The many weird and wonderful lots consigned to the Wibbly Wobbly timed sale at Bellmans, from June 28-July 12, were collected over a lifetime by the late Andrew Cottrell, antiques dealer and well-known character in the trade.
Cottrell, fondly known to many as ‘Mr Copper’, had a long-standing ambition to write a book about his collection, called Wibbly Wobbly, and his four sons asked Bellmans to put together a special catalogue of the same name to accompany the sale in his memory.
“We always knew our father had many moulds, if there was copper to be sold our father was the man for it,” says Rupert Cottrell.
“He wasn’t just a lover of copper, he loved the whole antiques world and would often tell us he had over 700 moulds. While this was a slight exaggeration, he was never one to let the truth spoil a good story.”
Jonathan Pratt, managing director at Bellmans, told ATG: “Andrew’s treasured collection of weird and wonderful cake and jelly moulds are not only a proof of his passion for all things copper but also testimony to his larger-than-life love and commitment to the antiques world throughout his lifetime.”
The single-owner collection - which includes moulds of tennis playing ladies, leaping salmon and regal lions - will be hosted on thesaleroom.com and is expected to raise £20,000-30,000.
An evening soiree is also planned on Monday, July 3, from 5.30-7.30pm, which aims to raise funds for local charities, Naomi House & Jacksplace and The Mayor’s Charities.
It kicks off with chef Mark Hix’s Pimms and Strawberry Jelly Shots followed by a presentation by food historian and National Trust/English Heritage consultant Ivan Day. Tickets £5 each – for more information contact media@bellmans.co.uk or call 01962 861789.
