A packed saleroom at the Chapel Walk rooms saw prices consistently outstripping their estimates on Tuesday, 17th March as bidders in the room fought with telephone bidders and online buyers with prices throughout the day consistently racing passed their estimates! The bulk of the book sale was a unique collection of antiquarian books consigned to auction by the Gloucestershire and Cheltenham Library Service, some of so rare as to be unfamiliar to seasoned book dealers and collectors. Pre-sale estimates had been on the conservative side as many were in poor condition, having been buried away in underground stores for decades and the majority also being plastered with library stickers, stamps and even barcodes.
The focus of much of the interest was centred around five lots of various issues of Wisdens Cricketer’s Almanack, the earliest dating from 1879. The popularity of these annual records of cricketing fixtures and players was such that the largest lot, with volumes from 1879 to 1921 and numbering 37 in all (with only one or two gaps) climbed steadily to reach £20,000. Some of most valuable volumes of this collection were the 1916 and 1917 issues, each still retaining their original bindings. This lot was knocked down to a telephone bidder as was the other early collection of Wisdens Almanacks dating from 1879 right up to 2007. This set was complete although most rebound and of course bearing library stamps and stickers, nevertheless managing to make a very respectable £10,000 hammer price. The third collection of Wisdens Almanacks dating from 1922 to 1956 and numbering 24 volumes also raised £5,000. The proceeds will make a splendid contribution to the libraries budget for the provision of it’s services in 2009!
The Auctioneers were expecting a great deal of interest in a wonderful collection of 36 unframed engravings by Piranesi, also part of the Gloucester library collection, featuring views of Rome from the mid 18th century, including the Coliseum, Porto duripa Grande, St Peter’s Square and other less well known buildings. This collection was paper bound and had been subject to some worm damage however strong competition was expected on the day and Lindsey Braune and Elizabeth Poole, directors, were not disappointed. Elizabeth was on the rostrum when the room fell to a hush as bidding mounted between the internet, bidders in the room and international telephone bidders. Despite spirited bidding from an Italian over the phone, the lot was finally won at £16.500 by a London buyer on the phone.
Again International interest was shown in Henry Gally Knight’s “The Ecclesiastical Architecture of Italy”, 1843. These two volumes in gilt morocco bindings with cloth boards and did not suffer too much from library stamps and plates, finally coming under the hammer at £2,600.
There were many rare and early books including one lot of two 16th century books bound as one, Thomas Tymme’s “A Brief Description of Hierusalem and of the Suburbs thereof…”, 1595 and “ Le Pelerin Veritable de la Terre Saincte”, 1615. Its rarity made the book hard to value however in the event it raced to finishing price of £2,500.An extensive collection of books concerning the Holy Land, Palestine, Syria, etc was sold at the end of the day, some in large lots fetching into four figures and others individually such as Adam Reisner’s “Jerusalem, the Altar Hubtstat der Juden… der Erster Theile”, Frankfurt 1569. This was profusely illustrated with woodcuts and was bid up to £2,100 while David Roberts “The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, Nubia”, came under the hammer at £1,800. Thomas Fuller’s “A Pisgha-Sight of Palestine and the Confines Thereof”, London 1650 was rebound but with the text clean and bright and reached £1,700. William Biddulph “Travels of Certain Englishmen into Africa, Asia, Troy…”, London 1609 was bid up to £1,200, while another lot of Middle Eastern travel books including works by Volney, Charles Addison and Charles Linnaeus amongst others also reach £1,100.
The library also boasted an extensive collection of volumes of The Illustrated London News and these consistently reached four or five times their pre-sale estimate with one lot from the 1880’s making £1,700 and another from the 1870’s making £1,550 and another lot from the 1860’s making £1,200.
The sale was begun by a furniture section and an extremely handsome 19th century Gillows style mahogany library bookcase took top honours here. Measuring 246cm wide this was beautifully glazed and with a centre fitted secretaire drawer flanked by further drawers and cupboards. Estimated at £2,000-4,000, the bookcase was finally bought in the room at £5.400 after strong competition. There was another Victorian mahogany breakfront bookcase which made £950 and a Victorian mahogany regulator wall clock by Dyson of Sheffield which sold at £1,000.
The collectables section in this auction was also strongly contested with good bids shown for Militaria, stamps, coins, medals, etc the top price was taken by a late Victorian/Edwardian autograph book containing a collection of autographs including:- Charlie Chaplin, Lloyd George, Rudyard Kipling, Charles Dickens, Byrne Jones, Nelly Melba, Winston Churchill, Baden Powell, etc. of £1500.