Tribal Club Hits The Spot

A Tribal Club from the South Seas hit a high note when it came up for sale at Tennants Auctioneers in North Yorkshire on 5^th October in their Militaria and Ethnographica Auction.

The star lot was a 19^th century Fijian Ula, or throwing club, which sold for £24,000 (plus buyer’s premium) – sixteen times the bottom estimate; made from hard wood, the club had a rich brown patination and carved and inlaid bone decoration. The market for good period pieces of ethnographica continues to grow, as demonstrated by such a strong result.

Also of note in the sale were a pair of early 19^th century Chinese Bronze Sword Breakers, which sold for £5,500 (plus b.p.). These short, agile implements have a square ‘blade’ and were designed quite literally for breaking swords. Further highlights included a Winchester model 1866 .44 Rimfire ‘Yellow Boy’ Repeating Carbine, which sold for £3,600 (plus b.p.), and a Colt model 1851 Navy Six Shot Single Action Percussion Revolver, which sold for £3,000; both weapons having come from a good private collection of late 18^th and 19^th century American firearms.

The sale resulted in a total hammer price of £208,990 for 549 lots, with an 94% sold rate.

We are currently accepting lots for the next sale of Militaria and Ethnographica on 12^th December, please contact us on 01969 623780 or enquiry@tennants-ltd.co.uk for details.

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