Potteries Auctions

Not to be confused with the modern limited edition Toby jugs of the same name, the early Royal Doulton figure Spooks is among the most desirable models in all the HN series.

In the collectable ceramics market colour can count for a lot.

This pair of William III silver candlesticks came for sale at Potteries Auctions (20% buyer’s premium).

The 27 animal models created for Beswick by Colin Melbourne represented the firm at its most avant garde.

Even 40 years ago, when the market for George Tinworth (1843-1913) anthropomorphic mouse groups was in its relative infancy, this 3½in (9cm) model above would have been a bargain at £1.

Small Britannia standard silver bowls are the signature pieces the Scottish silversmith Michael Lloyd (c.1950).

Ottoman bead carvers in Istanbul – makers of the garlands of beads known as tesbih and komboloi – were swift to appreciate the potential of Bakelite in c.1910.

An unusual late Victorian silver pocket watch by Herbert Blockley of London sold for an unexpected £2800 at Potteries Auctions (20% buyer’s premium) in Stoke-on- Trent.

‘One-of-a-kind’ tubelined charger by Staffordshire ceramicist brings £3300 on local soil.

Sold in the heartlands of English ceramics, this example, below, of Scotland’s finest was the estimate-shattering star of Potteries Auctions’ (20% buyer’s premium) July 13-14 sale in Stoke-on-Trent.

Auction houses in Bristol, Staffordshire and Norfolk have chosen to invest in new premises this year. Suggesting continued confidence in the regional auction market, Bristol Auction Rooms, Potteries Auctions and TW Gaze are planning to open new salerooms by the autumn.

ATG’s weekly selection of items on sale at auctions and dealerships.