AUCTION Sales round up

The 19th-century study of a bull sold for four times its mid estimate

Parker Fine Art Auctions, Farnham An early 19th-century naive study of a bull sold well above its £800-£1,200

estimate when it fetched £4,000 at the Surrey auction house. Livestock breeding was big business in the early 19th century when animals were bred to be larger than ever – a phenomenon owners were keen for artists of the day to capture as a status symbol or advertisement of their breeding prowess. Parker’s Vicky Saunders, said: “Nearly all of the star lots were animals – from improbably large cattle to fluffy kittens.”

AROUND the HOUSES

From Uncle Monty’s iconic sofa, to the first blueprint for a tank, the UK’s salerooms offered much in recent sales

Fellows, Birmingham A pair of limited-edition “James Bond” Omega watches, won in an online competition last year costing £2.99 to enter, sold for a total of £25,520 at Fellows Auctioneers’ recent sale.

The Seamaster Professional 300m watches, number 11 of 257 ever made, were designed to celebrate the 50th-anniversary of the 007 film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Limited-edition

Omega Seamasters are highly sought after

The watches included the inscription Orbis non sufficit (Latin for ‘the world is not enough’), as well as a hidden number 50 on the 10th hour marker, both celebrating the sixth outing in the famous film franchise.

Fellows’ watch manager, Laura Bishop, said: “Limited-edition Seamaster models which are only a few years old are hugely sought-after and valuable in the world of horology.”

Tennants, Leyburn A rare Martin Brothers’ ‘Wally Bird’ jar made in 1902 topped the recent sale in North Yorkshire when it sold for £15,000. Martin Brothers is one of the most significant names in the history of British pottery, but it is their iconic ‘Wally Birds’ for which they are best remembered. Robert Wallace Martin (18431923) created stoneware tobacco jars and covers in the form of anthropomorphic birds, full of character with sly expressions or mischievous grins. At the same sale a Banjo glass vase in the colour meadow green made by Whitefriars Glass and designed by Geoffrey Baxter in 1967, sold for £1,900.

The Whitefriars’ vase in meadow green was another top seller

Work by the Martin Brothers continues to fly at auction

Catherine Southon, Selsdon Another watch to spark a bidding war, this time at Catherine Southon’s Surrey saleroom, was a Rolex GMT Master “Pepsi”, which sold for £22,320, more than double its high estimate of £10,000.

The Rolex “Pepsi” was so named because of its blue and red bezel

Launched in 1954, the watch was designed for pilots on transcontinental flights with the blue and red bezel said to be inspired by the colours of Pan American Airways, who commissioned the watch. But the colour combination also earned it the nickname “Pepsi”.

The watch came with its original receipt from 1970 and its service history, both adding to the price achieved.

12 ANTIQUE COLLECTING