Troika moulds from the Railtons October auction.
There was some interest, but not to the level that my vendor had expected; notwithstanding that I had persuaded her to part with the nearly 400 pieces for half what she had been told they were worth on the Antiques Roadshow.
The pieces were bought after the factory went into liquidation in the 1980s and have been in storage in Northumberland for over 40 years.
It is such a pity that the collection will not be kept intact as now my client has decided to sell them separately – drip-feeding them into sales over the next few years.
My next sale will start by selling half-a-dozen pieces. It is a lost opportunity for someone to either re-start the pottery using the original moulds, or to form a museum-type collection of these original iconic pieces.
I hope that the dispersal does not open the flood-gates for fake or newly produced Troika to flood the market.
Jim Railton
Railtons Antiques Auctioneers & Valuers
Wooller, Northumberland
