A torpedo boat by André Romain Guilmet incorporating a clock, barometer and thermometer, sold for £18,000 at Charles Miller.
Alongside steam hammers, boilers, windmills, locomotives and automobiles, several are on a nautical theme including the well-known ‘quarterdeck’ and lighthouse models, a rowing boat, a battleship, a torpedo and a fanciful ‘Jules Verne’ rendition of a late 19th century submarine.
This example, a torpedo boat incorporating a clock, barometer and thermometer, sold for £18,000 (plus 24% buyer’s premium) at maritime antiques specialist Charles Miller in London on November 1.
It was not in perfect condition (a once patinated hull had been refinished and it was lacking the motor that drives the propeller) but nonetheless sailed away from its £1500-2000 estimate to sell to a UK collector bidding online.
