The Antler Sale: The Private Collection of Raymond and Annie Hutchison is to be sold at Tennants Auctioneers, North Yorkshire on 18th June 2021. Over the course of 40 years, Raymond, who died in 2015, and Annie Hutchison assembled an extraordinary collection of world deer species, from record specimens taken by great hunters of the 19th century to 20th century examples with provenance from important private collections.
The Hutchisons focused their collection mainly upon interesting, rare, and unusual specimens. As well as several pieces being taken by Raymond, the collection was sourced from private owners and auctions and on occasion particularly good examples were gifted to the couple. Raymond and Annie frequented Tennants Natural History and Taxidermy auctions, and many of their rare specimens were purchased from important collections sold at the North Yorkshire auctioneers such as the Kenneth Whitehead Deer Sale in 2005, the Christian Oswald Deer Sale in 2006 and the Henrijean Collection of Big Game Trophies in 2008.
Amongst the 108 lots in the are such highlights as a monumental North American Wapiti or Elk, taken by J.G. Millais in Wyoming in 1886, the thirteen-point antlers having a spread of 53 inches (estimate: £4,000-5,000 plus buyer’s premium). At the time it was a world record size and to this day still lies within the top ten recorded specimens. The Wapiti, which was previously in the Kenneth Whitehead Deer Collection, is one of several trophies in the sale taken by John Guille Millais (1865-1931), the son of Pre-Raphaelite painter Sir John Everett Millais and Effie Gray. He was an artist, naturalist, gardener and travel-writer and big game hunter, who explored remote regions of the world and built up an vast private collection of specimens that he housed in a private museum in Horsham, West Sussex.
Other notable lots in the sale include an enormous set of Alaskan Moose antlers (72-inch spread), that was taken circa 1869 near the Yukon River, Alaska from the Duke of Westminster Collection (estimate: £3,000-4,000). A set of antlers from the now extinct Schomburgk’s Deer which became extinct in 1931, and which was previously in the Henrijean Big Game Trophy Collection is offered with an estimate of £3,000-4,000. A North American Moose taken in Alaska in the late 19th century is offered with an estimate of £2,000-3,000. It was once part of the collection of Sir Edmund Loder, a landowner, plantsman and hunter who was a friend of John Guille Millais. Specimens from the UK such as large red deer, fallow deer, roebuck antlers mix with world-wide examples such a Sambar and Rusa deer from South East Asia, Eld’s deer and Swamp deer from India and Pampas deer from South America.
View Sale Details
The sale of Specimens and Material derived from Endangered Species
All auction entries at Tennants are sold strictly in accordance with CITES (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna) regulations, and any necessary licences or Pre-sale approvals are obtained from Animal Health, Bristol.
