North-west England

More than two decades since the first sale of golfing memorabilia, this once-booming niche market stands at an important crossroads.

In last week’s ATG we revealed how a sketchily catalogued box of over 130 19th century photographs estimated at £80-120 in a Cumbrian auction house proved to be a cache of images made by the early daguerreotype process and ended up selling to Ken Jacobson for £75,000.

"Lot 132. A 19th century mahogany box containing a quantity of 19th century photographs: 15 small images of stonework on metal, 50 images of buildings on metal, 70 small images of buildings on metal and 14 of buildings on card. Box poor condition, many images poor condition."

Byrne's of Chester are moving to premises outside the city centre, bringing to a close a long tradition of auctioneering at Booth Mansion. Partners Adrian Byrne and Jo Boucher expect their move to Pullman House, a new purpose-designed saleroom at The Sidings, Saltney, will be completed by the end of March.

Two fine lots of 17th century English pewter greeted New Year bidders in the country.

Nantwich, Cheshire auctioneers Peter Wilson have completed work to a new entrance hall, right.

English folk art with an American accent. Not only did the pair of child portraits seen at the Athenaeum in Bury St Edmunds on June 15 represent charming examples of early 19th century folk art, they also carried the name of an artist who would move to America shortly after they were painted.

SIMON Hope of Hatton-based H&H Classic Auctions is to ride the full length of the Pennine Trail for charity.

“IT was the power of the press that did it,“ said a red-faced, but delighted, auctioneer Michael Perry of Capes Dunn & Co. (15% buyer’s premium). News has only recently filtered down to the ATG of a spectacular result posted by the Manchester auctioneers back on February 22.

On his way to join the QE2 for a Mediterranean cruise on April 16, John Sullivan knew there was something he must do.

MARCH is a busy fairs month for many organisers, but none more so than Cooper Antiques Fairs who hold three events, starting this weekend with their long-established fair at Arley Hall, near Knutsford in Cheshire, from March 11 to 13.

A local estate was the source of some fine Meiji ivories sold by Cheshire auctioneers Frank Marshall (15% buyer’s premium) of Knutsford on January 11.

Appearing at Frank R. Marshall’s (15% buyer’s premium) sale at Knutsford, Cheshire on January 11 and selling at £720, was this 10 x 7in (25 x 18cm) oil-on-canvas, right, by Augustus Edwin Mulready (fl1863-1880 d.1886). Framed, mounted and indistinctly signed, it showed a characteristic subject for the artist, and was estimated at £200-300.

By and large the Cumbrian antiques trade were counting their blessings last week after escaping the worst of the floods that engulfed the region.

Peter Wilson, Nantwich November 17-18 Buyer’s premium: 15 per cent ALTHOUGH bidding was selective at this Cheshire sale, with only around 65 per cent of the 780 lots finding buyers, there was healthy competition for collectable ceramics such as a Royal Copenhagen set of ten colourful figures of children dressed in traditional Dutch costume by Carl Martin Hansen (1877-1941).

NOTED Manchester horologists Northern Clocks, run by Robert Love and his daughter Mary Anne, always have more than 100 good, craftsman-restored clocks in stock at Boothsbank Farm, Leigh Road, Worsley, but you can also see what they have on offer in their just published 2005 catalogue.

THE Bourne casket, a Restoration needlework casket that failed to sell when offered by Netherhampton Salerooms earlier this year, has been sold by private treaty to the Lancashire Museum Services.

BACK in April in Antiques Trade Gazette No 1633, we pictured and discussed an unusual Derby porter mug decorated with industrial scenes of two Mancunian foundries which sold at Bonhams in London for £3800.

SHALL I be mother? At first glance there’s nothing very exciting at all about this Edwardian teapot. Decorated with printed, painted and aerographed flower sprays against a graduated green and yellow ground and highlighted by burnished gilt, it is typical of the cheap and cheerful earthenwares churned out in their thousands in Staffordshire at the turn of the last century.

SOMETHING for nothing is seldom attainable but always desirable and David Fletcher of Unicorn Fairs promises just that at his Lancashire fixture on Sunday October 10.