Despite repair to the head and the ring made of ivory instead of the more desirable ebony, the brace sold at £930 against an estimate of £400-700. As usual, planes took the other top prices, led by a Norris A5 with rosewood body and dovetailed steel sole with original Norris iron which took £690 and a late model of a Stanley No.41 bull-nose plough plane with 50 per cent of the nickel plating intact and complete with fillister bed, six cutters and one nose piece, which took £615.
Braced for bidder’s action
UK: SPECIALIST auctioneers Tool Shop Auctions (10 per cent buyer’s premium) finished the year with an 1100-lot dispersal on December 4 at Needham Market Suffolk, where a UK bidder beat an American rival to the top seller, this extremely rare boxwood Ultimatum brace, right, by William Marples.
