’s front gardenThese were provided by my cousin Olivia
Even though half of today was spent at Raynham Hall, I still got plenty done at James and Sons (and have some pictures of new donations to edit later). I should get some database time tomorrow, as well as on Thursday and Friday, which will get the stock database complete and (I hope) get me started on the auction side of things in advance of the sale. I then have Tuesday of next week to finish things off in terms of advance preparation.
The Great Centenary Charity Auction is starting to look reasonably healthy, and I will have some new material for social media before long.
No further progress on the database front today, but lots of imaging, and resolving queries (for the last hour, after the new images had gone off to ATG Media).
The lots I imaged today covered a very wide range and left me spoilt for choice as to what to include.
I notice that India, needing a win in the final test at The Oval to square the series are currently 125-9 (albeit having been put in, unlike in the previous test, when they chose to bat first and did not do a whole lot better). I also note, encouragingly for England, that it has been Woakes and Jordan who have done most of the damage (or been the principle beneficiaries of poor Indian batting?) rather than the much more established Broad and Anderson.
I got to image some very quirky lots, including what we think is a Bar Billiards set, and one or two other very interesting items. I have also continued to make progress on the database front.
Here are some of the quirky things I imaged today…
aspiblog 