The Vintage Fashion, Textiles, Dolls & Teddy Bear sale at Tennants Auctioneers on April 28 included live internet bidding for the first time in this specialist field, making the saleroom even more accessible for international buyers, and what a difference it made to the 240 lot sale – a final hammer price was realised of £60,000 with many items bought over the internet or via the telephone.
The auction showed that Asian interest extends further afield than ceramics and Libation cups. The top lot of the sale was lot 1112 a Chinese cream silk panelled skirt which made £8,800 despite not being in the best condition. Sarah White, specialist in charge of the department attributed its success to the intricately detailed embroidery. The Asian excitement didn’t stop there as a Chinese silk robe made £3,600 and a pair of Chinese embroidered Rank Badges made £550.
French and German dolls were once again popular lots, the top lot of this section was a large Jumeau Bisque socket head doll which the vendor had had tucked away for many years and only recently re-discovered. An impressive £2,200 was reached for the doll alone and the same vendor had success with other dolls and accessories which sold as separate lots making over £4,500.
Lot 1192 was the lot that everyone was waiting for after huge amounts of media attention on the cotton night shirt and long johns which once belonged to Frederick Kempster, the English Giant. The final hammer price was £550, not the dearest lot of the sale but a result the vendor was thrilled with.
Tennants have built a strong reputation for auctioning the best quality designer handbags, clothes and accessories and this sale was no exception. A large collection of handbags in immaculate condition, (some never used before) including designers Mulberry, Jaeger and Louis Vuitton all went under the hammer, the majority bought by private buyers. Vintage Louis Vuitton trunks and suitcases caught the eye of fashionistas and interior designers alike and a selection of bright and beautiful Hermes scarves all sold well, the top Hermes scarf ‘Frontaux et Cocardes’, lot 1205 making a hammer price of £320.
For further information please contact Sarah White on 01969 623780