It has been an interesting month so far. A very high price of £23,750 plus premium, was paid for a Palais Royal small upright piano sewing box or neccessaire with a musical movement, from the early 19th century. The piano was made in silver with gold and enamel work. I am trying to find out more details from Sotheby’s because the tools inside were not, in my opinion, the correct ones. It is possible the very high price was caused by the musical movement being by a very special maker? If the price is not based on the musical movement it is hard to understand why it fetched so much with an unimpressive set of fitments.
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Happy New Year to everyone. It is freezing in the Portobello and the best business is being done by an enterprising young man who makes his own delicious vegetable soup, bringing it round to us at £2 a container full. We bring in our thermos flasks and keep our hands warm as well as our stomachs full. Because the weather has been so cold and wet it means more parking places have become available. Every cloud as they say. The first two weeks have been quiet and nothing has been brought to us to buy. Another enterprising young girl was selling vodka iced lollies on sticks!
It is interesting to notice what buyers are willing to spend on their nearest/dearest. We often get the request that a Christmas present is needed for mum or an aunt who collects sewing tools. Thinking, indeed hoping the offspring will want to buy something that has the quality to please a collector, we are often surprised and dissapointed at the item chosen. ‘This one looks a bit different’ is the accompanying phrase as a fairly modern item is found at the back of a shelf where we hoped it might get lost. Mum will have to put it at the back of her shelf and probably blame us for a poor choice. Best not to buy for a collector unless you ask the collector for some guidance first.
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