A collection of nearly half-a-dozen pieces of 18th century treen will go under the hammer in a three-day sale at Hannam’s in Selborne, Hampshire, on June 3-5.
The group comprises a total of 20 pieces in the form of novelty snuff boxes and comes from a private European collection with estimates ranging from £100-500.
The Star Wars Tie Bomber ‘Authentic Imperial Spacecraft’ die-cast metal toy was released only in America in a small production run of around 75,000.
As the spacecraft appeared for just a few seconds in the 1980 Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back, it is thought its minor role in the film led to the toy’s poor sales and the cancellation of the product in 1981.
This example above, in untouched condition and with ‘sample’ written on the original box, was sent from Kenner in Ohio to the Palitoy factory in Coalville, Leicestershire, which produced Star Wars toys for the UK market. It has been consigned to Derbyshire saleroom Hansons by a former Palitoy employee and will be offered on June 20.
Estimate £250-350.
The puppet collection of Bob Bura, a puppeteer and animator of shows including Camberwick Green, Trumpton and Captain Pugwash, will go under the hammer at Special Auction Services in Newbury.
The collection comprises puppets, ventriloquist dummies, props and ephemera expected to fetch £2500-3750 and will be included in a Teddy Bear, Dolls, Dolls’ House and Traditional Toy auction on June 25-26.
Two puppets from Whirligig – one of the first children’s television shows ever to be broadcast – are in the offing. A ventriloquist puppet of Cassy from Hank the Cowboy by Francis Coudrill is expected to fetch £300- 400 (pictured above), while the puppet of Mexican Pete, the bandit in the show, carries an estimate of £200-300.
This horse-racing cup above was won by Colonel Arthur Waite (1894-1991), a Grand Prix motor-racing winner turned horse race owner.
Born in Adelaide, Australia, Waite served at Gallipoli and was later hospitalised where he met his future wife, Irene Austin, who was the daughter of Herbert Austin of Austin Motor Company fame. Waite won motor racing events at Brooklands in Surrey and Monza in Milan. In Australia, his Austin 7 won the 100-mile road race, later to become known as the 1928 Australian Grand Prix.
This 10in (25cm) high silver gilt cup, hallmarked for London 1965 and surmounted with a pineapple finial to the cover, was won in 1966 by Waite’s horse Nous Esperons at Salisbury’s Bibury Cup race, run at the course since 1899.
The cup is estimated at £300-500 at Plymouth Auction Rooms on May 29 in Devon.
