1. Early acoustic gramophone – £8500
Working in the era of the mass-produced gramophone, Ellis Michael Ginn (1899-1959) was the creator of a series of hand-built machines offering the highest possible fidelity for the new electrically recorded 78s. His firm EMG prospered until 1930 when a mutiny by his staff forced him to leave the company and start up on his own again with the new name Expert.
The three models he made named Senior, Junior, and Minor are generally rated as the finest acoustic gramophones ever made.
This example of the EM Ginn Expert Senior with its massive 3ft (90cm) diameter black composition horn, emerged for sale at the Cotswold Auction Company, Cheltenham on June 4. Its ebonised oak case included the maker's label marked 64 Frith Street, Oxford Street and Soho Square, London, two of the addresses where Ginn traded in the 1930s after the schism from his former company. Estimated at £800-1200, it took £8500.
2. English embroidered ‘band’ sampler – £2200
Although catalogued as 19th century, this 3ft 1in (92cm) long English embroidered ‘band’ sampler offered by Hannams in Selborne, Hampshire on June 3 is more probably late 17th or 18th century.
Band samplers of this long and thin form stitched using a variety of needlework styles, threads, and ornament, are synonymous with this early period. Estimated at £50-75, it sold to an online bidder via thesaleroom.com at £2200.
3. Dated English delftware plates – £1250
Dated examples of English delftware always command a premium. This pair of plates initialled SS and dated 1734, had some damage but took £1250 at Richard Winterton in Lichfield on June 5.
The winning bid came via thesaleroom.com and was way above the estimate of just £40-60. The late 19th century Japanese blue and white bowl in the lot is perhaps worth £20-30.
4. A Victorian ‘cuff’ bangle – £2000
Late Victorian ‘cuff’ bangles with engraved floral decoration were made in large quantities by Birmingham silversmiths in the last quarter of the 19th century. Most will make under £100 at auction.
However, this rare example (hallmarked for Birmingham 1882) is applied with a tennis racquet with a tilt head design popular in the 1880s. Estimated at £150-200, it sold to an online bidder for £2000 at sporting memorabilia specialists Graham Budd Auctions in London on June 3.
5. A Qing double gourd vase – £43,000
Estimated at £400-600, this 11in (27cm) Qing porcelain double gourd vase took £43,000 at Adam Partridge in Liverpool on June 5.
The vase, decorated in white enamel to the turquoise crackle glaze with a vine and gourd pattern, carries a Daoguang (1821-50) six-character seal mark to the base and is thought to be of the period. In good condition, it retained a zitan stand and has a paper label to the base reading 'D&S Howels Collection No.268’.
6. Original Thunderbirds artwork – £8300
This original double page Thunderbirds artwork by Frank Bellamy was penned for issue 105 of the TV Century 21 comic in 1967. The storyline begins ‘Carrying a priceless shipment, Deathprobe 1's controls are jammed and the pilot is refused permission to abort... Thunderbirds 2 and 3 are go...’
The sheet, complete with various annotation to the margins, formed part of the collection of comic artwork formed by the late comedian and entertainer Bob Monkhouse that is being sold by Comic Book Auctions. Estimated at £2500-3500, it sold for £8300 in an online sale that closed on June 2.