Part of a Private Collection of finely made banjos topped Tennants Auctioneers’ Scientific and Musical Instruments Sale on 26th May, when the ten lots sold for a combined hammer price of £12,300. With most dating from the 1920s and 1930s and all in remarkably good condition for their age, the banjos drew strong levels of interest from around the world. Highlights of the collection included an Epiphone Recording Artist Tenor Four String Banjo (sold for £3,200 plus buyer’s premium) and a Clifford Paragon Tenor Four String Banjo (sold for £2,000). Further banjos will be included in subsequent Scientific and Musical Instruments sales.
Elsewhere in the Musical section of the sale, a good quality but unlabelled Cello sold for £4,200, the top price of the sale, and a Large Interchangeable Bells-En-Vue Cylinder Musical Box by Nicole Freres made circa 1881 sold for £1,200.
Mining memorabilia is selling well presently, and a group lot comprising a J H Steward Ltd Mining Barograph and three Miner’s Lamps, one by John Spence sold for £1,800. A good selection of camera equipment was led by a Plaubel Makina 67 Camera with Nikkor lens and a Hassleblad 500C/M Outfit (sold for £700 each). A J Franks Opticians of Manchester Drawing Set sold well, too, at £420.
The sale resulted in a total hammer price of £43,300, with a 92% sold rate for the 139 lots.
